Sd Cards

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

How do you think I formatted the card? I'm using a SanDisk MobileMate SD+ external reader with my desktop right now but when I get the time (and nerve), I'm going to install an internal reader (I already have it). My netbook has a card reader port but I normally don't dig it out until I'm getting ready to go out of town (and that's to update everything and top off the battery). I will try loading the card directly next time to see what happens.

Then why are you using a USB cable when adding ebooks to your SD card,
on the JBL. It is easier and quicker to build your "library" SD card's structure
on your desktop (with Calibre if that is what you want) then copy that to an
SD card reader/writer using your desktop's USB2 interface. It's a lot easier to
work on the SD card's files, using the tools available with your desktop, and
the USB2 interface.

Luck;
Ken

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Number_6

This includes getting Adobe Digital Editions to recognize the SD card in a memory card reader as your jetBook. I removed the SD card from my JBL, stuck it into a card reader on my PC, fired up ADE and it recognized it as my jetBook library. It was an easy process to then copy books over into my jetBook library under ADE. It puts them in the Digital Editions folder and I just renamed and moved them to where I wanted. This was much faster and easier than using the cable would have been.

Great, I'll have to remember that if I decide to give ADE a try.

Thanks;
Ken

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Then why are you using a USB cable when adding ebooks to your SD card,
on the JBL. It is easier and quicker to build your "library" SD card's structure
on your desktop (with Calibre if that is what you want) then copy that to an
SD card reader/writer using your desktop's USB2 interface. It's a lot easier to
work on the SD card's files, using the tools available with your desktop, and
the USB2 interface.

Luck;
Ken

Because I'm new to the JBL and didn't know if it would screw up the file structure if I downloaded directly to the card. I told you I would try downloading directly to the card the next time I loaded books into it.

[dixieknits]

Ken, I second that statement about the computer cable. Long story of problems with Firmware 35.a. I started having problems with bootiing, having to turn on repeatedly or even reset after adding data, so decided to update to the new 35.m.
I tried to format the card and the built-in reader in my windows 7 computer would not format it???
I turned on JB and hooked up the cable and tried to format it and it wiped everythng off the JB and the SD card. go figure... When I tried to turn on, it would advance only to the first JetBook screen. I removed the SD card, pushed the reset button and it booted up.( I was smiling greatly) and it was empty.. At this point didn't care as at least it was working. I added a couple of files with the cable and yes it read, though I had to hit reset for it to find them. Now I must use reset for it to read a FOLDER I add, It can read any files I ADD without using reset. I took the card home and reformated it on a Windows XP machine and all is well and for some reason, all came badk on the JB drive after attaching it to an XP machne. I'm going to enjoy this lull and wait awhile before the next attempt at upgrade. Yes, it wiped off all of the ADE stuffl but I found an easy utility to strip DRM, so have not bothered to try and restore that function. Just going to read and enjoy and hope it stays working

[Ron46]

I have mine set up exactly like Ken. Two empty folders on the reader and the entire library on the SD card. Works great.

But I don't agree about never tampering with the 100MB reader memory. A few times when the reader was acting up, like keeping books in recently read that I have removed, I have run chkdsk and had lost allocations corrected. I have also reformatted that volume, and the firmware creates the two empty folders that the reader needs- Books and Pictures. Chkdsk (in Windows) and FSCK (in Linux) are two powerful utilities that seem to straighten out problems on a number of devices.

But my question is whether the 100MB reader memory was originally FAT16 or FAT32. I don't remember now. It would seem to me that if we are using FAT32 on the SD card, the reader should be using the same. But maybe it should be FAT 16 since that is what we use for firmware updates.

Could someone who has never reformatted their reader memory hook up their cable and right click on the reader's 100MB memory in MyComputer and select Properties, then tell me if it is FAT16 or FAT32?

[Ken Maltby]

Well... you'er a braver man than I, Gunga-Din.

My JBL internal memory shows "FAT" in Properties. For SD cards and flash memory that would be FAT16. The properties for SD cards that I have formatted as FAT16 show as FAT in Properties as well. Those formatted as FAT32 show as FAT32 in properties.

As long as I was being brave, I did the Error Checking (Chkdsk) with both options checked and it took a lot longer than I expected but completed with no report.

