Joey Kaylor Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 so am i gonna have a major problem running this on my Presario 3150? i ginally get to finalize the sale on our unit this week, and would like to be able to not have to buy a new laptop at the same time. bruce-i take it the main problem was software issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 so am i gonna have a major problem running this on my Presario 3150? Bruce-i take it the main problem was software issues? In looking back, I think my problem was some kind of software glitch in my VCM and had nothing to do with my laptop. I've talked to a lot of people running IDS on a variety of brands of laptops with no problems. Like anything, you can always have problems, but I wouldn't get overy concerned about running a non-supported laptop. Make sure you have XP Pro, of course. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Kaylor Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 i'm getting impatient. called rotunda on friday, STILL on backorder!!!! supposedly when the next batch of them comes in, i'm like # 10 on the waiting list. what the hell is up with ford discontinuing the VDR? the lady with rotunda told me that it was discontinued, with no replacement planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 Well, it happened again.... updated my IDSs to B45 and one of them pooched out... The other one this time. Same as last time... had to reload IDS software and we are good to go.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 I was scrolling through the old topics and stopped here because I recall mu initial impression with IDS was not very shining. Now that some time has gone by and I have been using my own IDS set up with my own laptop that is not a tiny Panasonic I occasionally use the shops and I still hate the little screen. But... I think that IDS is without a doubt the most powerful diagnostic tool available to us. With all of the new automated tests, scope functions along with recording and playback ability I would probably be stunned to open the box with what it has become. I wonder how long this version of diagnostic system is going to last before it is replaced. It has proven to be quite adaptable and updateable with the ability to add new tests and hardware such as the VVT tester. Truth be told, I would probably have gotten used to the small screen but in this case, bigger is better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I found out the hard way today how serious it is to heed fords warnings and not short cut items when dealing with the ids and the 6.4l. From now on when I'm doing a reprogram there will be a battery charger on the truck and the ids will be plugged in to the wall. I'm still going thru growing pains with the ids, but then again the only scan tool I really have ever favored was my ngs. It was a sad day when she laid down on me. I can't stand using the pds so it's the ids now for me. I usually end up carring the unit and cables in my hands do to (as referenced in Keith's original post) the cart not being to mobile friendly between the lifts. I think things are going to get interesting with the use of satelites. They are talking about scanning peoples cars on the fly and transferring that data to dealers even though the car is in the owners garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I must agree that the IDS sytem is the best system that Ford has ever come out with. And with a PC or Laptop based system, your adaptability and upgradeabilities are endless. But I also agree that the Toughbook is overrated. The only thing the Toughbook has going for it, is the touch screen. It has a small screen and a small processor and locks up and has brain farts alot. We are on our fourth tough book in the shop. The first one had bad USB ports, the second one had a bad harddrive and USB ports, and the third one had bad USB ports again and we have been using those goofy little pigtails that screw into the ports. And now our new Toughbook doesn't want to calibrate the touchscreen properly, so everyone is using the touchpad. And don't even ask me for my opinion on the POS (PDA). My Dell Latitude D810 will be three years old this September and has been great. I love the 15.4 inch screen for looking at PID's and especially when I am on road tests looking at PID's. My DELL has been through hell and back and survived. Two months after I bought it, I dropped it on the floor in the shop and broke the case. Thank God for the Accidental Death and Dismemberment Warranty that DELL offers. And once you are used to the touch pad, it's quite easy and fast to use. There's my /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/2cents.gif . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 Quote: I think things are going to get interesting with the use of satelites. They are talking about scanning peoples cars on the fly and transferring that data to dealers even though the car is in the owners garage. Cool! Then I can stay home and diagnose trucks sitting in my undewear in my office sippin coffee. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/icon_crazy.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I found out the hard way today how serious it is to heed fords warnings and not short cut items when dealing with the ids and the 6.4l. From now on when I'm doing a reprogram there will be a battery charger on the truck and the ids will be plugged in to the wall. I'm still going thru growing pains with the ids, but then again the only scan tool I really have ever favored was my ngs. It was a sad day when she laid down on me. I can't stand using the pds so it's the ids now for me. I usually end up carring the unit and cables in my hands do to (as referenced in Keith's original post) the cart not being to mobile friendly between the lifts. I think things are going to get interesting with the use of satelites. They are talking about scanning peoples cars on the fly and transferring that data to dealers even though the car is in the owners garage. I always have my battery charger plugged in. I also have a 175 watt inverter that I plug in inside the cab whenever I am going to have my laptop in the cab for a while. No issues that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milhouse Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Once you get use to the touch screen on the toughbook there is no replacing it with a larger laptop. I have used both and prefer the panasonic, just flip the screen and lock it down over the keyboard. As far as the wds or the pds they are useless in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Quote: Cool! Then I can stay home and diagnose trucks sitting in my undewear in my office sippin coffee. