Kobo Aura One = Horror Show

Sir Loyne · 12-05-2016, 04:28 AM

So I did a factory reset because I was unable to use the OverDrive option (see my other thread) to see if that would clear things up. I got the reader all set up and am now able to access OverDrive. When I first got the reader I was able to as well, and borrowed a book first thing, even before I put any of my own books on it. So now that it's all set up again, on the Home screen it's saying that the book I borrowed is in the cloud and ready for download. No big deal, it's an expired library book so I say to remove it from my Kobo account and I add a new book with Calibre (latest version on a Win 7 computer). (If all of this is beginning to sound familiar, it's because it sounds a lot like this thread) Needless to say, my new book doesn't show up even though it went through the motions of updating the device. I power the Kobo completely off and turn it back on. Not only is the new book still not there, but it's saying to download the book I just deleted from my Kobo account again. No other reader has given me this kind of trouble, or ANY trouble for that matter. My Glo HD works like a charm. My Paperwhite? Flawless. My old Nook Touch? Even better. This Aura One is nothing but a nightmare. It might be great to read on, once you crack the code on how to actually use it, but seriously, this sort of thing should never happen.

Update 1: I have the Kobo Touch Extended plugin installed so Calibre is supposed to convert my epubs to kepubs before transferring, but I noticed that it didn't with the first book I put on. I plugged the reader into my XP computer and added a book using Digital Editions 3 and after unplugging the Kobo it did the updating thing and now both books show up. I plugged it back into the Win 7 computer and added another book. Can you guess? That's right... it said it was updating but the book ain't there. I will never, and I mean NEVER get another Kobo product again.

Update 2: I plugged the reader into my XP computer, went to the root directory and manually deleted all 3 book that were on it. I unplugged the reader, it updated and now all 3 books which I just deleted are showing up. It's hard for me to imagine a worse product.

Update 3: So it seems the trick is to add a book to your reader using Calibre and Win 7, then add another book using Digital Editions and XP, then add another book using Calibre and Win 7, then plug it into XP and manually delete the books, then using Calibre and Win 7 delete the books again and then using Calibre and Win 7 add another book. Don't forget that's ejecting the reader after every step, and throw in a few power on and offs in there for good measure. Unbelievable. Well the good news is that OverDrive works again, the nightmare to find something that it is.

Update 4: Everything seemed to be back to normal, so in a fit of optimism I tried adding 3 more books. It seemed to work. I ejected the reader. It updated. There was NO tile for new books added on the Home screen. I went into my library and only 1 of the 3 was there, sans cover. I powered off and on, yet again, and afterwards all 3 books were missing. I plugged it in and opened Calibre and none of them were on my device. I added 1 of the original 3. Ejected. It updated. All 3 book are back with covers. I'm not sure you can fully imagine the things I would like to do to the people who made the Kobo software.

Update 5: Apparently It seems to be working now. I can add several book at once and even more amazingly... read them. This is easily the best example of great hardware absolutely crippled by horrible software I think I've ever seen. What an awesome way to spend 2 hours of ones life.

Desdinova · 12-05-2016, 05:15 AM

Did you install the Kobo Utilities plugin and try rebuilding the database?

meeera · 12-05-2016, 06:12 AM

What Desdinova said - either play with the datase, or if you have nothing to lose (annotations etc etc), do a factory reset.

Also, the Kobo Touch plugin doesn't put kepubs on the reader; the Kobo Touch Extended plugin does, when correctly configured.

Lastly, you're probably more likely to get patient help here if you ask for it without making us wade through piles of invective. I get that people get cranky when their tech doesn't work as expected. But no one here is responsible for that; we're purely volunteers helping each other out.

Sir Loyne · 12-05-2016, 06:25 AM

As I had said from the start, this WAS just after a factory reset.

