CF-30 woes

hey all ,
new member and i recently acquired a CF-30 ... and i believe it to be a MK1-C/D .
someone had tried to upgrade it to W7 ... long story made short ; it is now mine .

i have read/garnered some information as to why the W7 installation failed ... including why the pointer will jump all over (turn off gps in bios) .
i dropped in a 120 gig drive and have re-installed "vista business" and want to get this unit working correctly before attempting a SSD and W7 upgrade .
i figure this is the best way to learn without flashing the bios and other things .

the major problem/issue : the touch screen calibration/drivers
the touchscreen does not show in the bios (i seen a question about this in another thread here) ... but it is present and does indeed function .
without being calibrated , it is "off" and this is the problem i am having : i cannot get the driver to load .
(i have looked around before posting about this)
the driver (from the panasonic site) is correct (i presume) as when it is unpacked i do not get flagged with "not for this system" .
the message i get is "failed to install" (or words to that effect) ... nothing shows in the menu .

specs ...
model : CF-30CCS85BM
BIOS : V1.00L19
EC : V1.0017

any help will be greatly appreciated .
thanks in advance

 

I guess I can't read...



post edited

 

If the previous owner messed with the bios some, your best bet is to reset to defaults. Then turn the gps off, etc.

What bios version are you running?

 

Model Number:CF-30CCS85BM

Status DISCONTINUED

MSRP:$5,899

Description: WinXP, Intel Core Duo L2400 1.66GHz (Centrino), 13.3" XGA Touch, 80GB, 1GB, Intel 802.11a/b/g, TPM1.2, GPS,Emissive Backlit Keyboard, Bluetooth, Verizon EVDO Rev A, Dual Pass (Upper:WWAN/Lower:GPS), Smartcard, No Drive

Welcome to the Panasonic Toughbook forum

The BIOS you have is for Windows XP so you need to upgrade it to the Vista bios before you go any farther.

In the 30MK1 the touchscreen will not show up in the bios.

 

Reading over your post again you said the touchscreen works without being calibrated. When you say... it is "off" you mean the calibration is off...(you touch one spot and the pointer is in another). Have you tried to calibrate it ?

Let us know what it said word for word

 

yep ... the calibration is "off" .
i downloaded the touchscreen driver for the MK-1C/D with vista and it unpacked correctly .
as i understand it and have proven to myself by downloading the driver/program for the other models listed ; they will not unpack and are flagged as not correct for the system i have .
when i tried to install the "correct" driver/program it went through the installation procedure and finally produced a small window (belonging to that program) saying that the program was not installed (and not the windows pop up that asks if the program was installed correctly) .
sooo ... even though i can go right into the driver program itself and manually run the calibration screen ... nothing can be "saved" as the program did not install .


as for quoting exactly what it says ... that may take some time ...
i was looking inside to determine if the gps module was present (the antenna is present in/on the lid) so i could order up a module if need be .
i noticed a ribbon cable that had a small ding in it right at the connector and one side of the connector locking tab was not all the way home .
i finished opening the connector and removed the cable in order to take a closer look ...and two of the "fingers" on the ribbon lifted away , with a couple more being loose .
there was a second ribbon cable present so i took a look at it as well because it too showed signs of being stressed ... bad fingers on it too .
--- grrrrr ---
it looks like the damage was done when some ham-fisted twit changed the bios battery .
so , i now need to replace the ribbon cables that run between CN6 and CN401 plus CN5 and CN400 .
any ideas on where to obtain these ?
do these cables have a history of going bad in the manner i have mentioned ?
i have been at/in electronic repair for about 40 years and i have never seen the fingers on a ribbon cable peel away like this .

i don't quite understand the disparity of the bios (being XP) ...
unless this machine was "upgraded" and a new vista COA stuck on the bottom and the bios was not flashed at that time .
the COA/key is for windows vista business .
hard to say ... some machines have quite a (ahem) *history* behind them .

 

Post in the buy sell trade section for the cables. Someone here has used ones.

 

i took a closer look at those ribbon connectors ...
they seem to be only for the cd/dvd drive connector .

i put the bottom on the machine (new heat sink compound on the cpu/heat pipe interface) .
the machine runs ok .
back in business for now .

the "FLC USB pen tablet driver" program issue ...
the message that pops up is : "the installation isn't complete" .

i'll flash the bios asap ... most likely in a couple of hours .

i checked the bob johnson site ... there are two "media cables" shown ... can't tell if they are correct .
perhaps emailing him with pictures/location/function and a conductor count would help ?

edit :
i just read your post ...
i'll post in the section you suggested .

