K4 Mac or PC How to tell between the formats?

BeccaAnn · 12-19-2009, 12:20 AM

I know the answer is here somewhere but I can't figure out how to find it. As the title says, how can I tell what type of file the Kindle book will be BEFORE I buy it. Now that K4PC PID has been found, I can now strip the book and convert to read on my Sony.

wallcraft · 12-19-2009, 09:36 AM

In my experience a TOPAZ ebook never includes its filesize under Product Details.

If you want to be certain, download the sample to K4PC and look in My Documents\My Kindle Content. All ebooks have the extension .prc, and you may need to sort by Date to identify the new ebook (or look for the ASIN), but if you open the ebook file with a text editor it will start with TPZ0

If you want an example, try B001ELJQJU (just search for this at Amazon) which is the TOPAZ of The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

BeccaAnn · 12-19-2009, 05:39 PM

Could someone give me the name of a free text editor, so I can use it to check out the files? Thanks in advance.

wallcraft · 12-19-2009, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaAnn

Could someone give me the name of a free text editor

Notepad, which comes with Windows, works. When I right click on a .prc file it is one of the options that comes up (or you can "choose program"). It is also under Accessories.

BeccaAnn · 12-19-2009, 06:56 PM

Unfortunately, this didn't work. The samples didn't have tpz0 at the start, only symbols (some in Chinese), so I bought the book. Checked them through notepad and they were topaz files. DAMN! Now I have three books that I can't read except through my PC. Does anyone think I can return them and get a refund?

daffy4u · 12-19-2009, 07:05 PM

There is another way to check to see if a book is Topaz.

Edit: You need to download the sample to your computer while on the book's "buy page". The download dialog box will tell you if it is a Topaz book.

BeccaAnn · 12-19-2009, 07:25 PM

I use Internet Explorer and there is no dialog box for my downloads. I also got a file size, so that route mention on the thread you linked to, doesn't work. Thank you, though. I'll just have to be more careful and pray that Topaz is broken soon.

wallcraft · 12-19-2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

You need to download the sample to your computer while on the book's "buy page".

Can you download a sample to computer if you don't own a Kindle? If so, I agree this is best, and you don't even need to download it.

wallcraft · 12-19-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaAnn

The samples didn't have tpz0 at the start, only symbols (some in Chinese), so I bought the book. Checked them through notepad and they were topaz files. DAMN! Now I have three books that I can't read except through my PC. Does anyone think I can return them and get a refund?

Which books (which ASIN's) did you buy?

Generally you can return ebooks if you request this soon after you buy. A good reason, if Amazon asks, is that you don't like the formatting (which is often sub-par on TOPAZ ebooks).

BeccaAnn · 12-19-2009, 07:30 PM

I have Kindle for the PC which I hope would get me the Amazon books I wanted (the ones not available anywhere else). I can get samples but some of the samples don't start off with tpz0 or mobi. The three books I bought were just gibberish but other samples did tell. I guess I was just unlucky. Thanks for your help, wallcraft.

susan_cassidy · 12-19-2009, 07:38 PM

The file extension is usually .tpz or .azw1 for Topaz books and samples, and .azw for regular Amazon books.

.prc is the older file extension, not used much any more for Mobipocket format books. .mobi is used often for non-DRM books, but not by Amazon, that I have ever seen, anyway.

BeccaAnn · 12-19-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

The file extension is usually .tpz or .azw1 for Topaz books and samples, and .azw for regular Amazon books.

.prc is the older file extension, not used much any more for Mobipocket format books. .mobi is used often for non-DRM books, but not by Amazon, that I have ever seen, anyway.

Everything I have downloaded from Amazon is a prc file. My operating system is Windows Vista, if that makes any difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Which books (which ASIN's) did you buy?

I renamed the files but the books are: "A Rumor of Bones", "Questionable Remains" and "Dressed to Die" by Beverly Connor. Another sample I just checked is "Cockatiels at Seven" by Donna Andrews, this turned up gibberish and no info on whether it is mobi or topaz.

wallcraft · 12-19-2009, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

.prc is the older file extension, not used much any more for Mobipocket format books.

