Kindle DX Crash

Malcolm · 02-16-2010, 05:37 PM

I hesitate to add this as a separate post but a search did not show anything like this event.

What i have is a Kindle DX in conjunction with calibre latest as of 2-16-10. I think that's 6.40 or whatever is next as of today.

I'm running on a Vista 64 Home Premium system.

Ever since calibre 6.37 I have begun to have an increasing, now reaching 2 to 4 cases per day, where my Kindle DX locks up and then easily comes back after a forced reboot. This is usually (as far as I can tell) right after a "Send to Device" from calibre. I have been doing a lot of sending to the "Device" as I have had some problems with finding the right combo of 'Author' and 'Author Sort' to get my Kindle to actually sort the Author's correctly.

A good example is "Tiger Quest" by Colleen Houck wherein I can't seem to find any combo of Author or Sort to let it be sorted (after a send to device) on the KDX as H instead of C. There are several other examples but they share no really obvious connection.

I'm sure this must be a simple ignorance on my part but in spite of daily coverage of these forums I am at a loss as to what I can do next.

GRiker · 02-16-2010, 05:49 PM

I can help you with the sorting issue, and maybe with the crash.

Make sure you're up to date with the latest DX firmware, 2.3.3, available at the Amazon site. They've made substantial improvements in stability with the latest releases.

In calibre, go to Preferences|Conversion|Page Setup, and select 'Kindle DX', if you haven't already. (This doesn't affect sorting, but it's a good idea anyway.)

Go to Preferences|Conversion|MOBI, and check 'Use author sort for author'

Close Preferences. Select a book in the interface, click 'Edit meta information'.

Assuming that the Author(s): field is correct (John Smith), click the mirror image icon to the right of the 'Author Sort:' field to get 'Smith, John'.

Now, when you click 'Send to device', the metadata will be written so that sorting and display works correctly on the Kindle.

G

Malcolm · 02-17-2010, 09:11 AM

Thanks G. So using the order of your issue solutions:
1. Had converted to KDX 2.3.3 the day it became available.
2. Went to Pref|Conv|Page Setup, and reselected KDX.
3. Went to Pref|Conv|Mobi Output, and checked the 'Use author sort for author'. Had been unchecked.
4. Closed Pref and selected Tiger Quest and Edit Metadata.
5. Clicked Mirror button and changed Author name to last name first.
6. Sent to device and no change. Still sorts on Colleen instead of Houck.
7. Verified on two other AZW books. Same result?

Aha! So are you implying (or telling me directly) I must convert the AZW to Mobi? Because two other azx files also exhibit the same result. Is this always the case if it is so?

Finally, thanks for the swift on point response. You make calibre a joy to learn and maximize it's use.

GRiker · 02-17-2010, 09:27 AM

Are your .azw files DRM protected? In other words, are they directly from Amazon with any subsequent modification? If so, calibre cannot currently modify the metadata in those files.

There is a program Mobi2Mobi which can change the metadata in protected files. You can find it at this site.

G

Malcolm · 02-17-2010, 11:21 AM

Thanks G. They are from Amazon so I'll look at the add-on.

Malcolm

GRiker · 02-18-2010, 06:24 AM

The ability to edit metadata in DRM-protected mobi/prc/azw files is scheduled for next release.

G

Malcolm · 02-19-2010, 01:34 PM

WOW! What a great extension of calibre's already excellent capabilities. Thanks.

Malcolm

GRiker · 02-19-2010, 04:41 PM

0.6.41 is now released, please try out metadata editing and report any problems.

G

Malcolm · 02-20-2010, 03:15 PM

G, I downloaded 6.42 this morning and tried it my Houck and Hellman books referred to in my original post. Drum roll! Perfect they now show up properly by author or any other way.

Now there is some slight problem with PRC's. That is if a conversion leaves one with both the PRC and the new mobi then the calibre library. looks fine but the Kindle device still screws up (That's a scientific term!) the author and in many cases the title. Removing the mobi and only allowing the PRC file fixes that.

Now lastly on some Mobilereference books (PRC), nothing I do seems to allow editing of the metadata. This is odd because in other PRC's it works.

