do i have to remove my Motherboard?? please! NO !!!

[Oli]

Make yourself familiar with how the pushpin mechanism works before you install it. The white inner part of the pushpins is the only one to fit into the hole and on the downside of your mainboard they must spread to fix the cooler.

The only thing I could advise from the distance is to make photos of the holes and your socket 775 bracket so that I or someone from Scythe staff can assist you tomorrow in this thread so that everything will finally be installed to your satisfaction.

[WayneHarris]

Okay - tonight was a complete waste of time
3 and half hours of my evening thrown away

i removed the old CPU Cooler and tried to fit the new one, it just wouldnt fit in the motherboard!!
i then realised why! it seems my Computer is made by the stupid dumb ass company called COMPAQ!! who have to make their computers different to anyone elses, why oh why oh why????
they have nailed a metal plate UNDERNEATH my Motherboard, which means the 775 Socket Holes are smaller than normal, so the Scythe will not fit, so what did i do?
(i am still in shock i actually done this)
i had to remove a million wires, my graphics card, sound card etc etc etc
i removed my motherboard!
and guess what, this metal plate will NOT come off, its stuck down for all eternity, i tried everything but didnt want to break my motherboard, so i did not force it!
so after doing this, i had to put it all back together again and have gained absolutely NOTHING

i have come to the conclusion that i can NEVER have a Quiet PC unless i buy a NEW Motherboard or a whole new PC.
i knew something would go wrong,

i phoned the supplier of my NEW CPU Cooler and he said i can have a Refund, i will just have to buy a new fan for my crappy existing CPU Cooler and hope this fixes the noise, i bet it does not

[Oli]

I am very sorry that Compaq uses such a special backplate system to fix its socket 775 coolers. Those backplates are very often glued to the board and removing them with force could damage your board. That's a real dilemma!

Could you post a picture of this cooling solution anyway? This could help picking out the right alternative fan.

Sorry again - who should have known this?!? This is how things get the opposite of being user-friendly when leaving the path of stock cooler / reference design.

[EekTheCat]

Sorry to hear about what you had to go through, Wayne. I think that's how it is sometimes with aftermarket coolers/parts and retail motherboards, not just those in prebuilt PCs such as in your case. I've personally seen some odd motherboard designs from these PC makers (HP/Compaq, Dell), which is why I stay away from them and build my own from scratch. Easier to maintain that way.
I'm sure the replacement stock fan will be quieter than the one you're replacing. That is, IF the source of the noise is really the CPU fan.
Best of luck and take it easy.

Oh. I wouldn't say that you gained nothing from this. At the very least, you know what to expect from those prebuilt computers the next time you're in need of a new PC.