Sony Reader software problem (left pane missing)

[MrT-Man]

I have a bizarre problem with the Sony Reader software -- wondering if anyone's encountered it before. It worked fine for a few days, and now the left part of the window, which you use to select your Library or device, etc. is now missing. There doesn't seem to be a way to get it to display again.

This makes the software impossible to use. I tried uninstalling & reinstalling (even with revo uninstaller, to make sure I got any registry entries) and the problem is still there. I'm using Windows 7, and the latest version of the Reader software direct off the Sony website.

Any ideas? Is there a very simple way to get the left pane back, and I'm just missing it?

I'm using Calibre as a workaround, but Calibre doesn't seem to send PDFs to the device properly (for that I have to use Sony Reader running on another computer, which is annoying).

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by MrT-Man

I have a bizarre problem with the Sony Reader software -- wondering if anyone's encountered it before. It worked fine for a few days, and now the left part of the window, which you use to select your Library or device, etc. is now missing. There doesn't seem to be a way to get it to display again.

This makes the software impossible to use. I tried uninstalling & reinstalling (even with revo uninstaller, to make sure I got any registry entries) and the problem is still there. I'm using Windows 7, and the latest version of the Reader software direct off the Sony website.

Any ideas? Is there a very simple way to get the left pane back, and I'm just missing it?

I'm using Calibre as a workaround, but Calibre doesn't seem to send PDFs to the device properly (for that I have to use Sony Reader running on another computer, which is annoying).

I've had a problem with similarities. Sometimes when I sync my reader with the Sony Reader Library (SRL) everything in the left pane disappears for a time during the syncing process but it eventually returns. The pane itself doesn't disappear, just the pane's contents.

One thing to try is to see if the right side of the pane has been dragged completely to the left edge of the screen. Move your cursor to the left edge of the screen and see if the cursor changes, if it does, drag left edge of the pane over.

Also, I've thought about using Calibre instead of the SRL. I use PDF as my preferred ebook format and I was wondering what problem(s) you were having with Calibre putting PDFs on your ereader.

I hope this helps, and thanks in advance.

[MrT-Man]

It *is* some kind of window sizing issue, but I can't seem to fix it... if I import a file into the library, for example, most of the text with the file name, description etc. is off the left edge of the window... but there doesn't seem to be any way to resize it -- if I move to the left edge of the screen, all it lets me do is resize the main window, it doesn't let me bring the missing left pane back.

As far as the PDF issue, there were a couple of files I tried to copy over with Calibre, and when I opened them up on the PRS-300 all the pages were blank. Then I tried it with the Reader software on another machine and the PDFs displayed properly. So don't know if it was something unique to those files or just a one-time glitch or what, maybe I'll try it again. Otherwise I'd agree that Calibre is the way to go.

[veronique]

Lilly has a Troubleshooting Database attach to in her Tech Support Board in the Sony Reader Forum. I cut in paste this from there:

The left pane does not display or is missing in the Reader (eBook) Library software.

Solution
NOTE: The Reader (eBook) Library software is not supported in a virtual Windows operating system environment.

The size of the left pane can be resized and sometimes it can be completely hidden through resizing. Check the left side of the eBook Library window for an oval shape (see attached file below) in the left vertical grey edge of the window. If the oval is visible, place the mouse cursor on the oval, then click and hold the mouse button while dragging the cursor to the right in the window.

If the oval is not displayed on the left side of the eBook Library window, the software should be uninstalled and then reinstalled.

Do these steps
-Uninstall the eBook Library
-Now You might need to delete every folder that remains from the previous installation:

For Windows XP:
-Change the Folder Options so it would show the Hidden Files and Folders

-Open the Directory "C:\Documents and Settings\AllUsers\ApplicationData" here you need to delete two folders "Kinoma" and "Marlin"

-Open the Directory "C:\Documents and Settings\"Your Windows User Name"\LocalSettings\ApplicationData" here you need to delete the "Kinoma" folder only.

-Open the Directory "C:\Documents and Settings\"Your Windows User Name"\Local Settings" and delete the "Sony Corporation" Folder

-Open the Directory "C:\Program Files\Sony" and delete the Reader Folder

For Windows Vista:
-Change the Folder Options so it would show the Hidden Files and Folders

-Open the Directory "C:\Program Data" here you need to delete the folders "Kinoma" and "Marlin"

-Open the Directory "C:\Users\"Your Windows User Name"\AppData\Local Settings\Application Data" here you need to delete the "Kinoma" folder and the Sony Corporation Folder.

-Open the Directory "C:\Program Files\Sony\ and delete the "Reader" and "Sony Reader" Folders

-Install the Latest Version of the eBook Library and the Source view should show up.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by MrT-Man

It *is* some kind of window sizing issue, but I can't seem to fix it... if I import a file into the library, for example, most of the text with the file name, description etc. is off the left edge of the window... but there doesn't seem to be any way to resize it -- if I move to the left edge of the screen, all it lets me do is resize the main window, it doesn't let me bring the missing left pane back.

As far as the PDF issue, there were a couple of files I tried to copy over with Calibre, and when I opened them up on the PRS-300 all the pages were blank. Then I tried it with the Reader software on another machine and the PDFs displayed properly. So don't know if it was something unique to those files or just a one-time glitch or what, maybe I'll try it again. Otherwise I'd agree that Calibre is the way to go.

Sorry I wasn't able to help with the left pane issue. Overall, the Sony Reader Library (SRL) has worked well for me as long as I follow certain rules when using it (see my posts in this thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89419).

Thanks for the feedback on the PDF issue. I format my PDFs specifically for my ereader so I don't need any type of conversion when they are loaded on my ereader. If I decide to use Calibre, one of the things I will check is to ensure that it loads my ebooks on my ereader as is.

[MrT-Man]

Thanks veronique, deleting the hidden folders/files and reinstalling solved the problem!

Solitaire1, appreciate your link to your post on how to sync collections, that's useful to know.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by MrT-Man

Thanks veronique, deleting the hidden folders/files and reinstalling solved the problem!

Solitaire1, appreciate your link to your post on how to sync collections, that's useful to know.

You're welcome. Using collections to manage my ebooks on my ereader and the rules I posted have gone a long way to avoid problems when using the Sony Reader Library.