He has a talking motherboard for diagnostic purposes. Not rare, exactly, but not particularly common either.
As for the error he's getting, you could try what manasecret suggested. There are also diagnostic cards you can get.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3589
I like dealextreme for the price, but shipping takes forever.
Elsewise, try unplugging all components from the motherboard and plugging them back in. It could always be something loose.