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

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by thiago.eec

What is the current status on importing KFX books newly downloaded from Amazon? I have all the latest plugins, calibre 4.22, and K4PC 1.24.3 (51068) but I can't add new books.

You should be able to import and convert books in KFX format as long as they are downloaded with K4PC version 1.26 or earlier and the latest DeDRM tools and KFX Input plugin are used. Make sure you remove and re-download books that may have been downloaded using a later version before import into calibre.

If DRM is not being removed you will need to ask for help at Apprentice Alf's Blog or Apprentice Harper's GitHub.

Originally Posted by thiago.eec

If I disable KFX, then I can add AZW3 (but many of them lacks the embedded fonts).

I haven't noticed any cases of AZW3 format being missing fonts that were included in KFX. If you have an example I would be interested in finding out more.

You are usually better off using AZW3 format as a source for conversion. The contents are closer to the original format provided to Amazon by the publisher when compared with KFX.

[thiago.eec]

Originally Posted by jhowell

You should be able to import and convert books in KFX format as long as they are downloaded with K4PC version 1.26 or earlier and the latest DeDRM tools and KFX Input plugin are used. Make sure you remove and re-download books that may have been downloaded using a later version before import into calibre.

Ok. I'll try deregister, clean up, and reinstall.

Originally Posted by jhowell

I haven't noticed any cases of AZW3 format being missing fonts that were included in KFX. If you have an example I would be interested in finding out more.

It happens a lot here. Example attached (ASIN: B009M84ZXE).
Besides removing the font file, the AZW3 has its CSS like this:

Spoiler:

@font-face
{
font-family: "TemaCantante";
font-style: italic;
font-weight: normal;
src:url(XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX);
}
@font-face
{
font-family: "AT Sackers Gothic";
font-style: normal;
font-weight: light;
src:url(XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX);
}
@font-face
{
font-family: "Garamond Three";
font-style: normal;
font-weight: normal;
src:url(XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX);
}
@font-face
{
font-family: "Garamond Three";
font-style: italic;
font-weight: normal;
src:url(XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX);

The path for the font file is replaced by this X's. The font file is also not present.

Originally Posted by jhowell

You are usually better off using AZW3 format as a source for conversion. The contents are closer to the original format provided to Amazon by the publisher when compared with KFX.

Sure, AZW3 is a better format to keep (and edit/convert). KFX seems to have a terrible markup inside (as the converted EPUBs indicate).

[thiago.eec]

Originally Posted by jhowell

You should be able to import and convert books in KFX format as long as they are downloaded with K4PC version 1.26 or earlier and the latest DeDRM tools and KFX Input plugin are used. Make sure you remove and re-download books that may have been downloaded using a later version before import into calibre.

Got it working again.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by thiago.eec

It happens a lot here. Example attached (ASIN: B009M84ZXE). ... The path for the font file is replaced by this X's. The font file is also not present.

Thanks for the example. I took a look at the free sample for that book and I see the same thing. The KF8/AZW3 version is missing the fonts, but they are present in KFX format for the same book. Strange.

Originally Posted by thiago.eec

Got it working again.

Great.

[thiago.eec]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Thanks for the example. I took a look at the free sample for that book and I see the same thing. The KF8/AZW3 version is missing the fonts, but they are present in KFX format for the same book. Strange.

I don't know if this is something particular to the Brazilian store, but this seems to happen in about 3 out 10 books.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I modified your .cmd file to not require a separate .reg file and to poll the registry and patch the value once Kindle for PC has set it. That should make it work more quickly on fast systems and prevent it from failing on slow systems.

The file is attached for testing. Unzip and run. (On some systems you may need to unblock it by right clicking, selecting Properties and then in the dialog checking Unblock then OK.)

Spoiler:

reg delete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported" /f
start %LOCALAPPDATA%\Amazon\Kindle\application\kindle.exe
:repeat
timeout 1
reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported"
if ERRORLEVEL 1 goto :repeat
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported" /t REG_SZ /d "false" /f

In response to a PM from a user who has a space in her user name, I modified the cmd file to add a "" and "s around the command line that runs kindle.exe. Without the blank "", Windows treated the command line as the title.

