CF-29 Toughbook : Can I downgrade from XP to Win98SE?

Hello,

I am new to the site and signed up to ask two questions. I may be purchasing a Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook that currently has XP loaded onto it. If I buy it I will downgrade the operating system to WIN98SE. If you are wondering why I am doing this downgrade, it is because I have one software/hardware that can ONLY be run properly on WIN98SE. The purpose of this laptop will be to run this one piece of software/hardware (its eprom burner/reader software/hardware....I didn't build it so I dont know why it can only be run on win98se)

Here are the specs of the toughbook I may be buying: Intel 1.6GHz, 1.25GB ram and 80Gb drive. Windows XP and Office 2007.

I have two questions:

1st question: Can this CF 29 be wiped clean and have WIN98SE loaded onto it and not lose any of its capabilities that it has with XP (I.e. wifi; usb; etc)? It is a CF 29 but there is more to the model number on the underside sticker which may be important and the seller will be sending me that info this evening. When I get it, I will post it here. I just don't want to buy this laptop, remove xp then go to load win98se and it doesnt load....now I have a door stop. The laptop is useless to me UNLESS it can run win98se. The guy is local and the price is decent considering its age and all.

2nd question: I have a win98se disc I am going to load onto the laptop but its a disc I used in the past to load onto a different laptop. Can I use this same disc to load or do I need to buy an unopened, "new". never loaded, copy of win98se? I do not have a key for it.

Thank you for your time to read this and hope to hear from someone today or by tomorrow afternoon. I am supposed to be meeting the seller around 7pm 11-1-19 to make the purchase.

Mark

 

I run FreeDOS on one of mine, because of this I know it can run MS-DOS 6.22 and can most probably run 98SE however do not take this as gospel truth. If I were you and you had your heart set on a CF-29 I'd get another caddy with a HDD in it so you can swap the drive over and install 98SE on the spare drive.

What software/hardware are you burning eproms with?

 

If she's truly coming with 1.25 GB RAM, you will be one of the few to upgrade to 2.25 GB.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-cf-29-f-a-q-read-me-before-posting.241106/
Read down to the RAM section of this link for information...
Note, many of the links in the above posting cited do NOT work, however the information is valid.
Cheers
Some other information to consider:
https://msfn.org/board/topic/174297-windows-98se-fresh-install/
Certainly an older unit such as CF-27/CF28 will work.

 

The full model number is CF-29E4KGZKM

 

I am well good at 28s. You can ask me anything for installing 2000.

 

CF-29 MK 2
1.3 Ghz
Max ram 256 + 1024

 

i need one with win98se.

 

Wondering if you went ahead and bought the computer?
If you did get it, congratulations! You'll want to consider getting an extra hard drive caddy (and another hard drive).
There might even be a method of loading linux on her and using a program such as wine to get your program running for your project. Sheepman (above) is a great resource for that and there are others here as well.
Please report back and ask your questions.
Best regards

 

not yet ..i was supposed to buy it last night but im hesitant to do it because it still isn't clear to me if i can downgrade it to win98se. I'd hate to buy it..wipe xp off it then cant load 98se. Then id had a door stop. It doesnt come with any xp software to reload back onto it if 98se doesnt load.

if i knew for absolutely sure i could do the swap id buy it but all the people i spoke to and replies ive gotten in threads i created besides this one, i have not gotten a clear, direct answer. Everything is pretty much falls into the "Welllllllll...hhhmmm...maybe." category haha.

 

You’ll figure it out.
Maybe just look for a good clean machine with the operating system you need on her...
such as this and many more:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FUJITSU-Li...950115?hash=item1a87782ea3:g:VDcAAOSwupVduKRK

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Thinkp...836330?hash=item4209b71a6a:g:nKwAAOSwMmBV4UvX
Cheers


Sent from my CF-M34

 

i cant figure it out now! hahaha

hey..can i load win98se onto an external hard drive and boot from that? That way i wont have to remove the xp software. Or are the toughbooks to old to boot off external hd's?

 

The problem is that you are asking for definite confirmation about something no one has tried. When the units were new, XP was the MS OS de jour, a big improvement from 98 so the chances of anyone having downgraded XP to 98 are probably zero. It seems that you want a forum member to say 'yes it will be okay' and if it turns out not to be good, then you have someone to blame. I may be mistaken, but that is the way it is coming across to me. You said that it is a local deal and a decent price. Not like you are putting out a lot of money for it. If it does not work proper w/98, put it up for sale here on the forum. There are people here who would be interested, and you might make a couple of bucks off the sale.
Personally, I don't think you will have all hardware functioning properly because of driver issues. You might be able to use drivers and software for a 28.
You would be better off buying something like in the links that UNCNDL1 posted, both of those come with 98 already installed. Ask the seller if all hardware is working proper and if he says 'yes' then buy one. It may be more money than the 29 but you are not going to waste your time trying to get 98 loaded and all hardware working.
Might be easier and cheaper to by a new (used) eprom burner that will work with a newer OS.
Hope it all works out for you, which ever way you decide to go. GL.

