CF-73 Help for a friend

Hello everyone. If you read my previous posts, you may know that I decided to purchase a CF-29 (MK2) for use in my balloon rather than a CF-73 which a lot of others are using. Yesterday I was meeting with one of those guys who is an older guy that is not great with computers and his CF-73 has a couple of issues that are over my head as well.

Unfortunately right this minute I don't have the full model number but I do know it is CF-73 with touchscreen and a 1.4 mghz processor (MK1 I think based on Google searching this forum).

The first problem he has is that sometimes, not very often but more than once, his screen is totally black. Generally it seems to happen at startup. The resolution thus far has been discovered to be if you take your finger and flick the screen swiftly right on the letter "P" of Panasonic, it comes up.
I'm no computer expert by any means, but that tells me it is likely a loose wire or connection somewhere.

How hard is this thing to take apart and troubleshoot for something like that?



Second problem: when trying to open the map program (CompeGPS), he received a synchost.exe application error...memory could not be 'read' with the option to say OK or Cancel.
When we said OK, it stopped trying to open any files whatsoever, and wouldn't even restart or power off without holding the button.
When we said Cancel however, it started running great. I'm not sure when/if the error will return. We also had a Windows 'bubble' box pop up in the corner that said Low Virtual Memory. Perhaps these are related issues.
When I looked in My Computer, he has a D drive that says 37GB with about 12GB used. There is also a C drive but it has a symbol like a USB thumb drive and says only about 120MB of space with some used.
Again, I'm not really a computer guy so this is a bit over my head whether that may be related to those error messages.


Anything obvious and easily fixable going on here?

Alternatively, do any of you experts do work on issues like this that he could send the toughbook to you? He lives in Eastern Tennessee near Knoxville.
He is very easily frustrated when something goes wrong, especially during a competitive flight when he needs it to be working and that messes him up too often and costs points.

Thanks for your help......

 

Firstly; may I know if you voted already on the nbr contest? If not please! we need it.

Btw, to answer your first problem. Its the connection between the cable inverter and the inverter itself. This was happened overtime by closing and open down the LCD. It is very common to earlier model of CF-73. To fix the problem if somebody on your group have the guts to open up the LCD but be very careful on the front bezel as it is made of plastic while the LID cover is magnesium. On separating the lid and the lcd just lift it up carefully about 1.5 of an inch just to unhook the ts cable on the lid before it sepated al the way. Assuming that you already unscrew all the necessary screw on the lid and the front cover srip was already off also.

Now! assuming you separated the two. At the buttom you will the inverter. Its a rectangular shape wrapped by plastic. Unplug the cable that come from the buttom(from the mbo. side). I can imagine it is almost unplug already that why you have a black screen. Pull a bit the cable from the mbo. side and plug it in again to the inverter and then reinforce it with shielded tape. if you dont have those type of tape, duck tape will do the job, Lol..

The second problem I've guess you don't have anymore space on the HDD or maybe your RAM is failing.


ohlip

 

Thanks for your advice. Yes I have voted! Unfortunately only once though.

I am hesitant to start taking his computer apart and I know he won't/shouldn't do it. I know a couple of more technically inclined folks that might be more confident in doing something like that. For now, just thumping the screen is working fine, but I assume one day it will go out and not come back!

 

One good thing if you two decide not to take it apart is CF-73's with out harddrive and battery are still going for pretty cheap on ebay for a "stripped out" one. The battery and Caddy is the most expensive part and harder to find. If you were to get a another 1.4 model you won't have to change drivers. I purchased a 1.4 CF-73 a few months back just to take the battery, caddy and harddrive to transfer to a 1.7 CF-73 for the ATI 9000 video card in it. Windows let me cheat that time and I just had to reload drivers that time.

Later on he could get another CF-73 as a back up with a imaged drive so it won't cost him any points and everything will be the same on the two laptops.

It may be time to run a registery cleaner to see if that helps, also do a virus scan. That process showed up on a few sites as a type of virus that causes havoc with other stuff working correctly.

Good free registery cleaner is CCLEANER.