28, new hd install HELP ME PLEASE!!

So the HM160C showed up today, and I have reploaced the crashed toshiba unit with relative ease.
went to BIOS and selected "boot from disk"
got the expected OS Not Found message plus one other:

PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable

when I put the OS install disk in the drive nothing happens
The drive recognizes a cd in it and spins up, light blinking but then stops
I have changed MP from "auto" to "enable" and tried all four irq settings with no luck

it sounds like the cd drive is not communicating?

all suggestions welcomed

 

Make sure the CD Rom is FULLY seated... I normally insert it all the way until just 3/4" is sticking out and then push it in QUICKLY... That seats it for sure. Either that or you have a bad CD Rom... Or you told it to boot from floppy instead of CD.... (I know... Sounds stupid... But things like this happen... Believe me!)

 

Thanks TB, but still no go. the CDRom was working before the hd crashed, I did re-seat it and double check the boot menu to no avail. Not sure where to go from here....

 

You could try taking out any RAM, modem card and wifi card while trying all this.... Just a thought.... Also... Reset the BIOS to factory by going to the last tab and selecting it there.... (F2 at boot) Sometimes going back to default makes it work. Set it, save it, then go back in and make the CD Rom you primary boot device.

 

That may have worked, now I just get "Operating system not found"
in a black background. There is the off chance that my OS cd is only good for an upgrade. I think I will stop here and get another install cd. Thanks for the help TB!

 

The Dell OEM XP Discs work perfectly on these (as long as you have the XP COA); just make sure you input the product key from your COA and you're good to go AND legal!

mnem
WhuWeTalkinAbout?

 

Find a known bootable cd
W98/2000 anything and try again


Alex

 

Got it going guys, I put an old cd drive in and my xp upgrade disk worked fine. got xp running, then put dvd drive back in xp took care of the rest. looks like all I have to do now is figure out which driver on my toughbook driver cd is the correct one for the touchscreen! Thanks for the help!

 

You can aways download that straight from Panasonic.

 

you guys rock!!

 

I take it that you are working 100% now?

 

Yes, all ok now, I just need more ram, get two or thre tabs open and it starts to get really slow. Idling at 354mb.
Do I understand correctly that I need to increase the onboard ram before I can add more?
Panny tech says that drivers will not work w/xp home-- must upgrade to pro. I found the thread on how to make the touchscreen driver work. No worries w/screen now.
Thanks again,
Ben

 

Oh, and I still need a wireless card. I got an Atheros from Fleabay, but it turned out to be the wrong one.

 

No changing the amount of on-board Ram, its soldering in
You may only add on with the (1) slot to increase the ram size


Alex

 

There is NO SUCH THING. ATHEROS is ALWAYS the right wireless card; if it doesn't work, it is the computer that's WRONG. :wink:

mnem
YMMV, BRB, DGMB, DILLIGAF...?

 

mn, they must have sent the wrong card then, because it is about half the width of the combo card. mebbeI got scruudd

 

TDIBen -

Are you certain you didn't get a Mini-PCI-E (Mini PCI-EXPRESS) card by accident?

They look like the one below...

If so, then there's nothing wrong with the card... you just need to upgrade to a CF-29 or CF-30.

mnem
Atheros is this generation's Prometheus...

 

That would be the one!! Not time to upgrade yet, anybody want to buy/ trade for one that I can use?

 

You can get a decent Intel 2200BG or 2915ABG for about $10-15 on eBay ...

 

"Decent" is a relative term there dewed... In my personal experience, the Intel WiFi cards are designed more to provide better power management than they are to function as a WiFi connection. In almost every respect OTHER than power management, the Atheros equivalent card will kick it's arse. ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE.

mnem
WiFi? WhyNotFi?

 

Can't argue with that, I've been very happy with the favorite around here Engenius 8602. But those run a bit more.

 

Agree ,An Atheros based card would be the best
Intel 2915abg would be a reasonable Intel choice followed by the 2200BG
Atheros makes the best Hardware and the majority of access points /wireless routers use their chipsets , which makes them match up better for most users

Intel has them beat on software though as they update drivers regularly
Atheros is slow to release drivers

Alex

 

That's only because Atheros gets it right the first time, BEFORE they release the product to market...:wink:

mnem
INTEL - Holding the market at gunpoint since 1987...

 

Ok, Maybe I finally got it right, ordered a mini pci (not e!) on flebay, item # 130351850697 Comments? I have a N router already (went from 40-50mbps to 135 mbps over the old dusty linksys)!
Wireless 101 question: I am 40' from my router with 1 wall in between. Linksys pci card monitor shows tx108 mbps, rx121mbps, nearly full signal strength, but the link quality is crap!
Also showing:
noise level -96dbm
signal stregnth -66dbm

 

With an "N" router and being that close, you should have great signal strength and quality. You did not say which router you are using. Some of the older pre-N models were not quite as good as the recent releases. Also, is there a portable phone in the same area? If so, are there several handsets or is the router near the base station? There could be several factors that could be causing the link problem including hardware/software or compatibility issues.

 

didn't think about the cordless phone......
panasonic 2.4ghz. The base is 30' in the other direction from the router, which is a brand new (black friday special) Belkin
When she quits yackin' I'll ck the db's again

 

Ben -

The strength of the Atheros chipset is its ability to maintain a good throughput even with weak signal. This is why we love it so much.

If you're using Windows Wireless Zero (Instead of the Atheros WiFi Client) to manage your WiFi card, that could be the culprit. Also, if you're running in Wireless N mode with an unbalanced antenna (one antenna not the same as the others, or one missing) it will show poor signal quality even if it's getting excellent signal on one or two antennas.

mnem
N is for NASTY!

 

Thanks MN, that is actually very helpful, I found a source for some ram, tell me what you think.. www.computermemoryoutlet.com/CMO14732.htm They don't show the 1ghz 28 so I had to select a 29 to get to the 512mb. Should be the same right?

 

No it will not work
Cf-28's do not use ddr ram
Read the cf-28 faq thread for the kingston model # that works


Alex

 

Ok, I didn't catch that, I got the kingston # already. This price was just sooo attractive!

 

I am at work right now otherwise I would post the link in Ebay to the RAM I just bought. It is Kingston 512MB and I got two sticks for $35.95 each new (plus shipping). It is the exact RAM you want for the 28 (and others, like the 34) and the price is fairly reasonable for new. Check Ebay by putting in the Kingston and 512MB and see what comes up.

 

Ummm... yeah. And THERE's the reason WHY is was so attractive... :LOL:

Get the Kingston Low-Density RAM listed in the FAQ. That DDR Ram won't even fit; it's mechanically different & if you try to fit it, you may damage the memory slot.

mnem
I forgot.

mnem

 

Got the Kingston installed, showing 706mb of ram. Seems to work a little better. Thanks for the help guys!!