Little help please guys.

Hi all, I have been given a CF-27 by my dad, it's not a great model, only got 64mb of ram and is 300mhz processor but i believe i can use it, i own windows xp and have created an nlite version of it, the install will only use 300mb of space and i think it'll run quicker than the 2k i have currently. The problem is it's not been upgraded in any way yet, it has the 1 usb1.1 port and a floppy drive so i went on ebay and bought two cards for built in bus slot, one wireless card and one usb2.0 adapter with four ports. Hopefully that'll work ok but in the meantime i'm trying to figure out how to install my xp without a cdrom. The best idea i can think of is to get an external cdrom drive that hooks up via usb. I can then download a setup disc for floppy which will hopefully load the cdrom drivers and let me format and install from there.

What do you guys reckon? Is this possible? I've read a lot on here but i'm ready to ask for help!

I really wanted the optical drive designed for this but i can't find one anywhere.

Any suggestions would be most welcome. I've read plenty of threads on here similar to mine and i'm sure i can get an external cdrom for about 7 or 8 quid and it'll most likely work ok in the usb1.1 port.

Thanks for reading. I'm keen to learn more about this laptop though i'm afriad i dont know where to locate it's exact model number, on the bottom i can only see cf-27.
Michael x

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=345821

You can start by reading there. Then you can go over to the CF-28FAQ as the 27 and 28 are similar. That should be a good start...

 

Thanks, i read that before and it didn't give me much hope to be honest. I guess what i need to know is, is there a bootable floppy that will let me use a usb cdrom to install windows again?

 

If it's already got W2K on it like you mentioned, I think you'd be better off finding a cheap USB CDROM with a W2K driver. You should be able to launch the XP setup program from W2K.

Hopefully you've got a RAM upgrade for it.. XP doesn't run very fast at all on a 64MB system.

 

That's sounds excellent, so basically i set up the cdrom and when the xp autoplay click the install xp button, from there it should restart the pc and keep the drivers loaded while formatting/installing the new installation right?

I plan on getting an upgrade for the memory but i believe i can only get a 256mb card as that's the maximum. Hopefully i can find a cheap card though i have read whether they work or not is a bit down to pure luck...

Thanks for your advice, i'm quite excited about my new little project

Just ordered a cheap usb cdrom on ebay, can't wait for it to arrive!

 

The original CD-ROMs are anything but hard to find. They are all over eBay right now for about $50. There are some or were recently for around $40. IMHO, if you are going to start fooling around with Toughbooks you might as well get one now. They hold their value and will fit all your Toughbooks until you get as sick as the rest of us and buy a CF-30.
CAP

 

I don't have a great deal of money, i've potentially a winxp system with 4 usb2.0 ports and wireless broadband internet for about £20 - i looked on ebay and couldn't see any of the internal drives, maybe they are more rare on the UK ebay than the US?

I would be interested in getting an internal drive at some point i'm sure and also more memory but those will have to wait until i get some money together. do people sell parts on here ever?

Thanks for the replies guys

 

Okay, it was just a suggestion. There has been a lot of discussion about loading operating systems without a CD-ROM. Try Gravitar's approach or any other suggestions you can find. I use several CF-27s but I don't take them past W2K, they're too slow.
CAP

 

Has anyone tried running windows server2003 on these? My dad has that - I do primarily want it so i can plug my external hard discs in and share them on my home network meaning i wouldn't have to leave my pc in my bedroom on to share.

 

I think using a CF-27 as a server would be like rebuilding a Yugo... You could do it if you wanted to but the performance would be terrible.

 

Server 2K3 will not work due to RAM rquirements. Even if it would load, the processor is barely over 1/2 of the recommended speed. In my experience, the "recommended" is the real minimum.

XP is just barely going to meet the minimums as well. It will work as I have installed it on a similar machine, but you will definitely want to upgrade the RAM as much as possible, or at least as much as you can afford.

 

Great advice, i do plan on getting more RAM (probably when i next get paid!) but for now i'm still waiting on my external cd-rom (£8) and my two pc cards (one for usb2.0 and one for wireless internet) - that's about all i can afford right now! I'm heading into town on my lunch today to try and pick up some floppy discs so i can put the xp setup files on them which will hopefully allow the laptop to see the usb cdrom drive. I have never tried this so i don't know if it will but i figure it must be possible. I'd like to run killdisk before i do a fresh install so booting the usb cdrom from a floppy is a must for this.

