Linux on the CF-48 Toughbook
This page is now out of date and no longer maintained. I keep it here purely for reference purposes.
If you want more information about repairing laptops, or Linux on laptops try TuxMobil or Repair4Laptop.
The Panasonic CF48 Toughbook is by todays standards old news. It is also a pretty standard laptop, from an installation perspective. However I recently bought one from ebay to replace my failing B2154, and as I like using Linux have spent some time getting it to run on the CF-48. These pages may also be of use to those of you who are trying to get Linux to work on other laptops.
Please be aware, as with everything else on these pages, I am no expert, so I can't give you advice on whatever problems you are having, probably because I don't know myself. Also be aware that just because I didn't hurt/ kill myself/ destroy my laptop doing any of the things described here it doesn't mean you won't (so to put it simply; DISCLAIMER: you follow my instructions here at your own risk).
If you are new to Linux then I reccomend getting to know the operating system, whether you are an IT administrator trying new things or a home user who wants to broaden their knowledge using Linux will teach you more about the hardware and protocols of computing than any other operating system. It is often very frustrating getting your system up and running, even for those experienced with computers, all I can say is stick with it, you'll thank yourself for it in the end and gain valuable experience.
Sadly I am not an authority on Linux, my best advice to those of you starting off is to get a copy, Linux is available off the shelf from numerous providers and (compared with what you get from Microsoft) very cheap (see my Linux Links page in the B2154 section). One of these installations, especially the later ones is the best way to start. You may have heard the horror stories others tell of their attempt years ago to get Linux installed on their old P75, but Linux as an operating system has matured very fast, gone are those days and modern installations all install as easily, or in some cases more so, than MS Windows on a desktop PC. The systems will of course require tweaking, but thats the fun with Linux, and remember if it goes wrong with Linux chances are you can fix it, if it goes wrong with Windows it's often time to re-install. Linux will also install on most normal Laptops easily and the CF48 is no exception. I've written these pages mainly as a confidence booster for anyone out there trying it for the first time.