keeping updates small for whispernet makes sense but Amazon has no excuse for not having a full update available for 'net download.
maybe my situation was unique but it would seem that this would be a simple solution to the checksum errors I see scattered throughout the forums.
have a full download available that can upgrade from any version with checksum error file overwrite.
again Clarknova, thank you for all your help! It was a strange relief to see the upgrade complete after seeing that exclamation point failure graphic for so long