CF-30KCPALAM bios can't recognize the second hdd on optical drive caddy

Check your Bios settings, if you had an computer that ran windows 8/ 8.1 and downgraded it to windows 7 make sure that secure boot has been disabled.

if your computer is not reading any of the hardware what so ever check with the vendor if the computer is under warrantee and request a technical person to replace the main board

When you swapped out the Hard Disk Drive
of the Panasonic Toughbook CF52 it is very
importatnt that you did not "hot" swap the HDD
but that you turned off the unit with a full shutdown
and unplugged it as well.

Once you removed the Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
I am assuming that you replaced the drive with
another drive that had a proper operating system
already installed. If not, then of course nothing
happened since you replaced the HDD with a blank
or unformatted HDD.

One way to verify if the replacement Hard Drive
is recognized by the Toughbook is to go into
the BIOS by pressing the F2 function key and
checking the size or capacity of the replacement
Hard Disk Drive. If it shows the proper value,
then the HDD is recognized at the Hardware Level.

If it shows HDD as None or Zero then the replacement
HDD is NOT recognized and you have to try a different
drive which is functional.

Good Luck!
Regards,
Richard - Montreal Based
Panasonic Canada Toughbook Authorized Dealer since 1989

The caddy on all Panasonic Toughbooks are
held together by pressure.

I use several paperclips (unfolded) to wedge
between the side of the caddy and the small holes
which are located around the caddy. There are two
along the right side, one in the front and one in the
back and two along the left side.

I usually start with the far left side and work my way
to the back, then to the far right side, slowly prying
with pressure a few millimeters at a time.

Finally I go to the right front, then the front and
at last to the left front, almost in a circle.

It is a little tricky and may require several attempts,
but the caddy will come apart. Please try to remember
how the cable attaches to you can re-attach after
you change the hard drive.

Good Luck

Try to update your bios, so that you can boot in the proper order.

Hello there:
Here is a couple of links for this for you to consider
I know that ebay has them but here is a couple of diffferent places for you to look at

1. Hard drive for Panasonic cf18 - TabletPCBuzz - The Best Place to ... 3 posts - 3 authors - Last post: Aug 11Hard drive for Panasonic cf18 General Tablet PC Discussion. ... The ruggedness comes from the drive cage/caddy, not the drive itself. ...
   www.tabletpcbuzz.com › ... › General Tablet PC Discussion - Cached - Similar
2. Replacement HDD for Toughbook CF-18 - CNET Miscellaneous laptop ... 7 posts - 2 authors - Last post: Nov 6, 2007... HDD for Toughbook CF-18 - Get tips and advice on this topic, ... to purchase is a caddy (shopping for a good price), HDD,(naturally, ...
   forums.cnet.com/5208-7587_102-0.html?threadID=270788 - Cached - Similar

replace the drive and check

I found this via pendrivelinux.com:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/testing-your-system-for-usb-boot-compatibility/


So try that out. I just got a toughbook cf-51 and will try it soon myself. Mine came with an XP reg code so maybe that can run from a virtual machine inside of linux.
My advice is to resist the urge to drop yours onto cement from a couple of feet. Not quite that tough.
The hard drive caddy is "the catch", for certain.
Too lazy to look into what the hdd connector is for that, maybe there's a cable or converter somewhere.

AV

It is probably worn Hard Drive Caddy connections that are causing the problem. You could try buying a replacement caddy on e-Bay. I had the same problem and this cured it.

Regards

Don

if u know to use soldering iron then try to resolder the connecter of HDD on the mother board...dont forget to remove the processor before do any thing...thats all....