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sir_pal · 03-08-2014, 03:56 AM

Hi,

I guess your issues are resolved by now, so I'm just posting this in case someone else runs into this same problem, like I did yesterday.

As I faced the same problem and could not find any solutions to it on the forums, I contacted Kobo Customer Service, where - after a half an hour "troubleshooting" I was told to return the device.

If your warranty period has not expired, this is definitely what you should do! I.e. return the device and it will get replaced

However, if your warranty period is over, there are things you can do.

IMPORTANT!!!
1. The method described below will most likely make you lose any warranty! If your warranty period has not expired, return your device and get a replacement!
2. I tried it with Kobo Touch, but it may apply to any Kobo devices. No guarantees, though...
3. This is again at your own risk, I assume no responsibility in case you brick your device. However, if you follow this guide, you won't.

The root cause of the problem is Kobo sometimes messing up the FAT32 partition on its internal storage. I have a short version of the solution for "experts" and a step-by-step version.

Short version
The internal storage is a simple microSD card. Connect it to your computer with an external card reader, and reformat the FAT32 (but only that!) partition on the SD card. And voilá, you have a working device.

Step-by-step guide

Step 0. Power off the device!
Step 1. Open the device. For Kobo Touch the backside plastic lid was just snapped/clipped into its place, no screws, no other mounting. So take a thin knife, gently slide it into the crack between the backlid and the plastic body, and click it out (move the backlid upwards). You may have to use a little force (but not brute force!)
Step 2. Now you see the internal circuit board of the device. Look for a microSD card in a small slot. Once you found it, take it out of the slot.
Step 3. Use an external card reader to connect it to your machine.
Step 4. Once connected to the computer, Windows (I haven't tried with other OS) will suggest you to format the disk. DO NOT FORMAT THE DISK WITH WINDOWS.
(The reason Windows wants to format it is because it can only see the first physical partition on SD cards and USB keys. Since that is an "empty" space on the SD card followed by an Ext4 partition - which is not recognized by Windows - it thinks you need to format it first. Well, don't believe everything you are told... )
Step 5. Use a partitioning tool to look at the microSD card. Under Windows I suggest this one: MinitTool Partition Wizard
Step 6. Find your SD card in the partitioning tool. I can't stress how important this is, because you don't want to format your own hard drives.

One of the disks should look like this: some MB of unallocated space, two Ext4 partitions and a FAT32 partition at the end of the disk. The FAT32 partition is named "KOBOeReader"
Note: this is the partition layout for a Kobo Touch, but I would guess it's likely they use the same layout for all of their devices.
Step 7. Select the Fat32 partition named "KOBOeReader". Once again make sure that you selected the FAT32 partition on the SD card, and not a partition on one of your hard drives!
Step 7.1 (optional). Since formatting that partition will make you lose all data on it, you may want to save your eBooks and/or statistics. You can use the Browse command of MiniTool Partition Wizard to browse your Kobo eReader and save data off from it.
Note: all the books you bought via the Kobo shop will be available anyway, since that information is stored at Kobo. So even if you don't save the contents of the partition, when you synch your device with the Kobo server, you'll get all your ebooks back, that you bought from Kobo.
Step 8. Format this and only this partition to FAT32 file system with default allocation/cluster/sector size. In MiniTool Partition Wizard you have to hit Apply for the changes to take effect.
Step 9. Almost there... Safely remove the microSD card from your computer. You'll have to exit your partitioning SW first. Put it back into your Kobo eReader and clip back the backlid. Make sure it clips all the way around the housing.
Step 10. Boot up your Kobo. Since it stored some version info data on the partition you just formatted, it will automatically do an update, in order to make sure it has a clean start.
Step 11. You are done! Synch your device with the Kobo servers, and get back all the books you purchased. From now on, when you connect your device to your computer, it will not ask you to format it. Instead it will pop up as a new drive with all your favorite books on it, just as it should have in the first place!

Final note: if you followed these steps rigorously, the worst thing that can happen is that you lose the books and statistics on your device. Since we did not touch any of the Ext4 partitions (or the unallocated space), the OS of the Kobo eReader is not affected.

