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Product Support

Frequently asked questions about technical product support.

Product Support

How do I boot from USB recovery?

Please note that this will reset all data on the machine. Anything on the hard drive will be deleted.

  • Hard shut down the machine by holding the power button for 10-15 seconds until there are no lights on.
  • Insert the USB recovery that we have provided for you, or that you have created.
  • Turn on the machine and press F2 continuously (For tablets press A2 or touch continuously at upper left side of the screen).
  • Once in BIOS setup, select Exit Tab.
  • Select USB (named as general USB FLASH DISK or similar) and then Enter.
  • On windows setup screen select "Next".
  • Click on "Install now".
  • Select "I don't have a product key" and "Next" ( Windows 10 will be activated later). click on "Accept the license terms" then "Next".
  • Select "Custom installation".
  • Select partition named as "Windows" then "Next".
  • After this point, the installation will start and will take some minutes to let you create your user account

If you have not received a USB Recovery with one of our orders, please see the below instructions from Microsoft on how to create a Windows Installation Media.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d

Upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10

  • Download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft website: Windows 10 installer
  • Run the software and follow the on-screen instructions until you reach the section titled “What do you want to do?”
  • Choose “Upgrade this PC now” and next the on-screen instructions until the computer restarts.
  • When Windows 10 is ready to install, you’ll see a recap of what you’ve chosen, and what will be kept through the upgrade. Select Change what to keep setting whether you would like to
  • Keep personal files and apps, or Keep personal files only, or choose to keep Nothing during the upgrade.
  • Save and close any open apps and files you may be running, and when you’re ready, select Install.
  • It might take some time to install Windows 10, and your PC will restart a few times. Make sure you don’t turn off your PC.
  • When the computer starts again, you are running Windows 10.

How do I use the GPS with the 4G LTE card?

Verify that 4G Module is enabled and active:

  • Turn on the machine and press F2 repeatedly (for tablets press A2 or touch the upper left corner on the screen).
  • Once in Bios, go to Advanced Tab, select wireless configuration, and verify WWAN is set to enabled.
  • Go to Exit, Select Save values and reboot, then press Enter twice (for tablets press Windows button twice).
  • Boot to Windows.
  • Open device manager, you can do this by typing in the bottom left search bar "device manager" (for tablets, touch the windows logo at the left side of the bar, hold it for 2 seconds and then release, then select "device manager" on the list).
  • Find "network adapters" and expand it by touching the arrow down.
  • Verify the EM7355 card is shown with a blue icon at its left side.
  • Find "ports" and expand it.
  • Verify port Sierra Wireless NMEA and Sierra Wireless DM are available.

Using GPS with 4G LTE:

  • Open GPS viewer App (if you do not have this app installed please download it and install from the link below)

https://pc-dl.panasonic.co.jp/dl/docs/068292?dc%5B%5D=002001&no=63&p1=198&q=gps&score=0.488050550222397&sri=15501218&trn_org=2

  • Once GPS viewer is open, click on "scan" button and it will take some seconds until you start visualizing data from satellite.

My mouse cursor is glitching erratically on the screen! What do I do?

Disable the GPS in the BIOS of the unit with the following steps:

  • Hard shut the unit down by holding the power button for at least 10-15 seconds.
  • Turn the unit back on, and quickly press F2 or tap the top left corner of the screen in order to access the BIOS of the unit.
  • Once in the BIOS, navigate along the top tabs until you reach the label "Advanced".
  • On this screen, select the option "Serial Port Settings".
  • Find the port labelled GPS, and change it from Auto to Disabled.
  • If you have a keyboard, press the F10 key, and select yes to save values and reboot. If not, proceed to the next step.
  • Select the keyboard icon in the top right of the screen.
  • Press the ESC key to return to the previous page.
  • Along the top tabs, select "Exit" menu.
  • Once on this screen, select the option titled "Save current values".
  • Select the Yes button, and the computer will now restart.

The reason that this can occur is because there is a known issue with Microsoft drivers conflicting with the Panasonic drivers. Those Microsoft drivers specifically being the GPS drivers. If you need to use the GPS for the device, we recommend updating the machine to the latest version of Windows, installing the correct Panasonic GPS drivers for your device, as well as the drivers for the mouse of your current system and restarting the machine. Once completed, you can re-enable the GPS drivers in the BIOS and in theory, this should solve the issue.

My "..." is not working. What do I do?

If any device is not working in Windows, please try updating or re-installing the drivers through this Microsoft support page:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/update-drivers-in-windows-10-ec62f46c-ff14-c91d-eead-d7126dc1f7b6

My computer is acting slow. What do I do?

Please check the following information in order to determine why your machine is running slower than expected:

  • Left click the search bar at the bottom left of the screen.
  • Type "Task Manager" and open the program.
  • At the top row, you will see CPU percentage and Memory percentage.
  • Whichever percentage is higher, left click and it will sort by what is using the most memory / CPU.
  • The top programs are what is using the most of that resource.

You can also limit what programs are being run when the machine is being started up. In the same Task Manager window, select the following:

  • Select "Startup" along the tabs at the top of the Task Manager window.
  • Right click and select disable on any programs that you do not need immediately when the machine is starting up.
  • The Startup Impact measures how much of an impact the program has on Windows as it is starting up.

