Can't access Sony e-book library

[jlafloridausa]

I have been following the threads associated with people having trouble accessing the Sony ebook library but so far I have not seen any fixes to the problem of why some people can't access the Sony e-book library. I have a PRS-505 and I installed the version 2.5 e-library software as I was instructed to do by Sony tech support. It didn't help. I have already spent about four hours on hold with Sony tech support tier 2 (866-385-7669). Sony tier 1 support said the problem is with the Norton internet security software that I am using and I should disable it. I went to msconfig and disabled everything that had Norton or Symantic in it. Restarted the laptop and the same spinning arrows appeared when I went to the e-book store. By the way, Norton said the problem is with the Sony site or software. This is crazy, I have an expensive e-book reader that I can't use because I can't buy any books from Sony. The Sony tech support guy told me that they have been flooded with complaints from people with the same problem. I would be interested in any fixes for this problem. I am at the point of returning the PRS-505 and getting my money back.

[Harry001]

i have the same probs like you have!
First i installed the vers. 2.5 - "unable to access eBook store - please check your network"

i deinstalled everything and installed the vers. 2.2 from thedisk - same message.
than a popup apeared - there is an updateavailable (but first the message said to check my network!!)
i installed the update - back to vers. 2.5 - same result, same message.
this software is screwed up!

Thanks god i have a lot of ebooks on my harddisk so i can wait it oust for Sony to fix the program..It's not Norton imho, because the program is embedded with all right in Norton 360 and in the Router all Ports are open in both directions for this program.

Lets wait it out

harry

[lilac_jive]

Somewhere else I posted a troubleshoot page from the ebookstore website, did you guys see it?

There has to be something on everyone's computer that is holding this up that Sony hasn't figured out yet, mine works perfectly, and so does my mom's. I have an ancient machine, but my mom's laptop is fairly new.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by jlafloridausa

I am at the point of returning the PRS-505 and getting my money back.

Don't do that. There are other ways to buy books for your Sony. See the threads here on convertlit and calibre.

BOb

[Valloric]

Returning the Reader would be overkill.

For transferring books to the Reader, use Calibre. It can also convert to the Reader's native LRF format from a variety of sources. For buying books, I recommend Fictionwise and BooksOnBoard. They both sell books in LIT format, and you can easily remove the DRM from that with ConvertLIT. It's a 5 second process to liberate the LIT and send it to Calibre for conversion to LRF.

In the end, you end up with better looking books because the LRX books from Sony tend to have bad formatting. Because you now are free from DRM, you can use those books on any number of devices, now and in the future.

Also, don't forget the myriad of books available from this site.

I have hundreds of legally purchased books, and I've never been to Sony's store and I basically never use their eBook Library.

[Daverinme]

I am experiencing the same problem on two of my computers (running XP) but my third computer running Vista seems fine - so far. I first had the problem on my desktop, so I went and tried it on my notebook and it worked fine. Then a week or so later it would not work on my notebook either. My wife's computer is Vista and so far no problem there.
I e-mailed Sony Support, received a reply with a link giving directions to disable security software and try it. That made no difference. Last resort I guess will be to endure the frustration of spending some time on the phone.

[gjliles03]

Basically, I am new to these forums and have had a Sony 505 since Christmas this year. But since then I have never been able to connect to the Sony Ebook store. I new that Norton 360 was the issue but I could not get into the store unless I went into safe mode with networking.

So to correct this issue if you have Norton 360 try these steps:

1. Right Click My Computer and select Manage

2. Hit the plus mark under Services and Applications then select Services.

3. Find Symantec Network Proxy in the list right click it and click stop int he drop down list.

4. Open Ebook Library and Select Sony Store.

This worked for me please let me know if it works for others. When you are complete with your use I would restart that service since it may be blocking other potentially bad internet pages from loading. Not sure though.

Joe

[Daverinme]

Thanks Joe. That worked for me also. So now I guess it is really in the lap of Norton 360 - unless there is a setting within Norton that is configured incorrectly. But I looked at the Settings - Firewall Protection
Program Rules
eBook Library
Custom
Allow, Direction:Outbound,
Computer:Any,
Specific, Protocol:TCP and UDP
Does this agree with your settings, and I wonder if there has to be some settings for "Direction:Inbound" ?
Thanks again, David

[gjliles03]

I am not sure about the inbound direction issue. I just found a work around that worked for me and it looks like works for you as well. I have noticed that I have been able to connect almost everytime since I made the change even turning the Proxy back on. Wierd behavior.

Joe

[NewbieNancy]

Don't feel badly, it's not you - I've had my 505 for a year and no matter what changes I make to the security settings, there are always some problems. It doesn't connect, it connects then drops, etc. This is a SONY problem, and BTW even if it was Norton, how dare they suggest we turn off our security settings - they need to get real and fix this. (I actually think its a traffic problem because problems appear to be more chronic during holidays, peak Sat afternoons, etc)
I am hoping the new kindle 2 comes out with screen lighting (I give Sony this, the new 505 case with the lighting is amazing) so I can ditch the 505. My frustration level is at it's limit.

[JSWolf]

Norton is blocking you. Sony is not at fault at all. It's not their fault that Norton 360 is a poorly written piece of shite.

[Daverinme]

I have to agree 100% Jon.
I had my reader fow well over a year, and with the previous version of Norton, whatever it was, I had no problems at all. After installing Norton 360, nothing but fits. I do agree though that Sony should not just tell us to turn it off. On our behalf, since so many are having the problem, it seems only reasonable they could put a team on it and work it out with Norton, and give us all a fix - whatever it is.

[read]

These steps worked for me. Thanks!!!

Originally Posted by gjliles03

Basically, I am new to these forums and have had a Sony 505 since Christmas this year. But since then I have never been able to connect to the Sony Ebook store. I new that Norton 360 was the issue but I could not get into the store unless I went into safe mode with networking.

So to correct this issue if you have Norton 360 try these steps:

1. Right Click My Computer and select Manage

2. Hit the plus mark under Services and Applications then select Services.

3. Find Symantec Network Proxy in the list right click it and click stop int he drop down list.

4. Open Ebook Library and Select Sony Store.

This worked for me please let me know if it works for others. When you are complete with your use I would restart that service since it may be blocking other potentially bad internet pages from loading. Not sure though.

Joe

[MikeE123456]

I love the product but also encountered problems accessing the Sony store using their software. After several frustrating hours I determined that Norton 360 seemed to be the problem. If I disabled the Symantec Network Proxy service using "msconfig" and rebooted then everything worked.

I don't like having to disable this service but reading this forum confirms that at the moment there is no other solution. Thanks Joe for the better method to stop/start a service without the need to reboot.

This is my first posting and I am sure I will be visiting this site often in the future.

Mike

[MikeE123456]

Update re Norton problem:

So accidently I discovered that the Sony Ebook Library software works fine without stopping the Symantec Network Proxy service if my PRS-700 is connected to my PC. If not, the service must be stopped.

Mike