USB 3.0 Problem - Toughbook CF-31 - MK2 - Core i7 2640m

I keep pushing the envelope and finally I ran into a brick wall.
I took a risk and bought 16GB of ram and it worked. But I couldn't stop there.
I wanted a DVD-RW drive and USB 3.0.
So what did I do? I bought a CF-31 i5 3320M and gutted it.

I took out the USB 3.0 PCB from the i5 and installed it into the i7 MK2, after all, Panasonic's website had USB 3.0 drivers for the i7 MK2.

I tested the USB 3.0 in the i5 and it worked great on Windows 7, however after I installed the USB 3.0 PCB in the i7 MK2 and ran the recommended driver, I receive an error when I click on the installed USB 3.0 Host Controller Utility, "USB 3.0 Host Controller not found". I tried all the Intel drivers, various i7 2640 & Sandy Bridge USB 3.0 drivers from Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, Asus. Nothing seems to work most are the same driver actually (Renesas).

I tried to install the driver that worked on the i5 running Win7 and on the i7 MK2 running Win7 and I get an error "This computer does not meet the minimum requirement for installing the software."

All the USB ports work with USB 2.0 drives. Ironically my USB 3.0 external HDD isn't recognized when I plug it into the USB 3.0 port but does recognize when I plug it into the other 3 USB 2.0 ports.

Is this a lost cause? I thought the USB 3.0 PCB was a factory upgrade when buying the i7 MK2, thus a driver available on the Panasonic website.

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated. BTW, love the site, long time user, first time poster.

 

Please post a photo of the CF 31 mk2 i7 BIOS main page.
USB was an option for the mk2.
From a quick look at my parts, The board with the blue USB 3.0 port is just the physical port.
The 3.0 port needs a 3.0 controller chip. That would be on the motherboard.
I am guessing the mk2 USB 3.0 units had a different motherboard.

 

I don't own a 31 but I thought the 31 MK2 was only a i3 or i5 .
Please post the full model numbers of the 31's

 

USB 3.0 was an option on a mk2. Read the fine print in my attached image under options
Bob Johnson has mk2 i7s advertised. But I canb not find mk2 i7 listed anywhere else.

 

That's going to be a bummer if the motherboard isn't compatible. I was trying my best to make the ideal poor man's rig. Hopefully my idea doesn't come to a crashing halt. Here's the BIOS screen, do you think a BIOS update may help? However, I couldn't find any CF-31 MK2 firmware update info anywhere.

 

here.

 

No USB I/O chip on the board that has the ports on it.
Sorry

 

Well ya live and learn. Too bad really, its pretty powerful for it's age.

 

Its a pretty well loaded machine.

 

Never even knew they made an i7, learn something new all the time.

 

Me too. With that high end of a 31 I am surprised it does not have USB 3 !!

 

Its posible that for some reason...cost? panasonic did not make a mk2 i7 mb with USB3
It does seem odd though.
For a mk2 the i7 was definately special/custom order

 

So to have USB 3.0 on i7 MK2, a customer would place a special order and receive an i7 MK2 with a modified motherboard?

 

I meant hypothetically speaking, back in 2011, to have USB 3.0 on i7 MK2, would a customer place a special order and receive an i7 MK2 with a different motherboard? (Just re-read Shawn's post, he seems to think so.)

On a side note, I was able to install USB 3.0 drivers on the i5 MK3 while the i7 MK2 USB 2.0 PCB was installed.

I wonder if the *dedicated MK2 USB 3.0 PCB unlocks the MK2 USB 3.0 host on the motherboard where as the i5 MK3 USB 3.0 PCB could not. If the MK2 mobo is anything like the i5 MK3 mobo, I'm thinking no.

*I cannot verify if there is even such a MK2 USB 3.0 PCB.