Don't know if anyone listens to me. I have my own ideas here. I believe we don't currently understand enough about nature and viruses yet to find a cure...the best we can hope for is efficient and effective treatments to extend lives and prevent suffering while increasing chances of spreading disease to others by the same token.

A drug that MIGHT possibly eradicate HIV would probably have to be a COMBINATION THERAPY of sorts over an extended period of time. Having specialized drugs designed to overcome and trick the virus at every major stage...eg... a drug designed to trick all dormant versions of the virus into activating then having another drug ready to destroy the activated virus then another drug designed to flag the body to recognize and take out the trash. Even if the virus remained undetectable without drugs for years....still couldn't be completely sure the person is cured of the virus as they are very sneaky and persistent sometimes. The chicken pox virus is still dormant in any of us who got it..waiting for the opportunity to strike when our immune system becomes weaker or compromised.

Even so by default like what has already been stated is that we are currently ruling out what won't work! That alone is just as important in the discovery "trial and error" processes that good science needs to do.

If nothing else I think this proves what coming together can do as a whole.

common cold virus there no such thing there is CLASS OF 200-300 VIRUSES CALD COLD VIRUS, WITH MANY MORE MUTATIONS,

DUE TO SUCH MANY NUMBERS CANT THEY FIND A CURE,

YOU WOULD HAVE TO FIND A CURE FOR ALL THOSE 300, AND
THEN KEEP UP WITH NEW STRAINS,

LIKE U CAN READ HERE
http://www.lef.org/protocols/infections/common_cold_01.htm

ELECTRICITY CAN BE DANGEROUS 2:)
http://www.cutepiggy.com/best_friend.html

ALREDY THEN.

you people are SO FRUSTRATING. if you haven't studied immunology IN DEPTH, you shouldn't be making presumptions about a very complicated thing that you know next to nothing about. if you had any kknowledge of it, you woudlnt' be comparing it to the "common" cold.
i have my various degrees in immunology, and currently work in a lab which is studying genetic deactivation of HIV. there are a large amount of groups studyign this mechanism of fighting hiv, and there are many other mechanisms being studied as well. the amount of money/time/effort being funneled into hiv is absolutely enormous.
it's very easy for you to sit there makign claims as to the efficacy of this work; but it's all based on nothign if you have such a limited knowledge (as most of you obviously do...a few have given virologically intelligent comments).
yes it's a problem that has been very long in reaching the goal, and no we're not there yet. however i'd suggest that you put your faith in the people who DO know about it and are workign on it. yes viruses evolve incredibly fast, but don't forget that people evolve too, and our knowledge of how to manipulate life (viruses, ourselves, etc) at a cellular and molecular level is growing exponentially.
just be patient... :)
to close with a thought that i personally do not know has any basis in reality, but is just somethign to think about...
there is the phrase "catch a death of cold." that had to come from somewhere...so if we used to die from colds, we have already "evolved" enough to survive colds...and that was without the assistence of millions and millions of dollars of modern research...
:) if you want to criticize me, dont' do so on that thought, as i'm just adding it for fun...