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gifThat's pretty funny, wait a minute the though of you... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/puke.gif not so funny anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I agree that the CF-18 is the way to go.... Panasonic designed these things to take a free fall drop from 4 feet and survive.... What Dwayne and some others forget is that they are using either their own laptop or one that they can covet as their own.... Some of us have to work with people that are either clumsy, gormless or otherwise inclined to prove that some people should be prohibited from bre eeding. The Toughbook does a pretty fair job of surviving those indignities my unruly mob can be guilty of.... FWIW, my personal laptops have always been Toshibas.... my next one will be a CF-18 (unless something better comes along). Another FWIW, the Toughbook is used in military actions and other severe service arenas.... 'Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 My $0.02, FWIW: I love the IDS. It is the best "scan tool" I've used, and I wish that it had the same capabilities on other brands. My wife dropped her Dell notebook at least twice (that I witnessed), then blamed Dell for the dead spots on the hard drive. ("It should last longer than 2 years..."). And then just bought another Dell. This (and many more similar "blond moments") is why I drink... There is strong evidence that Toshiba sold silent submarine technology to the Soviets at a time when we (on the NW hemisphere) did not want them to have it. I still won't buy Toshiba products. Added in Edit: The Dell that my wife just bought has Vista and they would not allow her to option XP. When I looked at the websites for Dell and Lenovo I found only Vista (and Linux) for operating systems. Tough Book is still showing XP as an option, but for how long? (I just looked at Toshiba and they are still offering XP as well) I thought that Microsoft was going to require Vista on new machines after a certain date; maybe that is certain manfacturers? So then what? Buy a machine with Vista and then pay extra to buy an earlier copy of XP when you know from the start that you will need XP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I agree that the CF-18 is the way to go.... Panasonic designed these things to take a free fall drop from 4 feet and survive.... What Dwayne and some others forget is that they are using either their own laptop or one that they can covet as their own.... Some of us have to work with people that are either clumsy, gormless or otherwise inclined to prove that some people should be prohibited from bre eeding. The Toughbook does a pretty fair job of surviving those indignities my unruly mob can be guilty of.... FWIW, my personal laptops have always been Toshibas.... my next one will be a CF-18 (unless something better comes along). Another FWIW, the Toughbook is used in military actions and other severe service arenas.... 'Nuff said. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Toughbook is a total piece of junk. They actually had a special on Global news about it. they did show how the military uses them and they drove over it with an SUV several times and it survived. I'm just pointing out the fact that the USB ports and the small processor are the weak points and like I said, the touch screen is an advantage. As for the Dell, Back then when I ordered mine Latitudes were their workhorses and you can buy them with shock resistant hardrives. When I purchased mine, that was one of the first things I looked at. You can also get them with a sealed keyboard wich was another option I definatley saw as being valuable. And I made sure I ordered it with the biggfest processor and the most RAM I could get at that time. The Dell is nowhere near as tough as the Toughbook when it comes to dropping it or throwing it around, But if you order the right one, they aren't all that bad for the money. Especially if you are buying out of your own pocket and using it as your own. And like Jim said, if you are going to have a bunch of rough arses throwing something around, it should be a Toughbook. I looked into DELL's website and if you go under the Small Business section, it says you can get the Precision Notebooks with XP Pro still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Dwayne..... the roughest arse I have when it comes to notebooks is my loving bride.... this woman can destroy a USB port from 50 feet.. I do admit that I have some stability issues with the Toughbook... If the guys let them hibernate (I'm talking a "lid up", forced power-down hibernate) with an open session, they seem to lock up - refuse to see the VCM or have other connectivity issues (thirty years ago "connectivity" wasn't a word).. Rebooting the machine seems to be the only cure. I like the touch screen... I like being able to turn it into a tablet... and I love turning the display upside down and walking away.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torqued_Up Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Quote: and I love turning the display upside down and walking away. Thank you! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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