Getting ready to give up on Sony PRS-505, the list of problems keep growing...

[ru_bianca]

I finally am able to see some ebooks on my PRS505 now!

What Happened:
Not sure what happened, but yesterday it wasn't seeing the SD card when I put it in, but today, I tried again on a whim. I put the card in, turned it on, and of course it said it didn't have/see any books. Not even the SD card. But then after a couple of seconds, it reset itself, and then it said it had books! When I looked at the list of books, it had and SD icon next to each title, so now it's obviously seeing them through the SD card.

The New Question:
I just need to figure out what's the correct way to download the ebooks from a website in the first place. I have 10 ebooks and they all show up on the PRS-505. But there's an issue with a couple of them even though they show up. When I try to bring them up to read, instead of the cover page of the book, "Invalid Page!" along with a triangle with an "!" in it shows up. I'm thinking it's either because of the format I downloaded them in (Adobe Digital Editions) or the website itself doesn't support PRS-505. I emailed one website and they said they didn't support PRS-505, but I don't know how the website itself should affect that, when the buyer is able to choose the format (ADE, Adobe PDF, etc.). That makes no sense.

Anyone, know the exact formats to download the ebooks for PRS-505? I've downloaded them in so many different ways in order to get this thing to work, that I think I lost the format in the shuffle.

Thoughts?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by ru_bianca

Anyone, know the exact formats to download the ebooks for PRS-505? I've downloaded them in so many different ways in order to get this thing to work, that I think I lost the format in the shuffle.

Thoughts?

The 505 certainly supports Adobe Protected ePub ebooks. Have you authorized your reader to your Adobe ID? How are you copying the ePub books to your Sony reader?

BOb

[ficbot]

I made the mistake of thinking that because I was logged into the Sony store and downloading a book, and that because while this was happening, my reader was plugged in and the software could use it, that meant my reader was 'authorized.' It just seemed logical, right? But apparently there is an extra step where you have to log into your account, add the reader and let it do some sort of unlock. It made no sense to me, I was plugged in and logged in and assumed that was enough. But this is technology so they never make it simple when it can be hard I had the same triangle as you, it means you have to log into your account and add the reader to 'authorize' it.

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by ficbot

it means you have to log into your account and add the reader to 'authorize' it.

Yes, indeed.
1. Connect your reader to the computer.
2. Open the Sony Ebook Library and select "Ebookstore."
3. Navigate to "my account." Sign in.
3. "My Authorized Devices" is at the bottom of the page that then appears. Select "manage devices." The software should detect if there is a new reader connected and may well offer to authorize it for you.

I hope this helps.

Incidentally, this page also gives you the option to view or download books that you have bought from theSony Ebookstore.


And choose LRF, LRX or EPub/ ADE as formats for the Sony Readers, if you are buying from elsewhere.

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by macphersondh

Really?

Here is my situation...

I had one of the first Readers but as I am UK resident a colleague in the US created a Sony Reader account and I was able to buy books through his registered credit card and reimburse him through Paypal.

I then upgraded to a 505 and my colleague gave the 500 to his Mother in Law so now there are two readers on the account.

Due to ever changing corporate laptops I now find that with both Readers still registered on this account, we never deleted old PC connections and now I can't register my newest laptop.

Sadly a month ago my colleague died and I really don't want to intrude into the family with something as trivial as sorting this account out.

So if the original statement is true, can I do a complete hard reset and then register my 505 onto the UK Sony site? But what about all my read/unread books?

David

Email Sony and ask them to de-authorize the old computer and let you authorize the new one, to your existing account.
The annoying thing is that you are supposed to connect from the computer that you are de-authorizing. This is obviously impossible in cases where it breaks, or is no longer in your possession. The sony people are quite used to this type of request and should be able to arrange matters very quickly.

However, if the account is not in your name then you will have problems, and may have to approch the bereaved family, or resign yourself to losing the books.

Alternatively, you can set up a UK account and authorize your reader to this. But then you won't be able to access the books from the American account.

[ru_bianca]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

The 505 certainly supports Adobe Protected ePub ebooks. Have you authorized your reader to your Adobe ID? How are you copying the ePub books to your Sony reader?

BOb

I've been dealing with the whole Adobe authroization thing for a while. My computer is authorized and when you plug in the PRS-505, Adobe (I have Adobe Digital Editions) is supposed to prompt you with a chance to authorize the PRS-505 to your Adobe account as well. Well, my account never asks me for that. There's no way to do it going through the menus either. Only authorizing your computer is in the menu list. Anyway, I've been slowly working with Adobe tech support to figure out how to get a chance to authorize my ereader. Right now, I'm just putting the ebooks on a SD card and sticking it into my ereader.