This is the first time I've looked at the internal user memory, since doing the 0.16b
update and there is the ".adobe-digital-editions" folder, neat!

Just to be safe, I took the opportunity to copy the internal memory to a folder on
my PC. Now I might be able to restore it if problems should ever develop.

What formatting program did you use that allowed the firmware to re-create the
needed folders? I guess it might not matter, but would like to know.

Luck;
Ken

[Ron46]

Thanks for checking on that. I think it was 15d-b that created the empty folders. Now what mystifies me is why the internal memory does not use FAT32 like we use on the SD cards. Even though the two folders on the internal memory are empty, I think that is where certain user data like place holders, recently read books etc are stored (perhaps in hidden files?) One time when I had a buildup of recently read documents that I could not get rid of, even after deleting the files and resetting all recently read books, the only way I was able to fix it was by reformatting the reader memory.

If the reader uses the internal memory to track user data or other management functions, it would seem that there would be an incompatibility (bottleneck) between the SD card with FAT32 and the reader memory with FAT16.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Ron46

Thanks for checking on that. I think it was 15d-b that created the empty folders. Now what mystifies me is why the internal memory does not use FAT32 like we use on the SD cards. Even though the two folders on the internal memory are empty, I think that is where certain user data like place holders, recently read books etc are stored (perhaps in hidden files?) One time when I had a buildup of recently read documents that I could not get rid of, even after deleting the files and resetting all recently read books, the only way I was able to fix it was by reformatting the reader memory.

If the reader uses the internal memory to track user data or other management functions, it would seem that there would be an incompatibility (bottleneck) between the SD card with FAT32 and the reader memory with FAT16.

Now that you have convinced me that there may not be so much of a
danger to the stability of the internal memory, if we are careful, I also
wonder if FAT32 might be a good idea for the internal memory, as well.

This would be a good question to ask Jerry to pose to the technicians
and development staff at the Ectaco Forum. At least they should be
able to tell us if there is any known issue with FAT32 or some established
requirement that the internal memory remain FAT16.

Once I finish my current ebook, just started wouldn't you know, I will do
some checking into that and give FAT32 a try on the internal memory.
I want to see what might be related to that in the boot menu also.

Luck;
Ken

[Ron46]

dixieknits- sounds like a Windows 7 issue more than anything else. A good rule of thumb since Windows 3.1 is that Windoze is never any good until they get around to Service Pack 2, and then they replace it with a new unstable version.

No better time than now to put Ubuntu ( Linux ) on half your hard drive and dabble with it. After a few months you will like the fast boots, no layers of anti virus/ anti spyware crap that takes so long to load up and is always updating, no defragmenting etc. And then you will find yourself wondering why you use windoze at all.

Don't bother with the "live CD" version of Ubuntu that runs off of your CD Rom- it is too slow and gives you a poor preview of the power of Linux. Do the full installation (also an option on the live cd disk). It will not damage your Windoze installation. I eventually repartitioned my hard drive to take additional space away from windoze and give it to Linux, since windoze now occupies an insignificant corner of my hard drive in case I ever need it (once every 2 or 3 months at most).

I was so invested in widoze, I kept using it and only experimented with linux from time to time. Eventually I reached a tipping point where I strongly preferred Linux. It is a process, but it is surely worth it.

[Ken Maltby]

OK, I formatted my JBL's internal memory to FAT32 and am seeing no
immediate problems. Since I have very little in the internal memory in any
case, it will not likely make much difference, still it is the better format.
I had no problems copying back the internal memory's contents, that I had
previously saved to my hard drive.

Luck;
Ken

[jlg432]

No one seems to have explained Fat / Fat16 / Fat32 etc.

I know most people that have roots to DOS/Windows probably understand these terms but I would like to explain these in a very general detail for those readers that do not understand.

FAT is an acronym for F(ile) A(llocation) T(able). This is a place reserved on the storage media and is used to map out the storage space of the media.

