Well, I got a frantic call from my father-in-law this morning. His desktop (HP Media Center PC) seems to be fried due to problems with the power outlet (it pulled out of the wall when he tried to pull out the power strip). The server I built for him is fine, but as far as I can tell over the phone, the desktop is fried. If I need to replace the motherboard (some kind of ASUS socket 775 motherboard with an Intel Chipset), I presume I need to stay in the Intel platform, though I might have to move up a generation or two. Will there be any problems doing this? If Intel motherboards are not available, can I go with a VIA Chipset, or will XP Media Center go nuts?
If you replace the motherboard with a dissimilar motherboard, it is quite likely that the Windows installed on the hard drive won’t run at all, as it has registry keys that are hardware specific. You would have better luck replacing the hard drive as well, installing Windows and applications fresh, and installing the old hard drive as a slave to transfer files.
If you’re going to all that trouble, a new case would be in order, IMO.
HP cases are notoriously proprietary and difficult to work in. A new case would be less than $50 and it would make the repair and subsequent upgrades much easier.
Yet Another Headache: The HP OEM MS OS (!) checks the BIOS to make sure it is running only on an allowed HP MB. You most likely will have to get a different copy of the OS that isn’t tied to a specific vendor.
TTFN
Before you do all this, try replacing just the power supply. They usually take the brunt of external power “incidents.”
You might also consider calling HP (1-800-HP-INVENT) and see what options they have for repair–and to check that you didn’t buy some extended warranty that you’ve forgotten about.