Okay, for those who have been listening impatiently for
the "thud", I'll drop the other shoe.

I investigated (though not in this order), the Dell site, Staples, Fry's Electronics, New Egg, OutofStock.com, and a couple others. I was eager to take advantage of the Black Friday specials. Of the offerings in my target price range, a decided minority came with W7; no surprise there. The largest number of those eligibles
were from a manufacturer in which I no longer have confidence.

I ended up buying a refurbished HP 8000 SFF from Staples. It comes with W7.

I thank those who took the time to give me advice in this thread.

Dave Oesterreich