 

I have the cables I bet,as I have 3 hanger queens taking up space here. Post a photo if you could so I can check a bios passed mk3 that is stripped down for them.

 

the ribbon cables are :
L = 2.49"
W = 0.81"
both are identical



heh ... "hangar queen" ... i use the term "bone pile" .
i have a friend that has a cessna 310B hangared over in foston (shades of sky king) .
one of these days we have to change the oil in those twin continentals and swap out the nose wheel tire .
i am in bemidji .

 

I'm going to pile on here....I've been looking at this forum quite a bit lately, and have found some great info, thank you.

I have looked but can't locate a schematic of the touchscreen hardware. I have 3 CF-30C/D MK1, where the touchscreen drivers load fine and all, the diagnostic utility says everything checks out, but the touchscreen is not working at all. In XP or 7. XP BIOS or Vista BIOS.

I'm just wondering if someone disabled the hardware somehow, for some reason, with a jumper or something (which doesn't make sense to me, if the driver still loads), or disconnected a ribbon cable somewhere, as there is no setting in the BIOS on the MK1 for touchscreen. I just find it hard to believe all 3 are bad.

Thanks

 

mk1 touchscreens are known to go bad.. Boot ubuntu live cd newer than version 10.10 . See if touchscreen works then.

 

Your touchscreens are not working as that is just about the only failure point of these laptops. They *can* be repaired sometimes if you know someone who knows how to do it. A few here do and can repair them for you at a small price. That repair is one of the few things not discussed openly in the forum as then it would be on eBay for a $150 repair service... Some people take from here without ever giving back so there are a few things we do here that we do not publish... I hope you understand.

The CF-29, CF-30 MK1 & MK2 models, CF-18s and some CF-19s all had the issue with the touchscreens failing.

As for loading W7... You will need to load the BIOS (MK1 models) with the correct BIOS revision for Vista... This allows the Misc driver (and others) to be loaded. You *can* install W7 on an MK1 with the XP BIOS installed but you will not have full functionality of the Fn buttons... Brightness, sound level, etc. There is a thread that always hovers around the top entitled "How to Load W7 on CF-30 MK1"... This is your friend!

The big thing is going to be loading the Vista Video driver... You will do this and your MK1 unit will most likely BSOD and you'll think you have messed up. This is not the case. Try installing it a second time and it will work... Then load your Hotkey driver via Device Manager (one of the unknown devices, the Misc driver is the 2nd) and then load Hotkey Appendix and Hotkey settings drivers.

Marvel at your ingenuity and have a cold beer!

 

Welcome to the Panasonic Toughbook forum

Well we are not surprised since you have MK1's . How many hours are on them. It can be found in the BIOS, first page...bottom

 

i noticed the "soft meter" back in the bios ...
how about that , my machine is a spring chicken ; a little over 1300 hours .
:laugh:

 

You would think that low hours would mean a working touchscreen... But it is time and/or heat that take its toll!

 

on my way to bed I looked at that mk3 thru the memory cover and you can see the cables. Send me an address and I will send the bottom half to you mildly stripped.

It is a US Navy model and I used the top,bios locked but will boot from dvd. Wifi and Bluetooth turned off in bios,darned shame as it was nice.

[email protected]

 

Oh yes, I did find that how to load 7 on the mk1 post and followed it, some great info. I'm just going to have to resign myself to them being broken. To me, it is not a big deal, it's just one of those nagging things that I can't let go of.

One is at 6900 hours, but the other two are just over 10,000 hours.
I understand about the information. I was planning on selling 2 of these. I am going to get some small (120GB or so) SSDs and put in them. I was surprised at how responsive they are with a 7200rpm conventional drive and 3GB ram. They aren't slow. I love these things. I had a CF-51 that I upgraded the CPU to a C2D 2GHz, with the help of these forums last week, and it runs great. Shame it only takes IDE. I did read some posts where people were trying to cram a SATA in there, decided not to try that one...Hopefully I will be able to "give back" something of use here.

I really appreciate all your time you guys put in.
Thanks,
Jim

 

If anyone needs a CF-30 stylus for their cause, I'd be happy to donate one!

