Sweet Mother: Skyrim Shadow Glitch / Bug

I've been experiencing a glitch or bug or SOMETHING in Skyrim recently that doesn't necessarily render it unplayable, but it comes close.

Shadows and lighting are giving me an issue. I've read up on the issue extensively and tried many things, to no avail.

If anyone has even heard a whisper of a rumour as to how I might fix it (without, you know, actually getting a new computer), I'll pretty much try anything at this point, including summoning the Dark Brotherhood.

Basically the lighting issue is as follows in screenshots:
And in many instances (especially interior) the pockets of lighting/shadow that are SUPER bright, or so dark I cannot see to play.

That's not rain, that's the shadows trying to slice us to ribbons.

Body lit, head shadowed.

As I turn, the darkness rotates. It isn't stationary.

Acer Aspire 5552-7858
Windows7 Home Premium/64bit
6 GB RAM, 640 GB HDD
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250
AMD Phenom II x4 N970
(all settings on low - Mock me for my wussy laptop if you must, but know that I'm but a humble soul and don't mind playing Skyrim on 'nice personality', as long as I still get to play it!)

Ive updated drivers, rolled back drivers, updated them again, changed graphics setting on the system, tinkered with shadow settings for game, tinkered with graphical settings for game, always keep the game 'updated' in Steam, uninstalled and reinstalled Skyrim, pounded my head on the desk, summoned hellish demons to attack puppies out of spite, and more things I shant list.

I'm assuming it's some sort of incompatibility between my graphics card, or between the drivers and the game - mostly because none of my other games are suffering. But this is a NEW thing, only having started within the last month or so. Ive played Skyrim successfully, albeit low res, since it came out.

Anyway, I'm just putting this out there in hopes that some random wandering adventurer has experienced this and has slain the enemy.


Sweet Mother Sweet Mother send your child unto me
For the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.

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Update, Nov. 2012: Ok, so for anyone interested enough in the answer to this riddle: The problem is with my graphics card/chipset, so don't bother spending fruitless hours messing with graphics and drivers and ini settings. They won't fix this problem.
AMD have not provided a driver update for the Radeon HD 4000 series cards. They have made available updates for the 5000 and up, but if you have 4000 you're pretty much screwed. They don't seem to be compatible with the Skyrim update that came out in July 2012.

So that's about it. :/  I'm continuing to play Skyrim and I simply have to tolerate the spazzy lighting. It is annoying, but it's not a total game-breaker (although it ruins much of the immersion).
I'll wait to get any DLC until I have a new machine.

~E <3