Dealing with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.19 and KFX in calibre

[Rellwood]

I have been using the Kindle for Pc 1.7 the whole time, but I wanted to understand what it was about the deDRM that isn't making it compatible for the current Calibre. I never really looked into it, but I just read that it wasn't working. Is it Calibre or is it the KFX files? I have been just using an older portable Calibre to import books, and wanted to know if I could stop and go back to the main calibre.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

I have been using the Kindle for Pc 1.7 the whole time, but I wanted to understand what it was about the deDRM that isn't making it compatible for the current Calibre. I never really looked into it, but I just read that it wasn't working. Is it Calibre or is it the KFX files? I have been just using an older portable Calibre to import books, and wanted to know if I could stop and go back to the main calibre.

You can go back to the main Calibre. DeDRM is working (you'll need update your plugin, though).

[lkmiller]

It was calibre's update to Python 3. All plugins needed to be updated to Python 3 too. As Sirtel said, you're good to go with the latest versions now.

[jhowell]

Amazon has released Kindle for PC version 1.34.1 (63103) which "includes stability improvements and bug fixes".

I didn't notice any obvious changes. The method for disabling KFX downloads using a batch file still works with this release.

[kp6ic]

thank you DNSB for your batch file. You are a saviour.

[DNSB]

Jhowell deserves equal credit for that batch file.

[Rellwood]

I just recently noticed that when I updated the plugin my kindle books are now showing up as azw. I don't like this only because I am used to seeing azw as an undrm'ed book. Is this the way they are now going to be shown?

Also, I have been holding onto the kindle for pc version that still works with the old plugins. I saw at the top of the post that if someone wants it that they need to hunt for it. If anyone is in need of it, let me know. I have carried that installer for three computer replacements

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

I just recently noticed that when I updated the plugin my kindle books are now showing up as azw. I don't like this only because I am used to seeing azw as an undrm'ed book. Is this the way they are now going to be shown?

Also, I have been holding onto the kindle for pc version that still works with the old plugins. I saw at the top of the post that if someone wants it that they need to hunt for it. If anyone is in need of it, let me know. I have carried that installer for three computer replacements

Any Kindle book with DRM removed will show up as MOBI, AZW3 or HTML. If they're importing as AZW, they almost certainly still have DRM. It's easy to check - can you read it in the calibre book viewer?

Note that detailed help with DRM removal is not permitted at MobileRead, so if your DRM removal is not working, you should ask for help at noDRM's gitlab repository.

[jhowell]

My Kindle for PC just updated to version 1.35. It appears that the ability to disable KFX downloads using the KFX_begone4.bat script no longer works with that version. I have updated the description of method 2A in the first post of this thread to reflect this change.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

My Kindle for PC just updated to version 1.35. It appears that the ability to disable KFX downloads using the KFX_begone4.bat script no longer works with that version. I have updated the description of method 2A in the first post of this thread to reflect this change.

Do you think someone from Amazon is reading this thread?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Do you think someone from Amazon is reading this thread?

I think that it is possible but not certain.

[eredr]

Hello

Until now I have been following the very helpful advice in this thread and other threads - I had downloaded the 1.17 version of Kindle for PC and disabled updates - although reading the first post in this thread I see that it can override those!! And it's too late, the last time I bought a book from amazon, I simply opened Kindle for PC on my computer to follow the usual steps, and then it updated itself!! Very quickly, and before I could do anything! No prompt, no nothing! The other books in my "My kindle content" folder on my computer that I had bought previously are still available in azw format, thankfully. But the new book I recently bought has oddly appeared in the "My kindle content" folder 30 times! (In the past when I have bought kindle books it gives me 3 files - phl, apnx and azw) Most of those 30 files are in "MBPV2" format, and some in "PHL" format. I have never seen these formats before. And no azw file. None of them display the "type" as "Kindle content" like the azw files. So I can't put them in my Calibre. I tried getting the 1.17 version from the site I'd gotten it from previously but that was no longer available. However fortunately I still have the 1.17 exe file in my downloads folder, which I had kept for safekeeping.

Has anyone seen this before? Should I just uninstall the current version and try clicking on my old 1.17 exe file again, hoping that it won't just update itself again? (in which case I would try to apply the advice in the first post of this thread on how to prevent it from updating sneakily) Or is there a way to convert "MBPV2" and "PHL" files to Calibre? I am not sharing books I buy with anyone, I just want to be able to own the books I buy on my computer and to be able to put Kindle books onto my Kobo

Many thanks for any help

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by eredr

But the new book I recently bought has oddly appeared in the "My kindle content" folder 30 times! (In the past when I have bought kindle books it gives me 3 files - phl, apnx and azw) Most of those 30 files are in "MBPV2" format, and some in "PHL" format. I have never seen these formats before. And no azw file. None of them display the "type" as "Kindle content" like the azw files. So I can't put them in my Calibre.

Version 1.17 of Kindle for PC puts all of the book files in a single folder. With newer versions of Kindle for PC the book files are placed in subfolders named with the ASIN of the book. You need to look there when loading books from a newer version.

