[alwann]

Thanks to all who offered advice. Status, if you're still interested. I took the desktop in question to MMD. They said the motherboard is bad, and they don't do motherboard fixes, even if they could source one. They will build a new machine for me with all the bells and whistles I want for around 4 grand. They'll also xfer all apps and data too (for additional fee). Seems high. Dell will sell me a new machine with the same features for about half of MMD quoted. Question: if I buy the Dell, how do I port the apps and files from the dead PC? It remains frozen, can't navigate.