Hi,

I have Panasonic CF-29 that I am trying to fix for my sister. There is no volume. XP does not recognize a sound card. I am not sure if the laptop has a sound card. I never opened up a laptop case. So I prefer not to open the case unless I have to. I bought an external sound card and XP doest recognize it. My PC recognized the sound card. I connected a USB mice and an IPod and XP didn't recognize it either. So there is a problem with USB port. According to ITunes, the previous owner connected their IPod 2 months ago. So the UBS port was working 2 months ago. Any ideas? Will an internal sound card fix the problem? I already updated the chipset. And uninstalled all the devices under USB System controller in Device Manager.

Backup up any data she wants to keep then restore the computer to it's factory state using the Product Recovery CD-ROM that according to the Users manual page 32 was provided with the computer.

See if all hardware works correctly now. If yes immediately install SP2 if no Service Pack is installed then install SP3 and all Updates. If SP1 or SP2 already installed then just do SP3.

Then restore your sisters data and install any needed software.

Thanks for writing back. My laptop doesnt have a CD/DVD drive. How can I restore to factory settings without a CD. I pressed F11 during boot up but nothing happened.

I see. Re-read the manual and the Cd/DVD drive is an optional component you could have purchased. Which version of the CF-29 do you have, C, E, H, L or N?

You can download the drivers for the computer from here: Panasonic Toughbook Computer Support Downloads. Get the Audio and Chipset drivers for starters, see if that helps.

If not you could contact the manufacturer and buy the CD/DVD drive and recovery media and start from scratch.

Yes your right. The CD/DVD drive is an optional component that I could of purchased. But the drive wouldnt work since the USB port is not detecting USB devices. I have CF-29E. I know someone that has an XP CD. If the USB port was working, then I would borrow the CD from this person. I already downloaded the audio, chipset and some other drivers. I might just buy a docking station. Thanks for your help.

Take a look at this tutorial on removing all USB devices then letting XP rediscover them on the next boot and reload drivers as needed. Often fixes USB problems:

USB DEVICES - How to delete all (resolves some USB problems), Windows Made Easy

did you install the USB drivers for your system ?

FYI: USB drivers are contained in the chipset drivers for the motherboard. There are no separate USB drivers.