Another KOBO screwup....desktop wipeout.

[Reader Paradice]

Well, it seems that if you have free books already downloaded, in your desktop application or upon your reader, and they have synced as recently as yesterday...if you try to open up any of them yesterday, or today, they all come up as either 'locked' or 'corrupted'.

Do NOT sync your desktop or any of your e-readers...as this will also occur to you!!!

Others have also reported it in the general Kobo Reader Forum.

Be warned!

Post Edit: If this has happened to you already, you have to LOG OUT of your desktop, and then LOG BACK IN. This will delete your entire collection, and then will have a complete re-sync of everything. What a PITA! BTW, this works. I just did it, and all free downloads now open normally.

[49Kat]

Well, my free books are fine, but a book I just purchased a few days ago is now showing up as a "free preview".

Edited to add how I fixed this.

First of all, I made sure I had a downloaded copy of this book already on my laptop.

On my Vox, I long pressed the book and chose to remove the book. I then went to my Kobo account and looked at my purchases list. The book showed up. I went to my library on the web page, book was there. From that page, chose the "purchased link" and chose to place a bookmark in the book. I then refreshed my Vox library. It took 2 tries, but the book downloaded and not as a preview.

I didn't have to log out of anything to do this, just remove the book from the Vox library and refreshed it. When I removed it from the Vox library, it was not removed from the library at the Kobo website. I don't have a Kobo desktop app, nor do I plan to get one. The only reader apps I have on my laptop are the Sony app and the Kindle app, as well as Adobe Digital Editions. The Sony app is not their latest one, I read that people were having problems with it, so I just stuck with the old one and its working just fine.

This is the second time I've had to do this since the update. It would be a nuisance for someone with a lot of Kobo purchases.

[Reader Paradice]

Originally Posted by 49Kat

Well, my free books are fine, but a book I just purchased a few days ago is now showing up as a "free preview".

I think my patience with this company is pretty much exhausted. I'm going to try to fix this, maybe set up a support ticket, and then I think I'm finished with Kobo purchases.

Sorry, Kobo, but you have simply GOT to get your act together already.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Post Edit: "ah....no matter what you write, nothing will get effected. You only end up blowing off a little 'update' steam. I blew off some steam...and am moving on...(smile).

R.P.

[mr_nobody]

Originally Posted by Reader Paradice

In that regard, they have a due diligence RIGHT UP FRONT, to 'poll' you, the OWNER of that hardware, about what 'features' they might think of enacting BEFORE THEY write it into their software updates.

Srsly? Do you know of any tech companies that behave this way? Apple sure as hell does not.

You do not have to apply their updates. I have not applied either of the last two updates.

[Reader Paradice]

Originally Posted by mr_nobody

Srsly? Do you know of any tech companies that behave this way? Apple sure as hell does not.

You do not have to apply their updates. I have not applied either of the last two updates.

-----------------------------------------------------------

How can you not apply their updates? They download without request, and you can not turn off that feature. BTW, I removed my blew-off steam post before I saw yours....it wasn't a reaction. I just re-read my post, and realized it was just that.....'blowing off steam' and was like standing on a mountain top into a stiff wind. You can hear yourself, but nobody else (Kobo) can...lol.

You either accept the direction upon your Kobo products their updates place you, or you sell them, give them away, whatever, and move on to another tech.

Cheers!

[mr_nobody]

IIRC, don't you have to click some "Accept" button to install them?

I have actually frozen the Kobo Update Check app using the paid version of Titanium Backup (requires root) so I don't even get notified of updates anymore. I think you can also freeze stuff via adb (no idea if this requires root or not).

[Reader Paradice]

Originally Posted by mr_nobody

IIRC, don't you have to click some "Accept" button to install them?

I have actually frozen the Kobo Update Check app using the paid version of Titanium Backup (requires root) so I don't even get notified of updates anymore. I think you can also freeze stuff via adb (no idea if this requires root or not).

--------------------------------------------------

Oh? That's something to to look into. BTW, I know how you can go back with the Touch, can you also do this with the Vox? If so...that would be grrrrrrrrreat!

Is there a link where you can download the last pre-March 2nd software for the Vox?

Thanks

[49Kat]

LOL, you quoted my post before I hit the 'edit' key. Oh well, I did say it and it was up there for a few minutes anyway. I should take a few deep breaths before I 'submit post' sometimes.

I've had a couple of Kobo employees who were great to work with and very helpful (and some who were a little less so), but I think overall, the company is having issues that go beyond the reach of a few individual and dedicated employees who have to spend their day 'putting out fires' of discontent among the customers.

I have my individual Vox set up the way I like it and I'm enjoying it for my own use, although after this latest episode I am concerned about the state of my books. I have been downloading purchased books onto my laptop anyway, so if Kobo continues to be goofy with the purchases, I do have copies, and they could be sideloaded onto the Vox and read with another app if need be. I tell ya, life with the Vox was a lot calmer when I was snowbirding in a location where the Vox didn't have wifi access for a month.

That being said, I've had people ask me about this reader and I do state as above, that for my own use, I like it because I did a lot of work with it to get things the way I want. However, I couldn't recommend it because of its big learning curve and the growing pains the product and now the company itself seem to be experiencing. If you're a bit of a tech geek like I am and willing to get on the internet and ask questions and learn, that's one thing, but if you're not, then this is not the product for you. Oh, and the approach to the charger issue, which people have been complaining about at the get satisfaction site for months now, is still not being addressed and I find that in itself just bizarre. Since firmware and software upgrades seem to be so difficult to get right, my take would be to package and sell the charger as a separate unit and get that out there pronto. (I know many disagree with me, no one wants to pay extra $ for a proprietary piece of hardware, and I understand that.)