Originally storage media capacity was very small and the 16 bit structure to map the space efficiently was ample. Media space is usually broken up into 512 byte sectors (which is the smallest size) that are then grouped into clusters. A cluster (which is a group of sectors) is the smallest amount of space that can be assigned for storing data. The size of the cluster is determined by the amount of stage space available as well as the size of the File Allocation Table. FAT a.k.a. FAT16 only had a capacity to support storage up to 2 gigs in size. As the storage size increased so did the cluster size. For 1 gig to 2 gig storage the cluster size was 32k. This meant that the smallest space assigned for saving data was 32k in size. A small 15k file would still take the same space that a 31k size file would take which is 32k.

By using FAT32 the File Allocation Table is double in size and the cluster size remains small (4k in size) when using storage sizes from 512 megs to 8 gigs.
Storage sizes smaller than 512 should use Fat16.

So storage is being used more efficiently by using FAT32 when using storage sizes exceeding 512 megs up to 32 gigs.

FAT16 also limited the number of files that could be stored in the "Root" of the storage media which was approx 512 items.


See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc940351.aspx for more info.

John

Note: The user space on the JB, JBL and ALP is part of the storage used by the device.

I am not sure what that total storage is but what we can use must be a just a partition assigned to the user. This user space on the JB shrunk when I added FW .35a because they added the Adobe Reader software to the unit. User space went from 110 megs to approx 90 megs. The ALP started at 90 megs as it already had ADE reader installed.

John

[Blusaber]

Hi

When I plug in the JBL to the computer with ADE open ADE sees the JBL but not the sd card. Is this normal?

What I have to do to get a library book onto the sd card and be readable is to first have the book in internal memory then if I drag the book to the sd card from the my digatal additions folder it will open. If I delete the book from internal memory it will now still open from the sd card. If I drag and drop to the card without the book in internal memory first it will just not open

Kind of a silly process but it's the only way I can get Library books to work from the sd card.

Any thoughts?

Thank you

Gary

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Blusaber

Hi

When I plug in the JBL to the computer with ADE open ADE sees the JBL but not the sd card. Is this normal?

What I have to do to get a library book onto the sd card and be readable is to first have the book in internal memory then if I drag the book to the sd card from the my digatal additions folder it will open. If I delete the book from internal memory it will now still open from the sd card. If I drag and drop to the card without the book in internal memory first it will just not open

Kind of a silly process but it's the only way I can get Library books to work from the sd card.

Any thoughts?

Thank you

Gary

Have you tried the method "Number_6" posted earlier:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...5&postcount=15

It looks like a better way to me. You will also have your PC's file
management tools on hand to quickly and easily move the book from
the Adobe folder to the folder you want it in.

Luck;
Ken

[Blusaber]

Hi

I copied the adobe files from the reader to the sd card and now ADE sees the card but the JBL will not open the book until I put it in the internal mem.

Maybe I'm missing a step

Gary

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Blusaber

Hi

I copied the adobe files from the reader to the sd card and now ADE sees the card but the JBL will not open the book until I put it in the internal mem.

Maybe I'm missing a step

Gary

Hmm... are you using the JBL as the card reader?

The whole idea is to be able to remove the SD Card from your JBL and
place it in a reader/writer attached to your PC through a USB2 interface.
It then appears as a drive on your PC. With the ".adobe-digital-editions"
folder from your JBL's internal memory in the SD Card's Root, ADE will see
that SD Card as your JBL. The adobe folder would no longer need to be
in the actual JBL's internal memory any longer.

You would not need to use the USB cable, after that.

You would just start ADE and then connect the SD Card to the PC, through
your USB2 Reader/Writer and ADE will see it as your JBL (because the
"device.xml" file specific to your JBL is now in the ".adobe-digital-editions"
folder in the root of that SD Card).

After ADE has placed your new ebook in the "digital-editions" folder
of that SD Card (attached to your PC) you would then use your file explorer,
on your PC, to move the ebook to another more appropriately named folder
on the same SD Card. The JBL should then be able to find what it needs to
open and read the ebook on that SD Card by referencing the data in the
ebook and the Root of the SD Card.

That is how I understand it to work.

Luck;
Ken

PS; You should copy your JBL's Internal memory to a folder on your PC's Hard drive.
The ".adobe-digital-editions" folder that you first put in the root of your SD Card,
should only have the one "device.xml" file in it. ADE should build new versions of
any other files it needs, after it starts working with your SD Card as a device.