I have a Windows 2000 Server (SP4) whose motherboard has failed, but whose hard drives (a total of 5 PATA IDE drives) are still good. If it matters, the server is a member of an Active Directory domain (and it must remain so), but it is not a DC. What are my options for reviving this server? For reasons I will not go into here, I need to avoid reinstalling the OS or any programs.
Can I just put the hard drives together with some new server hardware, and have a reasonable chance of success? What kinds of gotchas can I expect to encounter while taking this route?
How feasible would it be to, instead, create a virtual machine to replace the old server? What VM software would be best for that?
Are there any other approaches to consider?