Problems with Sony's e-book library v2.5 - Page 2

Vulcan · 12-27-2008, 12:20 AM

I downloaded the 2.5 Sony software and installed it but it will not run...returns an error message advising that the program is not working and has to shut down. A check on the system error logs shows no entry. I am running 64 bit Vista....which maybe the problem. I have tried to run the software in XP mode as well as with Admin rights but I get the same results. I have also tried and uninstall and a fresh download/install with the same results.

Zevs · 12-28-2008, 10:04 PM

Yes...there are some serious things wrong with this release. Haven't got any reply yet from the e-book store, but it has been X-mas and weekend, so not so surprising, but I sure expect some answer from them tomorrow Monday.

Zevs

Harry001 · 12-28-2008, 10:09 PM

i have removed the 2.5 and installed the old version from the disk - same result! no access and ... check your network settings - at the same time the proggie offert me an update to 2.5 - which did not work too.
i guess sony screwed up again.
their soft sucks!
take care
harry

Harry001 · 12-28-2008, 10:11 PM

btw - i had never had any probs with my palm-one lifedrive for the last three years under windows xp.
with windows vista the probs started! maybe thats the sae with the 505???
take care
harry

lilac_jive · 12-28-2008, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry001

i have removed the 2.5 and installed the old version from the disk - same result! no access and ... check your network settings - at the same time the proggie offert me an update to 2.5 - which did not work too.
i guess sony screwed up again.
their soft sucks!
take care
harry

When you called, did you mention script changing?

Harry001 · 12-29-2008, 01:37 PM

hi lilac_jive,
i did not call sony - the last time i called them, i hung up while waiting for over one hour listening to some bad quality music.

since i have a lot of books from my palm i can wait it out for them to fix the prog.
the biggest problem is for the newbies - they can not buy books -> and for sony of course, they can not sell and have a big lost on reputation. maybe some give back their readers and wait for the kindle or so.
take care
harry

Zevs · 12-31-2008, 01:03 AM

..sent my error report to the Sony bookstore on December the 25th, and not a beep of real response yet, even though the time includes at least 2 business days!!!!!

Zevs

RSaunders · 12-31-2008, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zevs

Hmm... just also realized I can't sort my books in the computer library in alphabetical order using the v2.5 software. It works though for sorting books in the reader, but still...

I tried also to move files over from the reader back to the library, and after some trials it seemed to work, but then later I realized that other books I had recently bought at the same time had disappeared from the library...

Zevs

I just upgraded, and all these things work fine for me. I'm concerned you have a corrupt library. It's located in:

C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Application Data\Sony Corporation\eBook Library\Database\kLibrary.xdb

Perhaps you could look for some other copies of this file on your backups.

If that's not possible, then maybe you could straghten things out with XMLspy or XMLfox.

This doesn't look like a software problem, more of a database one.

Zevs · 01-01-2009, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSaunders

I just upgraded, and all these things work fine for me. I'm concerned you have a corrupt library. It's located in:

C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Application Data\Sony Corporation\eBook Library\Database\kLibrary.xdb

Perhaps you could look for some other copies of this file on your backups.

If that's not possible, then maybe you could straghten things out with XMLspy or XMLfox.

This doesn't look like a software problem, more of a database one.

Thanks very much for the suggestions RS, but isn't the database of my bought books supposed to be managed by the Sony e-book software.... I'm not doing anything with the database except in the software, so to me it still seems to be caused by a malfunctional software.

Anyhow,sorry for my ignorance, but what is XMLspy and XMLfox and how do I find them and use them ?

Of course I could re-downlaod my books again, but since the e-book library software freezes up completely every time I try to get to my bought books, that is not an option either.

Zevs

pwalker8 · 01-01-2009, 09:22 AM

One of the things that I found went I went to re-download my previously purchased books is that one book on the first page caused the download to freeze. Try downloading the books one by one and see if you can get them that way.

Zevs · 01-01-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

One of the things that I found went I went to re-download my previously purchased books is that one book on the first page caused the download to freeze. Try downloading the books one by one and see if you can get them that way.

Thanks for the suggestion PWalker!

The trouble is that I never get to my list of the books. After I try to go to display my bought books, and which I'm supposed to be able to re-download, the Sony e-book application just freezes up and I have to Ctr-Alt-Delete to get out of it. I can log in and I can go to my account, but as soon as I try to go further to my bought books, then the application freezes up after 10-15 seconds.

Zevs

pwalker8 · 01-02-2009, 09:55 AM

Yea, the application isn't very robust. I'm at a point where I can't access my account on either of my computers. On my pc (which I rarely boot up), I can get the the store, but when I try to log in, it's gives me the store unavailable message. When I try on my mac (via Parallel), I get the same message when I try to access the store. It's just an annoyance since I stopped buying books via the Sony store (got a kindle and buy from Amazon now) and I have all the books that I bought already downloaded and backed up, but it doesn't say good things about Sony. As far as I can tell, any time there is the slightest hick up, the Sony software either locks up, or goes into the "Sorry Dave, I can't do that" mode. Sony makes good hardware, but they really have problems with their software.

Zevs · 01-02-2009, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Sony makes good hardware, but they really have problems with their software.

Yes, I agree fantastic and innovative hardware but sucky software. Still one would think that they would be interested in keeping their customers! No real reply yet on the message I sent them on Dec 25th. Just a little manual note saying they were very busy just now and that they would come back to me soon would have been enough. But only automatic "response" silence really makes me consider shopping elsewhere in the future.