It is also possible that there are malicious programs on your machine that are causing the Windows to slow. Windows Defender is always running on Windows 10, however you can perform a scan through the following steps:

  • Left click the search bar at the bottom left of the screen.
  • Type "Windows Security" and select the first option available.
  • On the left side of the screen, select "Virus & threat protection".
  • Select the option "Quick scan" to scan for any malintent programs, and remove them.

If the machine is still acting slow after these steps, it is recommended to re-install the Windows to remove any old software or programs that may still be in the background. Please scroll up for options on how to do this.

Please note that if your computer is still running slow after these steps, and you are trying to run a specific program or software that requires high demands, your machine may not be suitable or capable of running the program properly due to low specifications on the device. Please cross reference the minimum requirements of the program or software that you are attempting to run, and the specifications of the machine to determine if it is capable of running the program properly.

How do I know what type of 4G LTE card I have?

If your processor is i5 3rd Generation or below, typically your 4G LTE card module will be of the following:

MC7355 - Multicarrier.

MC7750 - Verizon only.

If your processor is i5 4th Generation or above, typically your 4G LTE card module will be multicarrier. You can check in the device manager in Windows to verify the model of your WWAN card.

My 4G LTE is not working

Please make sure that your SIM card is active from the carrier company, and is inserted properly into the machine. If you determine from FAQ #8 that your 4G LTE card is MC7355, follow these steps:

Please download the driver from the link below, click on "MC7355 Driver and FW Build 4368".

Follow the installation steps and let it update. It will take some time until the update finishes, then restart the unit and try to connect again.

https://na.panasonic.com/us/support/wireless-wan-drivers-sprint

My CF-C2 is not turning on.

This is a very common problem with the CF-C2 design from Panasonic, and can be fixed very simply. Please follow the below steps. Please note that it may take somewhere between 2-5 attempts of this process repeated before the machine will turn on. Once resolved, the machine can be used normally once again.

  1. Turn off the machine and unplug the AC adapter.
  2. Remove the battery using the battery latch on the bottom, and slide the battery out.
  3. Hold down the power button for 15-30 seconds to release any static.
  4. Leave the unit for 15-30 seconds so that any remaining static dissipates.
  5. Repeat step 3 somewhere between 2-3 times.
  6. Plug in ONLY the AC adapter, and hold down the power button to turn the unit on.
  7. If it turns on, plug the battery back into the unit.
  8. If the unit still does not turn on, or the action of plugging the battery back into the unit turns the computer off again, repeat steps 1-8 between 2-5 times.

If after 2-5 attempts of these actions, please contact us at support@ruggedbooks.com with your serial number and order number.

My serial port is not working.

Sometimes we disable the serial port in the BIOS because the drivers can interfere with the GPS module. Please check if it is disabled in the BIOS using the below steps. If it is enabled, please let us know so that we can assist further.

  1. Hard shut the unit down by holding the power button for at least 10-15 seconds.
  2. Turn the unit back on, and quickly press F2 or tap the top left corner of the screen in order to access the BIOS of the unit.
  3. Once in the BIOS, navigate along the top tabs until you reach the label "Advanced".
  4. On this screen, select the option "Serial Port Settings".
  5. Find the ports labelled, and change them from Disabled to Auto or Enabled.
  6. If you have a keyboard, press the F10 key, and select yes to save values and reboot. If not, proceed to the next step.
  7. Select the keyboard icon in the top right of the screen.
  8. Press the ESC key to return to the previous page.
  9. Along the top tabs, select "Exit" menu.
  10. Once on this screen, select the option titled "Save current values".
  11. Select the Yes button, and the computer will now restart.

My keyboard keys are not displaying the correct character

This issue can be caused by two issues. If the keys I-O-P-[-K-L-;-,-.-/ are displaying numbers, please press the NUM LOCK button on the right side of the keyboard.

If using the shift + 1 / shift + 2 / shift + 3 etc is not showing the correct characters, you will need to set your keyboard language, as most likely it has been changed and does not match up with the keyboard you currently have. Below are instructions on how to do this.

  1. Go to the bottom left search bar and type "Control Panel". Press Enter.
  2. Select Region & Language, then Keyboards & Languages (tab).
  3. Click "Change Keyboards". Select a region such as United States or Canada to resolve this issue.

How do I get the IMEI number of my LTE card / device?

To access the IMEI number, type in the search bar “cmd” and press enter to open a command prompt. Type this command into the command prompt and press enter:

netsh mbn sh interface

The IMEI number will be shown in the command box.

Do you have any refurbs that support Windows 11? Or What is oldest model that does support Windows 11?

Yes, we have a variety of models that supports windows 11 pro,

The oldest models: CF-31 MK5, CF-54 Mk1, FZ-G1 MK4,

How to downgrade a pre-installed Windows 11 to Windows 10 on FZ-55?

1. Open Settings app on your Windows 11, go to System > Recovery. Under Recovery options, click Go back.

2. Follow on-screen prompts.

Note: You can only downgrade to Windows 10 within the 10 days of your upgrade. After this time, you will need to perform a clean windows 10 installation.

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