Old Toughbook Rescources

[ADOR]

As Toughbooks seem to live forever here is a old lost resource for them. Now on the web Archive.

 

Original address now dead

http://toughbook.wikispaces.com/

 

Web archive address

https://web.archive.org/web/20140725034250/http://toughbook.wikispaces.com/

 

(More to be added later)

[Eban]

I have been casually looking to purchase a used toughbook. Havent yet found the right one on feebay.

 

I do have a Dell 7202 rugged tablet (windows 10)

Heavy little spud compared to my Z2 Tablet. But I HAVE dropped the damn thing with not apparent effects (other than denting the floor ) 

 

[ADOR]

How “new” and how good of a machine are you looking for?

 

Just wanting it as a toy or something to use daily.

[Eban]

On 5/23/2022 at 1:06 PM, ADOR said:

How “new” and how good of a machine are you looking for?

 

Just wanting it as a toy or something to use daily.

 

Hi @ADOR Help me please ??

I just bought this cf-31 on feebay. It's not a toy and not really a daily driver. I think of it more like a backup. Typical usage would be watching video files (not movies) educational short, youtube and documents.

I've been looking at youtube info about the machine and Bob Johnson channel comes up a lot.

I'm planning SSD, RAM 16gb (do you happen to know the fastest/best brand that will work in this machine?), external webcam and multibay battery. Unsure on havis docking station.

 

I will probably keep windows 7 (maybe try zorrin OS again)..but I want good balance of performance and battery.

 

So a repaste may or may not be required and since it's a mongrel job not something I want to do every 6 months.

any other advice for a new toughbook owner?

Thank you

 

Spoiler

 

[ADOR]

Bob Johnson Channel is a good resource.

 

SSD and Ram upgrades will be good upgrades. On the ram, older toughbooks were very picky, the newer ones aren't as bad. But I can't guarantee any of them will work. But they should. A search though here will help to see what brands others have used.

 

https://www.nbrchive.net/xfa/panasonic.1012/

 

I upgraded mine to 8gb that I already had laying around. When I get time I can boot it up and see what I have. Download on windows HWinfo64 to see what you have with out opening it up.

 

I have windows 7 on my MK5 19 still. On my Mk6 19 I put 10 and on my 31 with ATI 7750 I have windows 10. If you are wanting to play around with other OS's get a second hard drive caddy and you can swap them out easier to see what you like best on the machine. That way if you get one set up how you like it you won't mess it up testing out new software. On windows 7 or 10 I recommend getting the UWT Ultimate Windows Tweaker from the windows club website. Also there are several guides out on windows tweaking if you want to go further.

 

I just picked up a Alienware 17R5 as my main travel laptop, but the 31 still goes with me as well. If I need to pack lighter I get one of my 19's.

 

On the battery I haven't had a multi bay battery for the 31, but do have one for the CF-28 (dead now) and Two batteries left for the CF-30. They don't last as long as the main battery. Once charged it will use it first then the main battery. If you want max battery life I would get a second main battery even if it's used. But you can hot swap them.

 

I have repasted a few of the older toughbooks, but haven't had to my MK5, 6 19 or my 30/31 models yet. I have found the fully rugged models on the older ones use pads not paste. I know the business class ones used paste, but this info is on the older models. I am not sure on the newer models.

 

You will have to decide if you really need/want a dock then decide what features you want it to have. Lots to choose from.

 

 

[Eban]

Thank you @ADOR

I'm excited for it to arrive so I can screw around with it 

 

Currently trawling through the nbarchive link Thank you for that.

And yes, I love "tweaking" windoze 

 

I will have more questions after it arrives and I see exactly whats what.

[ADOR]

Just start a new thread on it and we will go from there when it arrives.

[Eban]

@ADOR

Hello Ador, my toughbook has arrived. So far Ive had win7, zorrinOS and win 10 ltsc installed and I think the panasonic driver library/support site sucks. (actually I think WAY worse things about panasonic support but I cant write it here)

 

Do you happen to know a "safe" repository for toughbook drivers that isnt a huge cluster?

 

While here can I ask? Do these units normally run hot? idle temp is 50c and Ive peaked it without much effort

cf-31JAGAX1M  (mk2)

 

thank you

[ADOR]

It has got that way when they updated the site last couple of times, you can't even get older drivers off that site anymore.

 

Also try looking at the canada Panasonic site and Japan as they always had different options, but I haven't checked them out lately as the 31 and Mk5/6 19 are the newest toughbooks I have. I had hell myself trying to get the intel/ATI 7750 driver to work right. Finally I swapped to windows 10 and it figured out a driver for it that worked and swapped between the two graphics cards it's self. But manually loading that driver wouldn't work as it was suppose to.

 

They can run a little warm as they are passively cooled, the case acts as part of the heat sink. The 31 does have a fan, but it is just on top of a plate with a heat sink under it. IT's suppose to be sealed off can pour water or dust down it and it comes right back out. There use to be videos of it out.

 

When I was gaming on my 31 (Fallout 3 and few other older games when traveling) it did run warmer, I opened the side doors, pulled the battery and dvd out, had a fan blowing on that side as well. It worked with out doing that, but I didn't want to push it too far.

 

I have seen on other older toughbooks where the thermal pad needed to be replaced and have done that myself on my 30 and a few 19's. I used a better grade aftermarket pad and it helped keep it cooler.

 

Also make sure the model on the bottom matches the model number in the bios.

 

 

 

Canada site

 

https://toughbook.panasonic.ca/

 

look at the links in the lower left hand of the page

 

 

[Eban]

Thank you, The Canada site is a bit easier to find win7 drivers

 

If by chance anyone has windows 10 drivers for a cf-31 mk2.....would you please share a link?

The toughbook sites definately dont have them.

 

The bios model and bottom panel numbers match...is that a common issue? wrong bios flash?

 

By peaking I ment it was thermal throttling at 99c....I can do that just with system ide process....so I think at some point I will get best thermal pads I can afford and pull it apart for a fan clean and repaste/repad?!?! whatever.

Throttlestop cant undervolt this unit 

[ADOR]

In the past several of us have run across the one that had a motherboard swap and we were giving advice on the sticker, not on the motherboard.

 

It takes more than a standard bios flash to change the model number in the bios.

 

There use to be a problem with a toughbook if you had it dual booted with linux and windows. Say you were in linux then muted sound, got off linux then back onto windows you couldn't get the sound working in windows at all for some reason.

[Eban]

I can't even find a stock BIOS for the mk2....I want to have one handy...just in case.

 

The mute button Ive already had "fun" with that. Not dual boot just win7

I pressed Fn+F4 (I think it was to mute) and it unmuted but even at max volume no sound at all. Was the Hot key appendix driver fault. After reinstalling driver sound works fine again.

[ADOR]

They didn't release the stock BIOS for most models, just updated ones.