I really like restoring CF-31's for my friends in the Automation Programming field. I was in the same field for 3 decades. We all learned the hard way we need laptops that can get the cr*p beat out of them. I drove a Dell Rugged for years, but the Toughbook is the King. Great videos, Mr. Bob. I subscribed to your channel. And thank you for sharing your knowledge with small timers like me. I restore them for all the friends I worked with in the field. Its one of my retirement gigs now.
Wonderful! It's tough to find honest reviews. Most reviews go around praising the product. Ok, I'm sold already but what issues do I have to look forward too? This was very helpful.
I have a Panasonic CF31 , I upgraded from a 250gb hard drive to a 1tb , I ordered a Derler DL500 1Tb online and took it to Geek Squad and after that it would take 1 30-40 seconds to respond after I type something or login, I took it back and ordered a Samsung 4Tb solid state drive and the computer didn’t recognize it so they installed a 2Tb and what it’s doing now is constantly going to the blue screen to restart 5-10 minutes after I turn it on and the screen I have it on never sleep and I still have to sign back in . I had 16 gb ram installed as suggested. I ordered a motherboard and I am taking it back to Geek Squad. The other Panasonic CF31 I had the 2tb Samsung solid State drive works perfect.
@kenyacasey2369 I'm not really sure what your question is but if you need some help, simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ You can also call our office between 9 A.M and 5 P.M. Monday- Friday Eastern Time at 877-202-7788 or you can use our repair form here www.bobjohnson.com/repairs-service/ Thanks for Watching.
I love the CF-30 sealed body and passive cooling... Your comments on the CF-31 are making me consider selling my CF-31. Does the CF-40 have the same fan weakness? My CF-31 mouse pad has issues. What's involved in replacing it? Is there a better part that I should consider?
I wouldn't say that it has the same weakness but we would advise you to keep the fan in any laptop as clean as possible to avoid failures and optimize performance. For the mouse pad, we would recommend to just stick with OEM. If your still having issues, it could be a problem with your touch pad board and not the mousepad itself. We have a few options on our website if your interested in replacing them, here's the link: www.bobjohnson.com/toughbook-cf-31-parts/?_bc_fsnf=1&Part+Type=Mouse+%2F+Touch+Pad Hopefully this helps, thanks for watching.
What is the best base to run with the CX-31 when mounted on forklifts where employees are having to drive over cracks, bumps high vibration to avoid bent pins and losing connectivity?
I have issues with the screen, it gets dark and fn+F2 does not work, I already upgrade windows and went to default values on the Bios, still the screen is dark once I close return to normal but just for few seconds, can you please give me any advice on taht issue?
Diego Sanabria The best way to answer this question is to simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ Thanks for Watching.
My Mk 3 CF31 definitely has an issue with the fan and cooling for the internals. Front left corner of the system gets noticably warm/hot when in heavy use. System has been bsod-ing a bit more lately and it also has a classic Windows update fault with Win 10 pro (Error 0x80073712) that I fixed once about 2 yrs ago by doing a full fresh re-install but it's happening again.
I would check to see if the battery is starting to overheat. Which they tend to do as they age. Not sure about your windows problem. Thanks for watching.
Any tips on fixing a stiff space button? My space button is so stiff that sometimes it won’t space words and I will have 5 words bunched together. It’s starting to get really frustrating.
I would try cleaning around it first, with compressed air first, and then a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip (damp, not wet!) to make sure there is no dirt or grime impeding the function. Try pressing down the spacebar with one finger on either side, if there is still resistance, there is probably something wrong with the mechanism beneath it and that will have to be replaced.
Could you make a video of how to Upgrade a CF-31 Model number CF-31sflax1 from Windows 7 to Windows 10? How do you get around the Dynamic Power Performance Management software being not compatible with Windows 10. Even after a manual uninstall of this software Windows 10 will not load. Thanks for your help and the great advice you give.
