HELP!!!! Please

I have a BIG prob. Just got my cf 29 and have been having problems with the wireless card not working and still isnt. Anyways did all updayes from microsoft and went to reboot and now its saying error loading operating system. Ok not too big of a deal at this point. Put in my restore cd of xp and reboot set to boot from cd/dvd and NADA. tried again NADA. it wont boot from cd. What next??? lol its a panasonic dvd/cdrw. I have the 40 gig HDD and no floppy disk drive for this thing. Ive researched abit and came up with nothing.Anyone with any ideas. ??? please.
Ive only had this thing 2 weeks and is really getting me annoyed at all the probs ive had with the wireless and now this.

 

Several things you need to look at. First go into BIOS and see if the CD/DVD drive is recognized. On the first page look at the line "Secondary Master:". That should show CD/DVD Drive. If it does then page to the BOOT menu. Look at the "Boot priority order:" section. If you want to boot from the CD drive, make that as the first selection in this area. It should be identified as "IDE MP:" Make those changes, hit F10 and save changes. You should be able to boot from the CD drive now.

If the CD/DVD drive is not recognized on the first page of BIOS, let us know.

 

I would try to use an external CDROM drive hooked up to your USB slot. It has happened in the past that people have damaged their CDROM's and they no longer are able to boot from them.

 

Ah i was being dumb but unfortunatly it does not show the dvd/cdrw as the second master, i did remove it to check for jumpers etc but nothing what now how do i get it to recognise it??? it worked well when i had an OS.

 

IF it worked with an OS, but is not working to boot from, either its not inserted ALL the way, or its not compatible to be a master even though its from panny.

 

If it is an aftermarket DVD R2 needs to be soldered inside... You can still try to have it boot from that drive... Set it to boot from DVD and see what happens.

However it sounds like R2 needs to be soldered... Either that or you need to check your connector. Or try a USB DVD

 

Im sorry i must be being a complete half wit what is R2 and resoldered??? and yeah it is a panasonic dvd/cdrw is there anyway to reload it from another pc?? via lan. All this started when trying to get my 2200bg wireless card to work took it apart and all to check connections. reloaded drivers a million times etc. Occasionally the wireless would work for a few minutes then cut out lol

I love these machines but this one is irritating

 

See Toughbook's tutorial: CF-27, CF-28, CF-29 CD to DVD Swap Tutorial-Lots of Pictures!

 

Thanks for all the great info. Ok i removed my dvd/cdrw and saw that r2 hasnt been soldered etc. just before i solder it together can i just make sure that this will mean that i will be able to now boot from this drive?? And just to re iterate it is a panasonic drive. If not ive thought about booting from a usb cd or dvd rom. however it doesnt have boot from usb as an option in the BIOS. again i want to thank you all for the great advice and sorry for being a
PITA.

 

Yes.

Doesn't mean it's factory configured as Master.

Solder R2 and it will appear in the BIOS as Secondary Master and will be bootable once you set the Boot Sequence to include it.

 

When you say it is a panasonic drive are you looking at the caddy cover or on the drive itself? Actually, it doesn't really matter. Soldering R2 lets us use any laptop CD/DVD drive.

Booting form USB. To boot from any USB device, you must have it plugged in when you first power up. Go into BIOS then the BOOT menu and look for the device there. Dont' bother looking for "USB". Look for the device name. Move that device to the top of the list and save changes. Reboot and you should be good.

 

just thought id respond, soldered r2 pins together and checked for continuity between the pins in the solder. booted up checked BIOS and unfortuntely the dvd/cdrw is still not registring as a secondry master any ideas
???

thanks

 

nevermind guess i didnt fully seat it after so got it now. I just want to thank all you geneius's that have helped me get it straight. I cant thank you enough. Now for anyone with some bright ideas about my wireless intermitantly working???? lol again you guys r awesome.

 

Now is the time to remove the bottom cover to check your wireless card. It sounds like whoever you got this from didn't really know what they were doing. They may not have put the card in properly. For that matter, the cables may not be connected tightly. You may also pull the hinge covers to check the cables under the right hinge cover. They may be damaged in that area. Look for the white and black ones. One check you may want to try is checking your wireless reception while tilting the screen to different angles.

 

thanks for the info but i did remove the back cover last week. I physically checkef the antena cables and removed the card and deleted drivers and reinstalled as advised. I did not remove the hinge to check the cables and i did try tilting the screen at different angles to check incase or wire chaffing. I do have gps on this thing too so im not sure if i have to make any adjustments in the bios or anything and also im presuming i dont have to have the antenna up to use wireless right???

thanks

 

One advice, if you are poking inside the laptop, remove the battery and power cord first !

I did it before result : a blown fuse

 

hahaha yeah dont worry i did remove both lol im a diesel mechanic by trade and yeah sparks will fly if you dont disconnect batteries, etc

 

1. What is your exact model number? MK1 & MK2 have VERY flaky wifi cards and IMHO... Should be replaced as they only work half the time.

2. You MAY have an aftermarket DVD Rom... If that is the case It will not work. If you KNOW it is OEM and it is a Fujitsu DVD then it should work. If not... You can hook up a USB DVD and then change the boot order to load...

 

Yeah i have a mk2 with an intel 2200bg ive heard they are junk and as for the dvd i got that to work i didnt push it into the slot quite straight so wasnt seated but the boot from dvd works now thanks.
Does anyone have any reccomendations on wireless lan cards for the 29 E model.??

 

The ONLY one? The Engenous 600mW wifi... Get them on ebay for $25 - $35 or online for $40 - $50...... The BEST for the Toughbook!

 

If you search on ebay you will find only 1 guy selling them, $30.00 shipped and he ships fast. Use this for a search ENGENIUS WIRELESS MINIPCI EMP-8602 PLUS-S Free S&H NEW and you should find the auction. He was selling them for $20.00

 

Why search?

ENGENIUS WIRELESS MINIPCI EMP-8602 PLUS-S Free S&H NEW

See also: EMP-9701: 2.4GHz MIMO mini-PCI type III A module

 

Thanks guys got my engenius on order. Again you guys are awesome.

 

I would first go into the BIOS to make sure that the wifi is enabled. Then uninstall the Intel software. Remove battery and AC adapter, remove the bottom plate, install the wifi card then boot up and install the Engenous software. You will LOVE the new card!