03-08-2014, 03:56 AM	#10
sir_pal Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Kobo Touch	Hi, I guess your issues are resolved by now, so I'm just posting this in case someone else runs into this same problem, like I did yesterday. As I faced the same problem and could not find any solutions to it on the forums, I contacted Kobo Customer Service, where - after a half an hour "troubleshooting" I was told to return the device. *If your warranty period has not expired, this is definitely what you should do! I.e. return the device and it will get replaced* However, if your warranty period is over, there are things you can do. IMPORTANT!!! 1. The method described below will most likely make you lose any warranty! If your warranty period has not expired, return your device and get a replacement! 2. I tried it with Kobo Touch, but it may apply to any Kobo devices. No guarantees, though... 3. This is again at your own risk, I assume no responsibility in case you brick your device. However, if you follow this guide, you won't. The root cause of the problem is Kobo sometimes messing up the FAT32 partition on its internal storage. I have a short version of the solution for "experts" and a step-by-step version. Short version The internal storage is a simple microSD card. Connect it to your computer with an external card reader, and reformat the FAT32 (but only that!) partition on the SD card. And voilá, you have a working device. Step-by-step guide Step 0. Power off the device! Step 1. Open the device. For Kobo Touch the backside plastic lid was just snapped/clipped into its place, no screws, no other mounting. So take a thin knife, gently slide it into the crack between the backlid and the plastic body, and click it out (move the backlid upwards). You may have to use a little force (but not brute force!) Step 2. Now you see the internal circuit board of the device. Look for a microSD card in a small slot. Once you found it, take it out of the slot. Step 3. Use an external card reader to connect it to your machine. Step 4. Once connected to the computer, Windows (I haven't tried with other OS) will suggest you to format the disk. DO NOT FORMAT THE DISK WITH WINDOWS. (The reason Windows wants to format it is because it can only see the first physical partition on SD cards and USB keys. Since that is an "empty" space on the SD card followed by an Ext4 partition - which is not recognized by Windows - it thinks you need to format it first. Well, don't believe everything you are told... ) Step 5. Use a partitioning tool to look at the microSD card. Under Windows I suggest this one: MinitTool Partition Wizard Step 6. Find your SD card in the partitioning tool. I can't stress how important this is, because you don't want to format your own hard drives. One of the disks should look like this: some MB of unallocated space, two Ext4 partitions and a FAT32 partition at the end of the disk. The FAT32 partition is named "KOBOeReader" Note: this is the partition layout for a Kobo Touch, but I would guess it's likely they use the same layout for all of their devices. Step 7. Select the Fat32 partition named "KOBOeReader". Once again make sure that you selected the FAT32 partition on the SD card, and *not* a partition on one of your hard drives! Step 7.1 (optional). Since formatting that partition will make you lose all data on it, you may want to save your eBooks and/or statistics. You can use the Browse command of MiniTool Partition Wizard to browse your Kobo eReader and save data off from it. Note: all the books you bought via the Kobo shop will be available anyway, since that information is stored at Kobo. So even if you don't save the contents of the partition, when you synch your device with the Kobo server, you'll get all your ebooks back, that you bought from Kobo. Step 8. Format *this and only this* partition to FAT32 file system with default allocation/cluster/sector size. In MiniTool Partition Wizard you have to hit Apply for the changes to take effect. Step 9. Almost there... Safely remove the microSD card from your computer. You'll have to exit your partitioning SW first. Put it back into your Kobo eReader and clip back the backlid. Make sure it clips all the way around the housing. Step 10. Boot up your Kobo. Since it stored some version info data on the partition you just formatted, it will automatically do an update, in order to make sure it has a clean start. Step 11. You are done! Synch your device with the Kobo servers, and get back all the books you purchased. From now on, when you connect your device to your computer, it will not ask you to format it. Instead it will pop up as a new drive with all your favorite books on it, just as it should have in the first place! Final note: if you followed these steps rigorously, the worst thing that can happen is that you lose the books and statistics on your device. Since we did not touch any of the Ext4 partitions (or the unallocated space), the OS of the Kobo eReader is not affected.