book unfindable on ereader

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 10:24 AM

Okay, so I bought a new book and wanted to download it by syncing and had to upgrade to the new 4.3.8945 firmware. So fine. I suddenly have the moronic new home screen now, but I'm not even going to complain about that.

I bought the book from a Dutch shop, bol.com, the account of which you can link to the Kobo account so the book is supposed to download automatically via syncing.

Okay, so this doesn't exactly seem to work. Still not complaining. I downloaded the epub from Bol.com, added it to Calibre, which thankfully still seems to have some drm-removal plugins installed, and I sideloaded it via Calibre.

Fine, I thought.
So I go to that idiotic home screen, and I see the cover of the recently downloaded book there in the big "my books" tile. I tap on that and I get my list of books: it's not there.
I go to the search and tap the author's name: nothing.
I sort the list of all my books alphabetically and scroll and scroll and scroll till I'm there: it's not there!

How is that possible? The cover is visible in the "my books" tile, and that's *all* I ever get to see of this book.

How? Why? What's happening?

Please don't tell me I have to patch anything. (And have to go through that process every bloody time Kobo decides to come out with a FW update.) I only want to read a book!!
It's getting so I'm considering switching back to paper copies only.

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 10:35 AM

Update: I deleted the book from the device and tried to copy it in the Windows explorer (i.e. bypassing Calibre). That has the exact same result:it shows up in the my books tile, but not in the list. There's no way to find or open this book on the device.

What is this weird stuff?

patrik · 03-25-2017, 11:00 AM

When you open the book (from inside of) in Calibre, is everything ok with it then?

If you connect your Kobo to your computer, can you see the epub/kepub on the disk? If so, and it's an epub, can you open it with calibre-viewer (or whatever you have available)?

(Just want to make sure the book itself is functional.)

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 12:05 PM

Yes, the book is fine. I suppose it's just a database problem. (I'm disregarding the fact that the book won't be downloaded, )
I skipped a step in my description, where I initially uploaded Calibre with a Calibre version that didn't yet know this Kobo FW version. The error message on the Calibre said it was okay to upload books to the device, you just couldn't edit the database &c. Guess it wasn't as simple as that.

I recall I've had this before -- wasn't there an option to repair the database in Calibre?

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 12:18 PM

I tried once more. After unlinking from my computer, the device had two copies of the book on it (according to Windows Explorer) the epub I'd sideloaded manually, and the kepub I'd tried to sideload once more with Calibre.
On starting, the device initially displayed these books both as the topmost in the My Books section, but after a few seconds they both disappeared! How strange.

Actually, the same happens with another public domain epub I've tried sideloading manually. But at least this can still be found with the search function.

patrik · 03-25-2017, 12:21 PM

Have you checked your database? (Calibre, KoboUlitilies, database, check...)

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 12:28 PM

Yes, just now, it says database disk image is malformed.

But as I seem to recall there was a way to remedy that without having to reload all books. Just can't find that in the menu.

patrik · 03-25-2017, 12:30 PM

Yes, logout and in (you need to setup again) will rebuild the database, but all books will still be there.

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 01:29 PM

But also all reading progress, it seems. I thought there was an even cleaner way to rebuild the database.

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 01:35 PM

Wasn't it just deleting a file on the device?

patrik · 03-25-2017, 01:45 PM

There is the repair option (Settings->Device information->Repair your Kobo account), but I'm not sure exactly what that does.

But it's probably something to test before the sign out/in if you care about your reading process stats.

PeterT · 03-25-2017, 02:00 PM

I believe the repair your kobo account is more for content purchased from Kobo and downloaded via WiFi than for sideloaded content.

PeterT · 03-25-2017, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franklekens

Wasn't it just deleting a file on the device?

Sure... It's deleting the file that is the Kobo database, but that is also where the reading stats are stored.

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 02:15 PM

Okay, thanks for bearing with me. As expected, repair did nothing for me; signing out and back in did. Was less of a bother than I anticipated.

But get this: I now have the old home screen back! With the smaller tiles, not the one with just four recently read books at the top and below that only "my books" and "recommended" -- a recommended that you can't dismiss, moreover.
So I have that old home screen back, but according to the device info I DO still have FW 4.3.8945.
Isn't that weird?

Or is there an option somewhere where you can revert to that old interface?

franklekens · 03-25-2017, 02:31 PM

Well, it's weird. The icons are the old icons. And there's also a new feature missing: the device's automatically switching the light off if there's a lot of daylight.

In addition, signing in and out proves to be a pain because it turns out almost all of the books that I had loaded via syncing are *no* longer on the device. Only 5 titles of about 100 or 200 (don't know exactly how many) were present.
I'll have to download them all manually again -- which I'm not going to do (wouldn't even know how to find them manually in the long list).
And this might prove to be a huge pain if, for instance, I decide I want to read one of my books when I'm in any place where I don't have easily accessible wifi. Since it's not on the device.
So it seems to be an older version of the FW after all. But it does still give that serial number.

Guess I'll have to give the "download all" command (which will also download a few I no longer need on there). Sigh.

