Done with Kobo

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by taming

I had a similar problem last week with my Aura HD. I checked and found that I had updates from Windows that were ready to install, but not installed yet. This has interfered with things like my USB connections in the past. I installed the Windows 8 updates, and I was fine. This never happened on Windows 7, but has happened 3 or 4 times since I got Windows 8. You may be facing something else entirely, but I thought I would mention it.

Same problem with 3 computers and one of them isn't a Windows machine it is a Mac. I don't think it is the OS as I have uninstalled/reinstalled the Kobo software and my USB device drivers several times. Also other things work fine in the USB ports of all my computers.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by Joeldmtl

If you find that you can connect your PC to Kobo.com and that your e-reader can be charged from you PC, your e-reader may be being blocked by your firewall.

Not recognized by the PC. The reader can connect to kobo fine via wifi.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

Let's face it folks most customer service is conducted from a flowchart, a tabbed three ring notebook back in the old days, HTML today... More often than not by someone with minimal or no technical skills, often a college student working part time.

I will give points to the Kobo chat personnel. I had an issue and when they started the script I informed them I had already done procedures A-F ad infinitum and they were smart enough to realize doing them again would not help and skipped to the "OK, we're going to send you a checklist and require some photos, once we get the answers and Photos we'll exchange it" stage.

I really do think the live chat is the best way to deal with Kobo, but you have to be prepared to realize that when you have a problem not covered by the script your only resort is likely to be an exchange. That said, the exchange unit I received was indistinguishable from a brand new unit, I suspect it was, except it came in a plainer white box. They even cross shipped to minimize shipping time! It still took about a week to get to NY state from Toronto, but in fairness it was a holiday weekend and the package seemed to sit in a Toronto sorting center for several days...

Probably should have tried their chat I guess. The daily responses via email with more stupid questions is not useful.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by PeterT

No Joel; I think you will find that the charging from the PC is done at the hardware level. The issue being experienced is related to the USB SOFTWARE drivers not being installed correctly on his machine.

I do know that recently davidfor had posted some tips on removing USB drivers from the PC and using a USB diagnostic tool on the PC but I can't remember what thread that was in.

PeterT: That isn't the problem. I have tried several computers and the USB diagnostic tool doesn't even show my VenderID/DeviceID for the device. It isn't sending the computer even that basic information.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by davidfor

The tool was USBDeview. With it you can check what is connected and see the drivers installed for each of the devices.

Is the Glo seeing the PC when connected? i.e. Does it prompt to connect? Does the battery charge?

Have you tried a factory reset? You stated that Kobo said to do this, and because of the tone and the "different resets" statements, I read that to mean you had already tried and it didn't help. But, rereading it, I am not sure that you have done one.

Yeah tried a factory reset.

The kobo sees the pc (on all machines) but doesn't send the machine a venderid/deviceid so it shows as unrecognized in USBDeview.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by leftright

before you jump ship, browse the forums of other readers.

My experience is that ALL readers have issues, there isn't one out there which is perfect.

It's a case of pick your poison from a shelf of poisons and glug it.

Well hopefully I don't have to find out but Amazon's customer service can't possibly be this slow and/or obtuse.

A week of back and forth and their latest response is that they need my software version, firmware version and purchase date (which is what they asked me day 1). The fact that it would take that long to get a resolution is a bit annoying but to just feel like I am going in circles after that period of time is ridicules and is not acceptable.

[PeterT]

Try using twitter to escalate this problem. Include your ticket information with the tweet.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by cmaxwell

Yeah tried a factory reset.

The kobo sees the pc (on all machines) but doesn't send the machine a venderid/deviceid so it shows as unrecognized in USBDeview.

So, the Kobo does prompt to connect? And the PC actually does see the Kobo, but can't identify it?

At this point, I'd probably open it up, put an image on another SD card and see if that worked. I'd probably also enable telnet on the current card to see if I could see what was going on with that. But, if it is still under warranty, you should be asking for a replacement.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by davidfor

So, the Kobo does prompt to connect? And the PC actually does see the Kobo, but can't identify it?

