Preventing Wi-Fi firmware updating

[Caramon77]

Well... maybe i am too "simply thinking" but i just changed the url in Libnickel. I don't think my kobo will be able to download any firmware till the end of time (or 'till someone registers the domain i wrote and setus up a kobo-compliant update server...)

[davidfor]

I have had a play with filling the disk and doing a sync. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work to prevent the download and installation of an update, but still allow syncing. I have played with leaving various amounts of free space, but, none seem to do what is desired.

Just in case someone wants to try, I have posted a test version of the Kobo Utilities plugin. This has an extra option on the menu called "Fill disk". This allows you to set an amount of free space to leave and then creates a file to fill the disk.

My testing has been on two different Touch's. One has 2.5.2 and the other 3.1.1. I haven't tried the Glo as I didn't feel like setting it back from 3.2.0.

My conclusions from this testing are that if an update is found during a sync:

- If there is not enough space to download the firmware update file, you will get a not enough space error and the download won't happen.

- If there is not enough space to download the update and unpack it, the file will be downloaded, but an error is displayed afterwards. The downloaded file is removed on 3.1.1 but not on 2.5.2.

- If there is enough space to download the update and unpack it, the file will be downloaded, unpacked and you get prompted to install it.

For none of the cases was the sync done.

There is also a minimum free space below which a sync won't be done. In this case, a not enough space message is displayed. I didn't test at what free space this happened at, but I suspect it is 50MB.

The test version of the plugin is there if someone wants to try and confirm, or better still, disprove my conclusions. Or check them on another device or firmware level. I recommend doing it while you have something else to do as each test takes time. Watching "Aliens" again was a suitable distraction.

[Caramon77]

Have you simply tried my method? change the URL.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Caramon77

Have you simply tried my method? change the URL.

Some people might be more interested in proving or disproving certain concepts than in preventing updates on their own devices.

[jgoguen]

There is that, but there's also the safety factor. Changing the URL in libnickel is completely unsupported and risks bricking the device. Most threads (hopefully all, but I haven't read them all) talking about how to edit or patch Kobo-provided firmware files carries a suitable warning. The Kobo Utilities plugin, so far anyway, only does operations which we can all be reasonably certain (based on the long use of the KoboTouch driver) are quite safe. It still isn't supported, but nothing in the Kobo Utilities plugin is going to brick your device if it's done a tiny bit wrong.

That is, assuming davidfor didn't sneak in a "or os.unlink(db_file)" somewhere

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

That is, assuming davidfor didn't sneak in a "or os.unlink(db_file)" somewhere

From memory, the full code looks like:

if self.person_pissed_me_off(self.get_username_from_db()):
   os.unlink(self.device_database_path)

[byblo]

Alternatively, you can edit the urls in the Kobo eReader.conf file. Seems more simple, permanent and safer than patching binaries:

Since I don't use the kobo store or any online service from kobo, I disabled everything on that configuration file and never had any upgrade, error popups or anything from kobo.

Don't ask me which variable preventing the upgrade, I have no idea, I just wanted to disable all online services from kobo.

[Services]
ContactUsURL=http://127.0.0.1
EulaURL=http://127.0.0.1
FirstTimeUXURL=https://127.0.0.1
ForgotPasswordURL=https://127.0.0.1
ImageHandlerURL=http://127.0.0.1
PartnerProxyHandlerURL=https://127.0.0.1
PrivacyURL=http://127.0.0.1
PurchaseURL=https://127.0.0.1
RequestURL=http://127.0.0.1
SecureURL=https://127.0.0.1
ServiceDomain=.127.0.0.1
SignInURL=
SocialAuthorizationURL=https://127.0.0.1
SocialURL=https://127.0.0.1
WebsiteURL=http://127.0.0.1
WebstoreProxyURL=https://127.0.0.1
WebstoreURL=http://127.0.0.1

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by byblo

Since I don't use the kobo store or any online service from kobo, I disabled everything on that configuration file and never had any upgrade, error popups or anything from kobo.

Don't ask me which variable preventing the upgrade, I have no idea, I just wanted to disable all online services from kobo.

I doubt if any of them do. The reason you aren't getting prompted to do a WiFi update is because you don't use the Kobo services. The ONLY time a firmware update check is done is when you are doing a synch. And a synch will only be done when you press the sync button or once a day if you have the auto sync option set. If you have the browser and never do a sync, then you will never get prompted to update. Of course, if you don't use the Kobo services and don't use the browser, turning WiFi off will guarantee that you never get a firmware update.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I doubt if any of them do. The reason you aren't getting prompted to do a WiFi update is because you don't use the Kobo services. The ONLY time a firmware update check is done is when you are doing a synch. And a synch will only be done when you press the sync button or once a day if you have the auto sync option set. If you have the browser and never do a sync, then you will never get prompted to update. Of course, if you don't use the Kobo services and don't use the browser, turning WiFi off will guarantee that you never get a firmware update.

