Finncapt,. I was reading between the lines re: BOAC's mentioning the video not working wothout a graphics card. It is gotcha with some recent AMD boards. (I found out the hard way).
BOAC. That motherboard won't accept a dsub/dvi adapter from the onboard chip. You will need a graphics card if you are using a vga monitor. DVI and HDMI will work from the onboard chip. So don't write the board off if that's the case.
Have you checked the network socket for damage (crossed/bent contactor springs)? I still think that it may be causing the shut downs, and wonder whether your offspring used it or a wireless connection?