CF-19 Display brightness control

I'm a verry happy CF-19 user.

The only problem I'm facing is that the display brightness control doesn't work correct. When I regulate the screen brightness down then after a few seconds it jumps back to full brightness. During day working on my CF-19 this is no problem, but at night this makes no fun anymore. When I dim the display via windows it self (power options, screen brightness) then the settings stay.

I hope someone can help me with this issue. Maybe it's only a driver issue, but I'm not able to determine which one.

My machine is an CF19KHRAXAE running Windows 7 Professional.

 

Just have a look at the correct driver installation Windows7 on CF-19, especially the Hotkey-part.

 

Recently when I had some other problems, I installed the hotkey driver new.
All hotkeys and function keys are working perfect.

 

I have the same problem with my cf-18 but in reverse using linux at the moment, when i change the brightness to brighter, it goes back down on its own.

Power Management issue or is there a light sensor?

 

Yes, it could be a power-management issue.

But when I adjust the brightness through power-management then the settings stay, otherwise when I use the buttons on the front the settings won't stay.

Is there a way to find out power-management is working correct ?

And I think the CF-19 doesn't have a light sensor.

 

Just a shot in the dark because i dont have my CF-18 with me right now to double check but i think there is a setting in the CMOS which would allow you to change the power Management settings and power behavior.

One question comes to mind, does the problem occur when plugged in, on battery power or both? Im thinking the laptop senses its plugged in and turns the backlight on full. I didn't notice the same on mine but as mentioned before, it does it in reverse on battery power... Ill try it when i get home.

Since i run linux, if the behavior is the same as yours, it would be a power management problem and not the OS or drivers. (all this assuming the CF-18 power config is the same or similar to a CF-19)

 

How did you installed the misc. and hotkey driver. I mean which come first.

Ok! by now try this. Uninstall and delete the misc driver and hotkey driver under device mgr. System device actually and then reboot. after reboot it will show up again two unknown device. Install first the misc. driver thru device mgr. not to the option where to find the folder instead the option "let me pick bla..bla.." and then have a disk, then go to the folder. Same as the htkey driver.

ohlip

 

I will try tomorow morning uninstalling and then re-installing those two.
Just now I need my computer for work.

 

So, I uninstalled and newly installed the drivers just as Ohlip adviced me.
But unfortunately this doesn't solve my problem.

Somebody maybe another idea what to do ?

 

Are you sure you are deleting the entire programs when you uninstall it? Which video driver are you using? Use the one that Panasonic lists first and foremost and see if that works.

 

As "Toyo" said! You must used the pana..video driver before you install the two drivers. Also before I forgot. You must reboot each on every installation of the driver.


ohlip

 

More as uninstalling can't I do or ?

When I go to system, devices and choose there the device, then there is an option "device driver uninstall"

The installed display driver is "Mobile Intel(R) 4 series express chipset family" dated: 11/02/2011 Intel Corporation and version is: 8.15.10.2302.

This is the driver Windows 7 installed it selves without asking.

 

Did you read and follow this?

Windows® 7 Upgrade Support Module (For CF-19K/L, CF-30K/L Series)


"If all else fails, read the instructions."

 

Hi TopCop1988,

That's exactly the way I setup Windows 7 on my machine, I even did it twice that way to be sure everything is installed correct.

But still I keep having that silly brightness issue.

Anyway many thanks.

 

To downgrade the video driver of your system to what pana.. provided. Go to device mgr. under Dispay, whatever adapter on it just right click and it will display windows choices for update, roll back....etc. Go to update then it will dispaly another windows again to where you wanna go. Choose "let me pick....etc, then have a disk, then browse where the folder located and follow instruction. Then reboot, then the two driver mention at the beginning. Good luck.


ohlip

 

I just fixed this on my CF-19 MK3 with Windows 7 64bit SP1. Using all the latest drivers from Intel, and all the latest from Panasonic, I downloaded the MK5 Hotkey Appendix, installed it, renamed HKEYAPPV.dll, Mine is HKEYAPPV_broken.dll, in the C:\Program Files [x86]\Panasonic\Hotkey Appendix\ folder, rebooted and bam. You get the little pop ups still but they dont really work. Important thing is the volume works, the brightness works, and I dont get permamute.

 

Did you every fix this, and if so, how? I am having the exact problem with a CF-31 (CF-31GW2AX1M) I have a few of them that work, and can't see anything different in the configurations.

 

Just read this topic

 

It's probably time to make this topic a sticky on the forum. Since by reason we all want to have the latest drivers. But that's not the case with Toughbooks. There are a few custom drivers that we NEED to stick to despite them being out of date. The display driver is one of them. And it's not that the new drivers won't install, the problem is that they DO install and then exhibit wierd things like this display brightness issue. I lived with it for a long time (and with the mute audio too!) until I found out it's a custom driver issue.

 

You can use any newer display driver. It doesn't interfere with brightness.

 

Unfortunately I never solved the problem. Tried a lot of things even installed windows fresh and new twice.
It's just too difficult to find the correct drivers and also install them in the correct way and order.
Pitty, because I love this little compact machine very much, also use it a lot with various GPS applications.

Recently I got the CF-VEB181U dockingstation here it's also unpossible to find correct and working driver.

 

You don't need "correct" driver or order. Just install everything, it will work )
Any Intel drivers work well.

 

I think many of us have found that following Panasonic's method works best. I'm not sure how difficult it is as it's plainly laid out in the PDF. It's just following step by step.

What models are you finding that installing the latest drivers from the Intel site works?

 

Uninstall the hotkey appendix, then try to adjust the brightness if it works. I'm sure it will works but no icon will pop up but you can live with that.


ohlip