Touch Kobo Touch Not Showing Books Loaded With Calibre

adaptation · 08-22-2011, 01:17 PM

Hey, all.

I got my Kobo Touch last week and originally just drag & dropped a bunch of books onto it. Then I noticed that all the metadata was all screwed up, which really irritated me, and I downloaded Calibre to fix it.

I loaded all the books from the Kobo to Calibre, fixed all the metadata, and then deleted all the books from the KT. Once it was clean, I loaded all the newly-fixed books to the KT with Calibre. I did get the Processing New Content screen (forever), but now when I turn on the KT, it only shows 23 of the 1000+ e-books I loaded with Calibre -- and the metadata is still screwed up.

When I plug the KT back in, my Finder window (I'm on a Mac) shows all the books I loaded as residing on the Kobo (just under the two files Calibre automatically puts there), but Calibre itself only shows the 23 books the KT reads as available.

Any ideas what's going on here?

Edit: I deleted those two .calibre files and checked the Kobo, but it's still only showing those 23 books with the screwed up metadata.

moffattm · 08-22-2011, 07:02 PM

Many people have reported problems with transferring lots of ebooks in one go to their Kobo.

Try removing all the books and then add them back in batches. Start with small batches, ie 20 books at a time, and check that all books show up after each batch.

I know it's a pain but using this method usually identifies any bad ebooks and it makes it easier to identify which ebook the Kobo is chocking on.

the.Mtn.Man · 08-23-2011, 10:18 AM

First of all, make sure your database isn't corrupted. Power the Kobo Touch off and then on again. I suspect you'll get the error message that asks you to restore factory settings, and I recommend you go ahead and do it because the database is pretty much screwed beyond repair. There's a bug in the current firmware that causes the database to become easily corrupted, and I'm not sure of a reliable way to avoid it, so we're all hoping for a fix soon.

However, part of the problem could be that you deleted a bunch of books and then reloaded them with identical names and authors which seems like a pretty sure way to run into problems.

PeterT · 08-23-2011, 10:26 AM

Also if you do drop the books through Calibre be sure to eject the Touch and let it process database updates before re-adding the material. Also, what version of Calibre are you using?

kiwipippa · 08-23-2011, 03:24 PM

I have had continual problems with transferring books to the KT using calibre - so now I no longer use the "send to device" calibre command. Instead I use the calibre content server. All my books are set up on the content servers. Then I download them wirelessly to the kobo using the browser. It's a bit clumsy but they always show up in the memory - which they weren't doing before.

Another way is to drag and drop the epub file - and put it in the top directory of the kobo - calibre seems to create a folder per author, I don't use these. Drag and drop seems to work as well - and I haven't had problems with the metadata.

molman · 08-23-2011, 07:15 PM

I find this so odd as I am having no issues atm (nadda). I really do wonder what is different for you guys (kiwipippa 'n co.)???

the.Mtn.Man · 08-24-2011, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by molman

I really do wonder what is different for you guys (kiwipippa 'n co.)???

Seems that if all you do is add books using Calibre then things are (generally) fine. Once you start deleting stuff -- either from the Kobo Touch itself or through Calibre -- or attempt to add previously installed books is when things seem to go awry

kiwipippa · 08-24-2011, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

Seems that if all you do is add books using Calibre then things are (generally) fine. Once you start deleting stuff -- either from the Kobo Touch itself or through Calibre -- or attempt to add previously installed books is when things seem to go awry

I was doing all of the above - and it seems you are probably right. The first time I loaded my 90 books via calibre I had no issues. It was when I started removing them, reloading etc that I ran into problems. Once I had the first set of problems, it started happening every time I even tried to load a single book. So I've stuffed something up really well!

Drag and drop and the content server are all I use now

molman · 08-24-2011, 06:19 PM

@Mtn.Man & kiwipippa: But I've done those things too. I added/deleted/re-added quite a few .PDF's I was testing out, and a few public domain .EPUB books I was playing with. Really odd. Seems like a disease, once you catch it you start seeing these symptoms. Maybe I need to share some of the fairy dust my KT obviously possesses.

nkmacintosh · 08-24-2011, 07:40 PM

I am not sure if I am asking a new question or for clarification of the above.... my immediate family members have an older Kobo, a new Kindle and a new Kobo touch. Calibre is just so great for the first two, but not the Kobo touch. I contacted Kobo today and they told me that I couldn't use Calibre with the Kobo Touch - just Adobe DE. I tried for hours to get the computer to recognize the KT but it didn't show up anywhere (but if I loaded the Kobo program, it recognized it). I tried downloading updates, troubleshooting hardware etc. but nothing worked. I would still like to use Calibre, so if anyone has any ideas, I would be SOOOO grateful.

