CF-18 USB CD/DVD Drive suggestion

[screamerUSA]

Can someone suggest a USB CD/DVD drive for a Toughbook CF-18?

Will any off the shelf USB drive work on the Toughbook? Main (and probably only) use will be to install OS.

tia,

...screamer

[rockstarbus]

Sounds like you are having the same problem as me! There are several different Panasonic cd drives that I know of, CF-VDRRT1, CF-VDRRT3, (both are usb) KXL-RW10AN (PCMCIA). A floppy drive that I know of is a CF-VFDU03 (usb). All of these are HARD to find used, if at all. The usb cd drives can be bought new, but at about (probably) a quater of what you paid for your 18. (around three bills with tax) Thats a hard one to swallow just to load an O/S. I did happen upon a used CF-VDRRT3 a few days ago for a hundred bucks, but it won't be here for at least a week. I have tried every trick in the book that I am capable of to load an O/S, with no luck. I have several external cd drives, both usb & pcmcia, as well as floppy drives. The hard drive I am using is new as is the O/S, nothing screwy about it. I have tried removing ram, batteries, etc. No dice. The manual has instructions for loading O/S with a non Pana. drive, but you still HAVE to have the Pana. floppy drive, according to the manual. There are lots of non Pana. cd drives advertised to supposedly work with the 18, at around fifty bucks. Look on ebay. But what I have found with alot of the people that like to sell Toughbooks, is yes, they will sell you something that WILL work with your unit, but alot of times it is going to depend on weather your SPECIFIC unit is compatible with that, or if you have the OTHER things needed to make what you have bought work. None of which they tell you, or do not know themselfs.
I also have a Toshiba tablet fetish, specifically the 3500 series. You CANNOT load the restore without the dedicated cd drive on that unit. It also uses a funky harddrive, not any one will do. They never tell you that stuff when they sell you one used with no O/S or drive. Oh well, I guess that is part of the fun/headache of this stuff. The international easter egg hunt.
GOOD LUCK!!!

[screamerUSA]

I assume you're trying to load Win XP Pro? Can't you just put it on a Flash Drive and boot from USB Flash?

My issue is a bit different. OS is already on the laptop. I just purchased a new 120GB drive. I plan to use ATI to clone the 80GB drive to the new 120GB drive.

I received a Win XP Pro install disc and 4 recovery discs. I want to have a CD/DVD drive just in case I ever need to do a re-install of Win XP Tablet 2005.
That is -if in fact it is (win XP Tablet 2005) on the Recovery discs.

Good Luck,

...screamer

[rockstarbus]

Hey!
Here is some stuff right from the Panasonic website! Hope it helps! Also, try calling Heartland, Those people over there are VERY helpful & COOL!
THANKS TOUGHBOOK FOR THE HEATLAND HEADS UP!!!


[-] Is my CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive bootable?
Many (but not all) USB CD-ROM drives are bootable on the CF-18. All Panasonic USB CD-ROM drives are bootable. To boot to your bootable CD-ROM/DVD drive, follow the procedure below:



When the Toughbook is first powered on, the Panasonic name appears in white lettering, with the phrase 'Press F2 to enter Setup' directly below it. When this phrase appears on the screen, immediately press F2 on your keyboard. It may be necessary to press the key more than once.

Using the Right Arrow key on your keyboard, highlight the Boot menu heading.

Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to select [CD/DVD Drive].

Then, using the F6 key, move [CD/DVD Drive] up the list to the No. 1 listing.

Press the Esc key once.

Save Values and Exit should be highlighted. Press Enter to choose the Save Values and Exit menu item. Press Enter again to confirm this choice. The Toughbook will automatically reboot.


[-] Why won't DVD movies play on my CF-18?
First, make sure that you are using a DVD drive.

Second, to view DVD movies, third-party software is required. This software effectively takes over the task of decoding the DVD movie from the processor, thus enabling a smooth stream of video from the DVD disc.

