~Toughbooktalk~

I'm looking at this as a replacement for CF-31 MK4. But that is a tough act to follow. Has anyone bought an FZ-55 to comment or compare. I know that (of course) it is newer and at least some models can run Windows 11, And it has wider screen, and it is very up-gradable through modules. The thing I am uncertain about is: how much do modules cost as compared with ordinary parts that can be put in CF-31? How tough is it compared to CF-31, and do you have any regrets if you have bought it? Any praise?

Can't find edit button.

Another question: Can you put all optional modules in at the same time, or do you have to remove one to put in another? Also, can you open modules to upgrade them?

EDIT: found the edit button!

I posted in a different thread about the next new model because later this year I will be in the market for a new lappy. I haven't considered the FZ-55 because it doesn't appear to be "fully rugged" so I'm not sure if it is supposed to be a direct replacement for the venerable CF-3x series.

With regards to the modules I really like the concept however I think the modules are made to suit different size ports so certain modules fit one port while other modules fit a different sized port. If you want to use 2 modules of the same size you will obviously need 2 ports that fit them otherwise you can only use one at a time. I'm sure @Rob will be able to clarify.

You may want to look up Linus Tech Tips on YouTube he did a review on the 55.

Well, I bought an FZ-55 (MK 1). I went ahead and upgraded to Windows 11 which, as far as I can see, runs perfectly.

The 14" screen is nicer dimensions that the CF-31 being wider screen ratio of 16:9 instead of old 4:3, and resolution of 1366 x 768 for non-touch screen, and 1920 x 1080 for touch screen model.

Webcam is 1080p, with infrared, so is usable for Windows Hello. Built in privacy shutter on webcam is a nice touch.

At 92 db sound may be a little louder than CF-31, but still tinny like most laptops. It may be more that the speakers are on the top of the deck, making them seem louder. If they are indeed louder, you would probably need a meter to prove it.

Keyboard is as nice as the Backlit emissive keyboard on CF-31, with the added ability to change the color of the backlight. Keys are slightly different shape, kind of feather shaped (?)

It only has 2 USB type A ports, and a USB type C. But more can be added with xPAKs. The doors over these ports do not leave room for door to be closed when a nano receiver for mouse is inserted like you can do with CF-31.

Mine did not come with an optical drive, so I ordered a DVD xPAK, and it came with CyberLink PowerDVD and Power2Go software.

In the new FZ-40 thread, some mentioned fears that Linux could not be installed on the newest ToughBook 40 because of UEFI and Secure Boot. I don't truly know about that, but I can say that I was able to boot to a freshly downloaded Fedora Workstation 36 installer after going into setup and clearing the Secure Boot keys. I did not try to install Fedora, but I imagine that if the installer boots, then it should be installable. That was how I installed Kubuntu on my CF-31. Since I have it on that computer, I don't need it on this one too.

Then I removed the Fedora installer and rebooted. Trouble!! It would not boot! Yikes!! I went back into setup and in the Secure Boot setup clicked for it to restore the default security keys (can't remember exact wording). Still Windows would not boot. A page came up saying that I needed recovery keys. It gave me a place to type in the recovery key, and suggested going to aka.ms.myrecoverykey to recover the key. That required a Microsoft login, and gave the the recovery keys for all 3 of my laptops. That key had more to do with BitLocker than Secure Boot, although Secure Boot stores that key. Now I'm back in business, with Windows 11 booting.

So if you want to experiment with Linux distros, first back up any important data (as always), then find your BitLocker recovery key (if you are using BitLocker), then find a Linux distro that supports UEFI and Secure Boot (Ubuntu, Debian, OpenSUSE, Fedora, and RedHat do, maybe others), then go into setup with F2 key, as on all other ToughBooks, and clear the Secure Boot keys. Then you should be able to install Linux even with UEFI and Secure Boot enabled.

By the way, xPAK 1TB drive is nearly $1000.00, so won't be getting a spare one of those any time soon!!!

Hi, I've been working with FZ-55 for about a year and now I started getting bad Batteries, of course they are still under warranty, just wondering if anyone here have heard anything wrong with those batteries?

I've had mine for a little over 6 months now. So far, no trouble with battery. It takes me about 2 days to deplete my battery. Not constant usage, so part of that may be battery conservation features either in Windows 11 or just in the ToughBook itself. Also, I mostly use it at my kitchen counter top, not "out-n-about". But at least once every couple weeks, I unplug it, and deplete the battery.

"I have this question regarding the information shown on Panasonic Toughbook configuration, "Operating System: Windows 10 Pro (Win11 DG)" I was assuming "DG" stands for 'downgrade' but in this case it doesn't make sense for me since it will work in the opposite way. Does someone know what this mean?

I believe it means the unit has a Win11 key in the cmos, but the unit was downgraded to Win10. If you install Win11 on the unit, the OS will be automatically registered as a genuine, due to the key in the cmos.
Panasonic does that because not everyone wants/needs the latest from Richmond so they provide an option to use an older OS and still be able to 'upgrade' later with no issues ( phoning in).

mklym wrote: ↑Sun Dec 04, 2022 8:57 pm I believe it means the unit has a Win11 key in the cmos, but the unit was downgraded to Win10. If you install Win11 on the unit, the OS will be automatically registered as a genuine, due to the key in the cmos.
Panasonic does that because not everyone wants/needs the latest from Richmond so they provide an option to use an older OS and still be able to 'upgrade' later with no issues ( phoning in).

Correct.