The problem is that only some of my books can be read by my ereader. It "sees" them, like they're in the list of books it shows to have, but when I press "Begin" so I can read it, it does the invalid page thing. I think I've figured it out. When I go on the PRS-05, into "Info" for each book, the ones that work say "Kind-Adobe PDF". The ones that aren't working have something like "Kind-application/epub-zip".

Do you know if there's a way I can change something over into Adobe PDF?

[ru_bianca]

Originally Posted by ru_bianca

I think I've figured it out. When I go on the PRS-05, into "Info" for each book, the ones that work say "Kind-Adobe PDF". The ones that aren't working have something like "Kind-application/epub-zip".

Do you know if there's a way I can change something over into Adobe PDF?

I just looked at one of the other ebooks that shows as "Invalid" and it says "Kind-AdobePDF". There goes that idea. I have a feeling that I may have downloaded it as Adobe Digital Editions and not regular Adobe PDF.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by ru_bianca

I've been dealing with the whole Adobe authroization thing for a while. My computer is authorized and when you plug in the PRS-505, Adobe (I have Adobe Digital Editions) is supposed to prompt you with a chance to authorize the PRS-505 to your Adobe account as well. Well, my account never asks me for that. There's no way to do it going through the menus either. Only authorizing your computer is in the menu list. Anyway, I've been slowly working with Adobe tech support to figure out how to get a chance to authorize my ereader. Right now, I'm just putting the ebooks on a SD card and sticking it into my ereader.

ADE can't authorize your reader unless Sony eBook Library is installed. It installs the drivers which allow ADE to talk to the sony.

Originally Posted by ru_bianca

The problem is that only some of my books can be read by my ereader. It "sees" them, like they're in the list of books it shows to have, but when I press "Begin" so I can read it, it does the invalid page thing. I think I've figured it out. When I go on the PRS-05, into "Info" for each book, the ones that work say "Kind-Adobe PDF". The ones that aren't working have something like "Kind-application/epub-zip".

It is certainly because your reader isn't authorized. Some of your books, the ones that work just probably don't have DRM on them.

BOb

[igorsk]

Don't mix DRMed PDF and EPUB on the device, ADE cannot handle it at the moment.

[ru_bianca]

So awesome news...My PRS 505 has been working great with just putting the ebooks on an SD card and putting it into the reader. It's been working perfectly for a few weeks now.

Unfortunately, another problem has come up with the ereader. When I turn it on, it has that caution sign with an exclamation point in it and says "Invalid Format!" and won't get off that screen. It still indicates whether or not there's an SD card with ebooks on it or not, but none of the buttons do anything while that symbol is on the screen.

I doubt it's the ebooks because I put one on there that I had just read on the ereader two weeks ago. It's like one day I turned it on and it decided it didn't want to work.

Any thoughts?

[Patricia]

Do a soft reset.
If that doesn't work, then try a hard reset.

Here's a possibly useful thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21337

Also, take out the SD card. Delete the books and add them one by one until you work out which one is causing the problem.

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by igorsk

Don't mix DRMed PDF and EPUB on the device, ADE cannot handle it at the moment.

Not quite - the issue there is the Sony problem with Overdrive having different servers for epub and PDF for Library books (this isn't an issue with non Library books).

Also to force the issue with ADE authorizing your device do the following.

1.) I believe you said this, but make sure ADE is authorized to you AdobeID. Select "Authorize Computer..." If you are authorized it will display your AdobeID. If you are not authorized it will go through the steps to authorize you (NOTE: read the warnings carefully).

2.) With the device plugged in, and ADE running press "Ctrl+Shift+E"
This will bring up the Device Deactivaiton dialog, when asked you do want to deactivate the device. NOTE: currently Sony and Adobe keep separate authorization on the 505, this will not remove the Sony authorization (needed for books from the Sony store), but will remove the Adobe authorization (needed for books from everyplace else)

3.) Unplug your 505

4.) Replug the 505 - The device authorization dialog should come. Say that you do want to authorize the device, and after that the content that previously didn't work should now work.

[acidzebra]

Originally Posted by ru_bianca

When I turn it on, it has that caution sign with an exclamation point in it and says "Invalid Format!" and won't get off that screen

Press the center button of the little ring with the little up/down/left/right arrows on the lower right of your reader.

[Patricia]

Just in case, here's alink to the Sony 505 manual:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod....pl?mdl=PRS505

[ru_bianca]

So the whole giving me a hazard symbol and saying "invalid format"...when I pressed the center button with the arrows on it, it asked if I wanted to format the device. Since all my ebooks are by SD card, and not the device itself, I said yes and put the SD card in afterwards. Wallah! Now I can see my books! Thanks for the advice.

But ctrl-shift-E doesn't bring anything up on ADE. It just sits and stares at me like I'm stupid.