If you do a search for a Kobo Touch plugin you will find that there's no such thing, that there's only the Kobo Touch Extended plugin. I was just saving time by shortening the name. That one's on me. For reference... I added the word "Extended" to the original post

I wasn't blaming anyone here. How did you get that? And I wasn't really asking for help. It was more of an updated report of what it took to actually get a book on the reader.

davidfor · 12-05-2016, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Loyne

As I had said from the start, this WAS just after a factory reset.

If you do a search for a Kobo Touch plugin you will find that there's no such thing, that there's only the Kobo Touch Extended plugin. I was just saving time by shortening the name. That one is on me. For reference... I added the word "Extended" to the original post

Yes, there is a Kobo Touch plugin. But, it is not a user installed plugin, it is part of the calibre installation. And it is usually referred to as a driver. If you hadn't installed the extended driver, this would have been used. Of course, the extended driver subclasses the KoboTouch driver and most of the function comes from it.
[/QUOTE]
I wasn't blaming anyone here. How did you get that? And I wasn't really asking for help. It was more of an updated report of what it took to actually get a book on the reader.[/QUOTE]

From your description the database is corrupt. The problem is why. If it is only happening when the Windows 7 machine, then there is something wrong with it. What, I have no idea. If it is happening with more than one PC, then it is more likely the device. If it happened immediately after the factory reset, it might be faulty internal memory. You could try the factory reset again and see what happens. Or the less drastic act of signing out of the Kobo account. That removes the database and you get a new one when you sign in again. If it corrupts quickly, it's probably a hardware fault and you should exchange it.

booklover6 · 12-06-2016, 06:42 AM

I don't recommend going from Calibre on XP to Calibre on Win7 or vice versa. Doing so corrupted the data base on a Kobo of mine (I think it was a Glo). Now I only plug in to my Win7 desktop.

JSWolf · 12-06-2016, 07:03 AM

The problem is that Calibre on XP is old and any fixes/improvements/changes due to newer Kobo software aren't there and you could be causing the database corruptions by using Calibre on XP with a new device. Stick with the latest Calibre under Win 7 (or later).

chrisridd · 12-08-2016, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem is that Calibre on XP is old and any fixes/improvements/changes due to newer Kobo software aren't there and you could be causing the database corruptions by using Calibre on XP with a new device. Stick with the latest Calibre under Win 7 (or later).

Didn't Kobo switch sqlite versions (*) for the 4.x firmware? That could be one reason why old versions of Calibre/the plugin can't talk to it correctly, while newer versions can.

(*) it now uses write-ahead logging, IIRC.

JSWolf · 12-08-2016, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Didn't Kobo switch sqlite versions (*) for the 4.x firmware? That could be one reason why old versions of Calibre/the plugin can't talk to it correctly, while newer versions can.

(*) it now uses write-ahead logging, IIRC.

Yes, that would be a very good reason why things are not working for the OP.

JSWolf · 12-08-2016, 12:37 PM

The problem with XP is that it's stuck on an old version of Calibre and any changes/bug fixes since then won't be there. So don't use XP for a Kobo Reader using any version 4.x or better firmware.

davidfor · 12-08-2016, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Didn't Kobo switch sqlite versions (*) for the 4.x firmware? That could be one reason why old versions of Calibre/the plugin can't talk to it correctly, while newer versions can.

(*) it now uses write-ahead logging, IIRC.

I don't think Kobo changed SQLite version, just turned on the write-ahead logging. The problem for calibre is that the Python library the driver was using used an older SQlite library under Windows that didn't support this. I had to change to a different Python library to get the support. Back-porting this as a user plugin for calibre 1.48 to run on an WinXP machine is more work than I am interested in doing.

JSWolf · 12-08-2016, 06:32 PM

So the answer is simple. Don't use Calibre with XP because it doesn't work with firmware 4.1.x and later. Use a version of Windows that supports the latest Calibre so it will work.

ratinox · 12-08-2016, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So the answer is simple. Don't use Calibre with XP because it doesn't work with firmware 4.1.x and later. Use a version of Windows that supports the latest Calibre so it will work.

I would add the strong recommendation not to use Windows XP at all.

