I have a similar setup where I have the 880 and an HTPC running XPPro. The thing is you need more than just the USB IR receiver. You also need the software drivers for the IR device. I purchased the Streamzap ( http://www.streamzap.com/ ) remote control which cw/ IR receiver and drivers and the Logitech database includes the Streamzap. So it is fairly easy to setup the 880 to emulate the Streamzap to then control the PC albeit not perfectly. But it does work. Turning off the computer is no problem. The issue is turning it on. See this thread for more info [Link: remotecentral.com] The Logitech database also includes Msoft's MCE remote. You might be able to pick up the MCE IR receiver on eBay but you still need to get the drivers.