KINDLE FORCED UPGRADE

[shalym]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For me, using Kobo saves a step converting formats to get the epub I want. As a Canadian, I also have access to KoboPlus which is much the same as Kindle Unlimited but does not force an author to be exclusive to Kobo. This results in quite a few more books by authors I want to read being available though a good chunk of this is due to Open Road Media's SF&F collection. OTOH, my wife likes authors such as Rachel Morgan and her Creepy Hollow and Elemental series.

The DRM used by Kobo for their ebooks synced to their desktop app or an ereader is handled by the Obok plugin which still works in calibre 5 while the DRM used by downloading from their site is the standard Adobe DRM for those books that have DRM.

I'd just like to point out that some of the Open Road Media books are available in Kindle Unlimited as well, even though they are available on Kobo. An example is "Powder Burn" by Carl Hiassen.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BBPW6BO
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/powder-burn-1

I'm pretty sure that the exclusivity clause doesn't apply to publishing companies, although I don't know how large a company has to be in order to take advantage of KU and still sell their ebooks elsewhere.

Shari

[rgeorg]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I have updated my post to show the contents of the batch file in a spoiler.

The batch file only checks for the location where Kindle for PC is typically installed.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Ran it and it is working great! (i.e. no auto-updates)
Really appreciate it

[rgeorg]

Thank you! @jhowell
Works perfectly. Saved me tons of hassle!

[Vertigo]

I'm no expert at this but I am a techie.

I recently reverted to k4pc and then ran @jhowell's neat little batch file and all was fine until today when I discovered that k4pc had been uninstalled. I'm pretty sure I didn't uninstall it but there you ago. So back to square one; reinstalled k4pc and run the batch file and wait and see!

[Phillip21]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

I'm no expert at this but I am a techie.

I recently reverted to k4pc and then ran @jhowell's neat little batch file and all was fine until today when I discovered that k4pc had been uninstalled. I'm pretty sure I didn't uninstall it but there you ago. So back to square one; reinstalled k4pc and run the batch file and wait and see!

Your prompt prompted me to check: I am still able to run k4pc v1.26 (as long as I keep pressing the 'remind me later' prompt for the upgrade.

[lkmiller]

I've seen Windows 10 just decide to uninstall something before. It wasn't K4PC, but another program I hadn't used in a while was just gone when I did want to use it.

[bbacle]

I was having the same problems today on my Win7 machine. I installed the Kindle for PC app 1.17 & each time I would close & reopen it would want to know if I wanted to upgrade to 1.30 (which doesn't work on Win7). I told it to skip it 2 times, but then the 3rd time it installed it anyway.
So I began a search & found your bat file, ran it & now it doesn't update even though it asks me each time if I want to update it.
Thanks again.
BTW...if you know of a way to automatically all of my ebooks in the Kindle for PC app, I would be interested.

Originally Posted by jhowell

Another way to disable Kindle for PC updates is to replace the "updates" folder with a file of the same name. That prevents an update from being downloaded. Kindle for PC will still ask if you want to download the new update each time it is restarted, but it will not be able to do so.

I have created a simple Windows batch file to preform this change. See attached.

Spoiler:

@echo off
set KINDLE=%LocalAppData%\Amazon\Kindle
if not exist "%KINDLE%\application\Kindle.exe" goto :nokindle
if exist "%KINDLE%\storage" if not exist "%KINDLE%\storage\" del /Q "%KINDLE%\storage"
if exist "%KINDLE%\updates" rmdir /S /Q "%KINDLE%\updates"
echo This file disables Kindle for PC downloads. > "%KINDLE%\updates"
echo Kindle for PC downloads are now disabled
goto :exit
:nokindle
echo Cannot disable downloads - Kindle for PC is not installed at expected location
:exit
pause

------

Update: Oops, I accidentally used the wrong folder in the first version of the batch file. I apologize to anyone who downloaded this previously.

The current version of the batch will fix the broken folder created by the previous version, but you will need to re-register Kindle for PC afterwards. Sorry!

