panasonic 700 and issues changing the bulb

There have been several posts in various threads regarding the Panasonic and bulb replacement so I decided to start this thread to answer some of those questions. My bulb just popped last night while watching 24 . Since I have a replacement bulb I started to change it and stopped. First of all the instructions that come with the lamp and manual are very basic. I find that the fit is very close and do not want to damage the bulb. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, when I examined the old bulb it seemed to be perfectly intact. Yet there appears to be small shards of glass where the lamp had been. Should I simply vacuum them out? Also, there was no warning before I heard the pop. Just a minor drop in brightness. All this despite having only a little more than 900 hr. on the lamp and always keeping the filter clean.