Calibre won't open in Windows XP

[arden66]

I'm having the same problem as another user who was running a Dutch version of XP was having. That is, the GUI won't run. It starts to. I even see it for a second among the processes in task manager, but then, nada. It dies with no error message or anything. For the last person, you solved it by suggesting a different version of the Dutch module.

but...I'm running the English version of Windows XP...

I did not load the drivers for the Sony PRS500 when prompted since: A) I have a 505 and B) I really wanted it for lit to lrf conversion anyway and wanted to try out that feature before committing to using for all functions.

Other than that it was a straight install on Windows XP that seemed perfectly normal...

Any ideas?

Arden

[kovidgoyal]

see the FAQ

[arden66]

Note, I did NOT install the drivers for the Sony PRS505 yet. I wanted to use calibre only for file conversion (lit to lrf) so far. The Sony software is working fine - it's not hanging. It's Calibre that hangs.

Does it require the Sony PRS500 drivers to run? (and I'm assuming that they work with the 505 also?).

Thanks,

Arden

[gwynevans]

See the http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...ing-on-windows part of the FAQ...

[arden66]

Thanks - I was looking at another Calibre FAQ. Odd that there are two of them that are totally different...

http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/wiki/FAQ

[arden66]

OK Found the right FAQ - did everything listed and...nothing worked.

Here is the error message I got from the debugger:


C:\DOCUME~1\ARDEN>calibre-debug -c "from calibre.gui2.main import main; main()"
Couldn't resolve property: linearGradient5167
Upgrading database from version: 1
Upgrading database from version: 2
Upgrading database from version: 3
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "debug.py", line 67, in <module>
File "debug.py", line 56, in main
File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
File "C:\PROGRA~1\calibre\library.zip\calibre\gui2\main .py", line 1346, in mai
n
File "C:\PROGRA~1\calibre\library.zip\calibre\gui2\main .py", line 199, in __in
it__
File "calibre\gui2\library.pyo", line 505, in set_database
File "calibre\gui2\library.pyo", line 127, in set_database
File "calibre\library\database.pyo", line 801, in __init__
File "calibre\library\database.pyo", line 650, in upgrade_version3
sqlite3.OperationalError: unable to open database file

[kovidgoyal]

Do a find on your computer for the file library1.db and rename it. That should fix the problem.

[arden66]

I did...A couple of times and it still doesn't work. Same result each time.



Arden

[kovidgoyal]

Also locate and delete calibre.ini and calibre2.ini (if they exist)

[kovidgoyal]

Also where is library1.db being created on your computer? On the normal filesystem or on a network share or some such?

[arden66]

library1.db is here:

C:\Documents and Settings\Arden

Also, I deleted calibre2.ini every time. It was in:

C:\Documents and Settings\Arden\Application Data\kovidgoyal.net

Never did find calibre.ini

Everything is in the normal file system here. I don't think anything was shared.

Also, I did also set up calibre (just now) on my lap top and it worked fine. That is interesting since the laptop is set up in a similar manner to the desktop here but has never had the native Sony software installed. Unfortunately, none of my eBooks are on the laptop so have it working there is not super helpful (though I could transfer in a pinch).

I do also have some virtual CD drives installed on the desk to that are not on the laptop as well as some back up software (memeosync) and more intense anti-spyware and Anti-virus on the desktop since it is always on.

Any of that ring any bells?

Thanks,

Arden

[arden66]

OK so NOW it WORKS!

How? Well, in writing the last reply I remembered that I had McAfee firewall on this machine set to default to "outward access only" while on the laptop it was set to open 2way access to anything installed in the "normal" manner. I changed the setting to "Full access" and it came right up.

So the question is, why is this necessary?

Thanks,

Arden

[kovidgoyal]

odd I'm not sure why that should make a difference. Calibre does use TCP/IP connections to control worker processes (but the connections are to localhost only). What it does do is start a server thread that listens for connections to localhost from the worker processes. The firewall was probably interfering with the server.

[arden66]

Huh. Well - Thanks in any case. Great customer service! I can't believe how quickly you replied.

So, one final question... If I get rid of the Sony drivers and try Calibre for everything, how hard is it to switch back? I like the user interface better than Sony's and I like the conversion utilities but I don't want to lose access to the reader if something goes wrong. (Calibre is still a beta, right? We're on version 4.83 beta, correct? Or did I misinterpret?).

In any case, thanks for your help.

Arden

PS You might want to get rid of the old FAQ. It comes up first for a google search on "Calibre FAQ."

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

It's amazing (and often slightly scary) how much a good firewall app can drive a Windows PC completely apes**t, even when using apps that do not access the web. My installation of Norton turned my otherwise well-running new PC and fresh OS into a plodding toaster, usually taking close to 4 minutes to go from power-on to fully functional. (My old PC took ten full minutes... I swear to God.)

I've tried Calibre on my new system, and although it does work, it crawls like a slug. I'll have to check my firewall settings against it, that's something I haven't done.