new member with questions (already read faq)

hi, i just picked up a cf-28 from a buddies company when they upgraded. it is a 800mhz unit and i have a couple of questions not found in the faq. i want to add a wifi card that i have. most post state that you add a combo card to free up a slot. i am not worried about the internal modem, can just that card be removed so i can install my wifi card or does it work in tandem with the network card?

i am not worried about putting in gps, if i remove the cdpd card setup, can the wifi card go there? some posts also said something about making the wireless switch work to turn wifi on and off but it is not clear about how it is done.

the previous user had set their deskop to all white, all white windows with black borders. user had it setup like that for years. when i set it back to the windows xp default scheme the screen color is missing the green tint, normal blue color is like a lighter shade of this forum's default scheme. is this a natural color of the touchscreen or is there a calibration that can be done?

unit has 256mb ram, will adding a 512 make it work faster? been applying the sp3 update and its been backing up the registry for about an hour and a half. too bad i can't install os x on this! grr!

thanks!

 

Matt
i also have a CF-28 800 mhz. I removed the modem card and a damaged wifi card and installed a new wifi card. i expect to have no need for a wired ethernet or modem in the future so this wifi only is working fine for me.
It sounds like you LCD may be bad but try going to the intel graphics driver from:

Start menu>Settings>Control Panels>Display>Settings>Advanced button>Intel graphics media accelator tab> Graphics Properties button and adjusting the color balance.

If you cannot adjust the color balance here so the display looks normal then repacing the LCD display may be necessary.


Good Luck
Pete

 

Hi.

With regard to the Wifi card, if it is a Mini PCI then it will fit with removal of the modem card however you will need to route an antenna somewhere as the case is Magnesium and won't let the signal out. I am using the existing antenna from the CDPD card which works OK but is not fantastically sensitive, would work better with a separate external WIFI antenna. There are writeups on this elsewhere on here.

For the colour issue I would suggest that someone has played with color management and screwed up the color balance. May need to set back to defailt. Not sure how this is done on the 800mhz as mine is a 1G and uses a differenr screen driver.

Adding 512MB ram will make a BIG difference, especially if you are going to run wireless broadband. I have heard that on Windows XP, the absolute minimum required for wireless broadband is 256MB and that if you want decent performance at least 512MB is required. I can certainly attest to the difference that runing 768MB instead of 256MB has made. All this being said, the SP3 update does take an age to apply but certainly it should be quicker than what you have found. You may find that if it is taking that long to back up the registry then the registry may also be full of junk and need a cleanup.

I have found that since I changed from Norton Internet Security to Windows Live Onecare and run the system tuneup (yes I know you could do all the steps manually but it's just easier on onecare) and used the online Onecare scanner that does a registry clean, the speed of my TB has increased dramatically.

Cheers
Andy

 

Matt
Memory is the quickest way to speed up any slow computer. The Toughbooks have problems recognizing some memory modules. My CF-28 800 is working with a Memory Power 512MBT133

PETE

 

Majette
sorry i messed up your name.
see the post at: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=292938
for a list of all the ways to tune up a toughbook.

Pete

 

thanks for the reply. i will try adjusting the color balance if this xp sp3 update ever finishes. i did not want to wipe it clean and start fresh as i had a tb before and it was a hassle trying to find drivers that xp did not have. i still need wired ethernet but not the modem, that's why i was asking if i could just remove the modem card and replace it with wifi without any issue with having wifi/ethernet in the slots instead of the stock modem/ethernet configuration. also is this cdpd cellular setup in a proprietary slot? if i remove it can anything else fit and work in there?

can you post a link to the adapter you purchased for the MMCX to U.FL connection. i would prefer to use the existing antenna and i would not be more than 50ft from an access point. thanks!

 

Have a look at ebay item 160132304020, I connected the existing antenna cable to the patch and ran the cable under the casing and connected to the card.

Cheers
Andy

 

majette,
The modem and NIC are under the hard drive. The wireless is on a daughter board under the battery. The daughter board is specific to the wireless which is obsolete. It is a handy item for hacking, but it is not an available slot. There is an available slot, pcmcia, under the hard drive, modem, and NIC card. It is accessed by removing the two screws holding the plastic cover which contains the modem and NIC jacks. Some CF-28's had a WLAN card in there. There are lots of posts concerning cards, bluetooth, etc which will fit there. If you want to really jack up your speed you need to put in a fast hard drive, 7200rpm ATA/IDE which you probably can't find, or a 5400rpm ATA/IDE. Newegg has Hitachi 160gb 5400rpm HTS drives for under $60 right now. Do not buy a SATA drive, it will not work.

 

can i remove just the modem card, leave the nic card, and place the wifi card in the modem card's spot without any issue. i do not need the modem, i do need the ethernet and wireless.

 

Your display settings were originaly set to high-contrast,
do you have a 12.1" screen or the 13.3" ?
Alex

 

Posting the whole model number will help us as well in determining what exactly you have... its in the bios or on the bottom of the unit CF-28XXXXXXX.

 

CF-28PRJGADM

 

Yes, you can remove either of the two cards without affecting the other. Your wireless card will have to be a mini-pci card, take the hard drive out and take a look. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned antennas. You will have to put in at least one wi-fi antenna. there is lots of info on this on the forum. For internal antennas, I have had the most luck with a "flag type" folded and installed under the plastic cover opposite the one with the modem and NIC jacks. These computers have magnesium cases and it is a bit of a problem getting a wi-fi signal into the box.
Cap

 

What you said earlier on the look of the color’s displayed on the the screen led me to believe you have the 12.1” 800x600 transflective screen.
The colours do look funny on this screen.

Alex

 

I used the fitted wireless (CDPD) antenna which works OK. I had already removed the CDPD card to fit the internal GPS. Used the U.FL to MMCX patch cable to connect between the two. I can pick up a reasonably strong signal within about 50 metres of an access point.

Cheers
Andy

 

i have the wireless working now with the antennas from laptop just tucked in under the battery. i had a heck of a time getting it to connect til i went into the router's settings and enabled g wireless. i am having the hardest time with this screen, it has a bluish green tint like the default look of this forum.

 

As I said earlier,the colors do look funny on this screen.
The reds are almost like a pink color and none of the primary colors are very strong.
The settings for the screen, on the windows panasonic factory load use high contrast settings , the screen is more sensitive than most as far as viewing angles.

Alex