Touch Device can't be set up after factory reset

forelock · 04-08-2021, 01:50 AM

Hello there.

I need some help with setting up my Kobo Touch which I own from around 2012-2013.
So far it has worked flawlessly however yesterday the screen froze and the device was unresponsive. I did the factory reset.

Now I am trying to set it up but neither of the two options - wireless or computer setup is working.
- Wireless setup - gives me Network error - both with my router wifi network and with smartphone hotspot network
- Computer setup - when I connect the device to my PC(Windows 10) it isn't recognized as a connected device. Also when I initiate setup from Kobo Desktop it stuck on the step with connecting the device.
I tried it on my two PCs and with two different USB cables - the behaviour is the same

I don't remember to have performed software upgrade of my Kobo in the last year, but I certainly have done that in the last 3 years.

What else can I do to make it work?
I have technical experience so I could be able to perform some "hacky" tricks if needed.

It will be unfortunate if I will have to discard my Kobo Touch only because of software compatibility issues or something like that. Because otherwise it is not broken.

Thank you in advance.

davidfor · 04-08-2021, 04:10 AM

The WiFi issue is due to the age of the firmware. It is using older security protocols that Kobo no longer supports. This support was withdraw about two years ago. To do the setup, you need to connect to the PC and either use the Kobo desktop application or manually install a newer firmware version. I recommend at least 3.19.x if you do the latter.

But, of course, that means the device has to connect to the PC.

Kobo devices don't automatically connect to a PC when plugged in. You need to tell it to. For a Touch after a factory reset, after turning it on, there should be a prompt to use either WiFi or the PC to do the setup. (There might be a couple earlier prompts to chose a language or set the time. I can't remember the exact order of the prompts.) Once you select the PC setup, it should go into a mode where it will connect to the PC when it is plugged in.

Is Windows showing anything at all? I assume it is not being mounted, but, does it appear in the USB devices at all? Some problems can be fixed using USBDeview to remove any instances of Kobo devices that it shows. You might need a reboot after that.

Does the device do anything when you plug it in? The screen should change if it recognises the PC and the power LED should come on.

I don't feel like I've been much help. I've had very good luck with my devices and any failures like this are obvious.

forelock · 04-08-2021, 09:53 AM

Indeed when I turn the device on the setup is initiated and when I choose computer setup a screen appears "keep your reader plugged in and download Kobo Desktop"
When I connect the device to the PC nothing happens - Kobo desktop app doesnt recognize that the device is connected, it also doesnt appear in the connnected devices on Windows.
I installed the USBDeviewprogram, but couldn't find anything related with Kobo in the USB list.

Interestingly if Kobo is powered off and I connect it to the PC it turns on and initiates the setup, but again - the connection can't be made.
I suppose it's some kind of compatibility issue.
I am willing to perform the following steps:
- Open it up and remove the micro SD card, I suppose the firmware is installed on it.
- Manually replace the current content on it with an OK version of the firmware.

I found some topics how to performs these steps.

Do you thing it's the right course of action in my situation?

RowdyRuff · 04-08-2021, 06:47 PM

Are you using the USB cable that came with the Kobo? Not all USB cables are equal.

davidfor · 04-08-2021, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forelock

Indeed when I turn the device on the setup is initiated and when I choose computer setup a screen appears "keep your reader plugged in and download Kobo Desktop"
When I connect the device to the PC nothing happens - Kobo desktop app doesnt recognize that the device is connected, it also doesnt appear in the connnected devices on Windows.
I installed the USBDeviewprogram, but couldn't find anything related with Kobo in the USB list.

Interestingly if Kobo is powered off and I connect it to the PC it turns on and initiates the setup, but again - the connection can't be made.

That is normal behaviour. All Kobo devices turn on when plugged in. It usually happens in a few seconds, but, can take longer if the battery is flat or the device has other issues.

And I there was a small chance it would be different if the device was plugged in before trying the setup.

Quote:

I suppose it's some kind of compatibility issue.
I am willing to perform the following steps:
- Open it up and remove the micro SD card, I suppose the firmware is installed on it.
- Manually replace the current content on it with an OK version of the firmware.

I found some topics how to performs these steps.

Do you thing it's the right course of action in my situation?

At this point, it is one the only two things I can think of. If you put the firmware update files into the .kobo directory of the book partition (the FAT32 partition) you should be able to trigger the install. Usually, that happens when the device is disconnected from the PC. But, during the setup, it might do the install when you start the device. If it doesn't, choose the option to connect to the PC, do so and then disconnect after a minute or so. Hopefully that will be enough to trigger the disconnect to the device.

