CF-19 MK6 Combat Air Command Build! ...and my troubles begin, lol!

First off a small disclaimer, sadly this isn't an "official" CAC machine. But I stole enough parts from my official CAC MK5, that I am going to claim it so! At least parts of it have ordered drone strikes! That could be considered political incorrect, but not sure I care. Whatever its history actually was, my old MK5 was cool as hell! This one, if I can get it working, will be not only cooler but get used a lot more often!

As usual when I buy a new/used Toughbook, I am back on here trying to get it working... This one feels different though, can't put a finger on it, but something feels broken... Bios sees whatever drive I put in there, but first off W7 won't install to the SSD drive. I get CD/DVD driver not found errors. I will post that picture up in a moment. Then it won't finish installing to a platter drive.

I tried a platter drive that had a fully operational W7 install on it. I pulled it out of my MK5 and never wiped it. All I got was media cable errors, so probably a bad boot order in BIOS. After a bit of monkeying around, I got windows to start installing to it. But maybe half way through the extraction process it gives me a message that it can't find the drive.

Something odd is going on. This isn't a normal kind of "gotcha" for me. Sure, I am rusty as I only do this a few times every other year or so (when I buy new Toughbooks to play with) as the rest of the time I am lazy and just use a Mac.

I am trying to install this from a prepped USB thumb drive. I have an external USB DVD drive, but not sure if I have a Windows install disc made up anywhere. Pretty sure last time I did it from this thumb drive. I believe it is a W7 Pro OEM image. I had the drive tabled with a bit of painters tape, but the tape soaked up the writing and I can't make it out now. I specifically saved and set this drive aside though, so I am 90% sure it is the right one and that it was what I used last time...

I am hoping I just have something set wrong in BIOS, but I am suspecting that there is something wrong with the SATA controller board...

To add insult, I didn't get a Panny power brick with this guy, instead I got it with a Havis dock and a Lind brick. Some dumb@$$ cut the output cable from the brick to the input for the dock, and didn't include the 12v power cord. So I spent the first few hours sorting this out and making up cables. My MK1 is borrowed and currently accomplishing more than I am, but its power cord didn't work on the MK5, so I doubt it will work on this. Anyways my point is I am going to take it off the dock now that it is charged and try again. Maybe that is part of the issue. I will post up my success, or failure in a little bit.

EDIT: Forgot to add the picture.

 

Cf 19's are very picky about external CD or DVD drives. Only a few brands/models will work.
Try converting your install media to a usb stick.

Easy to download a win7 iso and use rufus.

 

I have am using a good Sandisk USB, so probably not the issue? I think I used the Windows Tool to make the USB stick. It is from about a year ago when I built the two CAC MK5 machines. I could easily have a faulty installer USB though since it has been stuffed in my computer junk drawer for that whole time. Again, I doubt it but possible.

I am getting somewhere with this though... Will post up an actual failure and progress report shortly.

 

Well, progress of some sort... I ran PC Diagnostics from the BIOS menu and the HDD fails. I am going to try that a couple more times with different drives. This was with a normal 250gb platter drive.

Are there any settings in BIOS that could cause a fail here? Or perhaps a blank drive without a MBR? I may have deleted too much... I am going to hook the platter drive up to my Mac and have a quick look. It was hard stopping like somebody kept pulling the power.

Well at least I now have a hard stop failure and a direction to explore... I wonder if this test gives me any more information...



I hoked this drive up to a USB dongle and plugged it into my Mac. It doesn't even see the drive. It does see a SSD drive I plug in.

Okay yeah definitely getting somewhere... So with the SSD drive in Toughbook, I get a PASS!



And that FINALLY gets me back to the initial error I was having in post #1... I guess that is progress. I spent a couple hours digging for drivers. I would think that whatever is needed, such a thing would be easily found on Intel's site. Also seem that Intel would be the most likely junk to work on a predominately Intel based machine. I found some stuff but it all seems to install from inside Windows. I googled the issue and tried a bunch of the suggestions. No luck.

Anyways, see the picture in the first post. Same error I am getting now. I tried changing HDD compatibility mode from compatible to asch and back, plus boot compatibility mode and everything else I can think of too.

I am going to try this Kingston SSD I guess.

 

Check the ram when you get a chance. One stick at a time....

Good luck.

 

Sheepman, I tested the ram about 4 times. In fact you can see a pass on it in the top picture where the platter HDD failed. It took most of the 28min just to test the memory I think, so the last test I had turned off everything except the SSD HDD. Now all of those tests were with both sticks of memory in the machine at once. I don't think that is the issue, but if you guys still think I should, I will pull the bottom off and test one at a time.

I think the install of windows I am using simply does not have a driver for the SSD drive. This seems to be a common W7 install issue with more than a few articles on how to fix it. Sadly, none of those solutions seem to fix mine. I don't think it is a wrong BIOS issue since the BIOS reads the drive size correctly. But it is very possible a setting in BIOS is wonked. I am going to try the other SSD in a few minutes and see if that has a different result.