Spoiler:

@echo off
rem delete the registy key controlling KFX downloads

reg delete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported" /f

rem start K4PC from the default location or admin install location.  This can be modified for non-standard installs
rem the "" sets the title for the DOS box.  This was needed when the location for the segment
rem that starts K4PC had a user name with an embedded space requiring the "...." wrapper

set KINDLE=%LocalAppData%\Amazon\Kindle
set KINDLE_EXE=%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Amazon\Kindle

cd "%KINDLE%"

if not exist "%KINDLE_EXE%\Kindle.exe" goto :next
start "" "%KINDLE_EXE%\kindle.exe"
goto :repeat

:next
if not exist "%KINDLE%\application\Kindle.exe" goto :error
start "" "%KINDLE%\application\kindle.exe"

rem this loop waits for the isKRFDRendererSupported key to be created
:repeat
timeout 1
reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported"
if ERRORLEVEL 1 goto :repeat

rem when we arrive here, the key has been created, replace it with a version that does not allow KFX downloads
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported" /t REG_SZ /d "false" /f
goto :ender

:error
echo Could not start Kindle4PC from either location tried.

:ender
rem  wait for any key to be hit to close the command windows.  remove the pause statement to auto-close
pause

Edit: the batch file has been updated to start Kindle4PC from either the normal user install location or the admin user install location without needing to be edited.

[Pepperspray]

Hello,

I have an old 7th-gen Kindle and Kindle for PC 1.29.0 and have just updated Calibre to 4.22, and I wonder if there are any new tips about downloading and converting AZW files. I know nothing about programming and tried reading the most recent posts but could not understand anything

Is there any tool/plug-in available that does the job?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Pepperspray

Hello,

I have an old 7th-gen Kindle and Kindle for PC 1.29.0 and have just updated Calibre to 4.22, and I wonder if there are any new tips about downloading and converting AZW files. I know nothing about programming and tried reading the most recent posts but could not understand anything

Is there any tool/plug-in available that does the job?

Read the very first post. There are detailed instructions there.

[Dillon]

Originally Posted by DNSB

In response to a PM from a user who has a space in her user name, I modified the cmd file to add a "" and "s around the command line that runs kindle.exe. Without the blank "", Windows treated the command line as the title.

Spoiler:

reg delete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported" /f
start "" "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Amazon\Kindle\application\kindle.exe"
:repeat
timeout 1
reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported"
if ERRORLEVEL 1 goto :repeat
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Amazon\Kindle\User Settings" /v "isKRFDRendererSupported" /t REG_SZ /d "false" /f

I am kinda new. I usually remove DRM off kindle purchased ebooks using epUBOR Ultimate and this new amazon book I've bought won't let me download unless I update my Kindle for PC to 1.29, while epUBOR suggests downgrading kindle for PC to 1.24. Is there anyway to tweak around kindle for PC through which I can download that ebook on 1.24

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Dillon

this new amazon book I've bought won't let me download unless I update my Kindle for PC to 1.29, while epUBOR suggests downgrading kindle for PC to 1.24. Is there anyway to tweak around kindle for PC through which I can download that ebook on 1.24

No, that's entirely under Amazon's control.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Dillon

...this new amazon book I've bought won't let me download unless I update my Kindle for PC to 1.29

I am curious to know which book has this restriction.

There were several textbooks published by Pearson that were limited that way, but as far as I can tell they were all pulled from sale on Amazon a while ago.

[lkmiller]

If you can download it with Kindle for PC 1.26, you can use DeDRM. But if it has to be 1.29, you're out of luck for now.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

If you can download it with Kindle for PC 1.26, you can use DeDRM. But if it has to be 1.29, you're out of luck for now.

That is not strictly true. There is an alternate method of disabling KFX that works with the latest version of Kindle for PC. It is linked to under Method 2 in the first post of this thread.

However, if the book requires both the latest version of Kindle for PC and KFX support then there is currently no solution available.

[lkmiller]

I had assumed that requiring the latest version of Kindle for PC went hand in hand with a book only being available in KFX format.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

I had assumed that requiring the latest version of Kindle for PC went hand in hand with a book only being available in KFX format.

Yes, the need for KFX is likely the issue.

I was hoping that Dillon would say which book is causing the problem. Dillon reported that the latest version of Kindle for PC is needed for the book, but that might not actually be the case.

It would be worth trying Method 4 (KFX conversion) with Kindle for PC version 1.26 to see whether that works instead.