The internal cdrom would be preferrable but it seems to more expensive than everything i have so far for it and if i can hook up the external and get it working ok then i don't particulary see the point. The external cdrom is tiny and easily transported. There doesn't seem to be many internal cdroms for this machine on UK Ebay anyway.

I'm really excited about this new little project, i personally love the look of the toughbook, i think it's pretty awesome so to get some use of it would make me really happy All advise for a newb is greatly aprpeciated!

 

Here is a link to the ram that works for your cf-27

(£5) including shipping in the uk

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/128MB-PC100-S...14&_trkparms=72:1683|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318


Alex

 

Thanks for the link! Says £7.50 now but i'll keep an eye on this for sure! I'm right in thinking i could get a 256mb RAM stick to work in this machine aren't i? Maybe this seller has some of those too!

Thanks again

 

ok i bought the 128mb, couldn't find any 256mb and for a fiver, well that's just awesome really

gonna have to figure out where it goes now when i get it!

ps, not sure why when i clicked at work i got a page where it was £7.50, bizarre!

 

Your employer has a proxy server setup that is configured to add some extra on the top for the work you were supposed to be doing while browsing Ebay.

 

hehe, i think it's cos i had to copy the url into google and then clicked the cached version of it (most sites are blocked at my work!) - it must've searched slightly differently and obviously it got the wrong link - bit strange though, i copied it exactly...

Nevermind, does this ram stick fit into the bottom of the case? I opened it up to see a ram stick there, next to the battery pack and what i presume is the hdd. I guess i just take out the stick there and put this in? I thought the 64mb was onboard mem though?

 

The slot under the battery cover is for add-on ram. If there is a stick in there you have some extra ram already installed. What does your bios show? Or does the ram stick have a label?
CAP

 

it says 64mb ram when i right click my computer... when i start up the laptop in the biod mem check i'm sure it says 64mb as well.

 

took out the mem stick and it says 32m (not 32mb) does this mean i only have 32mb on board?

 

That's what it means. That is an oldie!
CAP

 

an oldie but a goldie...? or just crap?

 

If your cf-27 is a 300 processer ,you should have 64 on board and have a max upgrade of 128,for a total of 196
When you take the addon ram out what does the bios say for installed ram


Alex

 

Depends on what you want to do with it. Max out the ram, I'm not sure how much that is, put in a 20 or 30gb hard drive, you can get 7200rpm Hitachis for reasonable money on eBay in that size, and you've got a very rugged computer for in vehicle navigation, or serious navigation, or you choose. Read through this post keeping in mind that the equipment and work that I am discussing is all done with 500mhz CF-27s.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=286612
As I believe I mentioned to you before, this is all possible using W2K, the cf-27s just don't have enough power for XP in my opinion. Again, I highly recommend doing some searching on the forum for your basic information. Its almost all here, you just have to do a little work. One thing's for sure, its no gaming computer.
CAP
EDIT RE Alex's post: You did check the ram in bios right?

 

I took the ram out and it comes up with 32mb ram when i right click my computer, i'm pretty sure it said 300mhz processor before but stupidly i forgot to look at that before i left for work.

Hopefully the ram i bought will be compatible and give me 160mb ram which will surely be the maximum the machine can handle... which is a shame.

 

Plan of action:

I'm going to install my heavily reduced version of WindowsXP with all programs and services i don't need taken out, the installation disc is only 275mb meaning my WINDOWS folder should be just over 400mb, i then plan on installing just a couple of other apps like firefox, winrar and probably uTorrent. The main aim of this now is to hook up my external hard drive via the usb2.0 bus card and share the external drive with other pc's connected to my switch.

My hdd is 3.81gb, i believe the windows/programs folders will take up between half and three quarters (max) of that. The memory will probably be at about 80mb ram when sharing and doing nothing else.

Even if it doesn't work i'll just put W2K back on it but it'll be fun trying!

When i get home i'm gonna make sure i have a 300mhz processor (i'm sure it does) - has anyone had any success overclocking these pentium chips or should i resist the urge to try?

I'll do some more reading through the forum today, only trouble i have is the search just doesn't seem to work for me - i type in ram - no threads found, i type in cf-27 and still get no threads found!