Sir Loyne · 12-10-2016, 07:06 AM

Thanks for everone's responses, but I should point out that I know that the Aura One requires a version of Calibre that doesn't work with XP. The problem began using the latest Calibre on a Win 7 computer. I mentioned that.

Also, I use XP because I still require a computer that's useful. If nothing else, the windows explorer on everything after XP is worthless. Being able to have some folders use icons and others use thumbnails is important to me. I have hundred of folders. Grouping them in gigantic chunks like A-H is not only worthless, but it's an insult to every intelligent person. I guess there's always the option of having a mile long single file list and scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll. No thanks. And don't even get me started on Win 7, 8, 8.1 and 10's ability to only remember the size and location of 1 folder, that is, the last one open. I frequently have multiple folders open at once. I don't find having to constantly open, move and resize folders very productive. Am I a Luddite? Maybe, because I still think computers are tools, not toys. When the day comes that bright colors and round corners are more important to me, I'll gladly switch.

booklover6 · 12-10-2016, 02:49 PM

Yes win 7 file manager is terrible. I use an app called Q-Dir instead.

12-05-2016, 04:28 AM	#1
Sir Loyne Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 5392 Join Date: Oct 2016 Device: Kobo Aura One	Kobo Aura One = Horror Show So I did a factory reset because I was unable to use the OverDrive option (see my other thread) to see if that would clear things up. I got the reader all set up and am now able to access OverDrive. When I first got the reader I was able to as well, and borrowed a book first thing, even before I put any of my own books on it. So now that it's all set up again, on the Home screen it's saying that the book I borrowed is in the cloud and ready for download. No big deal, it's an expired library book so I say to remove it from my Kobo account and I add a new book with Calibre (latest version on a Win 7 computer). (If all of this is beginning to sound familiar, it's because it sounds a lot like this thread) Needless to say, my new book doesn't show up even though it went through the motions of updating the device. I power the Kobo completely off and turn it back on. Not only is the new book *still* not there, but it's saying to download the book I just deleted from my Kobo account again. No other reader has given me this kind of trouble, or ANY trouble for that matter. My Glo HD works like a charm. My Paperwhite? Flawless. My old Nook Touch? Even better. This Aura One is nothing but a nightmare. It might be great to read on, once you crack the code on how to actually use it, but seriously, this sort of thing should never happen. Update 1: I have the Kobo Touch Extended plugin installed so Calibre is supposed to convert my epubs to kepubs before transferring, but I noticed that it didn't with the first book I put on. I plugged the reader into my XP computer and added a book using Digital Editions 3 and after unplugging the Kobo it did the updating thing and now both books show up. I plugged it back into the Win 7 computer and added another book. Can you guess? That's right... it said it was updating but the book ain't there. I will never, and I mean NEVER get another Kobo product again. Update 2: I plugged the reader into my XP computer, went to the root directory and manually deleted all 3 book that were on it. I unplugged the reader, it updated and now all 3 books which I just deleted are showing up. It's hard for me to imagine a worse product. Update 3: So it seems the trick is to add a book to your reader using Calibre and Win 7, then add another book using Digital Editions and XP, then add another book using Calibre and Win 7, then plug it into XP and manually delete the books, then using Calibre and Win 7 delete the books again and then using Calibre and Win 7 add another book. Don't forget that's ejecting the reader after every step, and throw in a few power on and offs in there for good measure. Unbelievable. Well the good news is that OverDrive works again, the nightmare to find something that it is. Update 4: Everything seemed to be back to normal, so in a fit of optimism I tried adding 3 more books. It seemed to work. I ejected the reader. It updated. There was NO tile for new books added on the Home screen. I went into my library and only 1 of the 3 was there, sans cover. I powered off and on, yet again, and afterwards all 3 books were missing. I plugged it in and opened Calibre and none of them were on my device. I added 1 of the original 3. Ejected. It updated. All 3 book are back with covers. I'm not sure you can fully imagine the things I would like to do to the people who made the Kobo software. Update 5: Apparently It seems to be working now. I can add several book at once and even more amazingly... read them. This is easily the best example of great hardware absolutely crippled by horrible software I think I've ever seen. What an awesome way to spend 2 hours of ones life. Last edited by Sir Loyne; 12-05-2016 at 07:10 AM.

