I'm ready to whip this laptop against the wall SOOOO HARD!!!!

I have an MK5 (CF-29NCSNXBM) that will NOT for the life of me work with a 160GB hard drive... WT F!!! GOD DA MNIT! I'm ready to kill someone here! I've spent 4 hours STRAIGHT trying to get this POS working!

I've tried the following:
3 different BRAND NEW Samsung HM160HC drives
3 different caddies
3 different CF-29N laptops
With and without extra ram in the machine (1GB DDR2 chip).
I've tried 3 different internal combo drives to boot the clone disc and an external USB one. NOTHING
Tried all these drives and caddies/combinations in an LTQGZBM model too! NOTHING!

It will NOT for the life of me clone. I've even taken the hdd/caddy out and put it in an MK1 (CF-29CNKGSKM) and cloned an MK1 image on it, and BOOM, everything works flawlessly! BUT, LOW and behold, when I put the god dam n thing into the MK5 it won't do SQUAT! Won't boot! Just sits there with an underscore blinking in the upper left corner of the screen. I've even used the MK1 unit to put the MK5 image on it and NOTHING!

I'm really ready to kill something here! HELP ME BEFORE I KILL THIS LAPTOP!

I've sold THOUSANDS with 160GB drives with NOTHING like this before! GAH!

 

Since there have been a rash of bad Samsung drives lately, is it possible all 3 are bad? Might try one that you know worked in another laptop.

 

OMG! I tried a used 160G WD drive I had laying around and got a little further... Damn thing kept giving a "windows has failed to start" error c:\windows\system blah blah blah.

So I took a CF-29L model and used that image (MK4 image) and BOOM! works!

FINALLY! DEAR GOD!

 

A cursor on the screen usually indicaes the system did not see the drive (or did not find a boot partition). Does the BIOS show the drive in its configuration list?

Dave

 

Also, is there any drive that does work in the system?

Dave

 

Yes, the BIOS listed it all just fine. Yes ANY OTHER DRIVE works just fine in ANY of the systems (mostly 80GB drives).

Thanks

 

I had this problem with a WD 320 from one machine to another,I chose new install of windows and all went well but when I tried to use it it showed in the bios but I got just the cursor like you.I took it out of the caddy and put in in an external holder and formated using computer management then reloaded windows and it worked fine after that.

 

Rob,

Do you need a hug?

We have Homicidal Rage, Profane Rage, Blasphemous Rage all in one post. And so close to Christmas, Santa just may skip your house......

Seriously, if you run into a problem like that again, dont get mad, just pop it in the mail to me and never give it another moments thought.

I had the same problem with the two same type drives from new egg, now part of my hi-tech coaster set.

Sam

 

MBR issues on three drives = faulty drives?
One thing I read before I took a nap was about **** computer with black flasher. Company rep said to first try pulling power and cycling the on switch to un-confuse the mobo"(paraphrase)

Merry Christmas

Jeff .....the S in the model number was not in my configurator files....

 

Wow, Rob, I never would have taken you for the violent and the crazy manic type.

It just...won't run?
Can't we settle at that?

 

"S" is a rare Mk4 or Mk5 with 1gb onboard memory.

 

Judging from the specs of the unit, it seems to be equipped with a "Lock Kit". Check in the BIOS to see if there is an option for "HDD Lock". Check it's set to disabled.

 

Good thought..Driller

 

It has 512MB onboard dewd...

 

No no, this is just a screw that PHYSICALLY locks the hard drive into the unit. You have to remove this screw before you can take the HDD out. Just one additional measure to make sure that the HDD doesn't go flying when/if you drop it + to prevent employees from tampering with it...

 

Yes, and the 19 and the 30/31 for that matter.

on the 18s and 19s it's just a screw that bolts into the corner (where you could put the hand strap). It's a thick piece of metal and it just covers the door.

I put one on my wifes CF-19 just for the heck of it

 

Even so, have you checked the HDD lock option in the BIOS? Your issues do sound similar to an HDD lock enabled computer with a different HDD.

 

Remember that I tried a model L machine with that drive too... and it didn't work. And when I put the 160 WD in the model L machine it worked fine...

 

Are you sure? So it has 512mb in the slot, too?

Model Number:
CF-29NC SNXBM
Status:
DISCONTINUED
MSRP:
$5,490
Description: Intel Pentium M 778 1.6GHzLv (Centrino),13.3" Touch XGA, 1GB,80GB,Intel 802.11a+b+g, WIN XP SP2, Emissive Backlit Keyboard, Wireless Ready, Dual Pass Through, HDD/Battery Doors with Security screws,TPM1.2, no drive

 

Trust me, it's 512MB on board... yes that config would mean 512 in the slot from the factory.

 

OK, but I still say the "S" is for 1gb onboard memory.

Link to post confirming CF-29's with 1gb onboard memory:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/465021-geeks-has-cf-29s-350-a-4.html#post5999503

 

And I'm saying that you're WRONG... But think what you wish

 

Without helping for the HDD stuff, DB is correct regarding the memory. Officially it has 1gb RAM onboard, so it must of been altered at some point in it's lifecycle.

 

Might be why Samsung has sold off it's hard drive business? Look Here
Something to consider. My Samsung drive from about two years ago is still working great in my CF-51... And I use it daily..

 

Crap! To me Segate is the worst as far as quality, I won't buy their drives. I had considered Samsung one of the best (along with Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Western Digital).

 

I've bought quite a few Samsung SATA drives lately with no problems. Looking at the customer reviews on NewEgg, it seems that the problem might be limited to the HM160's, which sucks for users of the older Toughbooks that use PATA/IDE drives. It seems hard drives are going to be expensive for a while due to the tsunamis and floods which hit the West Pacific Rim this summer.
CAP