Would you buy another Kobo e-reader?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Joeldmtl

I've never tried playing with FW before. Can someone please walk me through step-by-step instructions as to how to install FW 3.3.1 in place of my FW 3.8.

Secondly, if after I install FW 3.3.1 and there is something wrong, can I go back to FW 3.8 via a Factory reset etc.?

Check the 3rd message in the Direct Links to Kobo Firmware thread for information on installing firmware. It lives at Installation Instructions for Direct Zip Files.

The factory reset will not take you back to 3.8.0 but rather to the factory firmware version. From that point, the next firmware update should deliver 3.8.0.

Assuming that you are using the Kobo Desktop application, I would suggest the following procedure (since I'm using a Windows computer at the moment, it's going to be Windows oriented. For Mac, the only difference is having to expose the .kobo directory.

1. Factory reset your Touch.
   
2. Start the Kobo Desktop application, connect your Touch to your computer and do the setup which is likely to include a firmware download.
   
3. When the Kobo Desktop application is finished, do not eject your Touch.
   
4. Browse to the .kobo directory in the root of the Touch's internal storage.
   
5. If you see an upgrade directory, delete it. Then delete the KoboRoot.tgz and manifest.md5sum files.
   
6. Open the 3.3.1 firmware .zip file (making sure it is the right version for your hardware) and copy the contents into the .kobo directory. Depending on the firmware version, you will see a KoboRoot.tgz and manifest.md5sum files and, possibly, an upgrade directory.
   
7. Safely eject your Touch and it should go into the firmware update.

At this point, you should be back on firmware 3.3.1. Please note that your Touch will try to update it's firmware so I would recommend not using WiFi. When using the Kobo Desktop application to sync, delete the upgrade directory and KoboRoot.tgz and manifest.md5sum files before disconnecting.

[daldred]

Originally Posted by Joeldmtl

What is a "Filesystem scan" and how do you do it?

Sorry, missed that response! When I plug my Kobo into Windows, the system started offering a filesystem scan. Allowing it to do so and fix errors appeared to work, but the same prompt still appears (and doesn't on oterh devices).

I also have Linux on my system; next time I boot Linux I'm going to try a scan on it to see what's going on in more detail.

This coincided with wierd behaviour with a newly loaded epub: it appeared to be there, but opening it led to a crash. The same epub worked perfectly on another Kobo touch with the same firmware. From the timing and the symptoms, it seems likely that the two are related.

[Joeldmtl]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Check the 3rd message in the Direct Links to Kobo Firmware thread for information on installing firmware. It lives at Installation Instructions for Direct Zip Files.

The factory reset will not take you back to 3.8.0 but rather to the factory firmware version. From that point, the next firmware update should deliver 3.8.0.

Assuming that you are using the Kobo Desktop application, I would suggest the following procedure (since I'm using a Windows computer at the moment, it's going to be Windows oriented. For Mac, the only difference is having to expose the .kobo directory.

1. Factory reset your Touch.
   
2. Start the Kobo Desktop application, connect your Touch to your computer and do the setup which is likely to include a firmware download.
   
3. When the Kobo Desktop application is finished, do not eject your Touch.
   
4. Browse to the .kobo directory in the root of the Touch's internal storage.
   
5. If you see an upgrade directory, delete it. Then delete the KoboRoot.tgz and manifest.md5sum files.
   
6. Open the 3.3.1 firmware .zip file (making sure it is the right version for your hardware) and copy the contents into the .kobo directory. Depending on the firmware version, you will see a KoboRoot.tgz and manifest.md5sum files and, possibly, an upgrade directory.
   
7. Safely eject your Touch and it should go into the firmware update.

At this point, you should be back on firmware 3.3.1. Please note that your Touch will try to update it's firmware so I would recommend not using WiFi. When using the Kobo Desktop application to sync, delete the upgrade directory and KoboRoot.tgz and manifest.md5sum files before disconnecting.

Well I waited for the FW 3.11 update to see if that would stop the freezing - it didn't. So then I tried the older FW (3.3.1) and that didn't fix the problem either.

I was thinking of replacing the SD card. Do you think that can have any bearing on my Kobo Touch freezing while i read?

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Joeldmtl

Well I waited for the FW 3.11 update to see if that would stop the freezing - it didn't. So then I tried the older FW (3.3.1) and that didn't fix the problem either.

I was thinking of replacing the SD card. Do you think that can have any bearing on my Kobo Touch freezing while i read?

The external card? Yes it could. Take it out and use the device for a while, and see if it makes a difference.

[Joeldmtl]

Originally Posted by booklover6

The external card? Yes it could. Take it out and use the device for a while, and see if it makes a difference.

External card?? I mean the SD card that's inside the Touch. What were you referring to?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Joeldmtl

External card?? I mean the SD card that's inside the Touch. What were you referring to?