Overall only minor irritants on the Kindle but since now all authors show correctly calibre is Golden.

Thanks,

Malcolm

GRiker · 02-20-2010, 04:33 PM

@Malcolm: I just came across a similar problem with non-standard MOBI/PRC/AZW files. If you are unable to set metadata on a given file, try clicking 'Convert E-Book' and select MOBI as both the Input and Output format. Then, try exporting the file to your Kindle again, and I think you'll find that the metadata is written correctly.

Quote:

Now there is some slight problem with PRC's. That is if a conversion leaves one with both the PRC and the new mobi then the calibre library. looks fine but the Kindle device still screws up (That's a scientific term!) the author and in many cases the title. Removing the mobi and only allowing the PRC file fixes that.

If I understand you correctly, calibre keeps only one copy of MOBI/PRC/AZW as the MOBI format, but the Kindle allows all of them to co-exist, so you have do some manual file management on the Kindle side. Is that correct?

If so, I'd suggest you upload from the Kindle to calibre, then delete the original on the Kindle. From that point forward, let calibre manage the contents of the Kindle.

G

Malcolm · 02-20-2010, 05:24 PM

@G: The first suggestion seems like it should work. I'll try it tomorrow.

The second item: Quote: Now there is some slight problem with PRC's. That is if a conversion leaves one with both the PRC and the new mobi then the calibre library. looks fine but the Kindle device still screws up (That's a scientific term!) the author and in many cases the title. Removing the mobi and only allowing the PRC file fixes that. Unquote.
@G says: "If I understand you correctly, calibre keeps only one copy of MOBI/PRC/AZW as the MOBI format, but the Kindle allows all of them to co-exist, so you have do some manual file management on the Kindle side. Is that correct?"

@G: No not what I meant. The file on calibre shows both the azw or mobi and the prc ending. However there is only one file on the Kindle and that's the one confused about title or author or both. when I went onto calibre and removed the mobi ending in the "Edit metadata" box then resend it to the kindle with just the prc ending it was perfect on the Kindle. This happened on three Mobileread prc book files.

Sorry for the confusing words.

Malcolm

02-16-2010, 05:37 PM	#1
Malcolm Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: McKinney, TX Device: Kindle DX, K4PC, Kindle 2, Droid Eris	Kindle DX Crash I hesitate to add this as a separate post but a search did not show anything like this event. What i have is a Kindle DX in conjunction with calibre latest as of 2-16-10. I think that's 6.40 or whatever is next as of today. I'm running on a Vista 64 Home Premium system. Ever since calibre 6.37 I have begun to have an increasing, now reaching 2 to 4 cases per day, where my Kindle DX locks up and then easily comes back after a forced reboot. This is usually (as far as I can tell) right after a "Send to Device" from calibre. I have been doing a lot of sending to the "Device" as I have had some problems with finding the right combo of 'Author' and 'Author Sort' to get my Kindle to actually sort the Author's correctly. A good example is "Tiger Quest" by Colleen Houck wherein I can't seem to find any combo of Author or Sort to let it be sorted (after a send to device) on the KDX as H instead of C. There are several other examples but they share no really obvious connection. I'm sure this must be a simple ignorance on my part but in spite of daily coverage of these forums I am at a loss as to what I can do next. Last edited by Malcolm; 02-16-2010 at 05:40 PM.

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02-16-2010, 05:49 PM	#2
GRiker Comparer of the Ephemeris Posts: 1,496 Karma: 424697 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: iPad	I can help you with the sorting issue, and maybe with the crash. Make sure you're up to date with the latest DX firmware, 2.3.3, available at the Amazon site. They've made substantial improvements in stability with the latest releases. In calibre, go to Preferences\|Conversion\|Page Setup, and select 'Kindle DX', if you haven't already. (This doesn't affect sorting, but it's a good idea anyway.) Go to Preferences\|Conversion\|MOBI, and check 'Use author sort for author' Close Preferences. Select a book in the interface, click 'Edit meta information'. Assuming that the Author(s): field is correct (John Smith), click the mirror image icon to the right of the 'Author Sort:' field to get 'Smith, John'. Now, when you click 'Send to device', the metadata will be written so that sorting and display works correctly on the Kindle. G