I have an issue with my Toughbook cf-31. How do I fix the wifi connection? whenever I turn on my cf-31 and connect my wifi with my phone, it connects. But whenever I leave the area of my Toughbook-cf31 and it disconnects, I cannot get it reconnected without restarting my CF-31 in order to connect it back to my CF-31 How do I fix that issue? do I need to do a windows update and make sure everything is up-to-date? or is there something wrong with the wifi card?
Hi Bob, I have a new to me CF-31 with what seems to be a shorting touchpad. The cursor stay in the middle and even with the thing turned off inthe bios and rebooted with a cordless USB mouse plugged in does not change. Can I open 'er up and just unplug the ribbon cable, maybe put a peice of tape over the connector? Think that will let me use a mouse? OH, no OS, no HD booting to a live CD loaded USB stick and yes I moved it from port to port trying it.
i have a cf 31 and the screen has gone dark..i need a flashlight to navigate around the screen..i thinknim.now beyond what i read from somewhere that it can happen after an update..this could now be a hardware problem
Hello Bob. Great vids and I have subscribed. How common is the #2 battery not present issue? I have replaced the main battery and it shows as charged but I still cannot operate unless I am plugged in.
You may have bigger issues that a bad battery. If you would like to have us look at it use this form: www.bobjohnson.com/repairs-service/ Your cost for us to figure out the problem is just the cost of shipping.
@@Bobjohnson As much as I would love for someone else to fix it for me, the problem is I use this laptop everyday in my service shop and I am in Canada. lol. This started with a bad main battery. I have replaced the main battery with a new panasonic blue tab and that one is charged up but now it is the second Battery issue. As far as I know I don't have a second battery.
Hi Bob, I have a problem with my CF-31. It boots up normally but only thing is that the screen is so dim (looks almost as if it is not powered on). I can only see what is on the screen by either flashing a flash light on it also it works perfectly when connected to an external screen. Could you advise what is wrong?
Bob, CF-31 has an issue with the curser, there is a spot on the screen and a 2nd curser floats around the 1 in circle. The mouse pad has no effect on it or does a USB mouse. A second curser works sometimes but doesn't open windows all the time. I changed the mouse pad but no change. I was thinking maybe the LCD screen? Any Thoughts?
That is a very odd problem. I am not sure I have seen that before. You might consider disabling your touchscreen in BIOs to see if that solves the issue. If it does you need a new touch panel.
@coreydenegar7698 The best way to answer this question is to simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ Thanks for Watching.
Great video! I have an issue with a CF-31 touch screen. When the device is bootup, the mouse, and cursor work as expected. However, when the touch screen is engaged the cursor becomes stuck. I've tried to calibrate the screen ; however, I cannot connect with the cross-hairs in the far upper corner due to screen miscalibration. I've tried to update the touchscreen drivers as well with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated - Thanks!
This is maybe some bad news. With the limited info that you have given I would suspect that the touch panel has gone bad. We sell this part if you are capable of doing the repair or you can send it in to us for repair.
Hi Bob, I find the fan coming and revving up and down to be a pain and distracting, I am guilty of hitting the Fn F8 and turning it off. Also, Ive got a old cf-31 Mk1 I think. Which model is the fastest and capable of the most ram. Ive got a i5 M520 @2.40ghz and 8 gig of ram. Would like more grunt as I do a lot of mapping software work and it struggles with large track logs. Any advice is most appreciated...
Hi Sean, I would encourage you to take a look at the CF-31's on our website here tinyurl.com/42p6s3m5. Our MK2's and up can be upgraded with up to a 2TB SSD and 16GB of RAM. Also, we would be happy to work one on one with you for service, repairs or selecting a new or (new to you) refurbished computer. Feel free to contact us at (877) 202-7788 or at info@bobjohnson.com
It is possible, however, we do not recommend it. You would have to strip everything out of the base and replace every internal part with one that is out of an MK4. It would be cheaper to just get an MK4 CF-31 instead.
