Hewlett-Packard is facing yet another crisis, and it looks like this one could take a while to resolve.

Last week HP announced it would take an $8.8 billion charge against earnings related to its acquisition of Autonomy. Even more shocking was the disclosure that HP had discovered "serious accounting improprieties" at Autonomy that HP believes were used to inflate the value of Autonomy.

The fiasco could have serious implications. HP has forwarded the matter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Enforcement Division for "civil and criminal investigations," and HP itself has been hit with a class action lawsuit over the Autonomy acquisition. Meanwhile, partners are questioning the strategy and decision making of HP's leadership.

CRN's Steve Burke explains what went wrong with Autonomy and how a recent string of missteps and blunders have taken a toll on HP.

PUBLISHED NOV. 27, 2012