Can Calibre be used for books from Sony bookstore?

[dmyrick]

Need help. Everywhere I turn to find magazines and newspapers for my Sony 505, I get Calibre as my solution....unfortunately, I cannot load it on my Vista laptop. Everytime I try, I get the following error. Any help is appreciated.

An error occured during the installation of assembly 'Microsoft.VC90.CRT,version="9.0.21022.8",publicke yToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b"'processorArchitecture="x 86",type="win32"'.Please refer to Help and Support for more information.

And then rolls back the install. What does this mean and how can I work around it.

[itimpi]

Note that if you move to the 0.6.xx series it updates the metadata.db file to a format that is incompatible with the 0.5.xx series. You can get away with copying just this file rather than your whole library if you want to be able to revert.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by dmyrick

An error occured during the installation of assembly 'Microsoft.VC90.CRT,version="9.0.21022.8",publicke yToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b"'processorArchitecture="x 86",type="win32"'.Please refer to Help and Support for more information.

Turn of User Account Control and see if that helps. Are you sure you have a good d/l? You might want to d/l the installer again. I don't think Kovid provides MD5 hashes to verify them... but you could just have a corrupted d/l.

BOb

[puddlejumper]

I am considering the purchase of a Sony PRS600 simply because of the number of formats that it handles. This is the first time that I've heard of the Sony books all containing DRM. When they convert to ePUB, will changes be limited to books purchased from their bookstore or will changes be required on the readers?

Sorry if this is simple-minded, but I am brand new to ebooks/readers. Would I be better off with a Kindle? (I run Ubuntu Linux on all of my computers. I don't even have MS Windows loaded on any of them.)

Thanks.

[polly]

Originally Posted by puddlejumper

I am considering the purchase of a Sony PRS600 simply because of the number of formats that it handles. This is the first time that I've heard of the Sony books all containing DRM. When they convert to ePUB, will changes be limited to books purchased from their bookstore or will changes be required on the readers?

Sorry if this is simple-minded, but I am brand new to ebooks/readers. Would I be better off with a Kindle? (I run Ubuntu Linux on all of my computers. I don't even have MS Windows loaded on any of them.)

Thanks.

I wouldn't be too impressed by a reader because it plays lots of formats. I used to think it was important and then I realized that Calibre converts lots of file types.

There are several readers besides the Sony that support Adobe Digital Editions. Any of them would work well with DRMed ePubs and PDF books. I'd look at the MobilRead Wiki for reader types and decide what features are important and which readers have those features.

The problem with the Kindle these days is that it locks you into the Amazon store. DRMed files that you buy there will not work on anything else and DRMed ePubs and PDFs will not work on a Kindle. With lots of readers supporting ADE, you have more choices when you buy a new reader if your library is in ADE formats.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by puddlejumper

I am considering the purchase of a Sony PRS600 simply because of the number of formats that it handles. This is the first time that I've heard of the Sony books all containing DRM.

The 600 and 300 have supported ePub (w/ Adobe DRM) and LRX (Sony DRM) out of the box. The 505 got an upgrade over a year ago to add support for Adobe ePub DRM. Just recently Sony made and offer to upgrade the 500 to support Adobe ePub DRM for free, but you have to send the device out to them.

Originally Posted by puddlejumper

When they convert to ePUB, will changes be limited to books purchased from their bookstore or will changes be required on the readers?

The "change to ePub" only applies to the Sony ebook store. Currently the store used Sony's proprietary DRM and the file was a .lrx file. When they convert the store they will move to using the Adobe DRM and will allow people to re-download their previously purchased ebooks in that format.

So, the readers don't change, the store changes. Hope that makes sense.

BOb

[new]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

To ease your fears try the following steps.

Copy your library to a new location
Uninstall 0.5.14
Install 0.6.26
Point to new copy of library.

If it doesn't work uninstall and go back 0.5.14 and point to the original library.

This process shouldn't take long and you'll be on the same page as most of the rest of us.

Thanks I may try that. But are there any real upgrades for the Sony PRS-505 format making it better and/or easier that makes it worth upgrading?

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by new

Thanks I may try that. But are there any real upgrades for the Sony PRS-505 format making it better and/or easier that makes it worth upgrading?

It has been said that conversion to LRF is better under 0.5.14.

If I read you right you change everything to Epub (as do I). The new version is much better at converting to and from all other formats via the graphic interface. The new conversion process also allows you to convert from Mobipocket (mobi, prc) and LRF to epub too. I forget the other advantages? Certainly consistent font size during conversion is one plus.

[new]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

It has been said that conversion to LRF is better under 0.5.14.

If I read you right you change everything to Epub (as do I). The new version is much better at converting to and from all other formats via the graphic interface. The new conversion process also allows you to convert from Mobipocket (mobi, prc) and LRF to epub too. I forget the other advantages? Certainly consistent font size during conversion is one plus.

Oh No! I do convert to LRF and you say it is better in 0.5.14??? I just upgraded to the new version, and I stupidly replaced (bye bye 0.5.14) the old one with the new one. I love right hand justification is why I like .lrf and I like to enlarge the font size.

Now what? I haven't viewed the 8 books I converted to .lrf on the Sony to see how it looks. I had to zip and unzip 3 books because they wouldn't open. Thanks to this forum I found the fix.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by new

Oh No! I do convert to LRF and you say it is better in 0.5.14??? I just upgraded to the new version, and I stupidly replaced (bye bye 0.5.14) the old one with the new one. I love right hand justification is why I like .lrf and I like to enlarge the font size.

This is the rumor I heard but I'm sure you'll be fine. I love being able to put the title in the header on a LRF file.