02-17-2010, 09:11 AM	#3
Malcolm Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: McKinney, TX Device: Kindle DX, K4PC, Kindle 2, Droid Eris	Thanks G. So using the order of your issue solutions: 1. Had converted to KDX 2.3.3 the day it became available. 2. Went to Pref\|Conv\|Page Setup, and reselected KDX. 3. Went to Pref\|Conv\|Mobi Output, and checked the 'Use author sort for author'. Had been unchecked. 4. Closed Pref and selected Tiger Quest and Edit Metadata. 5. Clicked Mirror button and changed Author name to last name first. 6. Sent to device and no change. Still sorts on Colleen instead of Houck. 7. Verified on two other AZW books. Same result? Aha! So are you implying (or telling me directly) I must convert the AZW to Mobi? Because two other azx files also exhibit the same result. Is this always the case if it is so? Finally, thanks for the swift on point response. You make calibre a joy to learn and maximize it's use.

02-17-2010, 09:27 AM	#4
GRiker Comparer of the Ephemeris Posts: 1,496 Karma: 424697 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: iPad	Are your .azw files DRM protected? In other words, are they directly from Amazon with any subsequent modification? If so, calibre cannot currently modify the metadata in those files. There is a program Mobi2Mobi which can change the metadata in protected files. You can find it at this site. G

02-17-2010, 11:21 AM	#5
Malcolm Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: McKinney, TX Device: Kindle DX, K4PC, Kindle 2, Droid Eris	Thanks G. They are from Amazon so I'll look at the add-on. Malcolm

02-18-2010, 06:24 AM	#6
GRiker Comparer of the Ephemeris Posts: 1,496 Karma: 424697 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: iPad	The ability to edit metadata in DRM-protected mobi/prc/azw files is scheduled for next release. G

02-19-2010, 01:34 PM	#7
Malcolm Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: McKinney, TX Device: Kindle DX, K4PC, Kindle 2, Droid Eris	WOW! What a great extension of calibre's already excellent capabilities. Thanks. Malcolm

02-19-2010, 04:41 PM	#8
GRiker Comparer of the Ephemeris Posts: 1,496 Karma: 424697 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: iPad	0.6.41 is now released, please try out metadata editing and report any problems. G

02-20-2010, 03:15 PM	#9
Malcolm Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: McKinney, TX Device: Kindle DX, K4PC, Kindle 2, Droid Eris	G, I downloaded 6.42 this morning and tried it my Houck and Hellman books referred to in my original post. Drum roll! Perfect they now show up properly by author or any other way. Now there is some slight problem with PRC's. That is if a conversion leaves one with both the PRC and the new mobi then the calibre library. looks fine but the Kindle device still screws up (That's a scientific term!) the author and in many cases the title. Removing the mobi and only allowing the PRC file fixes that. Now lastly on some Mobilereference books (PRC), nothing I do seems to allow editing of the metadata. This is odd because in other PRC's it works. Overall only minor irritants on the Kindle but since now all authors show correctly calibre is Golden. Thanks, Malcolm

02-20-2010, 05:24 PM	#11
Malcolm Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: McKinney, TX Device: Kindle DX, K4PC, Kindle 2, Droid Eris	@G: The first suggestion seems like it should work. I'll try it tomorrow. The second item: Quote: Now there is some slight problem with PRC's. That is if a conversion leaves one with both the PRC and the new mobi then the calibre library. looks fine but the Kindle device still screws up (That's a scientific term!) the author and in many cases the title. Removing the mobi and only allowing the PRC file fixes that. Unquote. @G says: "If I understand you correctly, calibre keeps only one copy of MOBI/PRC/AZW as the MOBI format, but the Kindle allows all of them to co-exist, so you have do some manual file management on the Kindle side. Is that correct?" @G: No not what I meant. The file on calibre shows both the azw or mobi and the prc ending. However there is only one file on the Kindle and that's the one confused about title or author or both. when I went onto calibre and removed the mobi ending in the "Edit metadata" box then resend it to the kindle with just the prc ending it was perfect on the Kindle. This happened on three Mobileread prc book files. Sorry for the confusing words. Malcolm

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