Calibre: I do not get it

[HLS]

My kindle has DRM so I can not read it when I load it to calibre. I tried installing Apprentice Alf and I do not uderstand it. It just downloads a ton of files and I see no program to unzip and install which is odd for I am normally excellent with installs lol

Is there a way to remove DRM that is free and a no brainer to use. LOL

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

My kindle has DRM so I can not read it when I load it to calibre. I tried installing Apprentice Alf and I do not uderstand it. It just downloads a ton of files and I see no program to unzip and install which is odd for I am normally excellent with installs lol

Is there a way to remove DRM that is free and a no brainer to use. LOL

Apprentice Alf's tools. Try again.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Just to sort stuff, because I don't use collections. Folders have two advantages. Simplicity, and interoperability. Mac, windows, Android, and synology's DSM, it just works. All you need is good old file browser.

I guess some with larger collections need something more, but with the number of books I have, folders are good enough.

My issue with folders is basically that I used to end up with folders full of aliases/shortcuts/links. Books that are multi-author, series that are multi-author (1632 as an example), books that are multi-series (book 4 in one series and book 1 in the spin-off, etc.). Now I just let calibre worry about where the book is physically located. If I want a book, search works to find it quickly and likely faster than digging through my old directory structure.

Admittedly, I also don't bother with collections on my KA1 and simply use it's search capability. A while back, I was comparing finding a book using the Kobo interface compared to using KOReader with a directory structure and found that finding the book using search took, on the average, 40% of the taps required by finding the same book in the directory structure. KOReader now implements search using the calibre metadata file(s) so much closer in the number of taps needed but that drops the need for a directory structure.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Cyberman tM

Why do some want the file structure to be a certain way, what do you do with it?

If I understand your question for me it's just a matter of simplicity. Loading Calibre and finding the book and moving it to the device takes a LOT longer than finding it in my Ebooks folder under the author name and copying it to the device. It's got nothing to do with structure or liking to be in control (although I do). I can do it better and faster and easier and more flexibly this way than using Calibre.

In fact, most of the time I can have the book found and copied over before Calibre finishes loading. And I'm on a Core-I7 computer with a very fast SD. So Calibre loads faster for me than for most people.

Barry (aka Windows Explorer racing champ)

[barryem]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

My kindle has DRM so I can not read it when I load it to calibre. I tried installing Apprentice Alf and I do not uderstand it. It just downloads a ton of files and I see no program to unzip and install which is odd for I am normally excellent with installs lol

Is there a way to remove DRM that is free and a no brainer to use. LOL

I don't think we're allowed to discuss this much in these forii so I don't think you'll get much help here. I will say that there's no real installation program, as I recall. It's been a while. You just tell Calibre where to find the plugin.

I suggest as pdurrant said, that you try again. It's not very difficult and it's wonderfully useful. Once the plugin is installed you don't do anything to remove DRM. You just convert the book and it's all taken care of for you.

Barry

[HLS]

DNSB helped alot. I think I got it all figured out. I just need to test it. I will keep you updated on any future fails LOL

[John F]

Originally Posted by barryem

...

In fact, most of the time I can have the book found and copied over before Calibre finishes loading. And I'm on a Core-I7 computer with a very fast SD. So Calibre loads faster for me than for most people.

Barry (aka Windows Explorer racing champ)

Just curious, but how long does it take Calibre to load? How many books is your library?

It took ~5 seconds for Calibre to load for me.

I can appreciate that a folder structure works quicker for some, but for me I'm doing a lot more than just copying a file over. Normally: load, dedrm, edit, edit meta data, convert, copy

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Just to sort stuff, because I don't use collections. Folders have two advantages. Simplicity, and interoperability. Mac, windows, Android, and synology's DSM, it just works. All you need is good old file browser.

I guess some with larger collections need something more, but with the number of books I have, folders are good enough.

What Reader do you use most? If it's the T1, then having directories is irrelevant since the T1 doesn't support directories.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

My kindle has DRM so I can not read it when I load it to calibre. I tried installing Apprentice Alf and I do not uderstand it. It just downloads a ton of files and I see no program to unzip and install which is odd for I am normally excellent with installs lol

Is there a way to remove DRM that is free and a no brainer to use. LOL

Ask for help at the Apprentice Alf blog. There is no other free solution.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by barryem

If I understand your question for me it's just a matter of simplicity. Loading Calibre and finding the book and moving it to the device takes a LOT longer than finding it in my Ebooks folder under the author name and copying it to the device. It's got nothing to do with structure or liking to be in control (although I do). I can do it better and faster and easier and more flexibly this way than using Calibre.

In fact, most of the time I can have the book found and copied over before Calibre finishes loading. And I'm on a Core-I7 computer with a very fast SD. So Calibre loads faster for me than for most people.

Barry (aka Windows Explorer racing champ)

How do you sort out books in a series with different authors?

[JSWolf]

One thing I do with Calibre that I cannot do with an external directory setup is select which books I want to put on my Reader and when Calibre is up with that library selected, I just plug in the Reader and the books automatically get sent. I don't have to remember which books I decided I wanted to load.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

DNSB helped alot. I think I got it all figured out. I just need to test it. I will keep you updated on any future fails LOL

Remember that you need to readd all the books you already have in calibre. The tools activate on importing a book, they don't work automatically on already existing books.

[HLS]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Remember that you need to readd all the books you already have in calibre. The tools activate on importing a book, they don't work automatically on already existing books.

I did that and it did not remove the DRM

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

I did that and it did not remove the DRM

Was the DRM removed on new books? If so, you may have to delete the existing books from calibre and then re-add them.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

I did that and it did not remove the DRM

If you added the books directly from the Oasis, then they're in the new KFX format which cannot be de-DRMed. You have to go to My Content and Devices page on Amazon and download the books from there to your PC for USB transfer.