 

@ safn1949 :
fine business on the bottom section ... i'll PM/email you with my address .
yeah , i have seen good equipment trashed because of "forgotten" passwords .
thanks a bunch man .

@ warpig63 :
some things are hard to believe ...
i have seen equipment that exceeded the expected lifespan by a long stretch , while other identical equipment failed in "adolescence" .
i recall seeing somewhere around here that there is a fellow that can repair those touchscreen panels ...
i am curious as to what exactly fails on them and why (call it morbid curiosity) :laugh:

i still have not gotten around to flashing the bios on my machine ... things were kind of hectic yesterday .
as a little test of what is there , i logged into my netflix account and was watching for a couple of hours via the wireless connection ... no problems .

ps ... i like threads that ramble a bit ... it is akin to sitting at the round table .

 

What us ramble a bit....never :laugh:

 

As far as I know, there are 4 on here that can repair touchscreens. Contact user sdlmkr to get yours repaired.

I would tell you what goes bad on them but you would have to go into witness protection for your own safety.

 

I did end up trying Ubuntu 11.10, and still no go. So it really looks like these things are all bad.

I think I'm just going to run them without touchscreens, at least for now. Thanks again everyone!

 

witness protection ?! yeeeeaaahhh ... riiiight .

i have not had a chance to get to that bios yet ...
busy day and on top of it all a friend called me ... problems with his business laptop .
he said there was a picture file he could not open so he "tried a couple of things" .
then he said that things went wild .
yeppers , they sure did .
i checked for viruses and malware ... nada .
then i looked at things ... virtually all the folders , files and shortcuts had been changed over to "windows media player" .
when i clicked to open FF , WMP opened up !
uuuggghhh !
i was faced with the possibility of removing all of critical data and doing a full install of W7 .
i figured i would give a system restore a shot if there was a recent restore point ... nothing to loose .
i looked and there was a restore point from the fourth of this month ... i called my friend and asked him if he had installed anything since that time ... nope .
sooo , i set the restore in motion ... 15 minutes later , bob's yer uncle .

the next thing i did was disable WMP back in "turn windows features on/off" .
after all these years i still do not like WMP .
in my book it is a truly evil , vile and pernicious program .

 

You need one more post to PM..

I can use that stylus for my new toolbox queen CF30 project...

 

And......

per·ni·cious
pərˈniSHəs/
adjective
adjective: pernicious

having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
"the pernicious influences of the mass media"
synonyms: harmful, damaging, destructive, injurious, hurtful, detrimental, deleterious, dangerous, adverse, inimical, unhealthy, unfavorable, bad, evil, baleful, wicked, malign, malevolent, malignant, noxious, poisonous, corrupting;
literarymaleficent
"a pernicious influence on society"
antonyms: beneficial

 

yep ... and those are the good points .
i wonder if that is part of the reason that *windows* comes in different versions ... some without the inclusion of WMP (as i understand it to be) .

 

Will this do it? PM me your address and I'll ship her out.

 

I do have one more question. One of my CF-30s, the operating hours number in the BIOS appears to be stuck, hasn't moved since I have been playing around with it the last several days. Is this another common issue with these, or is there something set up wrong?

 

Some of them only move every 20 hours of use...next question...

 

I'll take Toughbooks for $200.00 Alex...

 

Yeah... Right...
They STILL know how to track you down!

A name change? Fuggedaboutit

 

speaking of PMs (heh) and such ...
@ safn1949 :
did you get my address via email ?
if not , PM me .

is it possible to swap out the cpu for a faster one ?
i looked up the specs of the cpu that is currently installed ... it shows that it is a 64 bit .
is the machine "locked" to 32 bit operating systems (due to MB architecture) or can a 64 bit OS be installed and as a consequence the RAM can be increased to more than that addressable by a 32 bit OS ?

 

No you can't change the cpu

 

You can install 64 bit but Panasonic has no drivers for the MK1 so you are on you own on finding them. There are a few threads on it, use the search in my sig to find them

 

I thought 64bit on the MK1 was a waste of time?