As a side note I always proof my conversions in Calibre's viewer to make sure things are the way I like them.

[new]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

This is the rumor I heard but I'm sure you'll be fine. I love being able to put the title in the header on a LRF file.

As a side note I always proof my conversions in Calibre's viewer to make sure things are the way I like them.

Here we go again. Been there and done this once before when I dare to update Calibre a while back. I converted to larger font from .epub to .lrf and then when I opened the book in the Sony PRS-505 it froze the reader!. I had to use a paper clip. So again, I deleted the books, and used time machine (thank God for that nice feature) to get the old version back. I never ever had freeze problems with the old version. SO I am never ever updating again. I am not computer savy enough or want to be to figure out why it freezes. When will I ever learn? Maybe other people have no problems, but for us that are happy with it the way it is, I guess I will leave well enough alone.

But I do need help to fix my library back. When I backed the library up it made .opf files, and it really is a mess. Then I decided I would try to find the old library. It is a mess. Any suggestions?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by new

But I do need help to fix my library back. When I backed the library up it made .opf files, and it really is a mess. Then I decided I would try to find the old library. It is a mess. Any suggestions?

How did you back it up? The only think I can think that you did was so a save to disk and specify the existing library folder.

In what way is "it a mess"? Can you be more specific?

What you can do is go into the config and specify a new location for your library. Calibre will move the metadata.db and all the ebooks files that it is tracking to the new folder. I expect and extra files would be left behind.

BOb

[new]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

How did you back it up? The only think I can think that you did was so a save to disk and specify the existing library folder.

In what way is "it a mess"? Can you be more specific?

What you can do is go into the config and specify a new location for your library. Calibre will move the metadata.db and all the ebooks files that it is tracking to the new folder. I expect and extra files would be left behind.

BOb

I saved the library to disk on a single directory. The mess is 3 each of one book (I have lots of books too) One .epub or .pdf, one .lrf, and one .opf file listed seperately. When I tried to go into config to specify a new location it said something to the effect of "delete the old library first". Then I wasn't sure where the heck the old library was. I found something that has books listed by author, and kinda looked like Itunes mess it makes of music libraries.

So I am not sure how to clean this mess up. I hate to delete my backup library, not sure why it tells you to do that.

Oh yeah I believe it was configured to the right location, but it put nothing in the Calibre library when I opened the program up. Totally empty. So I added books by the normal way I add books, so guess I answered my own question. Just delete them. But can't seem to get the darn program to put the library back in, even though it was configured to the right location. Hope this makes sense......

Here is the error, I just tried again (I changed the configure to the correct library I think) and deleted manually the old library mess:

An invalid database already exists at ......, delete it before trying to move the existing database.
Error: no such function: sortconcat RemoteTraceback (most recent call last): File "calibre/library/sqlite.pyo", line 119, in run File "calibre/library/sqlite.pyo", line 79, in get OperationalError: no such function: sortconcat

Thanks for replying.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by new

I saved the library to disk on a single directory. The mess is 3 each of one book (I have lots of books too) One .epub or .pdf, one .lrf, and one .opf file listed seperately.

That is perfectly normal. Each book can have more than one format. In your case it sounds like you have three formats. If you want you can go into the configuration, go to the Add/Save tab... then the save area. You can turn off the save of the .opf file.

You can also when you save the books to disk use the little pull down menu and select a single format to save rather than it saving all the formats.

Originally Posted by new

When I tried to go into config to specify a new location it said something to the effect of "delete the old library first". Then I wasn't sure where the heck the old library was. I found something that has books listed by author, and kinda looked like Itunes mess it makes of music libraries.

I assume the "old" library is really the "current" library. I assume you are specifying an empty folder to move it to?

When you say "the mess it makes"... I'm not sure what you are calling a mess. You do realize that calibre is organizing your files in the folder that you specify as your calibre library. You should not be putting any files in that folder (or its child folders) at all. You should let calibre manage the "mess".

Originally Posted by new

So I am not sure how to clean this mess up. I hate to delete my backup library, not sure why it tells you to do that.

If by mess you mean the calibre folder where it stores all your books. I'm not sure this is anything to clean up.

Originally Posted by new

Oh yeah I believe it was configured to the right location, but it put nothing in the Calibre library when I opened the program up. Totally empty. So I added books by the normal way I add books, so guess I answered my own question. Just delete them. But can't seem to get the darn program to put the library back in, even though it was configured to the right location. Hope this makes sense......

I'm not sure what you mean by "put the library back in". What are you expecting to happen. At the risk or repeating myself:

You are specifying a totally empty folder when you set the clibre "Location of eBooks" location. You "add" books using the calibre UI and NOT by copying books into that folder location? I'm not trying to be condesending here... just making sure I understand what you are doing based on what you are saying.

Originally Posted by new

Here is the error, I just tried again (I changed the configure to the correct library I think) and deleted manually the old library mess:

An invalid database already exists at ......, delete it before trying to move the existing database.
Error: no such function: sortconcat RemoteTraceback (most recent call last): File "calibre/library/sqlite.pyo", line 119, in run File "calibre/library/sqlite.pyo", line 79, in get OperationalError: no such function: sortconcat

What is the ...... ??? Is that actually a path? Are you sure it is totally empty? You should create a new empty folder on your C: drive with Windows explorer (or in your Home directory with Finder if using a Mac). Then tell Calibre to use that newly created folder for your ebook location. If should be empty so you won't get that error.

BOb

[new]

I used time machine to get the old version back of Calibre, now when I open Calibre there are NO BOOKS THERE. How do I get the books back into Calibre I had before????

How do I get my original books back into Calibre?? Where is the original library? Why would I setup an empty library when it was full?