And an exponential degree of difficulty that Jim has yet to vault over.

Other creatures of the sea are planned but still a long way off.

i'm amazed at this! are you saying you barely make money from the hard-copy version? i see it everywhere (in fact, i bought the hard-copy). why bother selling it like that?

Having a hard-copy version doesn't seem to hurt on-line sales, and a large number of people make a living off it.

Well, a slip of the wrist while installing a faster processor, and the motherboard of my main computer is destroyed. Now for a fun week of buying a new motherboard (and processor, since the one I got was only good for that older motherboard), and re-purchasing/re-installing all my main software. And this was the week I was supposed to get the two new fish done.

Oh!! No~the hardware problem let me afraid more. Hope you can back on track soon.

I think lot of people is waiting new fishes and I must said:"thanks you!!!!! Jim!!!!!!!"

Jim,

Sorry to hear of your situation :(

Could you elaborate a little about what happened? Did your hand slip and a scewdriver pierce the motherboard? Just curious.

Boy that does stink. http://img84.echo.cx/img84/2518/hissyfit8wr.gif I hope you get everything setup again soon buddy. I wish I could help.

Good luck. :TU:

That was my first thought... A slip when installing the heatsink and *slice* there go some traces... :eek:

Yes, that's exactly what happened.

I would have been so mad at myself that mostly likely I would have thrown the computer out the door.

Bummer, I've stabbed a couple mobos before but never fatality...

Jim,

There is absolutely no reason you cannot go to Fry's and buy another identical Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard and be up and running in 10 minutes.

Next time insist on a Zalman CPU fan. Quiet (2,500 RPM instead of the ludicrous 6,000+ RPM of other CPU fans) and easy to install (no force/pressure required, just screw two brackets in place and then gently screw the fan into the bracket).
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/...x=145&code=005

I hadn't checked Fry's yet, since it's about a 160-mile round trip. Nobody closer carries that motherboard any more. I'm off to Fry's.

Damn, Road trip.............http://www.freewebspace.net/forums/i...ticons/car.gif

Just logged in and searched Newegg for what Morgan suggested and they seem to have it - see below. So if you haven't already made the trip to and back from Fry's, you could order it through Fry's ++EDIT - CORRECTION - MEANT ORDER IT THROUGH NEWEGG ++ and have it delivered next day (if it's the one you're looking for).

--------------------------------
ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe Socket A (Socket 462) NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

AGP Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X
CPU Type: Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron
DDR Standard: DDR 400 (PC 3200)
Dual Channel Supported: Yes
FSB: 400/333MHz
Maximum Memory Supported: 3GB
Number of DDR Slots: 3x 184pin DDR
PCI Express x16: None
PCI Slots: 5
South Bridge: NVIDIA nForce2 MCP-T

Model #: A7N8XEDELUXE
Item #: N82E16813131478
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only.
In Stock
$2.50 FedEx Saver Shipping
[371 reviews]
Move To Wish List
$89.00

You could always give them a call before you drive out there. Tomorrow, I am driving right next to the Fry's in the City of Industry. If you didn't get to make it, let me know, I will stop by and look. (if they are open)

Upstairs I have a "brand new" Intel based mainboard that is actually about 6 years old now. It has the old style of cpu seat where the hat sink just clips right to the plastic. About 30 seconds after I had the heatsink in place, I heard a snap. The plastic broke away and it became impossible to install a heat sink. I took it back to PC Club, since it was clearly a weak piece of plastic. They have/had a specific policy about not taking back mainboards if the plastic gives way. They had a little corporate information sheet to hand out and everything (in color) which had a picture that looked almost identical to the break on my board... which led me to believe that it must happen a lot. It only ever happened to me once, and I used to handle several dozen of the things a year.

I searched in vane to find a heat sink that I could clip on to the other rotrusions or screw or glue on, but no luck, so in the end I just had to buy a new one.

Had to go to two different Fry's, but I got the last A7N8X-E they had. My old board didn't have the "-E" designation, so I hope the difference is nothing major.

Gigabit Ethernet was the major difference. It'll ask you to install a few different drivers.