At this point, I'd probably open it up, put an image on another SD card and see if that worked. I'd probably also enable telnet on the current card to see if I could see what was going on with that. But, if it is still under warranty, you should be asking for a replacement.

Yeah exactly...prompts to connect but isn't recognized by any of my computers.

Just downgraded the firmware but that didn't help.

Posted in the glo image thread asking someone to send me an image. So if that comes through then I will probably dd the image and see if that fixes it. At this point though the Paperwhite is in the mail and is supposed to arrive today so I am not too concerned.

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Try using twitter to escalate this problem. Include your ticket information with the tweet.

Good idea...just tweeted at @Kobohelp.

[TechniSol]

I'd definitely use the live chat if you're going to follow this up with Kobo, many posts have complained about a lack of responses or canned responses from the email route. They may have an automated email response setup that is not as bright as it's creators envisioned.

No offense intended, but I'm almost beginning to wonder if there was a physical event that occurred that might have stressed the USB connector in the reader and maybe lifted a connection from the board, like it fell off something with the charging cable plugged in, cable got snagged, etc. It's happened to others. Not accusing, just wondering if it's somehow physical. I wonder if the data lines are used to detect a computer is connected, or if they just sense incoming power through the charging mechanism's a/d converter, or what. In other words is it even possible to have a bad data line connection, but the Kobo could still detect it's "connected" to a computer based on incoming power?

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

I'd definitely use the live chat if you're going to follow this up with Kobo, many posts have complained about a lack of responses or canned responses from the email route. They may have an automated email response setup that is not as bright as it's creators envisioned.

No offense intended, but I'm almost beginning to wonder if there was a physical event that occurred that might have stressed the USB connector in the reader and maybe lifted a connection from the board, like it fell off something with the charging cable plugged in, cable got snagged, etc. It's happened to others. Not accusing, just wondering if it's somehow physical. I wonder if the data lines are used to detect a computer is connected, or if they just sense incoming power through the charging mechanism's a/d converter, or what. In other words is it even possible to have a bad data line connection, but the Kobo could still detect it's "connected" to a computer based on incoming power?

Possible. I don't remember anything like that happening but stranger things have happened.

[dakini]

Originally Posted by cmaxwell

Well hopefully I don't have to find out but Amazon's customer service can't possibly be this slow and/or obtuse.

A week of back and forth and their latest response is that they need my software version, firmware version and purchase date (which is what they asked me day 1). The fact that it would take that long to get a resolution is a bit annoying but to just feel like I am going in circles after that period of time is ridicules and is not acceptable.

you're not going in circles. and yes, they do sometimes ask a question that you've perhaps already answered when you initiated the request for assistance.

but, knowing it's a series of questions that takes a few days of back and forth, once they have the info, they usually can either offer the fix or replace it quick.

you have to remember ... the average person they deal with isn't all that tech savvy, and they can't be certain who is and who just pretends to be or who really isn't.

after they said mine needed replacing, i had a new (and better) one in hand less than a week, and I was several thousands of miles from Ontario where it was dispatched by international priority mail.

just hang in there with the slowness of the rounds of questions and attaching pictures to email replies ...

[cmaxwell]

Originally Posted by dakini

you're not going in circles. and yes, they do sometimes ask a question that you've perhaps already answered when you initiated the request for assistance.

but, knowing it's a series of questions that takes a few days of back and forth, once they have the info, they usually can either offer the fix or replace it quick.

you have to remember ... the average person they deal with isn't all that tech savvy, and they can't be certain who is and who just pretends to be or who really isn't.

after they said mine needed replacing, i had a new (and better) one in hand less than a week, and I was several thousands of miles from Ontario where it was dispatched by international priority mail.

just hang in there with the slowness of the rounds of questions and attaching pictures to email replies ...

How would you know if I was going in circles or not? The latest response from them was a carbon copy of the first response they sent me. That is the actual definition of going around in circles.

My Kindle PW2 arrived yesterday and I am going to salvage the microsd card out of the kobo glo and throw it out.

[paola]

Originally Posted by cmaxwell

My Kindle PW2 arrived yesterday and I am going to salvage the microsd card out of the kobo glo and throw it out.

you could still sell it - various people are after cheap screens, and your Glo might do very well!