CF-30 Issues, GPS and other stuff...

My CF-30 is acting up badly. First off, it is a CF-30K3PAXAM running W7 Ultimate 32 bit and using 3gb (probably have 4gb installed). It is basically unusable. It will lock up accessing random windows things, like control panel. Doesn't load webpages quickly, if at all. And the telltale was Windows Security Center is not only turned off, it is no longer there to turn back on...

Oh FUN, Windows Update is also no longer available even...

AFAIK, it "was" a clean OS install, but it has been infected by something. I can't even access AVG. Recovery shows that AVG was actually uninstalled two days ago. I never uninstalled AVG.... Recovery, got it back, but the AVG version looked way different from my CF-19.

I was wanting this machine ready for work on Monday. A full Windows reinstall on this one is unlikely to be quick, or stable by Monday. Lets go look at the original build thread.... Maybe, just maybe, a quick reinstall is possible. Something is seriously broken on this machine...

I wonder why I am locked out of my old threads???

Yeah, looking over my old thread and I have had random issues from day one on this machine it seems. A new install is likely where it is at.

Okay and with either direction I go in, I also have factory GPS that isn't working.... I am not finding a tutorial that covers the software issues side of this install.

 

Format the drive and start over..
Otherwise you will spend 20 to 40 hours wasting your time.
Then you will format and start over anyway.
Been there many--many times

 

Any thread that is a year old is closed automatically. The last post was almost 2 years ago.

 

yeah man ...
wipe a drive and re-install .
a drive other than the one that is in the machine is preferable ...
you can dig into it with a 'nix based OS and recover your files and sanitize them , thus lowering your chance of re-infection .

my question is ...
how did you get infected ?
i would suggest using "avast" and do not use IE .

i too , have dug and dug and dug , to repair infected machines .
in many cases , after a short period of time , it becomes/became clear that a reinstall was the best solution .
with business machines , i automatically replace the drive(s) as it is quicker and cheap insurance in case anything "low level" was written to the drive(s) .

ps ... any flash drives or other similar devices that have been attached t the machine are suspect ...
these need to be scanned or wiped .
pps ... change yer passwords from a known clean machine .

 

Okay that makes sense lol.

Not really sure... I don't really use my Toughbooks as much as I used to. My "daily driver" is my MacBook. When I need a machine to do something stupid out in the garage, I grab my orange CF-19 first. The CF-30 has just been the backup to my backup.

The Toughbooks are just too slow. I am fixing that though and have a much newer MK5 CF-19 in the mail. So trying to sort the CF-30 out well enough to pass it on. Or I scavenge parts from it for a CF-31...

Honestly, I ran the CF-30 without any anti-virus protection for a long time. When I use it, it is a very isolated machine. Maybe 6 months ago I realized it still had no anti-virus on it, and went and got AVG. That is maybe the only thing that has been downloaded directly to it. Usually, I download to the mac. In fact anything that has any chance of being suspect, is downloaded on my mac first, then scanned, then transferred.

So the irony here is I was safe from viruses, until I went and downloaded anti-virus protection, that was actually a virus... I can't find any good comparison pictures, but the AVG interface in my CF-19 looks completely different from the one in the CF-30....

Transferred anything I wanted to save onto a spare drive. It is now hooked up to my mac being scanned. It works out for me, I will likely just slot this smaller drive into the machine once its files are cleaned, transferred, and it gets reformatted.

 

yep ...
there are many *look alike* programs that tout themselves to be the real deal .
avg did change the gui a while back .
however , if you go right to *avg . com* with a non-compromised browser , you can pretty much be assured that you are getting the real thing .
another way to make sure that what you get is legit is to dl and install "traffic light" ... this is an adjunct for firefox that is a *reputation filter* ... the bad sites in a search are denoted and in most cases , a major warning and a block prevent you from accessing the nefarious sites .
firefox does have a built in rep filter ... but two heads are better than one .

personally speaking , avg used to be good , but they got sort of pushy , hawking their products and about the time it started missing some stuff , i found another product .
i went to "avast!" three years ago ... i have been pleased with the performance .
yes , the free version does contain blurbs about their products but not to the extent that avg did .
there are several "optional" sections to "avast!" ... when i install the only ones i install are :
mail scanner
file protection
AV/AM

you can also install a dedicated anti-malware program such as "malwarebytes" .
this is a good program that has been around for a few years ... they are constantly improving it .

