My CF-19 MK1 froze up today... Help!

My "Orange Beast Edition" is showing its age again. I was using it in a crisis situation, and it just froze up for what seemed like 2-3 minutes. It probably wasn't that long, but it was long enough to be embarrassing, annoying, and I was seconds from crashing it the rest of the way with a forced power shut down. Unacceptable.

It is maxed with its 3GB memory (I think it actually has 4 lol). It is the 1.02GHz processor I think. And still running a platter drive. It is fully functional running Windows 7 with all drivers correctly installed and all buttons working (in fact using the front panel lock button is how I finally got to task manager).

So, I have a few problems to solve:

1) I need to go through the Panasonic programs running in the background, I think some can be killed. Like PC viewer. I don't want to kill any of those that I actually utilize though or would affect day to day use. Also, I am sure there are other programs no longer needed with process running in the background...

2) I need an easy, hopefully cheap (like free?!), way to clone the platter drive over to an SSD one. Is this doable without doing a fresh install? I have had the drive sitting on the workbench to put in it since I did that to the MK5. But reinstalling a fresh W7 on this machine isn't happening due to the nightmares it took to get the drivers that don't exist for it, playing nicely.

The stopper here has been being told that the SSD drive needed to be a fresh install cause SSD has to be optimized differently or some such annoyance...

3) Anti Virus... I have been running AVG free for many years. But as of late it has been running too much crap in the background and pop-ups at very inappropriate times. I kinda suspect that is what caused the lockup tonight.

I need BARE BARE bones, but flexible. I download (but usually to and from a thumb drive) some pretty sketchy sheet. I need my AV to pop up and ASK if I will trust a file, before, not after it quarantines it. I need certain programs whitelisted. AVG kept deleting a few files from programs I know were safe. A lot of OBD and tuning software I use, pops up warnings. And I have a good but of sketchy (but trusted by me) software that I use for "tools." AVG has gotten bad enough I have had to offload most of those to a "toolkit" thumb drive, and zip them up on there so it ignores them.

I have already posted two of these pretty similar threads in the distant past, but both are now archived and locked.

I should retire this machine honestly. But it works, and it works WELL for 70% of what I need it for. I mostly just use it to tune. But it matches my toolbox, and it would be nice if I could look up stuff online at work now and then. If I can get it to reliably use a couple webpages, youtube, and not lock up in easy use (especially when tuning) then it still has a long future.

It does have Linux Mint working on a hidden drive. While I have to use windows for most of my tuning needs, this could be utilized more I guess... Sadly, none of the additional buttons work in Linux.

I found a STUPID cheap MK5 that is beat to hell. If I could case swap...

 

If I remember correctly you can't. I asked that same question a few years ago.

 

Humm... Well the cover for the flipper is same across the board. That and the palmist solve the painted bits on the lower case. I can't imagine the palm rest not being transferable. Although getting those off is a PAIN...

The lower main case, there are differences across the MK versions what posts inside actually are drilled and tapped. But the main lower case shouldn't matter in this swap.

The upper LCD bezel and back lid are the likely "gotchas." But if I can transfer those, a $100 MK5 with a shredded case and half its ports missing is a super attractive "upgrade" for this!

 

Macrium Reflect is a free cloning program that I use - have had no problems.

The palmrest is exactly the same between mk1/2 and mk3+, other than mk1/2 has an extended part at the lower outer edge. You can easily trim it to fit a mk3+.

See pic. Top one is mk3+ bottom is mk1/2.

 

Palmrests are easy to swap on a CF 19.

The lcd rear cover and bezel are different from mk1 to mk3 and later. Will not fit.

The hinge cover, port covers and plate above keyboard will fit.

 

Well it is good enough for its normal purpose, sitting on my toolbox at work looking pretty. Today we tried a newer/faster/fancier machine to log into a Volkswagen instrument cluster. It was a brand new expensive Windows 10 machine. No amount of hair pulling and cursing would get it to work. I went and grabbed old trusty, was in in a second.

Unfortunately I have to use windows for most of what I do messing with cars. It is NOT WORTH bricking a $700+ instrument cluster, ECU, or whatnot using Linux and an emulator. And mine already has linux on a second drive anyways.

I will have to give that a shot, especially if it will let me transfer from a platter to an SSD!

Thank you Geraout and Shawn for the parts breakdown. I just won't worry about it then. Maybe give it a touchup on the paint.

 

At least put in a SSD. If you don't need a big drive you can get one for around $20.00 . That will make it run so much better.

 

They changed the palm rest on the Mk3 up units. The Mk1/2 is the same. If you look at your Mk1 you will see the corners of the palm rest is plastic, on the Mk3 up units it is Magnesium like the rest of the case is. Also on the Mk3 up they changed the side covers on the screen, so ones from a Mk1/2 won't fit a Mk3 up, Mk3 up has the LED backlight. If you remove a plastic piece from the inside of a Mk3 you can install a back cover from a Mk1/2.

I sold a Mk5 to a local car mechanic that worked at a car dealership. He had trouble all the time with windows 10 on that unit. I wound up wiping it and installing windows 7 on it.

Have you tried the ultimate windows tweaker yet? I use it on all my builds.

The slowest machines I have running 7 right now is a Mk7 M34, lifebook U810(single core 800 mhz) and a Mk2 CF-28. I dumped XP back on my Mk2 CF-29 getting ready for Holley tuning software.

 

I just picked up a "big" (well for my use anyways) for $27. 240GB. That is for my new CF-19 that is in the mail though.

I have had a 90GB ssd drive sitting on the workbench for months now just for the MK1 here. But the whole platter to SSD cloning thing has been the stopper. I will give that a shot (hopefully this weekend)with the program mentioned above.

Ador, you know I thought all the palm rests were plastic! I never had much cause to take my MK5 apart though after the first setup. I have sold 3 MK5 CF-19 and a CF-31 (not sure what gen that was) to guys at my local Ford dealership. All running W7.

I used to use a program that let me go in and change out the manufacturers logo. I can't find what I used to use, or remember what it is called now. It had all sorts of cool tweaks. I think I have UWT on my "Toolkit" thumb drive? I can't say that I have used it though.

I am just going to leave the MK1 here alone, other than to try and fix the lockup issues and maybe give it a freshen up on the paint. I will try getting that ssd drive into it as I KNOW that will help. And AVG has to go.

 

There’s a free version of CCleaner which will allow you to disable/ enable start up processes etc....you could give that a try ...



Sent from my CF-M34...

 

The palmrest on the Mk3 up is plastic, but they took where the plastic corners stuck out, and made that part Magnesium. Just compare when you get that "new" 19 in, lol.

I still have One Mk1/2 that I gave my oldest boy for auto scanning duties and other automotive software. My bump around unit is a very worn and cracked Mk3 that I repaired some with parts from Mk1/2. Got another cracked and busted Mk3 with some Mk1/2 parts that has a bios password but everything still works. My middle boy is using it now that his T8 developed the crack on the hinge. Just moved his hard drive and ram over. It was my linux test bed. My everyday is my Mk5, I have even got it to play Skyrim with out problems. I got a Mk4 I picked up out of a pawn show a little bit ago. It has windows 10 on it. I updated it and got everything working, but not sure what I am going to do with it yet.