Amazon has removed Download & Transfer option

[Georgie W]

I've got an old Kindle (mobi only files) which is in permanent airplane mode. When I buy a new ebook from Amazon, I use the Kindle Reader programme v.1.39.2. This lists my bought books and lets me download them to my pc (KFX). From there, I can import to Calibre, De-DRM and convert to mobi.

Am I right in thinking that the "lets me download them to PC" bit is going to be stopped? Or is this only being halted as an option on the Amazon site itself (at least at present)?

[cpegg]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Amazon announced D&T was going away, a few weeks in advance, to customers that were actually using this feature. [...] It is not the big deal we make of it here.

They only 'announced' it to me via a pop-up message when I D&T'd a book I'd bought earlier this week. If I hadn't done that before February 26th I wouldn't have known of this from Amazon. (I don't purchase books every week.)

YouTube did tuck a vid into my feed about this very thing, though. Some guy on a channel I'd never heard of that's dedicated to a genre I care nothing about is fairly irritated. He's got over 800K views and 44K likes on something posted a few days ago.

Most people may not care about DRM removal, but the ability to easily make backups is perhaps more relevant.

[blue_skies]

I have a K3 (Kindle Keyboard) and a Scribe. I usually have both options when I choose Download & Transfer via USB. I have always chosen the Kindle Keyboard because I thought it was best for backing up, removing DRM and most compatible. (I'll potentially convert to Epubs at some point.) Is that generally true?

Is there any advantage to downloading the Scribe version instead? I did both a few times and the file size was the same. Is there any difference?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by blue_skies

Is there any advantage to downloading the Scribe version instead? I did both a few times and the file size was the same. Is there any difference?

The files will be essentially the same. The only differences are the device serial number used for DRM encryption and the details encoded into the watermark metadata within the file.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I was asked this question elsewhere but has anyone had any success importing a KFX ebook directly from the /documents/Downloads/Items01 directory on a Kindle? One acquaintance wants to do this without needing to use calibre though I attempted to explain why it's unlikely to work.

I just did this successfully from my Oasis 2.

Edit to add: Sorry, I misread. I used Calibre to do it...I'm not sure that you would be able to do it without Calibre, although someone somewhere may have written another app or script to do it.

Shari

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by shalym

I just did this successfully from my Oasis 2.

Edit to add: Sorry, I misread. I used Calibre to do it...I'm not sure that you would be able to do it without Calibre, although someone somewhere may have written another app or script to do it.

Shari

I was looking at it and couldn't see how it would be done hence my post here. Even with calibre, directly accessing the downloaded file(s) doesn't work since you only get that file and not the entire collection that make up the KFX ebook. I needed to use the Device view in calibre.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The files will be essentially the same. The only differences are the device serial number used for DRM encryption and the details encoded into the watermark metadata within the file.

Thank you. I used to always use the K3 because I thought they sent a different format for more recent models that could potentially have DRM issues. I guess maybe that's not the case any longer. Then I started wondering if maybe a more recent format would be better going forward.

Thanks again for your reply. I was worried since I'd already downloaded several thousand of my books before it occurred to me I might be choosing the wrong device.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I was looking at it and couldn't see how it would be done hence my post here. Even with calibre, directly accessing the downloaded file(s) doesn't work since you only get that file and not the entire collection that make up the KFX ebook. I needed to use the Device view in calibre.

It does work in Calibre if you have the KFX input plugin. I just dragged the booktitle.kfx file to the open Calibre library window on my computer and it brought it in automatically--with all of the files that make up the .kfx book included.

Shari

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by shalym

Shari

I just took a quick look at your GoodReads shelf and noticed all the Alfred Hitchcock books. I pulled my collection out of storage a few months ago and read them. Brought back some memories.
For my Calibre library I scanned the covers and restored them. Help yourself if you like... https://github.com/KarellenX/book-covers

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Georgie W

I've got an old Kindle (mobi only files) which is in permanent airplane mode. When I buy a new ebook from Amazon, I use the Kindle Reader programme v.1.39.2. This lists my bought books and lets me download them to my pc (KFX). From there, I can import to Calibre, De-DRM and convert to mobi.

Am I right in thinking that the "lets me download them to PC" bit is going to be stopped? Or is this only being halted as an option on the Amazon site itself (at least at present)?

Only Download and Transfer from the website is stopping on the 26th. You can carry on doing what you're doing, at least until Amazon change the DRM scheme again. The change on the 26th won't affect you.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Georgie W

I've got an old Kindle (mobi only files) which is in permanent airplane mode. When I buy a new ebook from Amazon, I use the Kindle Reader programme v.1.39.2. This lists my bought books and lets me download them to my pc (KFX). From there, I can import to Calibre, De-DRM and convert to mobi.

Am I right in thinking that the "lets me download them to PC" bit is going to be stopped? Or is this only being halted as an option on the Amazon site itself (at least at present)?

I would think eventually that method of downloading will stop working. If it's tied into D&T, then eventually will be Feb 26.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The files will be essentially the same. The only differences are the device serial number used for DRM encryption and the details encoded into the watermark metadata within the file.

DeDRM removes the watermark even if the eBook is a DRM-free KF8.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I was asked this question elsewhere but has anyone had any success importing a KFX ebook directly from the /documents/Downloads/Items01 directory on a Kindle? One acquaintance wants to do this without needing to use calibre though I attempted to explain why it's unlikely to work.

Don't know about the MTP Kindles, but otherwise yes.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by Karellen

I just took a quick look at your GoodReads shelf and noticed all the Alfred Hitchcock books. I pulled my collection out of storage a few months ago and read them. Brought back some memories.
For my Calibre library I scanned the covers and restored them. Help yourself if you like... https://github.com/KarellenX/book-covers

Thank you! Yes...I'm reverting back to my childhood right now. I just wish I had as much time to read now as I did then!

Shari

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by tomsem

My Kindle Touch still has Kindle Store access.

Not on the device itself though, right? Just via sync.

Personally, I don't think I've ever bought a book through the on device shop on any ereader I've ever owned -- Nook, Kobo, or Kindle.