CF-31Q WWAN Card problems

Hello,

I am seeking help with my CF-31 toughbooks. To make a long story short, I have several of these computers, and recently had to be wiped due to virus problems (this was not done by me). After a windows re-install two of the computers, the CF-31Q toughbooks' WWAN Cards no longer work.

Background Info:
Model: CF-31Q5AAX1M
BIOS: Version 2.10L11
Intel (R) Firmware: 7.1.10.1065
Accumulative Operating Time: 16490 Hours
Windows 7 32-bit
Carrier: Verizon
WWAN Card: Sierra Wireless AirPrime MC7750
Purchase Date Approximately: Q3 2012

Now, here is the problem. I noticed in windows i attempted to install drivers (obtained from Panasonic) , but it would not show up in Device Manager. I attempted to update firmware (obtained from Panasonic), but it said that no device was found.

This worried me, so I went into BIOS and saw that WWAN was enabled. I ran the internal hardware test in the BIOSand the only thing that failed, on both machines, was the WWAN Card. I attempted removing and cleaning each card to see if it somehow got dirty or dislodged.

This problem was brought to my attention, I did not use the toughbooks when they were hit with the viruses. In fact, I was only told about it when the computers themselves were not able to be reconnected to Verizon after being wiped.

It is peculiar to me that the cards were functional prior to the viruses and two (of three) failed upon return with a fresh install of windows. I want to swap the WWAN Cards from the working one to the non-working ones to see if that fixes the problem but coordinating that will be difficult. Did both cards happen to fail? Do they have a bad track record of dying after only a little over 2 years of use? What can be done to fix this?

Any advice on these matters would be appreciated. These toughbooks need to be put back into service relatively shortly.

 

Just guessing..
Did the virus trash the WWAN cards?
Was it the same virus?
Full model number of CF31..?
Photos of WWAN card....Need to see exact info from card..

Try a power pull reset....

 

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. The virus was the same, but obtained independently. They were the CryptoLocker virus that hijacks the hard drive. I have no idea which version or any other information and I don't know if the WWAN Cards were affected as I got the machines after the hard drives were wiped.

Full model number was in original post but here it is again: CF-31Q5AAX1M

Now for a power pull reset, I am assuming that you mean pull the battery while it is on?

Photo of WWAN Card:



Thank you very much for your help!

 

Sorry, I missed the model number.....
I will find a post on power pull reset....

I am not a wwan expert...
From what I understand mc7750 aka gobi wwan cards load firmware on every boot..I may be wrong.....
Thats why I ask about virus.....possibly it corrupted cards...Just a guess.
The 2417c indicates that it is the correct Panasonic card...thats good....

back in a while with instructions.....

 

That's one way. What I do is remove the battery, unplug the CMOS battery and hold the power button on for 5 seconds. Do this about 10 times or so. I sometimes also pull the WWAN and wifi card and ever the memory.

 

Thanks Blair....I have 6 things going at once....

 

Only 6...must be a slow day

 

sorry for the delay, was busy at work and out off office a couple of days.

so i did the pull. (cmos battery, battery, RAM) i turned the computer on afterwards, directly to BIOS. I let it sit when i left for lunch (about 2 hours). When I came back, ran the diagnostic test. And to my surprise the Wireless WAN passed. However, when I booted to windows...no go, the device was not found by windows and not found by the Verizon utility. I did the scan for hardware changes, looked through device manager, no trace. I restarted the computer and ran the BIOS diagnostic utility again and it failed.

I restarted the computer again, and ran the BIOS diagnostic utility and it failed. For ****s and giggles, I left it on for a while (about 20 minutes), without restarting it and it passed the BIOS diagnostic utility. I repeated this test and ran the test every few minutes. By about the 20 minute mark, it would pass the test. I started windows, and have let it sit, and i could not get it to show up. I checked through device manager, and scanned for hardware changes, and alas no trace. I am leaving the laptop on and disabled power saving options for tonight.

Any help would be appreciated. I should be able to respond more quickly for the next couple of weeks, pending no emergencies. Last week was extremely busy.

 

Just throwing crap on the wall to see what sticks....

Let's start over and not trust ANY previous work.
First of all...Get a NEW usb stick and redownload the needed drivers including the Oneclick package and WWAN. Use a different PC than what you are working on. I would even change the file properties to read only...I can be "detailed" other people use a different word....
Get 2 or 3 different anti virus programs. Make sure they scan for rootkits....Scan the problem computer with all the virus scanners. Then use 2 or 3 online virus scanners.
Run Ccleaner and do a wipedisk, Create new partition, format and then I delete the formated partition and recreate it again. Reload Win7. Install the drivers with the Oneclick package from Panasonic from the NEW usb stick. Then do all the virus scans again then install the WWAN software package......
If that doesn't work, the cards are probably toast...

Not cheap, but here is a new card to buy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHICAGO-PAN...257?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c8b28e591

 

Shawn buddy you REALLY need to be reading Schlock Mercenary......crap on the wall .....muahahahah =rofl.
My version of power pull reset "done every time you switch cards"...."quote from Rob"
1.Pull A.C.
2.Pull battery.
3.Hold switch on for thirty seconds, several times or until your finger is blue.
4.Power on with A.C. only. Not the battery yet...it's ACPI and your unit needs no confusion at this time.
5.Read the package as far as the WWAN goes. Wireless switch on or off,.....WWAN card on or off. Done from bios or switch on computer.

An aside: Check the dip switches.

I have never unplugged the CMOS battery for this scenario but I am NOT arguing the point with Blair. (toughasnails) He has been there.

Good luck.

Jayburd

 

i thank everyone for the help. i apologize for not getting back to you sooner. i was unable to get it working, the laptop was sent back to the company we purchased them from (who wiped the drive after the virus). And they said they are "aftermarket cards" and that was causing the problem....a line of bs, but they are taking care of the problem. i was hopeful to fix it, but couldn't get it working. (and it is their headache now)

again thank you all for your knowledge and patience

 

Thank you for the follow up..