I wanted a reader that could read colored books because I'm an avid birdwatcher with many lovely bird manuals with wonderful color pictures and these books are simply too cumbersome to carry around. I thought wouldn't it be great to have a e-reader instead...Hence, I pounced on the chance for the Vox as soon as I heard about it. Well, I don't have the birding books, but I do have a lot of books on there from several different sources and I like that, and I like being able to do a bit of quick browsing as well.

Without having found this message board beforehand, however, and doing a lot of reading, I would have been completely lost with the Vox. And that, too, is why I cannot recommend it and I cannot gift it to anyone.

[mr_nobody]

Originally Posted by Reader Paradice

--------------------------------------------------

Oh? That's something to to look into. BTW, I know how you can go back with the Touch, can you also do this with the Vox? If so...that would be grrrrrrrrreat!

Is there a link where you can download the last pre-March 2nd software for the Vox?

Thanks

I think that some more knowledgeable people determined elsewhere that even if you had an earlier update.zip, the system won't apply it...it will only apply a newer update.

[Reader Paradice]

Originally Posted by 49Kat

LOL, you quoted my post before I hit the 'edit' key. Oh well, I did say it and it was up there for a few minutes anyway. I should take a few deep breaths before I 'submit post' sometimes.

I've had a couple of Kobo employees who were great to work with and very helpful (and some who were a little less so), but I think overall, the company is having issues that go beyond the reach of a few individual and dedicated employees who have to spend their day 'putting out fires' of discontent among the customers.

I have my individual Vox set up the way I like it and I'm enjoying it for my own use, although after this latest episode I am concerned about the state of my books. I have been downloading purchased books onto my laptop anyway, so if Kobo continues to be goofy with the purchases, I do have copies, and they could be sideloaded onto the Vox and read with another app if need be. I tell ya, life with the Vox was a lot calmer when I was snowbirding in a location where the Vox didn't have wifi access for a month.

That being said, I've had people ask me about this reader and I do state as above, that for my own use, I like it because I did a lot of work with it to get things the way I want. However, I couldn't recommend it because of its big learning curve and the growing pains the product and now the company itself seem to be experiencing. If you're a bit of a tech geek like I am and willing to get on the internet and ask questions and learn, that's one thing, but if you're not, then this is not the product for you. Oh, and the approach to the charger issue, which people have been complaining about at the get satisfaction site for months now, is still not being addressed and I find that in itself just bizarre. Since firmware and software upgrades seem to be so difficult to get right, my take would be to package and sell the charger as a separate unit and get that out there pronto. (I know many disagree with me, no one wants to pay extra $ for a proprietary piece of hardware, and I understand that.)

I wanted a reader that could read colored books because I'm an avid birdwatcher with many lovely bird manuals with wonderful color pictures and these books are simply too cumbersome to carry around. I thought wouldn't it be great to have a e-reader instead...Hence, I pounced on the chance for the Vox as soon as I heard about it. Well, I don't have the birding books, but I do have a lot of books on there from several different sources and I like that, and I like being able to do a bit of quick browsing as well.

Without having found this message board beforehand, however, and doing a lot of reading, I would have been completely lost with the Vox. And that, too, is why I cannot recommend it and I cannot gift it to anyone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I in fact like the hardware that is the Vox. I liked my Vox very much pre-March 2nd. I liked the 5 book mosaic widget VERY MUCH. I read three or four books simultaneously, and found that wonderful. I did not 'need' a reduction of what books I am reading...so as to make room for book-pushing. That truly sent me into 'steam mode upon the mountain top'. But...I did type, I felt better, I read my rant, and decided that I didn't have to put anybody captive to it, LOLOL!

R.P.

[Reader Paradice]

[QUOTE=mr_nobody;1993442]I think that some more knowledgeable people determined elsewhere that even if you had an earlier update.zip, the system won't apply it...it will only apply a newer update.[/QUOTE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for your reply! I sort of felt that in m' bones....as I waited for an answer...

[GJSmith]

RP I am confused by your question.

How can you not apply their updates? They download without request, and you can not turn off that feature.

On mine it comes up as....... "available click here" So I have not clicked for the last 2 updates.

Geoff

Originally Posted by mr_nobody

I think that some more knowledgeable people determined elsewhere that even if you had an earlier update.zip, the system won't apply it...it will only apply a newer update.

There are several ways to apply updates. I'm fairly certain that the /cache/recovery method will work regardless of the version.

[mr_nobody]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

There are several ways to apply updates. I'm fairly certain that the /cache/recovery method will work regardless of the version.

You presumably need root to do that whereas putting update.zip on the sdcard and doing a factory reset does not.

Originally Posted by mr_nobody

You presumably need root to do that whereas putting update.zip on the sdcard and doing a factory reset does not.

You either need root or an adb push. But if it's the only way that works and someone wants the old version of the Kobo software that badly, it is the one method that should work.

I should check into the licensing of adb and Google's USB drivers one day, since I could bundle up those components to simplify their use for novices (at least under Windows) if I have the rights to do so.