Panasonic currently recommends the WinDVD from InterVideo. Links for specific information, including drivers, manuals and pricing, are available directly at the InterVideo Internet site at www.intervideo.com


[-] What operating systems are available preinstalled on the CF-18?
Current models of the CF-18 Toughbooks are preinstalled with Windows XP Professional SP2 (Touchscreen models) or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (Digitizer models).

Previous models of the CF-18 came preinstalled with Windows XP Professional SP1, Windows 2000 Professional (Touchscreen models) or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (Digitizer models). For additional information on available configurations, please consult with your authorized Panasonic reseller


[-] How do I install/update drivers on the CF-18?
All drivers are available for download from theDownloadCenter. All the files on this site are self-extracting.After downloading, run the file to extract its contents to your hard drive.

After extracting, there are generally two ways to installthe drivers.

1. Run the setup file.

2. Perform an Update Driver on a device from the DeviceManager and point to the folder that contains the extracted driver.


[-] What operating systems can I install on the CF-18?
The CF-18 Digitizer models support Windows XP Tablet Edition. The CF-18 Touchscreen models support Windows XP or Windows 2000. Drivers are available for download at the Download Center.

[ohlip]

any external usb cd rom drive can be use on cf-18 for windows installation as long as you set the bios boot setup to cd rom priority. The cf-18 has USB 2.0 and it is more easier coz you dont need an outside power source. you can buy a cheap usb drive enclosure for as much as 10 to 12 buck on ebay and then put your old or spare slimdrive on it and you have now a complete usb external drive.

[Modly]

Wow, I didn't realise the VDRRT3's were worth that much. I should sell mine.

[screamerUSA]

I got in touch w/ my Panasonic re-seller and was advised:

"As an FYI, Panasonic has made it so that the only bootable optical drive you can use must be an original Panasonic drive. You can also boot from a network. Let me know if you need an original Panasonic drive the model # you need is a CF-VDRRT3U"

So I purchased one.

Now the only real question I have is: Do the Recovery Discs included w/ the Toughbook contain a copy of Win XP Tablet Edition 2005. The Disc number is: MX4-XT2M-W. I've done several searches and I'm unable to find the product number. All the recovery discs online have a different number.
I looked at the contents of Disc 1 and in the Windows sub-folder there is a folder called Components. I know on the Tablet Edition this folder is also on CD 2, so I continue to wonder...

How is one expected to re-install the Tablet OS if they ever need to if it only comes pre-installed?

...screamer

Edit: Just spoke to Panasonic. The recovery discs do in fact contain the full Tablet 2005 OS. No other discs are needed for the re-install.

[tough-2-go]

The recovery disk will restore whatever OS was on the machine originally. They cannot be used to do a normal install like you would with a retail copy of XP. Just insert recovery disk 1 in your your bootable CD rom boot the machine and you will get a menu to restore the machine. This restores al the files and puts the machine in the condition it was in when originally shipped. If the CD's you have are not intended for your machine then you wil get an error like "wrong machine" and you will not be able to go further.

I hope all that makes sense

Oh and never ask a sales rep what you need, he lied to you. You do not need the Panasonic drive to boot the CF-18

[screamerUSA]

Since the COA & Pdt.key are for Tablet Edition 2005. That's all I'm really concerned about.

I can't for the life of me figure out how one is supposed to re-install an OS that only comes pre-installed on a computer. Short of imaging to an external disc, which I did do.

I also cloned the 60GB orig HDD to a 120GB that just arrived. Now all I'm waiting for is the Caddy to arrive.

Even if the sales rep lied to me about the CD Drive, he didn't get the sale, I bought it somewhere else.

Now that all my questions have been answered and the upgrades (almost) finished, I'm likin' this laptop more n more.

...screamer

[dysolve]

I may be in australia but I just bought an external dvd rw drive and it works with every computer I have. the only trouble is that all of the drives I could find where rather large and needed external power supplies.
david!