 

On a new windows install, which means "not very often" I install free Avast and let it install Chrome......disabling the I.E. Avast Toolbar check box.
Firefox is o.k. ....just not my favorite.
I have the Avast free downloader saved on a USB.
I have had W7 installed a month or a lot more, before I run I.E. for some reason, and it will show the upgrading to I.E. 9 box.....as in "I.E. was never used".

 

Unless it has software that is Windows-dependent, put Linux on it. LinuxMint is an easy to use distro. It wont get a virus, it's faster, and runs at lower temps than Windows. You can use Wine and/or PlayOnLinux to install some Windows software. I have 2 caddies. One with LinuxMint, and the other with Windows. I could dual boot, but just decided to go with 2 completely independent drives. I only keep Windows for accounting software (QuickBooks).

 

"It wont get a virus"
not exactly true :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_malware
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2015/03/26/dont-believe-these-four-myths-about-linux-security/
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2016/02/22/worlds-biggest-linux-distro-infected-with-malware/
https://www.symantec.com/security_response/landing/azlisting.jsp?azid=L (look under the word "linux" in the left column)
etc ...
a google search of "linux malware" and "linux virus" will provide many examples that stretch back several years .
even if a linux based machine (work station or server) shows no outward appearances of being infected , it can be and "pass it down the line" .
linux machines (especially servers) can host Microsoft Office files (and others) that are infected and thus become a modern day "typhoid mary" .

the current state of "anti" software for the sundry linux permutations has increased a bit over the last couple of years ... however ... it is nowhere near that of the number of "anti" products offered up by the key players in the industry .
i have used a few of these (some have withered and died) and will say that the state of gui development is *lacking* ...
indeed , one such program will indicate that there is a newer version available but "upgrading" simply does not happen when you "click here" .

users that run a linux based OS are used to *free* (as in free coffee) programs .
while the OS may be free and is covered under the gnu/free/public (etc) programs , charging for proprietary (or any program for that matter) is possible ...
there are a few *anti* programs that fall into this category

the upshot ...
running any comp/os without protection is not the wisest of choices .

 

I originally thought it was just a changed GUI. But, I can't find any pictures of "that GUI" either. I have used AVG for many many years. But for maybe the past 3-5yrs its performance has been, annoying. And its association with cnet has also pulled it down several notches. I hac=ve gotten a few bugs, malware especially, from not paying enough attention when linked to that cesspool.

I have been a diehard user of Internet Exploder for many years. Even when I know there are better options out there. I don't even remember my specific reasons now, but some computer I owned at one time was actually well integrated with IE. I got stuck in that grove, and never bothered to get out.

I have tried using Firefox many times and I never like it. Always go back to IE. Chrome, same thing. I like it a little better than Firefox. Now Safari might be an option. It is VERY familiar and comfortable to me. I have never tried running it on a PC....

And contrary to the popular myth, this INCLUDES MAC OSX!!! But if you manage to get a virus in OSX, you have Hurley's luck... Just sayin...

Linux. That is a whole 'other can of worms. I am above average with computers, especially hardware hacking them. But I have dulled my PC brain a touch over the past few years by taking the easy route with mac OSX. I have a linux bistro on a thumb drive that usually lives in the back of my CF-30. Unbutu.

I can, with effort, get the wrong OS running on a machine. Like my MK1 CF-19 running W7. But I want all the OE buttons and features working. I pay a premium (if not in money, for sure in effort) for the Panasonic Toughbook experience. So even if I never actually use the buttons and functions, I want every one to work like it is fresh off the factory floor.

