Hardware Upgrade & Image Deployment

Hi

Needing advise on ways to do this deployment.

Have an existing peer to peer network with a standalone windows xp pro
workstation acting as a server
Lots of applications installed on the server ... not too sure if some are
running as network apps
4 client machine on ethernet and 1 on a wireless link

Slow hardware want to upgrade server and take an image of the existing drive
and basically remove the hardware info of that install it in to a new
machine and then replace in to network.

I used to work for IT companies so familiar with deployment and also some of
the tools that removes all the hardware configuaration so you dump an image
on to a new system without getting blue screen and let it then redetect ...
but never really used these.

I looking for all fail safe ways of accompishing this task if people can
let me know of how they did it, how successfull they were any hints or tips
and also software tools and solution that will help me upgrade this machine
with a little problems as possible and minmum disruption to the users on the
network

Many Thanks

Nick