 

If you want a 98 experience then just buy a 28

Here is one for sale https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/202395715928

@steve.steve is selling this

 

We do have chargers for these now. They are low on the priority but we can test them now if someone buys one!

 

Yes..you are mistaken..i am.not looking for someone to say "yes..it will work" and if it doesnt, then blame them. That thought wasnt even in my mind. I didnt even think to go there mentally and i never would.

 

Yes it should work. Safest thing you can do is buy the unit then buy a spare hard drive to load Windows 98 on. That way you can fall back to the original Windows if it doesnt work.

 

I figured you would comment about that statement. A bit disappointed that the comment was all you replied to out of all I posted. Seems you took offense to it. I was not trying to start an argument, posting what I thought of the way the thread was going. Oh well. As I said before, good luck.

Yes, that would be the safest. That was suggested by Michael AU in the second post on this thread. Thanks for confirming.

 

No problem, just skimmed the thread.

 

Personally, I think it would be easier, and maybe better to buy a new(er) eprom burner. There would be more features, I would think, in the software that would come with a newer burner.
But then it is always good to pick up another Toughbook, regardless of the excuse.

Mark, I really do hope you get a solution to your problem.

 

Mark don't buy the 29, you asked questions that have been answered to the best of the knowledge of the members here. If I had my copy of Windows 98SE I'd test it out for you but like many of my things I can't find it since I moved.

Your 2nd question is a question about legalities. Is it legal to reuse a Windows license? No is the quick answer. Can you buy a new, unused, never opened Windows 98SE installation disc? probably not but I suppose its not impossible.

 

I went back and looked on the Mk1's (the oldest 29 models) and seen windows 2000 and XP as the only two options from the factory. You will need to cross reference the hardware on the Model or Mark of the machine you want with comparable drivers for windows 98 even if it's not a toughbook driver. Going though several panasonic websites I couldn't find any 98 drivers. Even pulling up the CF-28 and 07 toughbooks I could only locate windows 2000 as the oldest drivers they had.

On booting from a external drive. In newer windows operating systems XP forward you can install to a external hard drive but you can't boot from it as one of the start up routines is to turn off all usb devices and then turn back on. Effectively killing the boot process. Their are work around for it. I don't have a lot of experience with 98 so I am not sure if it does that or not.

Best to get another hard drive caddy. OR get a cd drive caddy and put it into a extra CD drive case once you have 98 already loaded onto a hard drive to boot from that. Keeping your original XP install intact.

 

If it doesn’t work(most defiantly) just stick with tried and true XP.

 

I went ahead and bought it. I wont downgrade to 98 from xp...i scooped it up because it was cheap and in immaculate condition. I dont think the floppy works though. I installed multiple floppies and its asking to format it (only option is FAT) and im saying yes but it cant format the floppys. They have content on them but so what. Even chosing to make a msdos boot disk isnt working.

Oh..and now that i have it, im.not a fan of the keyboard at all. Oh well.

 

Is it black with rubbery keys?

 

Yep....are not all cf-29's equiped with the black rubbery key cover?

 

No. Some have backlit chicklet and some have chicklet with no backlighting as well as the rubber backlit.

Put the unit up for sale in the Panasonic buy/sell. If I lived in the US I would buy it from you, but shipping and exchange and duty would make it too expensive.

Selling this unit that you do not want will give you funds towards a unit off ebay that comes with w98 and can run your burner.

Options are good.

 

Keyboard easy to change and readily available


Sent from my CF-M34

 

Oh really?? Can u please send me a link? I just posted it for sale in this thread but if i can replace the keyboard id consider keeping it.

 

Its real easy, black strip at the top,remove. Keyboard slides up.

Silver cover under,remove and unlock keyboard ribbon. That's it.

 

Got it...i just bought one off ebay and removed the keyboard from the laptop.

Would anyone want the rubber, backlit keyboard for $30 plus shipping? It works fine. Im just trying to get back what i bought the replacement keyboard for...actually im im asking for less than what I bought the new(used) keyboard for.

Mark

 

If you want to sell the rubber keyboard you must post it here http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/toughbook-buy-sell-and-trade-forum.1047/I and fill out the form also.

 

I apologize..i did post it for sale in panasonic section right after i posted it here