Aura HD Problems connecting to pc

[cybmole]

windows can, annoyingly, store info about a failed attempt to attach a gadget, & give you trouble ever after for that. It happened to me with my wife's old Samsung phone. I had fail after fail trying to set up their Keis software in order to copy files. eventually, I was able to do it on a different PC, but on this one, even after clearing everything relevant, and following the exact same steps, I continued to get device not recognised ( & it was not a cables or ports issue - it was windows' "memory" )
so - worst case- you may be doomed for wanting that device to work with that PC, unless you go through the trauma of an O/S re-install. But try going to device manager & removing anything that has a warning or exclamation mark against it. searching for a driver obtained from the device, in order to zap it, is harder, but you may be able to search windows drivers folders by date & trace it that way.

[shm_dk]

Originally Posted by hleo12

I think the OP meant that whenever the Kobo is first plugged in, there will be a pop-up on the notification tray that a usb device driver is being installed, but it always fails since it doesn't know where to get the drivers. At least, that's what I'm imagining what's happening from the description...

Exactly

I'm currently at work, but I will try the other solutions mentioned when I get home.

If somehow the computer is struggling getting the driver from the device, would a factory reset helpt this?
I have tried the basic reset and that does nothing.

[hleo12]

Originally Posted by shm_dk

Exactly

I'm currently at work, but I will try the other solutions mentioned when I get home.

If somehow the computer is struggling getting the driver from the device, would a factory reset helpt this?
I have tried the basic reset and that does nothing.

Factory reset of you Kobo? If so, I don't think it would help any. Because the problem seems to be with your PC... Before doing anything rash, tho, I suggest trying to install the Kobo Desktop software. It might just include the basic drivers for your PC to recognize your Kobo.

Do other Mass Storage devices (like USB thumbdrives) work on your computer? Or how about digital cameras? Phones?

[cybmole]

FWIW i don't think there is a kobo driver in windows 7. I looked in my drivers file for files with dates which approx match when I bought my aura HD & I see no obvious candidates. So I reckon it uses some standard windows driver, not anything specific that needs to come from the device itself.

[cybmole]

update - I connected my aura HD & checked device manager - it is using a standard windows driver - see picture

[shm_dk]

Ok, gentlemen I found a solution, Thank You very much for your assistance

I started off with the solution recommended by davidfor.
Unfortunately after using USBDeview I couldn't even get the computer to recognize my normal devices (card-reader, usb hard-drive, usb stick etc).
In all honesty my mood dropped below zero at this point, as I was beginning to see a clean re-instalment of the OS in the near future.

I thought there was something wrong with the OS' plug-and-play software and started researching for a method to repair it.

I came across a thread that suggested a manual way to maybe install a driver when the computer couldn't recognize a p&p device, and it not only worked for my normal attached devices but also for the Kobo - it is now connected to the computer and I can not only see it I can also access it.
Mood swing from below zero to just under the roof in about ten minutes.

And of course for future reference the answer that helped me:

"Plug in any devices you have. Open the start menu, right-click on "Computer", and select "Manage". On the left side of the window that comes up, select "Device Manager". Under "Other Devices" or "Unknown Devices" (can't remember which one it is...they should have a question-mark next to each), you should see a list of all "problem" peripherals. Do this for each: right click on the name, select "Update Driver Software", select "Browse my computer for software (manually)", and put in "C:\Windows\System32" as the path. Click "Next", and your computer should find the drivers. I know this is a pain in the butt, but at least there is some way to solve it."

The link to the mentioned thread - the answer is the fifth from the top by a gentleman with the username skidave.

Once again; very much for taking your time to help, it has been much appreciated

And now I will rummage this site for tips and tricks

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by cybmole

FWIW i don't think there is a kobo driver in windows 7. I looked in my drivers file for files with dates which approx match when I bought my aura HD & I see no obvious candidates. So I reckon it uses some standard windows driver, not anything specific that needs to come from the device itself.

Originally Posted by cybmole

update - I connected my aura HD & checked device manager - it is using a standard windows driver - see picture

Windows is fun that way. Yes, it's a standard driver -- it needs to read USBMS, and that is all. Doesn't stop it from needing to "install a driver" every time you use a new device even though it manifestly isn't. I have no idea what the heck it IS doing, but for example on my slightly-dysfunctional WinXP partition, any time I connect a new device it takes 5 minutes (!!!), after popping up a threatening message about how it can potentially destroy the OS, to "install unsigned drivers". Five freaking minutes before Windows will recognize any USBMS hardware. And linux is always instantaneous, without requiring any imaginary drivers.

Windows.

[PeterT]

The problem is that Kobo change the strings returned by the device each time they update the f/w; they keep the USB ID the same, but now change the device description passed by USB to indicate the F/W level. See usr/local/Kobo/udev/usb

PARAMS="vendor=$VENDOR_ID product=$PRODUCT_ID vendor_id=Kobo product_id=eReader-$VERSION SN=$SN"

if [ "$ACTION" == "add" ]; then
	sync
	umount -l /mnt/onboard
	umount -l /mnt/sd

	/sbin/insmod /drivers/$PLATFORM/usb/gadget/arcotg_udc.ko
	sleep 2

	/sbin/insmod /drivers/$PLATFORM/usb/gadget/g_file_storage.ko file=$LUNS stall=1 removable=1 $PARAMS
	sleep 1

It's not always been this way; I do recall that originally the version was not included here.

[geormes]

I wonder. From the time you first noticed the Kobo couldn't connect, could any usb device?

[shm_dk]

I have wondered the same, but I don't know. I didn't think of trying other devices at the time.

I had just returned from vacation and the computer had updated Windows, graphic card and anti-virus program, and I now suspect that one of those updates might have caused the problem; main suspect being the graphic card.

I first connected my card-reader using the solution above, then my usb hard-drive (had to do this manually also) but when I connected the Kobo it found the driver by itself quite fast, so now my theory is that when Windows was searching for the drivers it was pointing in a wrong direction (~folder).
Although I find it strange that Windows update wasn't able to find the driver on-line either.

Main thing is, I'm on "speaking" terms with my Kobo now

[maurerc]

I am having exactly this problem with an Aura on the Macintosh. Two Macs, two cables that work with other devices. Reset button and factory reset make no difference: the computer still cannot see the Aura.