I do not have the experience with linux to make this happen. And it also seems most linux users don't ever even get it all working. But, if somebody told me there was a particular bistro with a few simple tweaks that would get even 70% working, I would give it a shot.

Personally, I don't have much windows dependent software that I have to run. The few bits of software I have paid for are multi platform. With one exception. Photoshop. But I rarely use PS as mac's Aperture covers 90% of my workflow.

Now if somebody pointed me towards an OSX linux clone that would run OSX programs and behave in the same ways, I would install that in a heartbeat. And probably be much less worried about every button and factory function working perfectly.

But before I put any effort into this CF-30, let me point out one tiny detail....

I am (most likely) not keeping it. My coworker needs a rugged computer and is willing to pay a small amount for it. He is willing to give me $175 for it. I probably have $200-250 into it. So spending lots of time to get it back up, isn't worth it. Going to make another post in a moment....

 

Refocus, here is what I need for this:

First off, keep in mind my coworker has very little computer experience. I need it up and running and his experience with it worth the fact he could get a brand new computer for not too much more.

1) Simplicity. I need to get an os loaded up into it quickly and with minimal effort. I outlined how I did it in my old thread, so should be able to pretty quickly repeat that.

2) I want him to get the full Toughbook experience. Everything needs to work.

3) I want everything to KEEP working too. So anti-virus and some simple tools will be installed. Most will be ones I use most likely. Since well coworker, I will likely end up married to it and have to sort out any issues that arise.

4) Because of the environment it is being used in (automotive dealership) he will need IE, and need it stable. Tall order I am sure. I will install Safari and Chrome I guess too.

Again back to simplicity. He will be using it to talk to cars, and hopefully running our dealer software. And simple browsing. I need it to be stable for a low level user. Youtube, Pandora. Simple things. And anything he will likely be using, I will have setup already for him too.

5) I need the GPS working (mainly because I offered it to him for slightly more due to having the GPS). And maybe I include a cool map program with it. Any suggestions for freebies here (or something I can get almost free/cheaply maybe on eBay) would be good. I in theory have Garmin Mobil PC. But have never gotten it to work. I also have an older genuine copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips. But it comes with the Microsoft usb GPS dongle too. (Wonder if I can install this on more than one computer?)

I realize, GPS for this is mostly just a toy. But it should be a toy that gives him some bragging rights.

 

I have been using AVG for many years. For me it does the job very well for me.

 

This is the first issue I have ever had. And Google tells me I am not alone in it... There is a clone malware AVG version out there. And as stated by CWB32, AVG has gotten a little pushy the past few years.

I am fine with that and know to look and uncheck the "upgrade now and we include yada yada" box, and may or may not stick with AVG on my own machines. But on this CF-30, I would like something perhaps a little more "should really own a Mac" user proof.

Lets talk OS. I am seeing some tagline signatures out there with these CF-30's running Windows 10. Can anyone tell me how well these work on W10? As much as I hate it, another coworker thinks we may have to run W10 to run out dealer software interface... I can get around most of that as my personal scan tool is awesome, but the person this is intended for needs this.

Also, the computer is still working, even if infected. Can I "cleanly" upgrade and install W10 overtop of the existing mess? I will be trying to download AVAST and run a scan at the very least. AVG won't download. And anything I do DL, I will do on another machine for sure. I realize this likely isn't the "smartest" or "safest" method, but can it be done well enough to make it safe? Really really trying to avoid starting over on a machine I am not keeping anyways...

 

A quick add, I don't have any data on this CF-30 I need to save, I just need an os I guess to update from.

Does all the Panasonic gobblty gook buttons work on a CF-30 with W10?

 

I think what you should be thinking is W10 right for you. If you don't mind MS knowing what you are doing like watching every key stroke you type, all your password (banking, Internet, Web sites) then go for it. You need to read about W10 and it's privacy. ....there is none....MS wants to know everything about you. This is no bull...its the truth.

