Need a motherboard for a Panasonic CF-51 MK3 series laptop. Original Part number is no longer available DL3UP1493BAA, are there any other versions of this motherboard that will work as a replacement?

SOURCE: Toughbook CF-51 Sound

You can download the XP drivers from the panasonic site. CF-51 got many flavors and be sure that your model numbers are at hand when you retrieve the factory installed drivers.

Delete all SigmaTel drivers from the registry hardware section. This would help reinstall the correct driver. The presence of these wrong registry values prevent successful installation of the factory drivers.

I have installed se7en, vista and XP successfully. The sound is really problematic since Dell and Gateway laptops use similar sound chips and offers drivers on the net... but they don't work at all. The Gateway driver seems to install perfectly from device manager report, but only the mic works & no sound.

What I do is install the factory provided drivers in XP compatible mode and then use windows update to download the latest SigmaTel drivers (se7en pre-beta). Windows got a more compatible driver but it can only install over the original since the chips cannot be recognized.

SOURCE: Panasonic CF-51 Toughbook Fn keys don't work at all

The following website contains the needed drivers:

https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pc/cgi-bin/itn/toughbook/dl01.cgi

Select your model of CF-51 Toughbook, but you MUST be specific. There are about nine variations of the CF-51 so you must use the right drivers.

Download the hkeyapp, hkeyset, and hotkey files and unpack all files. Use the default unpack locations. If you download the files for a laptop version that is not your own, when you try to run any of these files the computer will tell you that the file is not for your model. If the files successfully unpack then you know you have the right files.

For hkeyset and hkeyapp you must run the set-up applications in the unpacked folders.

Go to Control Panel>System>Hardware>Device Manager and go to Other Devices.

The Hotkeys will appear as an "Unknown Devices" so if there is more than one, right click and choose "Update Driver".

Select "Install driver from specific location" and direct it to "C:\util2\drivers\hotkey" folder.

The computer will find the file and install the driver after which point you must restart the computer.

Hope this helps. It took me a while to figure this stuff out on my own so hope it speeds up somebody else's attempt.

Andrew

SOURCE: Panasonic CF-51,s are becoming common on Ebay but

I found this via pendrivelinux.com:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/testing-your-system-for-usb-boot-compatibility/


So try that out. I just got a toughbook cf-51 and will try it soon myself. Mine came with an XP reg code so maybe that can run from a virtual machine inside of linux.
My advice is to resist the urge to drop yours onto cement from a couple of feet. Not quite that tough.
The hard drive caddy is "the catch", for certain.
Too lazy to look into what the hdd connector is for that, maybe there's a cable or converter somewhere.

AV

SOURCE: how to remove wireless card from panasonic cf-51?

The mini pci card or wireless is under the small access door on the bottom of the laptop. It is accessed with one screw holding the access door in place.

SOURCE: Installed Windows 7 on Panasonic Toughbook CF-51

..install an audio driver, it is found on the DVD package..