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02-21-2010, 10:41 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 918
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Garage PC
Cool stuff courtesy of UPS and USPS!
I haven't done any mods (or repairs, thank goodness) on my Ranger yet, but I want to be ready when the time comes, and in addition to building up my tool set (I haven't worked on my own vehicles since about 14 years ago), I figured good reference materials would be important. With that in mind, I ordered this from Helm:
Now I don't want to drag my nice new Dell notebook out into the garage, nor do I want to mess with printing a bunch of stuff (if I wanted paper, I would've bought the book), so I decided to look for a cheap PC to use in the garage. That's when I stumbled on this Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 on eBay:
It came complete with 1.2GHz Pentium M, 1.25GB RAM, 40GB HDD, DVD-CDRW, built-in 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, 13" daylight viewable touchscreen, licensed copy of Windows XP Pro, AC adapter and battery that holds a 2-hour charge (not bad for used!) Best of all, it's spill-, particulate- and impact-resistant, with a full magnesium alloy frame and chassis and sealed ports and drive bays. Not bad for $285 including shipping:
I received it, cleaned it up (it was a mess, but fortunately it was all dirt and no damage), ran updates, and installed antivirus and the rest of the usual software. Next I made a .iso image of the factory Service Info CD above, and used the Microsoft Virtual CD Control Panel to create a persistent virtual CD that I used to install and run the software without having to keep the actual CD in the computer.
I haven't had a lot of time to dig into the Workshop Manual yet, but it appears to be fairly comprehensive - I hope it proves to be worth it in the long run. Along with this computer, it seems like it will be a useful setup
__________________
Ursus - 2009 Ford Ranger FX4
BedRug, BakFlip HD, Pop&Lock PL8200 tailgate lock, Sportz tent
Last edited by prestidigitizer; 02-22-2010 at 03:34 PM.
Reason: Added price paid for toughbook
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02-21-2010, 10:46 PM
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NO H8.
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,435
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Thats a sick set-up!
Congrats!
__________________
2001 Ford Ranger XLT 3.0 V6 Automatic.
1995 Acura Integra LS
PNW Crew!
http://www.facebook.com/aaron.ariens
Quote:
Originally Posted by richarddhoward
Lol, Aaron: "I only text with trees, it makes it hard to text while driving though, I have to keep running the truck into trees to text!!" EPIC my friend. Lol
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02-21-2010, 10:53 PM
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Flyin High
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,874
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Nice setup.
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03 RANGER EDGE 3.0
60/40 Seat Mod, Expo Full Console, Expo Mod Diff Cover, Thunderbolt Signal Mirrors, Flowmaster, Billet Grills, One Piece Halo Projector Headlights, HID Fogs w/Halos,
LED Lightbar, Euro Taillights, Interior Accents Painted, OHC, Indigo Cluster, 7" LCD Headunit, Mustang Dome Light, Manik Brush Guard
PNW CREW
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02-22-2010, 03:10 AM
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Cherrybomber
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 20
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I heard you can run it over with a tank and it wouldnt even phase it.
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V-Tec'n pshhh more like 4 Bangin.
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02-22-2010, 04:44 AM
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habba babba, Bartle doo?
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,074
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your gonna love that toughbook. i work at a s/o and we had the toshiba rep drop one off a 3 story floor pick it up and check his facebook. they are amazing.
__________________
2001 ford ranger XLT/4.0 sohc./160,000
Mods:Cb/recon third brake light/air silencer mod/new door speakers and h/u / shorty console, 245-75-16 goodyear wrangler duratracs on rock crawler rims. hellas and 03 honeycomb grille.
Quote:
Originally Posted by surfer03133
ya, it can get tough to get the tool to fit in the slot,
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2004xlmiller
drilling? id prefer not to drill down there.
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EDGEMAN4.0 FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!
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02-22-2010, 04:48 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 918
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aaron_ariens
Thats a sick set-up!
Congrats!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pbav8tor
Nice setup.
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Thanks! I'm sure I could manage without a fancy computerized manual, but it can't hurt, right?
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Ursus - 2009 Ford Ranger FX4
BedRug, BakFlip HD, Pop&Lock PL8200 tailgate lock, Sportz tent
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02-22-2010, 04:56 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 918
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmyboiii
I heard you can run it over with a tank and it wouldnt even phase it.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2001xlt4d
your gonna love that toughbook. i work at a s/o and we had the toshiba rep drop one off a 3 story floor pick it up and check his facebook. they are amazing.
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Yeah, I've heard nothing but good things about these fully-ruggedized models, and the thing sure feels solid.
The only improvement I could make is to swap in a solid-state hard-drive with no moving parts, but that's more than I need to spend on this, and I'll be backing up the system regularly anyway.
__________________
Ursus - 2009 Ford Ranger FX4
BedRug, BakFlip HD, Pop&Lock PL8200 tailgate lock, Sportz tent
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03-02-2011, 04:27 AM
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Ford Ranger Owner
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 59
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Re: Garage PC
Oh man that toughbook is SWEET!!!
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1998 Black Ford Ranger XLT SuperCab 3.0 Vulcan.
Moded with dings, scratchs, scrapes,and a tiny pinch of rust
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03-02-2011, 05:45 AM
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THE COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,962
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Re: Garage PC
i'm jelly.
__________________
2001 Ford Ranger Supercab (4dr), Oxford White, 4.0 Sohc, 4x4, Manual trans (hurst equipped), 4:10's, 3" body lift.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Demon-FX4
The Edgeman sees his prey and strikes out from the darkness.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rango88
Dont f+ck with Ch+ck
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03-02-2011, 05:49 AM
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Blinded by the light
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 7,674
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Re: Garage PC
I've seen them used as self-defense weapons too. If you get a good swing and smash someone in the head with it, they will back down.
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03-02-2011, 05:59 AM
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I like turtles
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 266
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Re: Garage PC
how did you get a hold of the CD.?? i would like to get one. i used to work at a dealer ship and im spoiled on using the CD instead of a paper book. plus that one is model specific
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2009 ford ranger Sport 4.0L V6/2 8" red hot glasspacks swept side before rear tire/2 catco high flow cats/K&N 77 series intake system/BFG all terrain 31x10.5x15 tires/Procomp 98 series rock crawler black rims/westin black sportsman brush guard/6-6'' Hella 500FF lights/black rhinoliner/Bilstein 5100 shocks/uniden 68LTW CB radio/Fx4 skid plates/cranked Tbars/autometer vaccum, Camper shell with thule roof rack/ belltech shackles/Pioneer headunit with pioneer speakers with Kicker 10'' sub
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