@@Bobjohnsonthe thing is that my cf-31 is a special black cobra unit, and I love how it looks. I just wanna upgrade as high as i can if It IS possible. Maybe the CPU and RAM IS possible...? thanks for your help🙏
Hi Fernando, you will need to find out the update version(It might have been "21H1" or "21H2") and possibly uninstall it. Here is some information that might help from Microsoft support: tinyurl.com/cahc6fxh
I have had the CF-19, CF-27 and CF-31. It seems as if after a couple years, even with a full battery, they wont power back up unless you apply the charging cable. Is there a fix for this? I have searched quite a bit for this problem and couldn't come up with a post or resolution to this problem. Thank you.
@chris3560 The best way to answer this question is to simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ Thanks for Watching.
Hi Natalie, I think what you may be referring to is speech recognition. If you have a newer Windows operating system, you will have this setting. Most CF-31's do not have an internal microphone, but some do have a microphone jack that I believe you can use along with this Windows feature. You can find more information about setting up Windows speech recognition here: tinyurl.com/WindowsSpeechRecognition
![ไปอยู่ไสมา - ช๊อปเปอร์ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sWuVNbRTJbc/mqdefault.jpg)
I really like restoring CF-31's for my friends in the Automation Programming field. I was in the same field for 3 decades. We all learned the hard way we need laptops that can get the cr*p beat out of them. I drove a Dell Rugged for years, but the Toughbook is the King. Great videos, Mr. Bob. I subscribed to your channel. And thank you for sharing your knowledge with small timers like me. I restore them for all the friends I worked with in the field. Its one of my retirement gigs now.
It was our pleasure! Thanks for subscribing and thanks for watching!
Hey Bob, how about a video showing us how to clean the cf-31 fan. I am sure mine needs it.
That video is in production.
I realize I'm kinda randomly asking but do anyone know of a good site to watch new series online?
Wonderful! It's tough to find honest reviews. Most reviews go around praising the product. Ok, I'm sold already but what issues do I have to look forward too? This was very helpful.
Glad it was helpful! Our goal is always to give you all the facts you need to make the best decision for you.
I have a Panasonic CF31 , I upgraded from a 250gb hard drive to a 1tb , I ordered a Derler DL500 1Tb online and took it to Geek Squad and after that it would take 1 30-40 seconds to respond after I type something or login, I took it back and ordered a Samsung 4Tb solid state drive and the computer didn’t recognize it so they installed a 2Tb and what it’s doing now is constantly going to the blue screen to restart 5-10 minutes after I turn it on and the screen I have it on never sleep and I still have to sign back in . I had 16 gb ram installed as suggested. I ordered a motherboard and I am taking it back to Geek Squad.
The other Panasonic CF31 I had the 2tb Samsung solid State drive works perfect.
@kenyacasey2369 I'm not really sure what your question is but if you need some help, simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/
You can also call our office between 9 A.M and 5 P.M. Monday- Friday Eastern Time at 877-202-7788 or you can use our repair form here www.bobjohnson.com/repairs-service/
Thanks for Watching.
I love the CF-30 sealed body and passive cooling... Your comments on the CF-31 are making me consider selling my CF-31. Does the CF-40 have the same fan weakness?
My CF-31 mouse pad has issues. What's involved in replacing it? Is there a better part that I should consider?
I wouldn't say that it has the same weakness but we would advise you to keep the fan in any laptop as clean as possible to avoid failures and optimize performance. For the mouse pad, we would recommend to just stick with OEM. If your still having issues, it could be a problem with your touch pad board and not the mousepad itself. We have a few options on our website if your interested in replacing them, here's the link: www.bobjohnson.com/toughbook-cf-31-parts/?_bc_fsnf=1&Part+Type=Mouse+%2F+Touch+Pad Hopefully this helps, thanks for watching.
Thanks
Thanks for watching!
What is the best base to run with the CX-31 when mounted on forklifts where employees are having to drive over cracks, bumps high vibration to avoid bent pins and losing connectivity?
Havis dock
Where is the radiator fan located? How to reinstall Windows 10 on this device?
I have issues with the screen, it gets dark and fn+F2 does not work, I already upgrade windows and went to default values on the Bios, still the screen is dark once I close return to normal but just for few seconds, can you please give me any advice on taht issue?
Diego Sanabria The best way to answer this question is to simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ Thanks for Watching.
