On 26 Jul 2006 10:31:58 -0700, "Zed Rafi"
<backuplm2@gmail.com> wrote:

>Hello all,
>
>My brother's computer crashed a while back, and i've been lazy about
>repairing it. I've now gathered the courage to starts buying the
>replacement parts and repair the damn thing.
>
>The computer completely crashed; it displays a blank screen upon power
>up (no bios text or anything). After opening up the case, i noticed
>brown goo had seeped out of some of the capacitors on the MOBO, so i
>figured the MOBO is the problem.
>
>anyway, the specifications of his computer are here:
>http://tinyurl.com/juy2y
>

Pretty much useless, we don't care what the specs are, only
what the chassis and power are like, which would require
extensive documentation or real pictures.



>the spec page on the HP site does not mention the socket type of the
>MOBO, so it's kindda hard for me to choose a replacement
>motherboard....

What CPU is it?
probably socket A


>I want to buy it off ebay.

That might be a poor idea, if you're spending all this time
to do it, why take the risk with ebay parts? Socket A
boards aren't that old yet, you should be able to find one
online.


>Could someone point out to
>me which characteristics i should be looking for in a replacement
>motherboard?
>

mATX
Socket A
At least 133MHz/DDR266 FSB
Integrated video
Integrated audio
Integrated NIC (Network adapter).

I'm assuming the system still used all the motherboard
features. If on the other hand, the user had installed a
video card upgrade, it wouldn't be necessary for the
replacement board to have integrated video, but most mATX
boards do.


>anyway, i've also been told that HP cases are not compatible with
>non-hp motherboards (size and power-up/reset buttons)... is that
>correct?

Not really but it depends on your definition of compatible.
You need to measure the available space in the case, how
wide the board can be without interfering with the drive
rack, and where the two overlap (when seen from the side),
how tall any parts can be on the board at that point.

I'd expect most mATX boards to fit, and the case does have a
standard, removable rear IO panel (though you'd need to make
sure whatever you buy has a matching IO panel too).

The PSU should be standard. We don't know that you need a
new PSU at all so you might as well try the original first.
Note the specs on the PSU label, or whether it has an ATX 4
pin connector. If it has no 4 pin 12V connector or it isn't
rated for many 12V amps, this might effect the motherboard
selection.


>does that go also for the PSU?
>
>thanks a lot for your time and help


Until we have further into, the best generic answer is to
buy a name-brand (like MSI, Abit, Asus or Gigabyte) nForce2
board, mATX, "IGP" type which means it has the integrated
video. You could get a more similar board to what it had
already, a KM266 based board, but they're a little slower
technology than nForce2, less upgradable, and the video is
much slower for gaming (not that nForce2 is fast as any
modern video card, but at least it can play old games).

However, if the HP system uses quickrestore type of factory
HDD image to install the operating system or software, you
may not be able to use that anymore since the replacement
board won't be an HP brand (the board bios has a string to
identify it).