Installing Windows XP (or XP tablet edition) on a CF-18 mk1 with USB thumbdrive

I got a CF-18 mk1 today. It works great. I then tried 5 difrent thumb USB flashdrives to boot, but they didnt boot.

The flashdrives only booted when I had disconnected the harddrive.

After spending 3 hours searching the topics of this forum, i did not found a ready solution for this. What I found was that the CF-18 mk1 can boot from a USB CD-drive.

But I dont want to buy a USB CD-drive. I already have 5 USB memory sticks.

So, i didnt find any topic or answer for this problem. It seems that it is a problem since the forum started.

Has anybody found a solution to this in the meantime ?

I read an answer about disconnecting the harddrive, then boot from USB-thumbdrive, and quickly re-connecting the harddrive. But that might damage the motherboard....

Any help is welcome, and ofcourse a solution would be fantastic for all the CF-18 mark 1 (or other version) users....

Thanks in Advance.

 

When I was young I touch a mini-usb cabel to tooth and feel like a bad idea to connecting anything at the same time machine is working. Motherboard has low power but it's still tooth-braker!

Maybe solution is to create a bootled pendrive from windows options? It will works only with your version but as I remeber Windows 98 boot-disc 3,5" have only that options to install when motherboard have not options on? So there are options in BIOS maybe also to boot?

 

I have found a BIOS update, but dont know if it fixes this problem. And of course, the BIOS update needs the USB diskdrive.... which I dont have.... Bummer !

 

Do not do anything with BIOS update! There is really high risk of demage computer and only supported by me option is wait until find a other way or SERVICE where they know what to do. If you start upgrade a BIOS and power lost demage your upgrade-installation you are in black-! Wait maybe someone know here a answer for this question. I will start finding results for create a boot-pendrive from your allready installed windows xp. I will check on my system if its avalible

 

You can try the PLOP boot manager. I have used it to install Windows from a thumbdrive on older CF-M34. You can load PLOP from a USB floppy drive, or pull the hard drive and temporarily mount it in another computer to install PLOP.

If you are in the US, send me a PM and I can loan you a bootable USB CD drive. Also, member ADOR just bought a 10-pack of Panasonic USB floppy drives and might cut you a deal on one.

 

Ok. Finally got my CF-18's out and just tried USB flash drive boot on my Mk1. It worked. CF-18BHAZXKM BIOS: V1.00L13A EMBEDDED CONTROLER: V1.00L21

Booted my 4GB flash drive with Pendrivelinux on it (based on Mandriva 2007.1)

This was with no hard drive in the unit and then I tried it with the hard drive in the unit.

Boot order is CD DRIVE, FLOPPY DRIVE, HARD DISK DRIVE, LAN

 

I just tested it with my USB stick. Booting up the stick with the harddrive doesnt work

The trick is this :
1 - remove harddrive, then boot from USB stick.
2 - Shutt down the notebook. insert harddrive, then the USB stick boots.

I used Ulimate Boot CD and some other USB loaders. They all work.

It seems that if you boot the first time with the harddrive in the notebook, that it doesnt boot from the USB stick.

Embed controller is V1.10L47
I have a CF-18BEL01ME

 

ok.
1: I booted just to bios with nothing.
2: Booted to pendrive no hard drive.
3: Booted to pendrive with borrowed hard drive from another unit.

That's why it worked for the me first time. I knew I had booted them before with a pen drive but wasn't sure about the Mk1. Glad you got it figured out now.

I have updated the CF-18 FAQ, quoted you and gave you credit under the OS section. http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/651584-panasonic-toughbook-cf-18-thread-faq.html

 

Thanks , I am happy to help as always.