@@Bobjohnson thanks Bob, finally we just removed the DDR and mount it on another Tough book.
Good to hear.
My Mk 3 CF31 definitely has an issue with the fan and cooling for the internals. Front left corner of the system gets noticably warm/hot when in heavy use. System has been bsod-ing a bit more lately and it also has a classic Windows update fault with Win 10 pro (Error 0x80073712) that I fixed once about 2 yrs ago by doing a full fresh re-install but it's happening again.
I would check to see if the battery is starting to overheat. Which they tend to do as they age. Not sure about your windows problem. Thanks for watching.
Anyone know if there is a video on how to clean the fan?
I do not have a video yet but it is on my todo list.
@@Bobjohnson Thank you!
Any tips on fixing a stiff space button? My space button is so stiff that sometimes it won’t space words and I will have 5 words bunched together. It’s starting to get really frustrating.
I would try cleaning around it first, with compressed air first, and then a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip (damp, not wet!) to make sure there is no dirt or grime impeding the function. Try pressing down the spacebar with one finger on either side, if there is still resistance, there is probably something wrong with the mechanism beneath it and that will have to be replaced.
@@Bobjohnson thank you so much! I appreciate your help.
@@igiannini121 No problem at all!
Could you make a video of how to Upgrade a CF-31 Model number CF-31sflax1 from Windows 7 to Windows 10? How do you get around the Dynamic Power Performance Management software being not compatible with Windows 10. Even after a manual uninstall of this software Windows 10 will not load. Thanks for your help and the great advice you give.
I have an issue with my Toughbook cf-31. How do I fix the wifi connection?
whenever I turn on my cf-31 and connect my wifi with my phone, it connects. But whenever I leave the area of my Toughbook-cf31 and it disconnects, I cannot get it reconnected without restarting my CF-31 in order to connect it back to my CF-31
How do I fix that issue? do I need to do a windows update and make sure everything is up-to-date? or is there something wrong with the wifi card?
Hi Bob, I have a new to me CF-31 with what seems to be a shorting touchpad.
The cursor stay in the middle and even with the thing turned off inthe bios and rebooted with a cordless USB mouse plugged in does not change.
Can I open 'er up and just unplug the ribbon cable, maybe put a peice of tape over the connector? Think that will let me use a mouse?
OH, no OS, no HD booting to a live CD loaded USB stick and yes I moved it from port to port trying it.
Mine has the screen not switching on, but touchscreen still works, what could be the issue?
Not sure I understand what you are asking. I need more details.
i have a cf 31 and the screen has gone dark..i need a flashlight to navigate around the screen..i thinknim.now beyond what i read from somewhere that it can happen after an update..this could now be a hardware problem
Yes your backlight is out. You need a replacement LCD screen.
Hello Bob. Great vids and I have subscribed. How common is the #2 battery not present issue? I have replaced the main battery and it shows as charged but I still cannot operate unless I am plugged in.
You may have bigger issues that a bad battery. If you would like to have us look at it use this form: www.bobjohnson.com/repairs-service/ Your cost for us to figure out the problem is just the cost of shipping.
@@Bobjohnson As much as I would love for someone else to fix it for me, the problem is I use this laptop everyday in my service shop and I am in Canada. lol. This started with a bad main battery. I have replaced the main battery with a new panasonic blue tab and that one is charged up but now it is the second Battery issue. As far as I know I don't have a second battery.
So....how are we supposed to clean the fan??
That video is in production. Stay tuned.
@@Bobjohnson Thanks, just bought a 31 from y'all on Friday, great videos.
Hi Bob, I have a problem with my CF-31.
It boots up normally but only thing is that the screen is so dim (looks almost as if it is not powered on).
I can only see what is on the screen by either flashing a flash light on it also it works perfectly when connected to an external screen.
Could you advise what is wrong?
You need to replace your LCD screen. Your backlight is out. The backlight is built into the LCD.
Bob, CF-31 has an issue with the curser, there is a spot on the screen and a 2nd curser floats around the 1 in circle. The mouse pad has no effect on it or does a USB mouse. A second curser works sometimes but doesn't open windows all the time. I changed the mouse pad but no change. I was thinking maybe the LCD screen? Any Thoughts?
