installing 98 on a cf-27

hello ,
two weeks ago i was given a toughbook cf-27 . contents of the hard drive were trashed so i have formatted the hard drive , fat 32 , and created primary disk partition and set active . this notebook fas a floppy drive but can also be interchanged with a dvd drive , panasonic cf-vdd something .
thing is i cannot install windows 98 . the bios detects the dvd drive but in the bios there is no option to set the dvd drive as primary boot device .so i/ve reached a brick wall . it doesnt boot off the hard drive , as there is no operating system installed , and also doesnt boot off the dvd drive .

i have searched the forums but have reached total brain saturation .

any help and advice would be greatly appreciated . thanks .

 

does the bios support a usb floppy?

 

I thought you could move it up and down the priority list using F5 & F6.

You should also be able to hit ESC and choose it manually when booting.

 

i didnt see any usb related devices in the bios . also even though the bios does detect the hard drive as primary master and dvd drive as secondary master , the is no option to select primary boot device . i have read the manual and it says that in order to select boot devices i have to go into advanced settings but there is no advanced settings in the bios . also i think the bios is dated 1999 .

 

do you have a CD/DVD drive that fits in the internal media bay? if so then you can boot from CD. Don't waste your time with the USB drive.. you won't get it to boot. I'm not even sure you would be able to find a driver for it once you get W98 on the HD.

You need to either find a parallel port CDROM (w/ DOS drivers) or take the HD out and connect it to a desktop computer with an adapter. If you do the latter, you can copy all the CAB files to the HD and run setup from there.

 

already removed floppy drive and attached dvd drive with 98 disc on it . doesnt boot from dvd drive .

 

so your drive fits in the media bay? should be bootable. does the BIOS recognize it at all? you should see it being detected in the POST screen. If it DOES detect it, but takes forever and a day to do so, then you probably need to open it up and do the soldering-across-the-solder-pads mod to make the BIOS see it right away and boot from it (described in detail in an older thread).

If on the other hand it detects it right away, you probably don't have the CD drive in the boot list, or maybe the W98 CD is screwed up in some way.

 

COME ON STEWART.. *smaks him across the head* READ WILL YA' hehe j/k

He can't set the boot device in the BIOS to CDROM... I have not run across this before. Any suggestions?? As far as I know, hitting what, F2 or is it F12, allows you to set the boot order.. Someone chime in here...

 

drive is detected in the bios and in the post boot screen . i ahave tried with different cd's , 95 , 98 , xp and so on so i dont think it is the cd . also i cant select it in the boot list cos i dont see that option in the bios . could do with a link to the solder trick .

i also have a HP CD-Writer Plus Parallel Port Drive 7510e hp number C4413A but according to hp site there are no dos drivers available . have also tried tappimg f12 as notebook boots up to no avail

 

Can you send a picture us a picture of your bios screen?

 

you mean a picture of the bios already open and with the options available ? yes of course but it will have to be tomorrow as i have it at work . and where do i send it too or do i have host it somewhere ?

 

what is the specific model of 27? i have some of each, i will take a look at mine

 

post the bios picture here please

 

bios with floppy drive and no dvd drive



bios with dvd drive and no floppy drive



on the back of the toughbook it only panasonic personal computer model number cf-27 . i know that there are specific models of the cf-27 but thats the only info it says on the laptop .

just noticed that pics are a bit too small . bios version is V2.10L11C M15

 

Hmmm, wonder if the CD ROM is not APTI bootable device. If it is a Panasonic OEM it should be. Let me run fire up my 27 and look at the BIOS.....
Crap and not get my keyboard or pad to work, but I do have a 4.0 something BIOS in that CF-27 and does have an ADVANCED tab, but I can not get to it due to the keyboard.
I do recall loading windows on that computer years ago and I used an OEM CD ROM.
Wonder if thats an old CF-25 with different housings or something.
Rick H...

 

phoenixbios 4.0 release 6.0c

the dvdrom drive is a panasonic model no cf-vdd272

 

What the BIOS number from inside at the BIOS setup, not the one that flashes when you power up.
Rick H...

 

bios version is V2.10L11C M15

 

On the security tab, it has something like BOOT PRIORITY: A:/C: or C: change it to read CDD/C: or whatever is close.

 

whenevr i click on security tab i get this to change password . and when i change , save and reboot i still get the same screen to change password if i want

 

and the power tab? Screen shot us that one too...

 

Im afraid I am stumped. Hopefully TBtech or one of the other guys can figure this one out. Sorry.

 

model number is CF-27EJ6K3EE

 

do you have the common teac cd-224e cd-rom or the panasonic ujda740 dvd-rom/cd-rw your bios will reconize either of these drives(no boot delay), have had to pull my dvd-rw out and in with the original to reload windows on my cf-48's

 

I think I'm starting to see the problem. Take another look at his security screen. Now take a look at this one, from my CF27FC.. Looks like he might have a password preventing the options from being displayed

 

That's kind of what I was thinking so I was going to try setting one at work & see what happens. In the meantime, I'd hit the Load Non-PnP Defaults or the Get Defaults - whatever it happens to be on that model and see if the options open up. If the defaults don't fix it, it's a password protecting the BIOS.

