HardwareSecrets has posted a very handy article about finding out the make & model of a mobo without ever opening the case. Indispensible info for a PC tech guy like myself.

"How it is possible to know the motherboard manufacturer thru software? Inside the computer BIOS there is a serial number, which has includes a code for the manufacturer. So, what a hardware identification utility does is to read the BIOS serial number and to decipher it for you."