That is a very odd problem. I am not sure I have seen that before. You might consider disabling your touchscreen in BIOs to see if that solves the issue. If it does you need a new touch panel.
Just purchased a cf31 today and one of the covers is missing just ordered a new one off ebay
Hi there! What cover are you missing? If we don't have one, we can refer you to someone who might.
The rear door
Thanks for posting. Is there any way to better the resolution from 1024x768 to something better?
Sadly, no. That is the best that the screen resolution gets in the CF-31. Thanks for watching!
Screen went black on mine. Still works with external screen.
@coreydenegar7698 The best way to answer this question is to simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ Thanks for Watching.
Great video! I have an issue with a CF-31 touch screen. When the device is bootup, the mouse, and cursor work as expected. However, when the touch screen is engaged the cursor becomes stuck. I've tried to calibrate the screen ; however, I cannot connect with the cross-hairs in the far upper corner due to screen miscalibration. I've tried to update the touchscreen drivers as well with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated - Thanks!
This is maybe some bad news. With the limited info that you have given I would suspect that the touch panel has gone bad. We sell this part if you are capable of doing the repair or you can send it in to us for repair.
Is this system upgradable I plan on buying one but know that its been discontinued
Define what you mean by "upgradable." What are you looking to upgrade with one of these laptops.
Hi Bob, I find the fan coming and revving up and down to be a pain and distracting, I am guilty of hitting the Fn F8 and turning it off. Also, Ive got a old cf-31 Mk1 I think. Which model is the fastest and capable of the most ram. Ive got a i5 M520 @2.40ghz and 8 gig of ram. Would like more grunt as I do a lot of mapping software work and it struggles with large track logs. Any advice is most appreciated...
Hi Sean, I would encourage you to take a look at the CF-31's on our website here tinyurl.com/42p6s3m5. Our MK2's and up can be upgraded with up to a 2TB SSD and 16GB of RAM. Also, we would be happy to work one on one with you for service, repairs or selecting a new or (new to you) refurbished computer. Feel free to contact us at (877) 202-7788 or at info@bobjohnson.com
hello, how to write "@" the at sign on this keyboard in English please?
That should be Shift 2
can i replace my mk1 motherboard for a mk4 one? thanks.
It is possible, however, we do not recommend it. You would have to strip everything out of the base and replace every internal part with one that is out of an MK4. It would be cheaper to just get an MK4 CF-31 instead.
@@Bobjohnsonthe thing is that my cf-31 is a special black cobra unit, and I love how it looks. I just wanna upgrade as high as i can if It IS possible. Maybe the CPU and RAM IS possible...?
thanks for your help🙏
Hi Bob, any advice about how to fix the crazy mouse after update windows 10 ? Mouse behavior is uncontrolled and open apps and close. Thanks.
Hi Fernando, you will need to find out the update version(It might have been "21H1" or "21H2") and possibly uninstall it. Here is some information that might help from Microsoft support: tinyurl.com/cahc6fxh
I have had the CF-19, CF-27 and CF-31. It seems as if after a couple years, even with a full battery, they wont power back up unless you apply the charging cable. Is there a fix for this? I have searched quite a bit for this problem and couldn't come up with a post or resolution to this problem. Thank you.
@chris3560 The best way to answer this question is to simply fill out our Tech support form. Our in-house technicians will answer with the links and info you will need. Here is the link: www.bobjohnson.com/tech-support-form/ Thanks for Watching.
Good day, does the cf 31 have voice command?
Hi Natalie, I think what you may be referring to is speech recognition. If you have a newer Windows operating system, you will have this setting. Most CF-31's do not have an internal microphone, but some do have a microphone jack that I believe you can use along with this Windows feature. You can find more information about setting up Windows speech recognition here: tinyurl.com/WindowsSpeechRecognition
I don't like the toughbook because it only have 2 usbs slot
All of the CF-31 models have 4 USB ports. On the newer generation it can have 2 USB 3.0s and 2 USB 2.0s. Thanks for watching.