Thanks again for the replies guys

 

For searching, try the google forum search , and try different combinations and maybe leave the - out
I would like you to double check the processer speed as I think its only a 266
I might be wrong , but the only cf-27 with 32mb onboard ram is the mk-1 266 processer and the ram specs are totaly different than the 300 mk-2
The mk-2 300 has 64 onboard +128 can be added of pc100
The mk-1 266 has 32 onboard + only 64 can be added of pc66
You may have a strange combination in your model that I have not seen before,and I have not worked on these older models for over 6 years



Alex

 

Since there are no fans and really no way of cooling the CPU other than the heat pipe... I would refrain from doing this.

Again... I would urge you to do a little more reading not only on this forum but about Panasonic Toughbooks in general. You need to undertstand how they work and why they are designed the way they are. I really don't think that the one you have will make you happy and/or serve your purposes based upon your prior posts.

 

I do hope you're wrong but i probably misread it at some point and i bet i have a mk-1 - if that's the case i'll need to find a stick of 64mb pc66 ram to stick in - wonder how easy they are to come across these days. If you are right is anyone here interested in a 128mb pc100 ram stick? You can have it for free, i'm not bothered about the fiver if i can't use it anyway.

Looks like i have the oldest, crappest toughbook going, be a miracle if i can get it to do anything!

 

Just as i was starting to like the old thing. As soon as my parts arrive i'll give it a go and see if i can get anything out of it. If not i'll get rid, perhaps sell it on here, perhaps just bin the thing.

Sorry if i've been a pain, like i said, i'm having trouble with the search function on this forum and i figured people on here would enjoying helping out a newb, you're all so passionate about these toughbooks.

I'll let you all know how i get on and thanks again for your time.

 

Michael

You have to start somewhere, and the cf-27 is your start

I will say that older wiser toughbook users look at your modern expectations and get a bit of a chuckle

Don’t let them intimidate you though

I remember when I turned 16 and was looking for a car to buy that I had lots of options
A neighbour of mine ,who was just recently married, had a 4 year old performance car for sale that I loved and he owed the finance company about $3800 on it
He just wanted to get the finance company off his back and had offered the car to me for the amount owing

My wise father had suggested that I buy a sensible Toyota , but I really liked my neighbours car , so that’s what I bought

Well the 1970 White Shelby KR500 428 cobra-jet was not quite as economical on fuel as the Toyota would have been but at the age of 17 I sure had lots of girlfriends, and my friends were more than happy to chip in for gas for a ride

One of the forum members “gravitar” is cornering the market on the cf-27’s
One of these days the titanium in the older toughbooks is going to be work a fortune , just keep your eyes on the commodities markets



I did have up to about 2 months ago 2 64mb pc66 144 pin sd ram sticks , but I tossed them out with a bunch of sd desktop ram that I had laying around
The ram takes up little space but I have so much I can’t find what I have, and I end up buying extra when I can’t find what I am looking for

I had xp loaded in my cf-25 166 processor, 96 mb ram 4gb hdd
It was loaded that way for compatibility with some programs that I was using , but the boot up time was very very slow
I reinstalled w98se and it ran great

I am sure you will have fun with this for a while
When you experiment a bit you will find things it will do , and you will just have to compromise on some items or software that will just not work ,or will frustrate you to a point where you will want to move on to a more capable model

You have to understand that the cf-27 was built about 10years ago ,and there has been a lot of changes in 10 years.

If you were living in the usa ,you would have access to a huge amount of toughbook parts
I find the toughbook models and parts quite a bit higher and hard to find in the uk




Alex

 

Uh... Magnesium... not titanium...

Michael... No problem.. That's what were here for... But you have to realize that we answer tons of these questions... SO much so that we have stickied CF28 & CF29FAQs for everyone to start with.

I think Alex hit it on the head that you are kind of expecting modern things from your 10 year old laptop... It just won't happen. BUT... That doesn't mean that they can't be fun to play around with and learn from... THAT is what we are here for!

So... I challenge you... Do something unexpected with your CF-27... Run Linux and then you'd have a fast machine. Play around with it. Heck... You haven't even started building/modding it yet!

I started out with a CF-28 then 29 and now 30 over the past few years. This is the only forum that I have stuck with out of all the ones I ever joined because;
1. There are a lot of funny and extremely smart people here... I learn a lot and I share a lot.
2. IT IS FUN!