You have a Kobo Touch. On the side is a slot where you can put an micro SD card. If there are books on the card, the Touch will show them in the library. booklover6 was referring to that card and the possibility that if it is in the device, it might be causing problems. I don't think that would cause the problems you are seeing, but if you had a card inserted, it would be worthwhile testing without the card.

[Ripplinger]

Well I just bought a 3rd Kobo Glo, slightly used with no scratches, marks of any kind, for such a fantastic price I couldn't resist. So I have 2 spares and should be able to keep me happy with a 6" infrafred reader for quite some time!

[Josieb1]

I managed to get a H20 last week and it's great, and now trying to get a Glo.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

Well I just bought a 3rd Kobo Glo, slightly used with no scratches, marks of any kind, for such a fantastic price I couldn't resist. So I have 2 spares and should be able to keep me happy with a 6" infrafred reader for quite some time!

Since you have three, you could, if you wanted, experiment with one of them. Find the thread about replacing the internal card with a larger one. Would you like a Glo with 16gb or 32gb internal memory? No need for an external card, in that case.

Such a procedure is not without some risk. But since you have three, you might find yourself tempted. I've done it to both of my Glos. The only issue I have is that the power slider on the top does not work. On either one! However, many others who have done this, have not had that problem. Since I use cases that wake/sleep the devices, it's not usually an issue for me.

Of course who really needs that much space. But after opening, you might even find that there is a 4gb card inside, in which case, you could just extend the partition to use the whole card. (Both of my Minis were like that!)

The other thing you could do, if you read more than one genre, is dedicate one to one genre, another to a different genre. I do that. After all, you have them, why not use them? Don't just call them "spares."

How much did you pay for the 3rd one? Jealous minds want to know.

[Ripplinger]

I never keep more than 400 books or so on the reader at once and prefer to delete any that I've read. It seems to slow down any reader when you have 5000+ books on it, so I really don't have any desire for more memory, the stock memory suits me just fine and doesn't even get half filled up.

And the 3rd one was only $50. I think I stumbled on it just a few minutes after it went up for sale. I was going to watch if Kobo ever put them on sale to get rid of them towards the end of their stock, but at this price, I couldn't resist.

Having 2 of them has let me experiment between firmware versions though, so a 3rd will probably let me do more of that. I still detest the current homescreen though .

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I never keep more than 400 books or so on the reader at once and prefer to delete any that I've read.

Very wise. Some of us *cough* seem to be obsessed with packing thousands on a device.

I also delete as soon as I am done.

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

And the 3rd one was only $50. I think I stumbled on it just a few minutes after it went up for sale.

Cool. It pays to be obsessive checking Amazon and ebay for deals.

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I still detest the current homescreen though .

Whereas, I love the tiles. Just go to show, different strokes for different folks

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by booklover6

...
Whereas, I love the tiles. Just go to show, different strokes for different folks

My biggest complaints about the tiles are that they keep moving around, you can't assign a specific tile to stay in a specific location. And that by drawing the silly boxes around everything, they then have to shrink the covers to fit inside the boxes, which is pointless. I'd rather see the larger covers and have a clearer view, just make the tiles invisible and fill the tile area with the cover image instead of shrinking it down, with the appropriate text immediately below it. I think people who read are smart enough to know that the text belongs to the cover above it even if there isn't a box drawn around it all.

And for some reason they carried over the pointless boxes into the library listing, so the covers are at least 1/3 smaller in size. It's not like they fit more titles into the listing, on the Glo there's still only 5 books shown per page, so there's no reason to reduce the cover size to where you can't make out what it is.

Not to mention the tiles are just ugly hehe. I could live with the ugly though if it weren't for them moving around and shrinking the cover sizes. If they made the tile backgrounds invisible to increase the cover sizes, that would go a long way to making it much better looking.

The tiles remind me of being in grade school where every drawing HAD to have a rectangular frame border drawn around the page. I had nuns return my drawings to complete them for that reason (even though it totally ruined some drawings). Maybe the Kobo software designers were taught by the same nuns.

[Josieb1]

I got a Glo today, not quite as good a deal as Ripplinger got, I paid £70 for mine, but it is new. I got an official Kobo Sleepcover for £15 as well, so quite pleased. I've got my H20 for home and the Glo for my handbag now and the Aura as a spare. That's me settled for a while

[bookaho!ic]

i have had my Kobo Touch for 2 years now and when it is time to replace it (when it dies lol) i will get another kobo just wont want one with a back light so hopefully they will still do the touch

[daldred]

Originally Posted by bookaho!ic

i have had my Kobo Touch for 2 years now and when it is time to replace it (when it dies lol) i will get another kobo just wont want one with a back light so hopefully they will still do the touch

You can always leave the light switched off.....