 

dvd drive is a panasonic model no cf-vdd272 clearly marked on the drive itself .


to gravitar and zf . i have read the manual and i know about the supervisor password thing . thing is i cant bring the screen up . i think the manual said to click on f9 whilst booting but i'm not quite sure on this one . i have also loaded bios defaults to no avail

this from the manual

its exactly what i do to enter the bios . when i press f2 to enter bios i need to input a password , i do and then i'm in the bios . pint 3 i'm confused . when i'm already in the bios and press f9 i dont get any confirmation message just a beep from pressing the f9 key .

also is there any special key or key combination to enter supervisor settings even if it is password protected ?

 

if it were me, i would open it up and unplug the CMOS battery and boot the system up with it unplugged. that'll reset any and all passwords and restore the BIOS to defaults. You can then plug the battery back in, reassemble everything, and you should have full access to the boot menu.

 

just like to mention that i've disassembled the laptop . at the beginning i could find the laptop cmos battery so i unplugged all plugs , eventually i found it just under one of the hinges . be close to 24 hours now . see what happens .

when you say to boot up the system without the cmos battery plugged in , you mean power it up with the laptop battery but with the cmos battery disconnected . correct ?

 

i usually boot it up from the power cord (no main battery) so that I can be SURE there's nothing keeping the BIOS data alive.

 

Usually, to wipe the CMOS, all you have to do is have no power source connected whatsoever, the CMOS battery unplugged, and use the switch a few times. I usually hold the switch down for about 5 seconds and hit it a few more. That act alone usually drains all of the capacitors that could power the chips and usually works. Once in awhile I have to actually plug in an AC and turn power it on with the CMOS still unplugged but that doesn't happen too often.

 

just like to say that after disconnecting all plugs and after 48 hours , nothing . bios password does not reset . in fact i could find anything that resenbles any type of cmos battery . and i'm beginng to think that the cmos battery must be a sort of chip soldered into the motherboard . anyway i managed to install windows me using a first aid diskette .

thanks everyone for your support .

 

For reference, the battery is on the bottom. It's the big yellow plastic, kind of disc looking thing that plugs in.

 

believe me , i have searched . i know whar it looks like . i have taken the laptop apart . cant find it . thanks for the info

 

Found this after googling "cf-27 cmos battery" (Looks complicated)

"Firstly remove the screen after taking the hinge cover plate off. But first carefully remove the ribbon cable from the screen where it pushes into the MB. It is clamped by a rectangular plastic plate that lifts off. Remove all components underneath that you can see, ie. Battery, HDD, CD/DVD unit. Remove all visible screws on the underside that are not only in the bottom exterior but the silvery internal well area. Having done this, the top and bottom halves will almost part, but with care because there is another ribbon cable (white) from top half top the bottom half. This unplugs from the MB. Expecting now that you have struggled to get this far, you will want to get at the CMOS backup battery? Oh ho! Assuming that you are looking down on the MB at this time, look at the top RH corner, see the 2 screws near the IR unit? Remove those and the IR unit. Next, turn the laptop,(what's left of it) so that you are looking at the rear panel. Take out all the hexagonal port fixing sockets/screws. Now lift out the port daughter board, it is plugged into the the MB. Also while you are there look to the LH end of the rear panel and there are 4 tiny screws to remove. Don't lose them! Here I must mention that on reassemble, the power slider switch slider on the back RH end needs to be carefully located back on the switch, a fiddly job! Keep your eyes peeled since there will certainly be something I have missed but it will only be a cable that is plugged into the MB. Note: The gold coloured ribbon cable from the screen to the mother board is firstly released before the screen screws are removed. A small plastic rectangular plate under the keyboard can be lifted off carefully to reveal and release the gold ribbon cable. I thought I would mention that again!!! Great care here please. This thing has to work again later LOL! The CMOS backup battery is on the underside of the motherboard. It is clad in a plastic/rubber like cover. The MB will need to be released by taking out 4 screws. 2 at the rear and 2 at the front. Look out for additional cables and the small speaker. The battery is not removable, supposed to have a life of 10 years! It is disconnected by pulling off the small plug from the nearby socket. To discharge the battery completely, it is advised to leave it unconnected for 30 minutes while you have a cuppa. Now there will be no need of that darned password ever again (unless you are daft enough to want one!) I take it that you will be familliar with the mechanics of the internal parts of a laptop? Well not many people are in reality. I would hope that it all goes back properly and nothing is lost or displaced (such as the rear door spring catch!) That can easily be squashed between the upper and lower halves. I assume that the toughbook is still quite tough? Check everything!+++ ..Switch on and go into the CMOS settings and from there ensure for your own sake that the bootup sequence is the 3rd option. Floppy, CD/DVD and drive C: Then you can read a setup CD for a reinstallation. I wish you all the very best of luck. Cheers. from John, Hi-Spec-Tek.

John Baxter. Hi-Spec-Tec."