Keep with it!

 

processor info: x86 family 5 model 8 stepping 2 - googled it and found nothing! doesn't say anything in the bios about the cpu and i can only make out a splash screen for panasonic when i boot up normally.

is this a 266?

 

i just open sys spec and yes it is 266 mk1 model with only 64mb ram, i guess i need a 64 pc100 66mhz stick of ram to get it up to it's max of 92mb ram

ps i have 3 devices missings drivers at the minute, Built-in Infrared Device shows but has a yellow i on it / Microsoft serial BallPoint is the same (though ps/2 mouse is ok) / there is one unknown device called Parallel device - any ideas on this one? Driver magician doesn't even see it.

 

You can add 128MB to that unit just get a PC66 sodimm.

 

ooh thanks, that made me smile a bit

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/128mb-PC66-SDRAM-144-pin-SoDimm-Laptop-Memory-RAM_W0QQitemZ380100350723QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_Laptop_Memory_RAM_ET?hash=item380100350723&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

i'm not what else to check for but this one only says toughbook 45 is compatible. expert advice gents?

anyone with a spare stick i can buy by any chance? the offer for pc100 for free is still on guys, it's not much but a small thanks to the board!

 

Michael...
Thats good news if the 128 pc 66 chip is supported
I have never tryed it so I can not confirm
The link looks like the correct ram
96mb total is just too slow



Alex

 

curious... i received the 100mhz ram and put it in and it's working fine. I have 163mb ram now. do you think the ram is being underclocked? i guess it must be. seems i wasted money on the 66mhz ram in the end anyone wanna buy it?!

ps, typing this on the toughbook using ramlite browser maxthon, this website on its own uses just 17mb ram - how amazing is that!

 

Just downloaded a file at over 300k a second, seems my usb to lan adapter in the usb1.1 works really well afterall.

The file was 60 minute video so i added it to a shared folder and am currently watching it through my tv via my xbox - this is exactly what i was hoping for from this system, when i get my usb2.0 pc card i can plug in my external drive with my home movies on it and i can set that to share too. It means i can leave the toughbook running and i don't have to use my pc in my bedroom to watch my movies.

Took maxthon off as it kept crashing but opera is very stable and still doesn't use too much resources.

So far, so good. Still amazed the 100mhz ram worked ok. Weird right guys?

 

Yes but I had no luck with my older model cf-25
It would except pc66 only
I am not great with the cf-27's as I only have worked on a few
I have had lots of cf-28's but have moved on to the cf-29's lately

Put the pc66 in and keep the pc100 for later in case you have an interest in upgrading to the cf-28



Alex

 

I'll swap it when the 66 arrives and put the 100 to one side, you never know when you'll have a bit extra cash for messing around with computers!

 

I just got really excited because i looked in my dads old laptop case and found a dvd-rom! I put it in the machine and rebooted but annoyingly it might not work, the floppy drive is still in my computer and the dvd-rom isn't listed anywhere. is it odd that the floppy drive is still listed even though it's not in? do i need to install the dvd-rom or perhaps flash the bios? in the bios there's a label for cd-rom speed but it's not in the same screen as where the you enable or disable the floppy drive.

any ideas guys?

 

Does the optical drive show up in the first screen in the bios?
Have you pushed the caddy in all the way?




Alex

 

took it out and pushed it in as far as it could go and hey presto, it works!

thanks!

i have a 40gb laptop drive upstairs, it probably wont have the right interface for this laptop but i'm gonna try it out, would be sweet if it did!

 

Michael,
ATA/IDE is what you need. It should say on the label.
CAP

 

sadly it's a sata disk so i'm going to ebay it to raise funds for a new hdd. i currently have this one:

Toshiba MK4006MAV 4.09GB HDD
Capacity: 4 GB
Interface: EIDE/ATA-4
Speed: 4200 rpm
Access Time: 13 ms
Type of Drive: Internal

and thinking about getting this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Laptop-Hard-H...14&_trkparms=72:1683|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

or one similar, but the interface type of my old one says EIDE/ATA-4 - is this the same as any 2.5" ide/ata drive?

 

Michael,
ATA drives are backward compatible. ATA4 or any higher number will work. The higher numbers will support higher transfer rates among other things.
CAP