03-25-2017, 10:24 AM	#1
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	book unfindable on ereader Okay, so I bought a new book and wanted to download it by syncing and had to upgrade to the new 4.3.8945 firmware. So fine. I suddenly have the moronic new home screen now, but I'm not even going to complain about that. I bought the book from a Dutch shop, bol.com, the account of which you can link to the Kobo account so the book is supposed to download automatically via syncing. Okay, so this doesn't exactly seem to work. Still not complaining. I downloaded the epub from Bol.com, added it to Calibre, which thankfully still seems to have some drm-removal plugins installed, and I sideloaded it via Calibre. Fine, I thought. So I go to that idiotic home screen, and I see the cover of the recently downloaded book there in the big "my books" tile. I tap on that and I get my list of books: it's not there. I go to the search and tap the author's name: nothing. I sort the list of all my books alphabetically and scroll and scroll and scroll till I'm there: it's not there! How is that possible? The cover is visible in the "my books" tile, and that's all I ever get to see of this book. How? Why? What's happening? Please don't tell me I have to patch anything. (And have to go through that process every bloody time Kobo decides to come out with a FW update.) I only want to read a book!! It's getting so I'm considering switching back to paper copies only.

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03-25-2017, 10:35 AM	#2
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	Update: I deleted the book from the device and tried to copy it in the Windows explorer (i.e. bypassing Calibre). That has the exact same result:it shows up in the my books tile, but not in the list. There's no way to find or open this book on the device. What is this weird stuff?

03-25-2017, 11:00 AM	#3
patrik Guru Posts: 682 Karma: 4568205 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Forma	When you open the book (from inside of) in Calibre, is everything ok with it then? If you connect your Kobo to your computer, can you see the epub/kepub on the disk? If so, and it's an epub, can you open it with calibre-viewer (or whatever you have available)? (Just want to make sure the book itself is functional.)

03-25-2017, 12:05 PM	#4
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	Yes, the book is fine. I suppose it's just a database problem. (I'm disregarding the fact that the book won't be downloaded, ) I skipped a step in my description, where I initially uploaded Calibre with a Calibre version that didn't yet know this Kobo FW version. The error message on the Calibre said it was okay to upload books to the device, you just couldn't edit the database &c. Guess it wasn't as simple as that. I recall I've had this before -- wasn't there an option to repair the database in Calibre?

03-25-2017, 12:18 PM	#5
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	I tried once more. After unlinking from my computer, the device had two copies of the book on it (according to Windows Explorer) the epub I'd sideloaded manually, and the kepub I'd tried to sideload once more with Calibre. On starting, the device initially displayed these books both as the topmost in the My Books section, but after a few seconds they both disappeared! How strange. Actually, the same happens with another public domain epub I've tried sideloading manually. But at least this can still be found with the search function.

03-25-2017, 12:21 PM	#6
patrik Guru Posts: 682 Karma: 4568205 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Forma	Have you checked your database? (Calibre, KoboUlitilies, database, check...)

03-25-2017, 12:28 PM	#7
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	Yes, just now, it says database disk image is malformed. But as I seem to recall there was a way to remedy that without having to reload all books. Just can't find that in the menu.

03-25-2017, 12:30 PM	#8
patrik Guru Posts: 682 Karma: 4568205 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Forma	Yes, logout and in (you need to setup again) will rebuild the database, but all books will still be there.

03-25-2017, 01:29 PM	#9
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	But also all reading progress, it seems. I thought there was an even cleaner way to rebuild the database.

03-25-2017, 01:35 PM	#10
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	Wasn't it just deleting a file on the device?

03-25-2017, 01:45 PM	#11
patrik Guru Posts: 682 Karma: 4568205 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Forma	There is the repair option (Settings->Device information->Repair your Kobo account), but I'm not sure exactly what that does. But it's probably something to test before the sign out/in if you care about your reading process stats.

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03-25-2017, 02:00 PM	#12
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,410 Karma: 78880114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	I believe the repair your kobo account is more for content purchased from Kobo and downloaded via WiFi than for sideloaded content.

03-25-2017, 02:15 PM	#14
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	Okay, thanks for bearing with me. As expected, repair did nothing for me; signing out and back in did. Was less of a bother than I anticipated. But get this: I now have the old home screen back! With the smaller tiles, not the one with just four recently read books at the top and below that only "my books" and "recommended" -- a recommended that you can't dismiss, moreover. So I have that old home screen back, but according to the device info I DO still have FW 4.3.8945. Isn't that weird? Or is there an option somewhere where you can revert to that old interface?

03-25-2017, 02:31 PM	#15
franklekens Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 3421956 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: various Kobo's, Onyx Note2, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Keyboard	Well, it's weird. The icons are the old icons. And there's also a new feature missing: the device's automatically switching the light off if there's a lot of daylight. In addition, signing in and out proves to be a pain because it turns out almost all of the books that I had loaded via syncing are no longer on the device. Only 5 titles of about 100 or 200 (don't know exactly how many) were present. I'll have to download them all manually again -- which I'm not going to do (wouldn't even know how to find them manually in the long list). And this might prove to be a huge pain if, for instance, I decide I want to read one of my books when I'm in any place where I don't have easily accessible wifi. Since it's not on the device. So it seems to be an older version of the FW after all. But it does still give that serial number. Guess I'll have to give the "download all" command (which will also download a few I no longer need on there). Sigh.