PLUS... I would like to get a Kobo Touch myself, but am reluctant to purchase a device that makes book management so awkward. So for my sister's KT and for the one I would really like to purchase... HELPPPPPPP! (and thanks in advance)

PeterT · 08-24-2011, 08:53 PM

No reason at all you can't use Calibre!

When the Kobo is plugged in, it appears as an USB storage device to the PC, and Calibre from version 0.8.7 (June 24, 2011) has had explicit support for it.

Certainly, there are currently some issues related to "Corrupt Storage" on the Kobo Touch that some anecdotally feel is related to Calibre, but Kobo is working on this.

nkmacintosh · 08-24-2011, 09:13 PM

Thanks Peter.... but strangely, the Kobo does not show up as a USB device. I tried three different USBs and it didn't show a thing. The USB inputs work... just no recognition that the Kobo was plugged in. However, when I opened the Kobo program, it definitely showed me the device, so that was very confusing! So presumably, if I purchase a Kobo Touch and plug it into my computer, then it will be recognized by my computer? I have no idea why hers did not register at all on her computer.

filmo · 08-24-2011, 09:38 PM

Kobo touch 1.9.9
377 books on storage card A, on Kobo 15 previews, and 4 books from kobo.
Calibre version 0.8.15
Using Ubuntu Linux 10.10

No storage problems with this combination yet. After installing Calibre version 0.8.15 when I use Calibre to load books then click on disconnect device up pops box with progress bar showing progress to when you can safely disconnect device (Kobo). Never seen that with prior Calibre Versions. Removing books with Calibre also doesn't cause problems.

PeterT · 08-24-2011, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nkmacintosh

Thanks Peter.... but strangely, the Kobo does not show up as a USB device. I tried three different USBs and it didn't show a thing. The USB inputs work... just no recognition that the Kobo was plugged in. However, when I opened the Kobo program, it definitely showed me the device, so that was very confusing! So presumably, if I purchase a Kobo Touch and plug it into my computer, then it will be recognized by my computer? I have no idea why hers did not register at all on her computer.

That is bizarre since as far as I know, even the Kobo Desktop only accesses the Kobo as a disk system.

When the Kobo is plugged in, if you go to the Windows System Tray and find the icon for "Safely remove device" does it show the Kobo there and if so, is there a drive letter listed?

molman · 08-25-2011, 04:12 AM

@PeterT: Concur, very odd.

@nkmacintosh: when you say doesn't show up as a USB device, can you expand on this? Do you mean if you go into Windows/File Explorer you are not seeing it mounted as a drive?

08-22-2011, 01:17 PM	#1
adaptation Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo	Kobo Touch Not Showing Books Loaded With Calibre Hey, all. I got my Kobo Touch last week and originally just drag & dropped a bunch of books onto it. Then I noticed that all the metadata was all screwed up, which really irritated me, and I downloaded Calibre to fix it. I loaded all the books from the Kobo to Calibre, fixed all the metadata, and then deleted all the books from the KT. Once it was clean, I loaded all the newly-fixed books to the KT with Calibre. I did get the Processing New Content screen (forever), but now when I turn on the KT, it only shows 23 of the 1000+ e-books I loaded with Calibre -- and the metadata is still screwed up. When I plug the KT back in, my Finder window (I'm on a Mac) shows all the books I loaded as residing on the Kobo (just under the two files Calibre automatically puts there), but Calibre itself only shows the 23 books the KT reads as available. Any ideas what's going on here? Edit: I deleted those two .calibre files and checked the Kobo, but it's still only showing those 23 books with the screwed up metadata. Last edited by adaptation; 08-22-2011 at 01:33 PM.

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08-22-2011, 07:02 PM	#2
moffattm Addict Posts: 333 Karma: 1440670 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Device: Kobo Original, Kobo Glo	Many people have reported problems with transferring lots of ebooks in one go to their Kobo. Try removing all the books and then add them back in batches. Start with small batches, ie 20 books at a time, and check that all books show up after each batch. I know it's a pain but using this method usually identifies any bad ebooks and it makes it easier to identify which ebook the Kobo is chocking on.

