as a newbie, there's still one thing left to do before this experience is complete. you'll thank me in a few years from now....

if you really learned your lesson, you'll explain and confess right here to the group WHY you unplugged/plugged in the ribbon cable with the machine on. everyone knows that's a huge No-No! and be honest. if you aren't willing to do that, you aren't really sorry for doing it. you're just relieved and joyous that it's working now, and you're 100% guaranteed to do something like that again, once you forget how nervous you were before this group saved you. so, why'd you do that?

i’m sorry you feel that way. when i was a newbie on RGP, and i fried my first game by working on it with the power on, an experienced veteran asked the same of me after i was helped to get it back up and running. and guess what.. every single time i go to do that, even now 15 yrs later, i stop and think about how a few extra seconds of effort can save me days of work, despite my natural desire to tempt fate. and boy, i’m glad he did! and i’m guessing, so now will you. plenty of people attempt the same, despite knowing better, so there's nothing obvious about it. so you can have your opinions, and i can have mine. but if you think that my request to him was berating, i’d suggest not reading much else here on Pinside, because compared to my post, a majority of this site will just make you lost faith in humanity. me, on the other hand, i was only trying to help someone learn a valuable early lesson.