[bbacle]

I have now tested in on a Win7 64bit machine, & it works the 1st time you open Kindle, but when you close Kindle for PC & reopen it, the popup comes right back & the registry entries that were deleted come back also.
So this apparently doesn't work.
You might could create a batch file that deletes those entries & have it to open Kindle for PC. This would need to be run each time you want to run Kindle.

Originally Posted by TxHawkeye

I've been experimenting with K4PC 1.21 and 1.24 on Windows 10 in a virtual machine. There are 3 registry entries in the "HKCU\Software\Amazon\Kindle\User settings" key which, if deleted, appear to stop the "Software Update Available" popup.

The registry entries are updateDownloadDescription, updateDownloadUrl, and updateDownloadVersion. These entries contain a description of the 1.30 update, the URL from which it will be downloaded and the 1.30 build number, respectively.

Deleting any one of these seems to stop the popup on 1.21 and 1.24 (the only versions I have for testing). I've elected to delete all three.

I've been running without popups for several days on my 'live' Windows 10 machine with 1.24 installed and the three registry entries deleted.

It's certainly possible these entries may be repopulated given Amazon's aggressive push to update everyone to the latest version. So it may be necessary delete them again if the popups resume.

I welcome others who are confident in making registry changes to see if this also works for them.

[bbacle]

I have created a batch file to stop the software update popup & I am including the batch file to disable Kindle for PC update.
in the software update batch file, I never did figure out how to close the cmd window, but it closes when you close Kindle.
Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by TxHawkeye

I've been experimenting with K4PC 1.21 and 1.24 on Windows 10 in a virtual machine. There are 3 registry entries in the "HKCU\Software\Amazon\Kindle\User settings" key which, if deleted, appear to stop the "Software Update Available" popup.

The registry entries are updateDownloadDescription, updateDownloadUrl, and updateDownloadVersion. These entries contain a description of the 1.30 update, the URL from which it will be downloaded and the 1.30 build number, respectively.

Deleting any one of these seems to stop the popup on 1.21 and 1.24 (the only versions I have for testing). I've elected to delete all three.

I've been running without popups for several days on my 'live' Windows 10 machine with 1.24 installed and the three registry entries deleted.

It's certainly possible these entries may be repopulated given Amazon's aggressive push to update everyone to the latest version. So it may be necessary delete them again if the popups resume.

I welcome others who are confident in making registry changes to see if this also works for them.

[bbacle]

In the Kindle.bat file, be sure to change my username (I forgot to chang e it) to your username in the last line where you start the Kindle app on your PC.
Also if you have your Kindle app installed elsewhere, change the path also.

[HLS]

All electronic devices force updates. Mine just updated yesterday. They were a month late but it got pushed threw.

[lkmiller]

Been able to stay on Kindle for PC 1.17 with no problem since replacing the updates folder with a text file no extension of the same name. Eventually it will stop downloading new books, but not yet.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by HLS

All electronic devices force updates.

Speaking as a free software hacker, the decent ones don't. That you think this is a depressing reflection of the predominance of freedom-denying devices out there. None of them are actually owned by you: you merely rent it. Its true owner is the megacorp which "sold" it to you.

(Yes, I say this despite owning a Kindle that I haven't rooted )

[JSWolf]

We don't actually need this thread any longer given that we have a sticky thread in the Calibre forum that's all about the Kindle program/app.

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

[Fat Abe]

I was wondering if the concept of Controlled Folder Access would remedy the unwanted update problem.

Start with the magnifying glass icon next to the blue (Start) icon, at the left corner of the Taskbar. Enter "Controlled Folder access" as the search string, and select that app. Turn on the switch labelled Controlled Folder access. If these two folders

C:\Program Files (x86)\Amazon\Kindle\storage
C:\Program Files (x86)\Amazon\Kindle\updates

do not exist, then create them with Explorer.

Return to the Controlled Folder Access app, and click Protected Folders. Use the Add Protected Folder button to make the .\storage and .\updates folders read only. Windows Notification will warn you if anyone attempts to muck with these folders.