 

I am seeing some STRANGE things so going to document my pain and suffering as I go through it...

So I am still getting a "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing..." error with this other SSD. But I am reading windows install of a 32gb SanDisk thumb drive that has a blue plug, I think it is USB 3.0. On a hunch, I swapped the USB drive to the back port (as the left port can be set for USB 2.0 or 3.0) and I got a new message, this one:

"Reboot and Select proper Boot device
or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key_"

Well I can't find my extension cable, so I reboot with it back in the left side, same. Power off, same. Multiple times. Same. SO what was working a few minutes ago and getting the Windows installer active, is no longer doing that. WTF... Pull out the thumb drive, reboot, same.

Reboot, BIOS comes up without me hitting F2. I have seen this a few times already. Seems to happen if there is a configuration issue, I haven't changed anything.

Escape, F10, machine reboots, windows installer loads. "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing..."

Hard power off. Reboot, windows installer reloads. "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing..."

Hard power off, F2 BIOS, disable everything in Boot Mode, enable USB KEY then Hard Disk. F10, save, reboot. Installer loads. "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing..."

Repeat a few more times...

Hard Ppower off, F2 BIOS, set left USB port to 2.0, F10 save, reboot, installer loads and then BAM I get accept license terms. Haven't seen this one for a while!

Sweet now I am installing windows, on the 90gb drive I didn't want to use. URRRRGH... Lets see if it goes anywhere.

"Expanding windows files (21%)...."

AND IT CRAPS... Yay bonus I don't have to use this 90GB drive shoot... Oops in my excitement I forgot to grab a picture of that error before backing out of the install. It was something to the effect:

"Windows can't install because a file e is missing etc" Backed out of the install "gently" and reboot to get:

"BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"

Do so, reboots to the same. Hard power off, reboot, windows installer loads. Oh yay license again, but didn't swap the drive over... Pondering... Oh sweet, battery light red now. Okay set in dock. Now I get license then it pulls up two partitions, like a 100mb and an 83gb one. Wont install to either, delete, nothing. X out, reboot.

"Reboot and Select proper Boot device
or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key_"

Hard power off, reboot. Same. Yank drive, format with Mac, pop in 240GB drive. Check size in BIOS, it is correct, F10, yes, reboots,

"BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"

Do this and hard power it off a couple times. Same. Pull 240GB drive, format on Mac as MS-DOS fat with MBR. Pop back in, check with BIOS, save reboot....

"Reboot and Select proper Boot device
or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key_"

Hard power off twice, reboot, same. Reboot, BIOS, check drive, yep, DON'T save, reboot, windows installer loads. Get License, "windows has to be installed to NTFS formatted drive" Format drive... OH YAY windows starts to expand files! 15%... 51%... 70%... 100%!!! Installs features, install updates, reboots... Mac battery now yells it is dying... Windows restarts, loads installer, tries to reinstall.... FML... Yank installer thumb drive, hard power off, "completing installation" RUN FOR Mac power cord... I have no idea what happens, but come back to it waiting for me to name the computer.

Windows Product key, tense moment as I grab the key from bottom of laptop. Did I use the right installer image???

OMFG I AM IN BISHES!!! Sorry, I think I piddled there. Okay I have a super duper ugly boot up into an obviously incorrectly configured machine, but W7 is now officially on it. Most likely the license will get kicked when I connect to internet because the seller didn't blur it out well in the eBay copy. But hey. Lets see how many errors I have in Device Manager. Oh gads the mouse sucks. No surprise there. HAH like every thing has a yellow exclamation next to it!!!

OH DAYMMM, this has a MC7750 in it. I am pretty sure that be a WWAN card yeah?! Looks like a Sierra Wireless number.

YAY progress! Painfull, but progress.

If anyone can tell me what I did that finally made it work, yeah I am clueless. And I am not re-reading the above....

But seriously what the hell?

Did I mention I hate windows? Linux, it works every time. In fact, it reinstalls itself every time, in the time Windows takes to just boot. Something to be said for that. Can I go to bed now?

Anyone want to be kind and pop me a link to the wham bam thank you all driver installer package executable? I am sure there is one. I am also sure my brain can't take anymore tonight. And my MK1, with all the good links saved, wasn't returned to me today.

Likes given to any who can make it through the above, reps to anyone who can figure out how I fixed it...

 

A thing of ugly beauty! Ignore the odd colors, my under cabinet LED lighting is RGBW and the camera picks it up oddly.

I am SUPER happy to have a sorta working laptop with a WORKING emissive backlight keyboard! WHOOT it is so cool! It actually feels reasonably similar to my Mac's chuckle keyboard I love. Just a little less "clicks" but so far feels nicer to type on than the standard Toughbook keyboard does.

