Gen3 is my Cybook Gen3 beyond repair

Ned · 02-08-2012, 12:09 PM

Evening all.
Before I throw my Gen3 in the bin and buy a Kindle, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions please on how to make it work again.

It's the old, slower version, with the latest Mobi firmware - 1.16.1197
Worked fine apart from one freeze every couple of months, till this morning when, after I had finished and deleted The Pretty Lady by Arnold Bennett in Mobi format, I tried to page through the other books on there (about 180, mostly old stuff from here or Gutenberg.)
Anyway, after paging through three pages of the book list, it brought up the second boot page - the one with three big dots and a small picture of the cybook. The green power light went out and all went quiet. after a minute or so, the green light flashed on, the same page with the three big dots flashed off and on again, all went quiet. It is now cycling through that screen every minute or so, flashing off, coming up with that screen and staying there till it flashes off and on again.
I don't use an SD card apart from upgrading firmware.

I have tried:
1. Deleting everything on the thing and reinstating all the files it came with when new including system files (I'd copied them before using it) - no change
2. Re-upgrading the firmware no change
3. Taking the battery out for a couple of minutes and replacing it -(usually works in my Android phone) no change.
4, Deleting everything and restoring all the files as they were a few months ago when I did the last backup - no change.

I can turn it off and stop the recycilng screen using the little hole at the back, but when I turn it on again, I get the usual Cybook Gen3 first screen, then the one with the three dots, and the recycling of the three dot screen starts again.

Before consigning it to the bin, I wondered if anyone knew anything I haven't tried that might work, or if anyone recognises those symptoms as fatal.

Thanks

Billi · 02-08-2012, 04:27 PM

Ned, I'm sorry to read about what happened to your gen3.

I'm not sure but I think it could be worse browsing this forum a little bit. When my memory serves me right there have been others with the same problem.

Ned · 02-08-2012, 04:36 PM

OK thanks Billi, will do. I had a ten minute look before posting, but there's so much good info on here I'll look again tomorrow.
Pity, as even tho it's 3 years old, it's a wonderful reader (or was!)

edit:
I've now done a full format on the Gen3 and restored the original files that came with it. It booted OK and came up that it couldn't find any books.
Added four books to the eBooks folder it had created when booting, and when I turned it on we're back to the cycling three full stops screen.

And now it doesn't show up on my PC either when I plug it in, and carries on cycling that screen, tho the little light changes to charging.

bob123 · 02-08-2012, 05:05 PM

Sorry to hear about it. If you do end up having to get a new ereader why a kindle? The Odyssey is quite nice.

Ned · 02-08-2012, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob123

Sorry to hear about it. If you do end up having to get a new ereader why a kindle? The Odyssey is quite nice.

Oh, must admit I've never heard of it (red face) - I've just been reading books on my Gen3 rather than keeping up.

It's dearer than the kindle I see, but presumably has the same screen.
I suppose I should research readers again since much will have changed in three years.

bob123 · 02-08-2012, 05:22 PM

Of course maybe someone will be able to help you fix the Gen 3.
Have you tried contacting bookeen about it?

Jellby · 02-09-2012, 07:44 AM

Could it be that some of the books you uploaded are causing the cycling?

Ned · 02-09-2012, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

Could it be that some of the books you uploaded are causing the cycling?

It was a possiblity, which is why I cleared everything out to try it - but as now it won't even allow itself to be recognised by USB either, I'm going to ditch it rather than waste any more time on it..

Thanks for the comments guys.

EowynCarter · 02-09-2012, 08:34 AM

Cybooks will sometime react to wrongly codded books by rebooting all over again.

Have you done a check disk of the internal memory ?

Ned · 02-09-2012, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Cybooks will sometime react to wrongly codded books by rebooting all over again.

Have you done a check disk of the internal memory ?

Yes, and it came up clean, but I did a low level format anyway.

Godzil · 02-10-2012, 09:58 AM

I don't know how you can make a "low level format" as such thing only exist on old SCSI disk

hermano · 02-11-2012, 06:58 AM

How is the battery?

Had my gen 3 over 3yrs, and it started doing all sorts of weird things couple of months ago...not loading properly, not at all if battery was less than 80%...

I looked at new batteries and they are quite expensive...was about to order new one on ebay when i thought i would try wifes old, and broken, cool-er's battery...now my gen 3 working like new.

just a thought?

jethro10 · 02-16-2012, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermano

How is the battery?

Had my gen 3 over 3yrs, and it started doing all sorts of weird things couple of months ago...not loading properly, not at all if battery was less than 80%...

I looked at new batteries and they are quite expensive...was about to order new one on ebay when i thought i would try wifes old, and broken, cool-er's battery...now my gen 3 working like new.

just a thought?

I also found this.
Looks like older batteries can't deliver the grunt needed to power the device properly.
All kinds of strange happenings with the old battery.