 

You are correct. mk1 Core Duo is 32bit..
Mk2 and mk3 Core 2 Duo are 64bit

In my opinion, win7 64bit is a waste of time on the 64 bit cpu also. (for 98% of the users)
It is definitely way more PITA than it's worth.


recheck your information..
Direct from Intel.
L2400 is 32 bit

http://ark.intel.com/products/27229/Intel-Core-Duo-Processor-L2400-2M-Cache-1_66-GHz-667-MHz-FSB

 

Well I think it is. The time spending getting it up and running is just not worth it...W7 + SSD + 4GB memory is the best upgrade you can give a CF-30 MK1.

 

My MK1 is a L2400 with a 667 FSB, according to Ark. I have some Durabooks with the U2400 533 FSB chip in it, those are socketed at least. I think I read in here somewhere that the CPU is not upgradeable, by design, on the CF-30s because of the passive cooling system. On others like the CF-51, there is a variable speed fan, that can handle the extra heat. Have I mentioned how much I love the CF-51s?! :-D

ARK | Intel® Core™ Duo Processor L2400 (2M Cache, 1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB)

 

You are correct, it is an L2400 not a U2400.
I corrected my post. It is still a 32bit cpu.
I can guarantee you the cpu is soldered on ALL CF30's. You can upgrade it if you have a hot air reballing station..

I figure it is soldered for multiple reasons.

1 Durability. Socketed cpu's could come loose. One less connection and one less moving part is a good thing.
2 Better connection with solder compared to socket. Less resistance means less power usage and less heat.
3 It's cheaper.
4 Space considerations.
5 To keep idiots like us from changing it in a new machine that is still in warranty.

 

'To keep idiots like us from changing it in a new machine that is still in warranty"

hey ! i resemble that remark !
:laugh:

man , i would have sworn that back in the bios i got the numbers and on the intel site it said that it was a 64 bit .
i have the machine apart and sitting on a shelf awaiting parts ...
when i put it back together i'll double check my findings .

yeah ... swapping the cpu would be a royal PITA .
it wouldn't be so bad if the cpu had leads on four sides .

 

Well I guess it can be done but how well does it run???
panasonic Toughbook cf-30 64 bit | eBay

 

If you had a place to do it, and a compatable CPU it is still no guarantee it would work. A experiment was done a while back on the alienware M11x. Core 2 duo/intel 4500 chipset. After booting with the new chip nothing but error codes would come up. never got it to fully post. And this was a experienced modded that did it.

I have done one CF-19 Mk2 with 64 bit. 4GB ram and 80 GB X25 SSD and windows 7. There use to be a download link with those files on a panasonic site, but a month or so when I downloaded them they disappeared. All the drivers in the folder would work for me so I had to get a few from newer toughbooks to swap in and unpack manually.

 

Oops, sorry I didn't see this earlier. Yes, that would help.

 

i struck a deal with another member here ... he is sending me the "lower unit" .
i am still in the market for a gps module ,,, there is a topic/thread about this that was split out from here earlier today .
i am trying to get the skinny on what works and what is the best approach in reference to a gps module .
i will hop over to your site and scope it out .

 

well hell ...

i tried to flash the bios .
everything is good right up to the point of executing the program and then a message pops up saying that either the battery is low and/or the power adapter is not connected .
yep , the ac adapter is connected , however , there is no battery present .
i suppose i'll have to get a battery

 

Yes you will need a battery. It's like a safety...if the power goes out while you are flashing the bios you have a backup power source. If not you would have a nice door stop.

 

Sometimes it is tough to choose between the things you want and the things you need.

 

*sigh* ... yer right about the difference between "want" and "need" ...
it is like the difference between "can't" and "won't" .
the terms are not interchangeable , but many people use them willy-nilly .
i first learned of the differences 28 years ago ... made a big difference in my life . :wink:

looks like i am off to do some battery recon .
i have had some experience with rebuilding battery packs ...
just for grins and giggles , i could find a few dead units to experiment with .

a short time back i did take a quick look at sneezebay for a battery .
some of those sellers must think that those batteries are made from unobtainium .

 

Well unless you know how to reprogram a Toughbook battery then go for it but a lot of us have tried and got no where.

Well the ones I seen are good prices...if you can get a CF-30 battery for under $40.00 you are doing good. Most will give you 3.5 to 4 hours run time.

Panasonic Toughbook CF 30 Laptop Battery CF VZSU46 Li Ion | eBay

Panasonic Toughbook CF 30 Laptop Battery CF VZSU46 | eBay

Genuine Panasonic Toughbook Battery for CF 30 CF 31 CF 53 Model CF VZSU46 | eBay