STOKED!

BTW, I am on course for a new record setup time if I get this baby finished tomorrow!

 

Get a real Panasonic power supply.

 

So tell me are you having fun yet . Well I can tell you this much...been there...done that

 

After some sleep I have another possible answer as to why.

On several machines that have USB 3 ports, I have had to manually set them to USB 2 in the BIOS in order to get things to boot or be read from that port. At least until it has an OS. Then the OS will install USB 3 drivers so I can re enable it in BIOS.

Bad on a cheap knockoff HDD cable will cause drive errors also.

 

x100 I will for sure be grabbing an OEM one or two. How good are the LIND ones though? Since that is in the docking station it is working for now anyways.

I am leaning towards both of those actually. I had set the port for 2.0 prior, but I might not have hard shut down the machine and clear BIOS. For some reason rebooting it correctly wasn't working.

The HDD caddy isn't the one with the two screws. It has a black pull tab instead of grey too. Cable "looks" genuine-ish but the caddy looked suspect. The foam is likely Panny. The heater is in there (was anyways). There is a Hearland sticker on the case, so who knows.

My 250GB platter drive tested bad. So that was a good bit of time wasted.

 

They have worked for me for years and Panasonic always sold / recommended them

 

Try a different USB port maybe.
I've had the rear ones work when the end port did not...the 3.0 thing as Shawn said.

 

I got it Sheepman! It was the LLLLOOONNNNGGGGG post above! Just not sure what finally fixed it.

I have half a mind to try again with the other SSD drive... But that would mostly just be wasted time. I need to put it in my MK1.

All I have left to do tonight is to go hunting for the all in one driver install package.

 

That sounds like me since the stroke.

 

http://www.panasonic.com/business/iframes/toughbook-computer-support-search-downloads.asp

The missing cd/dvd is a line in your install media.

What I do:
1. Find the right driver bundle and stick it on a usb stick.
2. Install a generic W7 package...or run it over the one that is working.
3. DON'T enable wireless yet.
4. Double-click the bundle.exe file and wait.
5. Patch it up if necessary. (some are perfect, some require surgery.)
6. When it's working right, then re-boot and let the driver bundle finish it's thing.

Not saying it's the right way but it works for me most of the time.
Last step...get another hdd and ssd and use it to run Linux. I haven't installed a dual-boot system since oh about 2014 or so.

 

That worked prettywell Sheepman! Everything isonline except a MC7750 card. It is a Seirra wireless WWAN thingy. I haven't cared enough, yet, to try hunting doen the driver package for that. I am on the new mchne. Seems that I am dropping letters with this new keyboard. Ugh. It takes a touch more pressure than my mac one does. feels pretty nice though!

So, WWAN and GPS, how much juice do they consume? I haven't had these working long term before so not sure if they are battery killers. I can put the WWAN on the wireless switch and configure that to leave the others on. But can I turn the GPS off, or does it consume enough to even bother doing so?

Oh and Sheepman the trick I use for Linux is to install a USB adapter card in the WWAN slot. Put a case stripped 32gb thumbdrive in it with Mint installed. And when the machine boots up I turn WWAN on/off with bios to load up the linux drive. When off, it is invisible.

I haven't decided if I will keep this WWAN card installed and maybe grab a data plan for it, or dump it in favor of my Linux drive trick.

 

Nice trick

 

Thanks Shawbn! I couldn't find any pictures of it. I will take some when I get my MK1 back. I haven't decided what to do with the WWAN card in this beastie. It is an MC7750, so sounds like a Sierra Wireless card. I haven't turned the WWAN slot off to verify in BIOS, but I am 99% sure that is what it is.

Other than that, (I think) all my drivers are sorted out!

I assume the odd camera looking thingy below the Toughbook logo bottom right corner is an ambiet light sensot? If so, what and where is it in the device manager, and how do I control it?

Right now a flashlight in front of it does nohthing.

I got Windows fully activated and legit now. Yay!

Seems it is past my bedtime, I can't keep my eyes open. This thing is working pretty nicely now!

 

So, I did the OS reload again (I needed to use this drive in another MK6). This time it only took maybe three start attempts then it went through all easy peasy. I did get the familiar errors, but I started off with the USB ports set for 2.0.

 

How do I get the ALS to work in Windows 7??? And what tests would verify that it works?

I tried my redonciously bright Streamlight right into the sensor, and it changed nothing.

 

Thank you User32! That was the spot. I had to switch from my normal control panel view to find it.

So I am getting a Brecal.exe MSVCR100.dll missing error. While it looks easy enough to fix, I am probably going to just wipe the drive, swap, and reinstall windows. I am putting the bigger drive into this anyways and don't loose anything other than a bunch of updates. Probably the quickest path. Takes less time than cloning the drive, resizing, then fixing the error.

I don't need this machine to be 100% immediately. My MK1 is behaving, and I will have two drives for it anyways.