 

Blair, I am WELL aware of the privacy issues with W10, and it is why I won't run it on my own machines... But for work, if I want to use the dealership's proprietary software and interface, "supposedly" we have to run W10. And since this machine is being put together primarily for that purpose, then I may be stuck delivering it to him with W10 on it.

If so, I understand that there are ways of making it safer. I hope to dig out a few of them and apply them. But yeah, W10 really isn't my cup of tea.

Yeah, and let me add that direction Microsoft is going these days, is why I mainly use a MacBook. There is an OS that just works, and is secure. Perfect? Nope. But simple, well integrated, Etc etc. And if some thief steals my laptop? Sucks to be him, as it is instantly scrap metal.

I have EASILY broken into many a PC with password protections. There is no known way to do this on a MacBook (at least not to me). And if somebody actually managed to get past the login layer, then the machine is STILL locked to a user account ID and password. In fact, you can't wipe a MacBook and recover it to get past this like you can on most pc setups. Because it is locked to that account by serial number...

I had a MacBook I spent almost a year on and off trying to break into. And tomorrow I get an iPad to try and get into. Unfortunately, these are both legit owners that stupidly forgot their information. Well one is his kid's who forgot what they put into it...

 

My girlfriend just found out that. She has a iPad mini and is having problems getting into her account.

 

i would not try to re-install the os over the top of what is there (call it a *repair* of the os) .
it would be akin to having your gallbladder removed while you have a massive systemic infection (just short of septicemia) .
the best answer is the *sigh and resignation* wipe and fresh install .

there is an option , but will take some time to implement ...
head over to one of the major players of the anti-malware products ... they have a staff dedicated to ferreting out the nasties .
geeks-to-go is one such site , malwarebytes is another ... these are the only two i have had past experience with .
honestly , there is no good way to tell how bad or extensive the infection is unless some *tests* are performed .

it may be possible to clone a known good copy of a working machine and then drop that drive into your compromised unit .

 

For what is is worth,
Pull a drive and put it in a usb case.
Boot into Linux and I can get what ever info I want from the original drive.
Doesn't matter what the original OS was. Linux doesn't care.
Best HDD security is drive encryption vis the bios.

For anti virus/internet security, I use Kaspersky. It is not free, but it IS the best I have used. I have tried them all at one time or another.

On the infected drive, I would connect it via usb and re partition it. Format and start clean.
Easeus has a free window partitioning package for Windows.

I will PM about Windows 10.

 

Yeah... I am biting it and just going to go with clean installs after I wipe the drive via USB. There is nothing to save on it, other than the fact it turns on and boots up with a sorta working bad OS.

I found a legitimate and safe way to download genuine windows .iso files though. My post is here on that:

If anyone knows it, I could use the location of the all in one driver packages. I know it is here somewhere, will keep looking.

 

Here you go http://business.panasonic.com/support-computerstablets-driverdownloads
or are you talking about the Vista upgrade to W7 ?

 

That looks like it is what I need. I am installing W7 on it from a clean instal and not upgrading from Vista. At least that is/was my plan... I have a Vista COA on the back. Crap. Well I will try to pull whatever code I have in there now out and go from there. I have the W7 files downloaded (although might need to download one more).

Where is this Vista to W7 upgrade your talking about?

 

It is a bios upgrade.
Vista and win7 need a different bios than xp on a CF19 mk1

 

CWB32,

I had that one coming.

I actually knew that Linux viruses "officially" exist. I've just never personally had a Linux virus, nor known anyone who did, nor read on a forum of anyone who did. I'm sure such unfortunates exist.

To me, the bigger problem with Linux remains that certain software only runs on Windows with no comparable Linux version available.

