Hi Mark,
I'm so sorry you're having so much trouble! And I really applaud your patience and stamina to get the Glo replaced with a new Glo each time.
Were al three Glo setups done on the same day? Or was the one with the dust under the screen setup a day or more before? It sounds like there is something wrong with the firmware files, and your computer warning you that the tgz is corrupt sort of confirms that. Perhaps the last two you tried were downloaded while Kobo was having server problems? I recall they were having difficulty with book payments (yesterday I think?) so maybe more things are going on. Try again today, maybe the issues are over.
If they're not, try again by setting up the Glo via the desktop, let it download the firmware but do
not eject and disconnect. Instead, navigate to the hidden folder on the Glo: .kobo From there, delete three things:
- KoboRoot.tgz
- manifest.md5sum
- the folder named "upgrade"
Then download one of the zips I attached to this post (start with 2.3.1; that the most recent. You could also use 2.1.5, that is a more stable firmware but does not include book series information). Unzip the file and you'll get three items with the same names as the ones above. Copy those to the .kobo folder.
Then eject the device, and the Kobo should restart and upgrade itself.
If this does not work either, then your computer is doing something wrong with unpacking. I know some unzipping apps on a Mac want to further unzip the tgz file... In any case, I know the zips I added to this post work as I used them myself.
Good luck!!
The links below have now finished uploading.
Firmware 2.1.5
Firmware 2.3.1