when i say "agonizing three hours" i meant three
MORE hours. altogether the game took me a good six hours :satisfied at least according to the clock. real time? oh, nine hours, give or take a few minutes.
I did seek help for finding a few items in sectors 6 and 4, but from there i knew where to search, and how to do so

some were found accidentally.
but it was mainly the mention of other routes that permitted bypassing of the Nav rooms.
edit: to h-e-l-l-o, you can get the PBomb pack by doing this:
1. start from the lower left end of the room and start running
2. soon you'll hit speed booster speed - before you run into the wall, press down to store speed power (when Samus enters glowing mode, she enters what i call "Shinespark mode")
3. do a spin jump onto the ledge and stand at the bottom of the slope there
4. tap A once to get Samus into boost position, and press left to make her do a shoulder ram
5. she'll sail into the slope and start running! quick, the moment you step onto the speed booster blocks, start space jumping to the left - still at the boost speed
6. aim for the top of the chamber containing the power bomb pak
7. you will smash through the roof (made up of speed booster blocks) and getting the bomb pak is easy from there