Most lists of Linux viruses come from people who sell antivirus products (such as Sophos, Kaspersky, and Symantec). In your first Sophos link, you will find a link to Canonicals' list of Linux malware:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Linuxvirus
with 35 known Linux Trojans, viruses, and worms. That list mostly dates back 15 years. Some of those malwares are labeled "proof of concept", "never in the wild", or "extinct". Others would have had to be compiled. Your Symantec list is a more up-to-date list with Linux viruses still being a small group of 88, including the previous 35, and some of which only affect Apache Web Servers, or embedded Linux in routers.
The 2nd Sophos link to information on LinuxMint 17.3 being "infected" is also a little misleading. It was a hacked ISO image, not a virus, with a download link in a hacked WordPress web page. It had to be downloaded February 20th or 21st, and only from one Bulgarian site. It was found out that same weekend, and the link to that hacked ISO was removed that same weekend. It was immediately discovered because anyone who has spent the time to download a huge ISO image will check the MD5 sums to make sure they have a good copy. The MD5s didn't match, so nobody who got mis-matched ISO MD5s would have installed it anyway. To be fair, I'm sure there are careless Linux users who might have installed without checking the MD5 sums.

So yes, Linux viruses exist, but are outnumbered greatly by Windows viruses.

By contrast. In 1992, my boxed copy of Windows 3.11 came with a free virus "out of the box". I installed it over top of my boxed copy of MS-Dos 6.22. I was greatly enjoying exploring its features, and low and behold, it came with a built-in virus scanner, which I just had to try out. First scan told me I had a virus (I don't remember which one, but could probably install it on an older computer and see, since I still have both of those boxed sets.) I had not even been on the internet yet. My computer did not even have a modem. I didn't get on the "net" until my Boxed copy of Windows 95 came with advertisement for Prodigy.

Quite a few Google search links, such as the following link:
https://www.reference.com/technology/many-computer-viruses-4dd03a4728979a9
Quote Symantec as saying there were over 17,000,000 Windows viruses in 2012. I never found the original Symantec link, so take that with a grain of salt. Opinions seem to vary on how to count viruses. Some "new" viruses are merely re-packaged old viruses. I do not know how accurate Symantec's figure was, (maybe that number is exaggerated to sell more copies of antivirus software?) and cannot find a more recent figure for the number of Windows viruses.

Being a latecomer to Linux, my first Linux install was Red Hat 4.2 around late 90's. Later I bought a boxed edition of 5.2, which I still have (nostalgia). Since then, I have experimented with numerous distributions including (in no particular order), Fedora, Slack, OpenBSD, Caldera, Kanotix, Suse, Debian, Mandrake, and Ubuntu (many derivatives here). MandrakeLinux was a favorite for years, then later I switched to debian type Linux. (Apt-get was so much easier than the dependency hell you went thru to install RPM software.) LinuxMint has been my favorite for the last several years.

Summary: I agree that any un-protected OS can be infected. Based solely on anecdotal evidence, admittedly limited (running a small town computer repair shop) I've never had a Linux virus. I've never known anyone who admitted to getting a Linux virus. (Maybe pride didn't allow them to admit.) I've never read on a forum about someone getting a Linux virus (maybe same problem with pride, or I just didn't read the "right" forum). I've only had about 10 customers ask for Linux to be installed. I've never heard from them again. Over the years I have removed viruses from 1000's of Windows computers. Others were too damaged to clean up, and had to be re-installed. Hence my liking for Linux!

EDIT: I failed to mention that although I really like Linux, I am forced to use Windows for certain things. I've never found a suitable QuickBooks replacement. I have been using Windows 10 and am very happy with it overall. I've only had it installed for maybe a year, so time will tell if it gets mangled easily. So Far, so good.

 

Okay lets bring this back into focus!

I HAVE to run Windows on it. For now that will be W7, but likely I will have to upgrade it to W10. I am not keeping this, but handing it over to a coworker. He is basically computer illiterate, so it needs to be correctly setup.

So as much as it would fly, not getting linux.