08-23-2011, 10:18 AM	#3
the.Mtn.Man Guru Posts: 711 Karma: 2483502 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Kobo Aura	First of all, make sure your database isn't corrupted. Power the Kobo Touch off and then on again. I suspect you'll get the error message that asks you to restore factory settings, and I recommend you go ahead and do it because the database is pretty much screwed beyond repair. There's a bug in the current firmware that causes the database to become easily corrupted, and I'm not sure of a reliable way to avoid it, so we're all hoping for a fix soon. However, part of the problem could be that you deleted a bunch of books and then reloaded them with identical names and authors which seems like a pretty sure way to run into problems.

08-23-2011, 10:26 AM	#4
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,157 Karma: 73448616 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	Also if you do drop the books through Calibre be sure to eject the Touch and let it process database updates before re-adding the material. Also, what version of Calibre are you using?

08-23-2011, 03:24 PM	#5
kiwipippa Fanatic Posts: 578 Karma: 613022 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New Zealand Device: kobo glo, kobo touch (dead), kindle touch, android phone	I have had continual problems with transferring books to the KT using calibre - so now I no longer use the "send to device" calibre command. Instead I use the calibre content server. All my books are set up on the content servers. Then I download them wirelessly to the kobo using the browser. It's a bit clumsy but they always show up in the memory - which they weren't doing before. Another way is to drag and drop the epub file - and put it in the top directory of the kobo - calibre seems to create a folder per author, I don't use these. Drag and drop seems to work as well - and I haven't had problems with the metadata.

08-23-2011, 07:15 PM	#6
molman Evangelist Posts: 436 Karma: 538958 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I find this so odd as I am having no issues atm (nadda). I really do wonder what is different for you guys (kiwipippa 'n co.)???

08-24-2011, 06:19 PM	#9
molman Evangelist Posts: 436 Karma: 538958 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	@Mtn.Man & kiwipippa: But I've done those things too. I added/deleted/re-added quite a few .PDF's I was testing out, and a few public domain .EPUB books I was playing with. Really odd. Seems like a disease, once you catch it you start seeing these symptoms. Maybe I need to share some of the fairy dust my KT obviously possesses.

08-24-2011, 07:40 PM	#10
nkmacintosh Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: kobo	I am not sure if I am asking a new question or for clarification of the above.... my immediate family members have an older Kobo, a new Kindle and a new Kobo touch. Calibre is just so great for the first two, but not the Kobo touch. I contacted Kobo today and they told me that I couldn't use Calibre with the Kobo Touch - just Adobe DE. I tried for hours to get the computer to recognize the KT but it didn't show up anywhere (but if I loaded the Kobo program, it recognized it). I tried downloading updates, troubleshooting hardware etc. but nothing worked. I would still like to use Calibre, so if anyone has any ideas, I would be SOOOO grateful. PLUS... I would like to get a Kobo Touch myself, but am reluctant to purchase a device that makes book management so awkward. So for my sister's KT and for the one I would really like to purchase... HELPPPPPPP! (and thanks in advance)

08-24-2011, 08:53 PM	#11
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,157 Karma: 73448616 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	No reason at all you can't use Calibre! When the Kobo is plugged in, it appears as an USB storage device to the PC, and Calibre from version 0.8.7 (June 24, 2011) has had explicit support for it. Certainly, there are currently some issues related to "Corrupt Storage" on the Kobo Touch that some anecdotally feel is related to Calibre, but Kobo is working on this.

08-24-2011, 09:13 PM	#12
nkmacintosh Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: kobo	Thanks Peter.... but strangely, the Kobo does not show up as a USB device. I tried three different USBs and it didn't show a thing. The USB inputs work... just no recognition that the Kobo was plugged in. However, when I opened the Kobo program, it definitely showed me the device, so that was very confusing! So presumably, if I purchase a Kobo Touch and plug it into my computer, then it will be recognized by my computer? I have no idea why hers did not register at all on her computer.

08-24-2011, 09:38 PM	#13
filmo Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 1077205 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kobo Touch, Sony T1, Kobo Mini	Kobo touch 1.9.9 377 books on storage card A, on Kobo 15 previews, and 4 books from kobo. Calibre version 0.8.15 Using Ubuntu Linux 10.10 No storage problems with this combination yet. After installing Calibre version 0.8.15 when I use Calibre to load books then click on disconnect device up pops box with progress bar showing progress to when you can safely disconnect device (Kobo). Never seen that with prior Calibre Versions. Removing books with Calibre also doesn't cause problems.

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08-25-2011, 04:12 AM	#15
molman Evangelist Posts: 436 Karma: 538958 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	@PeterT: Concur, very odd. @nkmacintosh: when you say doesn't show up as a USB device, can you expand on this? Do you mean if you go into Windows/File Explorer you are not seeing it mounted as a drive?