Amazon is using .prc for all its ebooks on the iPhone (TOPAZ and AZW), and also all the ebooks it downloads to your PC via Kindle for PC.

daffy4u · 12-19-2009, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Can you download a sample to computer if you don't own a Kindle? If so, I agree this is best, and you don't even need to download it.

You do need a Kindle to see the dialog box in the picture I posted. I did notice that if you download a Topaz sample to Kindle for PC it will NOT open in MobiPocket Reader but regular .azw/.mobi samples will (at least not on the sample I tried).

HansTWN · 12-19-2009, 08:09 PM

Download the sample and open it in a Hex Editor, there you can see the Topaz or Mobi at the top right. You can also look at the file, size. If the sample has several 100 kb then it is most likely Topaz, Mobi files are much smaller. I don't think Topaz will be broken, because none of our favorite hackers seems to be interested in doing it.

12-19-2009, 12:20 AM	#1
BeccaAnn Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 660 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Spearfish, SD, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	How to tell between the formats? I know the answer is here somewhere but I can't figure out how to find it. As the title says, how can I tell what type of file the Kindle book will be BEFORE I buy it. Now that K4PC PID has been found, I can now strip the book and convert to read on my Sony.

12-19-2009, 07:05 PM	#6
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	There is another way to check to see if a book is Topaz. Edit: You need to download the sample to your computer while on the book's "buy page". The download dialog box will tell you if it is a Topaz book. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by daffy4u; 12-19-2009 at 07:11 PM.

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12-19-2009, 09:36 AM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	In my experience a TOPAZ ebook never includes its filesize under Product Details. If you want to be certain, download the sample to K4PC and look in My Documents\My Kindle Content. All ebooks have the extension .prc, and you may need to sort by Date to identify the new ebook (or look for the ASIN), but if you open the ebook file with a text editor it will start with TPZ0 If you want an example, try B001ELJQJU (just search for this at Amazon) which is the TOPAZ of The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

12-19-2009, 05:39 PM	#3
BeccaAnn Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 660 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Spearfish, SD, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	Could someone give me the name of a free text editor, so I can use it to check out the files? Thanks in advance.

12-19-2009, 06:56 PM	#5
BeccaAnn Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 660 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Spearfish, SD, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	Unfortunately, this didn't work. The samples didn't have tpz0 at the start, only symbols (some in Chinese), so I bought the book. Checked them through notepad and they were topaz files. DAMN! Now I have three books that I can't read except through my PC. Does anyone think I can return them and get a refund?

12-19-2009, 07:25 PM	#7
BeccaAnn Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 660 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Spearfish, SD, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	I use Internet Explorer and there is no dialog box for my downloads. I also got a file size, so that route mention on the thread you linked to, doesn't work. Thank you, though. I'll just have to be more careful and pray that Topaz is broken soon.

12-19-2009, 07:30 PM	#10
BeccaAnn Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 660 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Spearfish, SD, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	I have Kindle for the PC which I hope would get me the Amazon books I wanted (the ones not available anywhere else). I can get samples but some of the samples don't start off with tpz0 or mobi. The three books I bought were just gibberish but other samples did tell. I guess I was just unlucky. Thanks for your help, wallcraft.

12-19-2009, 07:38 PM	#11
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	The file extension is usually .tpz or .azw1 for Topaz books and samples, and .azw for regular Amazon books. .prc is the older file extension, not used much any more for Mobipocket format books. .mobi is used often for non-DRM books, but not by Amazon, that I have ever seen, anyway.

12-19-2009, 08:09 PM	#15
HansTWN Wizard Posts: 4,538 Karma: 264065402 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Taiwan Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD	Download the sample and open it in a Hex Editor, there you can see the Topaz or Mobi at the top right. You can also look at the file, size. If the sample has several 100 kb then it is most likely Topaz, Mobi files are much smaller. I don't think Topaz will be broken, because none of our favorite hackers seems to be interested in doing it.

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