The other thing I can think of is replacing the SD card. These do fail, and if you have the original card, it is getting old. I wouldn't expect it to be causing the described problem, but, I don't know what triggered the original problem. If you replace the SD card, you can try an image from the current card, or I have images for these devices. I just need to know if it is the N905B or N905C.

forelock · 04-10-2021, 11:39 AM

In the end it turned out to be a very trivial problem - it seems the usb socket of the kobo was a bit misaligned or something like that because most of the usb cables couldnt fit perfectly (including the one I have used by now) . But one cable worked and now my reader is updated and working even better than before.

I thank you for the provided support and sorry for the wasted time. At least I experimented a bit with the technical stuff and it was a pleasant experience

04-08-2021, 01:50 AM	#1
forelock Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria Device: Kobo Touch	Device can't be set up after factory reset Hello there. I need some help with setting up my Kobo Touch which I own from around 2012-2013. So far it has worked flawlessly however yesterday the screen froze and the device was unresponsive. I did the factory reset. Now I am trying to set it up but neither of the two options - wireless or computer setup is working. - Wireless setup - gives me Network error - both with my router wifi network and with smartphone hotspot network - Computer setup - when I connect the device to my PC(Windows 10) it isn't recognized as a connected device. Also when I initiate setup from Kobo Desktop it stuck on the step with connecting the device. I tried it on my two PCs and with two different USB cables - the behaviour is the same I don't remember to have performed software upgrade of my Kobo in the last year, but I certainly have done that in the last 3 years. What else can I do to make it work? I have technical experience so I could be able to perform some "hacky" tricks if needed. It will be unfortunate if I will have to discard my Kobo Touch only because of software compatibility issues or something like that. Because otherwise it is not broken. Thank you in advance.

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04-08-2021, 04:10 AM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	The WiFi issue is due to the age of the firmware. It is using older security protocols that Kobo no longer supports. This support was withdraw about two years ago. To do the setup, you need to connect to the PC and either use the Kobo desktop application or manually install a newer firmware version. I recommend at least 3.19.x if you do the latter. But, of course, that means the device has to connect to the PC. Kobo devices don't automatically connect to a PC when plugged in. You need to tell it to. For a Touch after a factory reset, after turning it on, there should be a prompt to use either WiFi or the PC to do the setup. (There might be a couple earlier prompts to chose a language or set the time. I can't remember the exact order of the prompts.) Once you select the PC setup, it should go into a mode where it will connect to the PC when it is plugged in. Is Windows showing anything at all? I assume it is not being mounted, but, does it appear in the USB devices at all? Some problems can be fixed using USBDeview to remove any instances of Kobo devices that it shows. You might need a reboot after that. Does the device do anything when you plug it in? The screen should change if it recognises the PC and the power LED should come on. I don't feel like I've been much help. I've had very good luck with my devices and any failures like this are obvious.

04-08-2021, 09:53 AM	#3
forelock Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria Device: Kobo Touch	Indeed when I turn the device on the setup is initiated and when I choose computer setup a screen appears "keep your reader plugged in and download Kobo Desktop" When I connect the device to the PC nothing happens - Kobo desktop app doesnt recognize that the device is connected, it also doesnt appear in the connnected devices on Windows. I installed the USBDeviewprogram, but couldn't find anything related with Kobo in the USB list. Interestingly if Kobo is powered off and I connect it to the PC it turns on and initiates the setup, but again - the connection can't be made. I suppose it's some kind of compatibility issue. I am willing to perform the following steps: - Open it up and remove the micro SD card, I suppose the firmware is installed on it. - Manually replace the current content on it with an OK version of the firmware. I found some topics how to performs these steps. Do you thing it's the right course of action in my situation?

04-08-2021, 06:47 PM	#4
RowdyRuff Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 386 Join Date: Jul 2018 Device: Kobo Mini, Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Forma, Nook ST	Are you using the USB cable that came with the Kobo? Not all USB cables are equal.

04-10-2021, 11:39 AM	#6
forelock Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria Device: Kobo Touch	In the end it turned out to be a very trivial problem - it seems the usb socket of the kobo was a bit misaligned or something like that because most of the usb cables couldnt fit perfectly (including the one I have used by now) . But one cable worked and now my reader is updated and working even better than before. I thank you for the provided support and sorry for the wasted time. At least I experimented a bit with the technical stuff and it was a pleasant experience

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