I take it won't be another ASUS? :}

SD

To be fair, SD - when the stuff I've had with their name on the front works, it worked well.

When I needed help from them - absolute bag of <expletive deleted>.

No, for the sake of $48, it's a low brand name, "Elitegroup" ECS A780GM

Cheap enough to be worth the risk - even just for a component check. See what faults this one will throw up.

New board installed (no 1384, doh!!).

Ran like a dream, turned it off at 4hrs 30.

Now just got to put the old IDE HDD back in and see if it will boot up.

All runing rather well now.

Installed a genuine copy of XP Pro and activated it with MS.

Installed all the drivers for the mobo.

Connected the machine to the rest of the home network, installed the local printer (but couldn't find the network printer [yet}.

Ran Windows update a few times to get SP2 and a few new tweaks - wasn't offered SP3 for some reason.

Then I notice the configuration.

There are two identical optical drives in SATA 4 and SATA 5, and a brand new, therefore totally empty until this occurrence), 500Gb HDD as SATA 1.

Windows partitioned the drive, installed the OS - but called it "Drive I" (India) and classes Drive C as a "Removable disk - no media".

I'm sure that is going to cause tears in the (near) future.

In order to ensure that Win XP installs to C as you want and expect it to, I find that you have to make certain that there are no formatted partitions visible (apart from C) when you start the installation.

Disconnect other physical disks, don't create other partitions on the installation disk.

SD

Well, it took a bit of doing - but we're there!! Yay!! :ok:

Turned out that the drive assignment was because I had installed an internal card reader into USB controller 2 - and it was read as four removable media slots. C D E & F

This apparently pushed the HDD to be named drive I behind the four card slots and two optical drives. G & H.

Removed the USB plug, re-installed XP, reconnected USB. Then set about doing all the updates again.

Off to the shop for an extra digital video cable, then she can have the new graphics card installed.

Made the machine connect to the home network, found it's printer (but, curiously, not the network printer) - just need to load Office, update Office, transfer the .pst files for wifeys e-mail and then install her old IDE drive as a .pst back up drive.

Also have to figure out how to control RealVnc to see the machine from my desktop viewer. The server has been installed already.

Phew. I need a beer.

Many thanks for all your input everybody. Very much appreciated.

Your vast but hitherto unheard-from audience applauds you!

Are these Windows machines, or Linux?

For Windows, you don't need RealVNC (unless you happen to like going that way).
Remote Desktop Connection will do much the same and is easy to set up.

Windows, Keef.

Recommended, free, easy to use once rigged. I just have to work out what the settings are to allow my office machine to connect to it.

All home network will be operable from my "home office" computer which is my desktop, running Vista Ultimate, laptop sending out my radio stream in office running Windows XP Home (won't do remote access), laptop in lounge connected to LCD TV (running Vitsa Home Basic), new machine will be running XP Pro in spare bedroom.

Both laptops already have VNC servers on them and are accessed as required (regularly for my radio stream) from the keyboard and screen(s) used by my desktop.

It's really just to cut down on "GoToMyPC" subscription which was getting carried away. Now I can remote to my office machine from any internet connection and run my entire network (if I need to).

Yep, I use RemoteVNC to control the Linux box (in Essex) when in Norfolk. It does that well.

I have it set up on both Windows machines (primarily to link to Linux) and can use it between them. I just find Remote Desktop Connection easier.

The Essex place has a fixed IP address, and the machines there are fixed IP from the router, so it's all very straightforward to operate.

The only wacky side-effect that I've never bothered to fix is how it handles printers.
The main desktop in Essex has two printers on it, and there's a printer in the Norfolk house (used by the laptop when I'm up here). The Essex printers are shared on the network, so I can use them from the laptop or the Linux machine. When the laptop connects to the Essex PC via the VPN, the PC adds the printers it sees on the laptop (no idea why). It ends up with its own two printers as viewed through the VPN via the laptop. It also picks up the Norfolk printer and the WinFax settings from the laptop.

Then, when I disconnect from the VPN, it gets all upset that four of its printers have vanished, and spends the next little while searching for them. The event viewer displays its panic! It's not a problem, since I'm not there anyway, but it is odd.