...and should not drain the battery as much.

Luck;
Ken

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by Cecell3000

teste prevent firmware update

# Firmware 3.1.1 (761b066420)

<Patch>
patch_name = `prevent firmware update`
patch_enable = `yes`
# alternative 1
#change `5.0.0` , `99.10` , `999.9` or similar
replace_string = 01105C10, `3.1.1`, `99.10`
# alternative 2
#replace_string = 01106BB0, `https://api.kobobooks.com/1.0/UpgradeCheck/%1/%2/%3/%4/%5`, `https://api.kobobooks.com/1.0/UpgradeCheck/%1/%2/%3/9.9/N`
# alternative 3
#replace_string = 01106BB0, `https://api.kobobooks.com/1.0/UpgradeCheck/%1/%2/%3/%4/%5`, `https://api.kobobooks.com/1.0/UpgradeCheck/%1/%2/k/99.9/N`
</Patch>

I tested and it's working ...

but question:
this code can cause problems with account kobo (blacklist) or device serial number ??

sorry English (using google translator)

Tried the patch on my aura HD to disable the auto updates and the patching itself worked fine.
But like the picture shows, the software version changes into 99.10.0
All the books work great but when using Calibre, it says:
"kobo database version unsupported" and calibre stopped working (Calibre 1.35.0 )
Tried the alternative strings, they all patched okay, but changes the software version into one Calibre doesn't recognise and refused to transfer books to or from the reader.
So after all, it doesn't seem such a good idea to use this patch.

I do want to use the sync, so just changing all the urls doesn't seems to be a good idea also.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Nick_1964

So after all, it doesn't seem such a good idea to use this patch.

I guess the plugin has an option to skip the version check.
Edit: In post #17 i proposed another patch that would not influence calibre, since it doesn't change the hard coded version number. and only sends a higher version number to the Kobo server.
Edit 2: I just became aware that this has been included as alternatives 2 and 3.

[davidfor]

Nick: As tshering said, the driver in calibre does a version check. There is an option to ignore this. If you are on recent firmware and know that calibre supports it, changing this option is safe.

But, as I keep pointing out all this is immaterial if you don't sync to the Kobo servers. The ONLY time that the firmware version is checked and a new version is downloaded is during a sync. If you don't read books from the Kobo server, you don't need to sync and hence won't have an update forced on you.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Nick: As tshering said, the driver in calibre does a version check. There is an option to ignore this. If you are on recent firmware and know that calibre supports it, changing this option is safe.

But, as I keep pointing out all this is immaterial if you don't sync to the Kobo servers. The ONLY time that the firmware version is checked and a new version is downloaded is during a sync. If you don't read books from the Kobo server, you don't need to sync and hence won't have an update forced on you.

David; I thought that a "factory reset" would also result in an update check and download. Not so? I have my "user" data zeroed out, so it is not something I see, anymore.

Luck;
Ken

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

David; I thought that a "factory reset" would also result in an update check and download. Not so? I have my "user" data zeroed out, so it is not something I see, anymore.

Yes, you are correct. Maybe I should have said "during normal operation". Of course, if you do a factory reset, the patching won't help stop the update check.

And before anyone says something, doing a factory reset is not part of normal operation

[Nick_1964]

In https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=700 you can see what happened to my device and computer, maybe it was an onetime event, but the computer doesn't recognized the whole reader anymore.
I solved it, but want to warn that the default option of the patch can do things that even the computer doesn't recognise the device anymore,and when you can't get onto it,you can't replace the patch by another one.
For sure it can all be a combination of windows version,virus check or other programs on my computer why this happened, or already patched things on the device that could trigger it with me,and not with you.
And every patch offcourse,is at own risk.
A factory reset could solve it,but that also can trigger a new firmware, and I am afraid that Kobo will build something in a new release that checks firmware and prevent you to go back to an older version and then you are in a whole new situation and have to wait until someone will find a patch for the new one... it all would be more easy when Kobo let the user deside to do,or do not perform a update, just display a warning that there is a new firmware and what it does,and let the user choose because now,when they choose to make something in the device I don't want, they can alter on distance the options on my device that I have now and change the behave I like,left me with only the hope I can reverse it by putting back the old firmware.
Someday I am afraid that going back to old firmware says something like "the firmware you try to install is older then the one currently on your device, operation aborted."