Zevs

lilac_jive · 01-02-2009, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zevs

Yes, I agree fantastic and innovative hardware but sucky software. Still one would think that they would be interested in keeping their customers! No real reply yet on the message I sent them on Dec 25th. Just a little manual note saying they were very busy just now and that they would come back to me soon would have been enough. But only automatic "response" silence really makes me consider shopping elsewhere in the future.

Zevs

I would try calling.

RSaunders · 01-02-2009, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zevs

Thanks very much for the suggestions RS, but isn't the database of my bought books supposed to be managed by the Sony e-book software.... I'm not doing anything with the database except in the software, so to me it still seems to be caused by a malfunctional software.

Anyhow,sorry for my ignorance, but what is XMLspy and XMLfox and how do I find them and use them ?

Of course I could re-downlaod my books again, but since the e-book library software freezes up completely every time I try to get to my bought books, that is not an option either.

Zevs

The xdb database is manipulated by the software, and as we've all noticed the software isn't really able to deal with problems. Your term "malfunctional" sums it up nicely.

XMLspy and XMLfox are freeware XML manipulation tools. you should be able to google them up easily. That said, these are NOT user friendly programs. They offer you the option to go through the database and change stuff. Of course, you'd only ever work on a copy! When the database is corrupt and you change stuff, you have a 50/50 chance of making it worse. The more you know about XML, the lower the chance of making it worse. My real recommendation was about the backup, taking an XML weed whacker to your database is really for database experts only.

The problem with downloading and reading the books in again, if you can't go to a known good backup first, is that writing new entries into a corrupt database is not likely to repair the damage, except by luck.

You might be better off starting over, so you know you have a good database. ;-(

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12-27-2008, 12:20 AM	#16
Vulcan Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Current - iPad2 Retired - Sony PRS700	I downloaded the 2.5 Sony software and installed it but it will not run...returns an error message advising that the program is not working and has to shut down. A check on the system error logs shows no entry. I am running 64 bit Vista....which maybe the problem. I have tried to run the software in XP mode as well as with Admin rights but I get the same results. I have also tried and uninstall and a fresh download/install with the same results.

12-28-2008, 10:04 PM	#17
Zevs Book lover!! Posts: 133 Karma: 182 Join Date: Jan 2007 Device: Sony Reader 505; Nowadays Stanza, Kindle, Txtr and Bluefire on iPhone	Yes...there are some serious things wrong with this release. Haven't got any reply yet from the e-book store, but it has been X-mas and weekend, so not so surprising, but I sure expect some answer from them tomorrow Monday. Zevs

12-28-2008, 10:09 PM	#18
Harry001 Addict Posts: 210 Karma: 729 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Tehran/Iran - new posting 2024 Device: Nook glow light 3, 3+ and 4+, Tolino Epos 1, 2 and 3	i have removed the 2.5 and installed the old version from the disk - same result! no access and ... check your network settings - at the same time the proggie offert me an update to 2.5 - which did not work too. i guess sony screwed up again. their soft sucks! take care harry

12-28-2008, 10:11 PM	#19
Harry001 Addict Posts: 210 Karma: 729 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Tehran/Iran - new posting 2024 Device: Nook glow light 3, 3+ and 4+, Tolino Epos 1, 2 and 3	btw - i had never had any probs with my palm-one lifedrive for the last three years under windows xp. with windows vista the probs started! maybe thats the sae with the 505??? take care harry

12-29-2008, 01:37 PM	#21
Harry001 Addict Posts: 210 Karma: 729 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Tehran/Iran - new posting 2024 Device: Nook glow light 3, 3+ and 4+, Tolino Epos 1, 2 and 3	hi lilac_jive, i did not call sony - the last time i called them, i hung up while waiting for over one hour listening to some bad quality music. since i have a lot of books from my palm i can wait it out for them to fix the prog. the biggest problem is for the newbies - they can not buy books -> and for sony of course, they can not sell and have a big lost on reputation. maybe some give back their readers and wait for the kindle or so. take care harry

12-31-2008, 01:03 AM	#22
Zevs Book lover!! Posts: 133 Karma: 182 Join Date: Jan 2007 Device: Sony Reader 505; Nowadays Stanza, Kindle, Txtr and Bluefire on iPhone	..sent my error report to the Sony bookstore on December the 25th, and not a beep of real response yet, even though the time includes at least 2 business days!!!!! Zevs

01-01-2009, 09:22 AM	#25
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	One of the things that I found went I went to re-download my previously purchased books is that one book on the first page caused the download to freeze. Try downloading the books one by one and see if you can get them that way.

01-02-2009, 09:55 AM	#27
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	Yea, the application isn't very robust. I'm at a point where I can't access my account on either of my computers. On my pc (which I rarely boot up), I can get the the store, but when I try to log in, it's gives me the store unavailable message. When I try on my mac (via Parallel), I get the same message when I try to access the store. It's just an annoyance since I stopped buying books via the Sony store (got a kindle and buy from Amazon now) and I have all the books that I bought already downloaded and backed up, but it doesn't say good things about Sony. As far as I can tell, any time there is the slightest hick up, the Sony software either locks up, or goes into the "Sorry Dave, I can't do that" mode. Sony makes good hardware, but they really have problems with their software.