And this is a CF-30 MK3 it would seem.

Here is where I am at now. Windows 7 is installed on it and working. Mostly. It isn't updated enough to allow WPS. I can't connect to my router to update it because WPS isn't available. No idea what the wireless key is. I have to activate Windows before I put any more time into the install. Need internet to do this. Simple would be a network cable. Nothing is simple, so of course not finding a cable to use. these problems aside, W7 is now installed.

Problem #1: I need the full Panasonic driver .exe bundle. Not sure if I have found and gotten this yet today as I have been bashing on multiple computers.

Problem #2: GPS isn't working. And nothing shows in BIOS for it, so most likely I need some sort of bios update, does anyone know something about this?

Machine has run relatively stable for at least a year or so on Windows 7, until the recent virus. Drive was actually swapped out, not just nuked.

 

Bios

click on serial ports

gps should show up

 

Crapppp.... I can't get this activated.

So not sure what I did wrong, but I was getting some weird error messages. I ended up having to talk to Microsoft tech support, from India. I couldn't understand a damn thing she said to me, and had to repeat myself multiple times.

Maybe I used the wrong combo of key and OS install? But I finally got from support that it was a legitimate OEM key, but locked. "You go call manufacturer now." Yeah bite me, you go learn english now.

Well I used some sort of legit OEM Panasonic upgrade disc, but that is missing. I upgraded it from an OEM Dell or HP on Vista that I slotted the drive into the computer. I am going to try again with a different OEM license ISO, and see if that gets me anywhere.

Okay there it is, I see it now. Not sure why I had issues inside windows then. But can't solve that yet until windows itself is fixed. Time for a redo.

 

You say this had W7 before. So you don't have that install disk anymore? Do u have the legitimate OEM key that you used on it ?

 

hmmm ...
yeah , you might have to use a version of windblows that is *acceptable* to the machine .
as i understand it , the "key" is actually stashed in the comp (basically) .
to activate the install , i used "change product code" (or words to that effect) .
by the same token , some of the installs i have done "took care of themselves" ... mind you , they did have the drivers installed for the ethernet controller .

 

I "may" have just found the install disc I used last night... This machine didn't come with a W& option (likely mentioned before) but I did have a legitimate Microsoft activated key installed in it. I used tools to pull that key out. No, the key was not on a COA, or actually I think it was at one time. But I don't still have it. I "think" it was from a Dell laptop I parted. Memory is foggy on that.

Originally I think I just yanked the drive out of the Dell/HP/whatever and booted it up into the Toughbook. Cleaned it up, installed drivers. However I did it, it was a headache....

I hear you CWB32!

Thanks guys for the help on this, ESPECIALLY the PM's! I have too many computers, and they always have to all break at once it seems. I need to get back to this, reread my messages, and try some downloads again.

If I wasn't wanting to sell this one, I would just put it on Linux Mint or something. I tried that out and REALLY liked it!

 

man , if it was me , i would spring for a recovery disk .
you might have to get-fix-sell a couple more '19 machines to recoup the investment but just think of the money you will save on aspirin and therapy !

although , you mentioned using a different key ...
this might have pooched the use of the embedded key .
one of the other guys might be able to weigh in on this .

 

There was no key embedded in the installer disc. I was using the OEM W7 iso downloaded off the Microsoft server.

Originally, I had used a HDD and COA off of a HP I scrapped out.

Also I might be wrong here, but I don't "think" a "W7 Panasonic OEM" recovery disc even EXISTS for this machine... It came with Vista. I had to do the classic mismatching of drivers from a newer model to get it sorted.

 

the key is not in the installer disk ... it is "in" the machine itself .
this is one place i found a restore disk :
http://www.toughbookrescue.com/toughbook-cf-30.html

i installed W7 on my '30 ...
by using the drivers from the panasonic site and help from the guys here .
what a PITA* !

* (getting the stuff installed and the bios change ... not so much the fellows here)