Old Kindle not compatible with new Mac?

burt kocain · 01-10-2017, 07:48 PM

Hello everyone - Happy New Year!

I recently changed my old Mac Mini for an iMac, running Sierra. I have two old Kindles - I think 4, the version with the real buttons, but no keyboard - not Paperwhite - that have given me perfect service over years of extreme conditions (temperatures up to 40 indoors where I live).

When I switch on and plug in (USB) the older of the Kindles (black), everything happens as it should and after a few seconds it shows up as a hard drive on my desktop and I can manage the content. Hoorah.

The newer Kindle (grey) apparently goes through the same internal process (with the right message appearing on the screen) but does not show up on the desktop, and isn't listed under "devices". So I can't manage content (or even eject it correctly).

I use the same cable, a new one, for each Kindle. I've tried different cables, different USB ports, wearing a different shirt ...

Neither Kindle is registered to Amazon (I'm a paranoid opter-out), where I don't have an account. So please don't suggest anything that involves putting my head over the parapet.

Any ideas of how I can get the device recognised by the machine? As one Kindle seems to work fine, I don't want to do anything that might compromise that precious relationship.

That's my main question, but here's another: when I open up the Kindle the iMac will recognise and peer into the files, there are many duplicates listed (sometimes up to six) of each book. But when I look into the Kindle, after disconnecting, these duplicates aren't listed. Do I need worry about this? Are the duplicates really in there taking up space?

If you can help, ore even show an interest, I'll be grateful. Thank you.

AnemicOak · 01-10-2017, 11:07 PM

No idea why one Kindle would work fine, but not the other if they've worked fine recently on another computer. Do you still have the older machine (or access to some other computer) to verify that both work somewhere else? Are both Kindle's running the same firmware version?

FYI the black model is newer (released Sept 2012) than the Silver/Gray model (released Sept 2011).

What are the file extensions for the duplicate files? You'll often get a book file and then files with the same name, but different extension, such as .mbp and .apnx. These are files the Kindle uses internally for things like bookmarks, notes, page numbers, etc.

burt kocain · 01-11-2017, 01:34 AM

I didn't know the black was newer. They both still work fine on the Mac Mini. The duplicate file extensions are all .mobi - it looks exactly like there are multiple copies of the .mobi file in there, that aren't visible on the Kindle itself.

I know nothing about firmware, unfortunately. Thank you for your reply!

burt kocain · 01-11-2017, 01:57 AM

Looking for "firmware" on the devices, I noticed that the "aeroplane mode" was turned on for the silver, off for the black ("turn on" visible). This was the only difference I could see in the settings. So I turned aeroplane mode off (on the silver), plugged it into the iMac - and whaddya know? It shows up on the desktop (and no baffling multiple files inside this one).

So I seemed to have solved it by accident, with your help - although there's no logic to it. But it has worked - I can connect and disconnect correctly, manage the content, and there was no way I could do that before. Bizarre!

01-10-2017, 07:48 PM	#1
burt kocain Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2015 Device: kindle	Old Kindle not compatible with new Mac? Hello everyone - Happy New Year! I recently changed my old Mac Mini for an iMac, running Sierra. I have two old Kindles - I think 4, the version with the real buttons, but no keyboard - not Paperwhite - that have given me perfect service over years of extreme conditions (temperatures up to 40 indoors where I live). When I switch on and plug in (USB) the older of the Kindles (black), everything happens as it should and after a few seconds it shows up as a hard drive on my desktop and I can manage the content. Hoorah. The newer Kindle (grey) apparently goes through the same internal process (with the right message appearing on the screen) but does not show up on the desktop, and isn't listed under "devices". So I can't manage content (or even eject it correctly). I use the same cable, a new one, for each Kindle. I've tried different cables, different USB ports, wearing a different shirt ... Neither Kindle is registered to Amazon (I'm a paranoid opter-out), where I don't have an account. So please don't suggest anything that involves putting my head over the parapet. Any ideas of how I can get the device recognised by the machine? As one Kindle seems to work fine, I don't want to do anything that might compromise that precious relationship. That's my main question, but here's another: when I open up the Kindle the iMac will recognise and peer into the files, there are many duplicates listed (sometimes up to six) of each book. But when I look into the Kindle, after disconnecting, these duplicates aren't listed. Do I need worry about this? Are the duplicates really in there taking up space? If you can help, ore even show an interest, I'll be grateful. Thank you.

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01-10-2017, 11:07 PM	#2
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	No idea why one Kindle would work fine, but not the other if they've worked fine recently on another computer. Do you still have the older machine (or access to some other computer) to verify that both work somewhere else? Are both Kindle's running the same firmware version? FYI the black model is newer (released Sept 2012) than the Silver/Gray model (released Sept 2011). What are the file extensions for the duplicate files? You'll often get a book file and then files with the same name, but different extension, such as .mbp and .apnx. These are files the Kindle uses internally for things like bookmarks, notes, page numbers, etc.

01-11-2017, 01:34 AM	#3
burt kocain Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2015 Device: kindle	I didn't know the black was newer. They both still work fine on the Mac Mini. The duplicate file extensions are all .mobi - it looks exactly like there are multiple copies of the .mobi file in there, that aren't visible on the Kindle itself. I know nothing about firmware, unfortunately. Thank you for your reply!

01-11-2017, 01:57 AM	#4
burt kocain Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2015 Device: kindle	Looking for "firmware" on the devices, I noticed that the "aeroplane mode" was turned on for the silver, off for the black ("turn on" visible). This was the only difference I could see in the settings. So I turned aeroplane mode off (on the silver), plugged it into the iMac - and whaddya know? It shows up on the desktop (and no baffling multiple files inside this one). So I seemed to have solved it by accident, with your help - although there's no logic to it. But it has worked - I can connect and disconnect correctly, manage the content, and there was no way I could do that before. Bizarre!

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