12-05-2016, 06:25 AM	#4
Sir Loyne Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 5392 Join Date: Oct 2016 Device: Kobo Aura One	As I had said from the start, this WAS just after a factory reset. If you do a search for a Kobo Touch plugin you will find that there's no such thing, that there's only the Kobo Touch Extended plugin. I was just saving time by shortening the name. That one's on me. For reference... I added the word "Extended" to the original post I wasn't blaming anyone here. How did you get that? And I wasn't really asking for help. It was more of an updated report of what it took to actually get a book on the reader. Last edited by Sir Loyne; 12-05-2016 at 07:11 AM.

12-10-2016, 07:06 AM	#14
Sir Loyne Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 5392 Join Date: Oct 2016 Device: Kobo Aura One	Thanks for everone's responses, but I should point out that I know that the Aura One requires a version of Calibre that doesn't work with XP. The problem began using the latest Calibre on a Win 7 computer. I mentioned that. Also, I use XP because I still require a computer that's useful. If nothing else, the windows explorer on everything after XP is worthless. Being able to have some folders use icons and others use thumbnails is important to me. I have hundred of folders. Grouping them in gigantic chunks like A-H is not only worthless, but it's an insult to every intelligent person. I guess there's always the option of having a mile long single file list and scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll. No thanks. And don't even get me started on Win 7, 8, 8.1 and 10's ability to only remember the size and location of 1 folder, that is, the last one open. I frequently have multiple folders open at once. I don't find having to constantly open, move and resize folders very productive. Am I a Luddite? Maybe, because I still think computers are tools, not toys. When the day comes that bright colors and round corners are more important to me, I'll gladly switch. Last edited by Sir Loyne; 12-10-2016 at 07:47 AM.

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12-05-2016, 05:15 AM	#2
Desdinova Eternal light Posts: 263 Karma: 1088802 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: South Wales Device: Kobo Glo, Aura, Touch, H2O - now Aura One and Kindle Oasis 3	Did you install the Kobo Utilities plugin and try rebuilding the database?

12-05-2016, 06:12 AM	#3
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,665 Karma: 66420972 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	What Desdinova said - either play with the datase, or if you have nothing to lose (annotations etc etc), do a factory reset. Also, the Kobo Touch plugin doesn't put kepubs on the reader; the Kobo Touch Extended plugin does, when correctly configured. Lastly, you're probably more likely to get patient help here if you ask for it without making us wade through piles of invective. I get that people get cranky when their tech doesn't work as expected. But no one here is responsible for that; we're purely volunteers helping each other out.

12-06-2016, 06:42 AM	#6
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,535 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	I don't recommend going from Calibre on XP to Calibre on Win7 or vice versa. Doing so corrupted the data base on a Kobo of mine (I think it was a Glo). Now I only plug in to my Win7 desktop.

12-06-2016, 07:03 AM	#7
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,478 Karma: 129668758 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The problem is that Calibre on XP is old and any fixes/improvements/changes due to newer Kobo software aren't there and you could be causing the database corruptions by using Calibre on XP with a new device. Stick with the latest Calibre under Win 7 (or later).

12-08-2016, 12:37 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,478 Karma: 129668758 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The problem with XP is that it's stuck on an old version of Calibre and any changes/bug fixes since then won't be there. So don't use XP for a Kobo Reader using any version 4.x or better firmware.

12-08-2016, 06:32 PM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,478 Karma: 129668758 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	So the answer is simple. Don't use Calibre with XP because it doesn't work with firmware 4.1.x and later. Use a version of Windows that supports the latest Calibre so it will work.

12-10-2016, 02:49 PM	#15
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,535 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	Yes win 7 file manager is terrible. I use an app called Q-Dir instead.

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