J

ChrisM12743 · 04-03-2012, 01:48 PM

I received my Cybook Gen3 for Christmas around four years ago and I still use it to read news RSS, however I just noticed I can't buy books on it anymore, I was told they stopped making them. On the other hand I had one of the first Nooks, and guess where that thing is, yup, in the trash bin, it had always been problematic. The point is this, now that the mega stores are buying up all the small independent companies, all of these ereaders are going to become obsolete, real fast! That's how they make their money and that is one of the reasons I have returned to buying paper books, they DON'T go obsolete. Just musing.

mbovenka · 04-04-2012, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisM12743

IThe point is this, now that the mega stores are buying up all the small independent companies, all of these ereaders are going to become obsolete, real fast! That's how they make their money and that is one of the reasons I have returned to buying paper books, they DON'T go obsolete. Just musing.

I suggest Calibre plus a healthy dose of Apprentice Alf to cure what ails ya

02-08-2012, 12:09 PM	#1
Ned Ebook reader Posts: 390 Karma: 5899335 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: York, England Device: Kobo Aura H2O (ed 2, v1), Kobo Forma, Kobo Libra 2	is my Cybook Gen3 beyond repair Evening all. Before I throw my Gen3 in the bin and buy a Kindle, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions please on how to make it work again. It's the old, slower version, with the latest Mobi firmware - 1.16.1197 Worked fine apart from one freeze every couple of months, till this morning when, after I had finished and deleted The Pretty Lady by Arnold Bennett in Mobi format, I tried to page through the other books on there (about 180, mostly old stuff from here or Gutenberg.) Anyway, after paging through three pages of the book list, it brought up the second boot page - the one with three big dots and a small picture of the cybook. The green power light went out and all went quiet. after a minute or so, the green light flashed on, the same page with the three big dots flashed off and on again, all went quiet. It is now cycling through that screen every minute or so, flashing off, coming up with that screen and staying there till it flashes off and on again. I don't use an SD card apart from upgrading firmware. I have tried: 1. Deleting everything on the thing and reinstating all the files it came with when new including system files (I'd copied them before using it) - no change 2. Re-upgrading the firmware no change 3. Taking the battery out for a couple of minutes and replacing it -(usually works in my Android phone) no change. 4, Deleting everything and restoring all the files as they were a few months ago when I did the last backup - no change. I can turn it off and stop the recycilng screen using the little hole at the back, but when I turn it on again, I get the usual Cybook Gen3 first screen, then the one with the three dots, and the recycling of the three dot screen starts again. Before consigning it to the bin, I wondered if anyone knew anything I haven't tried that might work, or if anyone recognises those symptoms as fatal. Thanks

02-08-2012, 04:36 PM	#3
Ned Ebook reader Posts: 390 Karma: 5899335 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: York, England Device: Kobo Aura H2O (ed 2, v1), Kobo Forma, Kobo Libra 2	OK thanks Billi, will do. I had a ten minute look before posting, but there's so much good info on here I'll look again tomorrow. Pity, as even tho it's 3 years old, it's a wonderful reader (or was!) edit: I've now done a full format on the Gen3 and restored the original files that came with it. It booted OK and came up that it couldn't find any books. Added four books to the eBooks folder it had created when booting, and when I turned it on we're back to the cycling three full stops screen. And now it doesn't show up on my PC either when I plug it in, and carries on cycling that screen, tho the little light changes to charging. Last edited by Ned; 02-08-2012 at 05:07 PM.

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02-08-2012, 04:27 PM	#2
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	Ned, I'm sorry to read about what happened to your gen3. I'm not sure but I think it could be worse browsing this forum a little bit. When my memory serves me right there have been others with the same problem.

02-08-2012, 05:05 PM	#4
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Sorry to hear about it. If you do end up having to get a new ereader why a kindle? The Odyssey is quite nice.

02-08-2012, 05:22 PM	#6
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Of course maybe someone will be able to help you fix the Gen 3. Have you tried contacting bookeen about it?

02-09-2012, 07:44 AM	#7
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,516 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	Could it be that some of the books you uploaded are causing the cycling?

02-09-2012, 08:34 AM	#9
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,332 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	Cybooks will sometime react to wrongly codded books by rebooting all over again. Have you done a check disk of the internal memory ?

02-10-2012, 09:58 AM	#11
Godzil a pthread?? where? where? Posts: 1,763 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Somewhere in EU Device: Newton MessagePad 2100, and only this	I don't know how you can make a "low level format" as such thing only exist on old SCSI disk

02-11-2012, 06:58 AM	#12
hermano Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 14 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: cybook gen 3	How is the battery? Had my gen 3 over 3yrs, and it started doing all sorts of weird things couple of months ago...not loading properly, not at all if battery was less than 80%... I looked at new batteries and they are quite expensive...was about to order new one on ebay when i thought i would try wifes old, and broken, cool-er's battery...now my gen 3 working like new. just a thought?

04-03-2012, 01:48 PM	#14
ChrisM12743 ChrisM Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: bookeen cybook gen3	I received my Cybook Gen3 for Christmas around four years ago and I still use it to read news RSS, however I just noticed I can't buy books on it anymore, I was told they stopped making them. On the other hand I had one of the first Nooks, and guess where that thing is, yup, in the trash bin, it had always been problematic. The point is this, now that the mega stores are buying up all the small independent companies, all of these ereaders are going to become obsolete, real fast! That's how they make their money and that is one of the reasons I have returned to buying paper books, they DON'T go obsolete. Just musing.

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