Originally Posted by eredr

Should I just uninstall the current version and try clicking on my old 1.17 exe file again, hoping that it won't just update itself again? (in which case I would try to apply the advice in the first post of this thread on how to prevent it from updating sneakily)

My recommendation is to try that.

You may find that after installing the old version you are unable to register it and if that happens you can try one of the other methods using a newer version of Kindle for PC.

Originally Posted by eredr

Or is there a way to convert "MBPV2" and "PHL" files to Calibre?

The MBPV2 and PHL files are not book formats. They contain supplemental data.

[eredr]

Thanks so much for clarifying all that JHowell. I reinstalled version 1.17 of Kindle for PC from my computer, followed all your instructions for preventing updates, including running your "disable k4pc download.bat" batch file - It said "The directory name is invalid" but also "Kindle for PC downloads are now disabled" so hopefully it worked - hopefully that will prevent an automatic update like I had a few days ago from happening again. So since doing that my Kindle for PC seems to have reverted to 1.17 and to be staying like that, and I'm no longer getting the KFX error. Plus I was able to successfully register Kindle for PC 1.17 again under my amazon account. However now I'm getting a DRM error in Calibre. So I figure I'm almost there hopefully

Next I ran the KFX begone file at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...79#post4021279 it said new update available 1.30 and I said skip for now (I should have said skip forever or whatever the other option was but hopefully next time it will allow me to select that) and then the C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe thing (can you tell I’m not a technical person?!) just keeps running with the same message repeatedly “ERROR The system was unable to find the specified registry key value. Waiting for – seconds, press a key to continue…” I press a key and it keeps just saying the same message repeatedly. So I closed that little window after letting it run for several minutes. Perhaps I didn't need to do this step 2A from your post given after I ran your "disable k4pc download.bat" batch file I was no longer getting the KFX error in Calibre. Perhaps method 1 worked for me

But I was trying to work out how to get rid of the DRM error as I am just getting DRM message in Calibre – and the Calibre DRM message has a hyperlink to this post.

Sorry I'm confused about what I need to do now to get rid of the DRM - it seems your post is about KFX, not DRM? I never had to worry about any of this before when I had always had Kindle for PC 1.17 until a few days ago. Somehow despite having successfully reverted back to Kindle for PC 1.17 and having deleted the new book from the folder and then refreshing and re-downloading it, it is again downloading it with the DRM, and so it won't go onto Calibre

I was looking forward to reading my new book! I just want to be able to buy books from Amazon for my kobo - I would have thought Amazon would want this too?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by eredr

Thanks so much for clarifying all that JHowell. I reinstalled version 1.17 of Kindle for PC from my computer, followed all your instructions for preventing updates, including running your "disable k4pc download.bat" batch file - It said "The directory name is invalid" but also "Kindle for PC downloads are now disabled" so hopefully it worked - hopefully that will prevent an automatic update like I had a few days ago from happening again. So since doing that my Kindle for PC seems to have reverted to 1.17 and to be staying like that, and I'm no longer getting the KFX error. Plus I was able to successfully register Kindle for PC 1.17 again under my amazon account. However now I'm getting a DRM error in Calibre. So I figure I'm almost there hopefully

Next I ran the KFX begone file at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...79#post4021279 it said new update available 1.30 and I said skip for now (I should have said skip forever or whatever the other option was but hopefully next time it will allow me to select that) and then the C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe thing (can you tell I’m not a technical person?!) just keeps running with the same message repeatedly “ERROR The system was unable to find the specified registry key value. Waiting for – seconds, press a key to continue…” I press a key and it keeps just saying the same message repeatedly. So I closed that little window after letting it run for several minutes. Perhaps I didn't need to do this step 2A from your post given after I ran your "disable k4pc download.bat" batch file I was no longer getting the KFX error in Calibre. Perhaps method 1 worked for me

But I was trying to work out how to get rid of the DRM error as I am just getting DRM message in Calibre – and the Calibre DRM message has a hyperlink to this post.

Sorry I'm confused about what I need to do now to get rid of the DRM - it seems your post is about KFX, not DRM? I never had to worry about any of this before when I had always had Kindle for PC 1.17 until a few days ago. Somehow despite having successfully reverted back to Kindle for PC 1.17 and having deleted the new book from the folder and then refreshing and re-downloading it, it is again downloading it with the DRM, and so it won't go onto Calibre

I was looking forward to reading my new book! I just want to be able to buy books from Amazon for my kobo - I would have thought Amazon would want this too?

Kindle for PC 1.17 does not use or support that registry setting since it is incapable of dealing with KFX files. Since v1.17 simply uses the Kindle storage directory and does not place books in subdirectories within it, if you are seeing books in a subdirectory of your My Kindle Content directory, this suggests that you have a later version of K4PC installed. If it is 1.35, the kfx_begone batch file no longer works.

I still haven't received the 1.35 update so can't offer much on what the changes are.