Mini Kobo Mini mandatory update

[koboy]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I did a factory reset on my Mini and it updated to 3.19.5761 over the air. I then updated it to 4.1.12111 (which it was on before the factory reset). Perhaps this weekend, I'll pop the internal uSD card out and see if it has had the recovery partition modified. If not, after Feb. 28th, you will need to use the Kobo desktop app after a factory reset.

ok. so you are saying after the 28th of Feb if i haven't already updated my Mini to firmware 3.19.5761 and i have to do a factory reset for whatever reason, i will still be able to update my Mini to firmware 3.19.5761 by using the Kobo desktop installed on my computer?

best wishes koboy

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by koboy

that makes sense. my Mini is on 3.16.0 and if i go below 100MB and add a book/books the cover/covers show as blank because of lack of space on the device.

That doesn't sound right. The cover images should be generated unless there really is no space for them. I'm sure I did some experiments on this in the past and there were no issues with this. But, there might be a problem if the database is larger than the free space. I don't remember if I tested that.

But, I do remember testing what happens with firmware updates when there wasn't much space. I tracked down some posts about it in the 3.17.3 patching thread.

If there is less than 100MB of space, then it should refuse to download the firmware and put up a message to clear space. If there is more than 100MB, it downloads the package and then checks if there is enough space to unpack it. If there isn't, it should display a message about this and remove the package. If there is enough space, it unpacks the package and removes it. Then starts the install process.

The blank OK message is probably supposed to be the second message above. I just downloaded it, and the update package is 100.9MB. And needs the same to unpack. So, a little more than 200MB free is needed. I wonder if the problem was that you had just over 100MB free, but not actually enough to download the file. That error might not have been handled correctly.

And on a side note, those sizes explain why the mark 7 update package was created when it was. The mark 6 package would have been to big if the version 2 devices were included.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by davidfor

That doesn't sound right. The cover images should be generated unless there really is no space for them. I'm sure I did some experiments on this in the past and there were no issues with this. But, there might be a problem if the database is larger than the free space. I don't remember if I tested that.

But, I do remember testing what happens with firmware updates when there wasn't much space. I tracked down some posts about it in the 3.17.3 patching thread.

If there is less than 100MB of space, then it should refuse to download the firmware and put up a message to clear space. If there is more than 100MB, it downloads the package and then checks if there is enough space to unpack it. If there isn't, it should display a message about this and remove the package. If there is enough space, it unpacks the package and removes it. Then starts the install process.

The blank OK message is probably supposed to be the second message above. I just downloaded it, and the update package is 100.9MB. And needs the same to unpack. So, a little more than 200MB free is needed. I wonder if the problem was that you had just over 100MB free, but not actually enough to download the file. That error might not have been handled correctly.

And on a side note, those sizes explain why the mark 7 update package was created when it was. The mark 6 package would have been to big if the version 2 devices were included.

it wasn't me who tried updating the Mini. i was replying to post 44 who had tried with only limited space available without success so deleted some books and had about 200MB free and tried again and the second attempt was successful.

i was sharing my own experience of problems being caused by having limited space, in my case anything less than 100MB any book/books i put on any of my ereaders either my original Aura, Mini, or Touch all running firmware 3.16.0
the book/books will work fine but the cover/covers will be blank as i said in my previous post.

i do remember discussing this with you at the time of 3.16.0 being the current firmware, along with being able to have 2 identical external SD cards with the same books on and only having to put 1 of them in to process the books, rather than it processing the books twice for both cards. you may or may not recall bearing in mind how long ago it was.

best wishes koboy

[issybird]

That's a pity about the Mini. I didn't get the email, but I was already running a higher firmware.

I only use the Mini in summer, as a beach/lake/pool reader. The screen is fine in outdoor daylight, the OEM cover provides a lot of protection for something that gets tossed around in my beach bag and for such an old device, the battery life is terrific. I'll miss being able to download over WiFi; sometime in February I may go through my Kobo library and grab the "light" reading while I can.

[Mingyar]

Hi all,

My Mini, with the Wifi always off, previously in 4.3.8966 patched has been manually and successfully upgraded and patched in 4.12.12111.

All my Kobo are in the same version now.

[chromatica]

(first post, hi)

It sounds like the most important part of this new OTA update is that it will replace the recovery image with one that won't require the Kobo servers to run the setup wizard.

I had 4.12.12111 on my Kobo Mini, so I decided to do a factory reset to see what the recovery would do, and it reverted back to a 3.* version; so clearly all the manual 4.* updates I've been doing haven't touched the recovery partition.

So if you're running a more recent, unsupported firmware, I'd recommend you do this yourself - do a factory reset, connect it to Kobo on a computer and let it do the update (mine did an OTA update without the computer but it wasn't the 'final' one). Then you can put 4.12.12111 (or whatever) back on if you so choose. But without this final update, a factory reset will cause problems down the track if you need to do one, because you'll still have the old recovery partition even though your firmware is newer.

It remains to be seen whether we'll be locked out of the Kobo store after February if we're using a 4.* firmware. My guess is we won't: surely the 4.* firmware will work the same as any other Mark 4 device.

[Ricky D'Angelo]

My Kobo Mini has firmware 3.19.5761 which the following wiki states is the latest.
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kobo_Firmware_Releases
Despite connected to wifi and synching repeatedly over a couple of days firmware hasn't updated.

[ernieh]

Originally Posted by rjv

I have two Minis. The update on the first one went fine. The second just got stuck at the hourglass, and now it's a brick (a small brick). I tried to reset but no effect. The green and blue lights still work when I hold the switch, but nothing shows up on the screen. When plugged into my computer, it doesn't connect. Any ideas? Thanks.

Any luck on getting it unbricked? Thought I had done the same but after repeated resets and connecting and disconnecting from computer it suddenly went into a reinitialization mode which I have never seen before. A while after that I was able to update it. A relief as the mini is a nice reader..

[azayn]

Glad I found this thread because I missed the email from Kobo. I successfully updated my Kobo Mini from 3.4.1 to 3.19.5761 today. The Kobo Desktop app method didn't work but syncing from the device did the trick.

All of my sideloaded books are still intact. The new interface is cleaner and I now have the option to remove the footer from the book of ePubs which gives me a little more screen real estate.

[Virgilio1]

Originally Posted by RobertJSawyer

Email from Rakuten Kobo just now:

We have important news for you regarding your Kobo Mini eReader.

Your Kobo Mini eReader requires a mandatory software update by February 28, 2019. To stay aligned with global internet security standards, we are releasing a mandatory software update for all Kobo eReaders. Without this update, your Kobo Mini eReader will no longer be able to exit the setup process after a factory reset is performed.

Rest assured that no items in your Kobo library will be affected; you will continue to have access to all reading material you have purchased or downloaded from Rakuten Kobo mit sizzling hot kostenlos.

How to update your Kobo Mini's software
Follow the prompts on your Kobo Mini to install the update before February 28. If you are unable to do this before February 28, you will need to install the update manually using the Kobo Desktop Application for Windows or OSX.

1. Connect your eReader to your computer using a Micro USB cable and tap Connect.
2. Open Kobo Desktop on your computer.
3. If you're not already signed in to your Kobo account, click the Profile icon at the top of your screen and sign in.
4. Click the Sync icon.
5. Your eReader will sync and update with the latest software.
6. Click the Eject button at the top of the screen to disconnect your eReader from your computer.

Read with Kobo with the free Kobo App
You can download the free Kobo App available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and read with Kobo on a device you already own.

If you have any questions or concerns about this message, please contact Kobo Customer Care.

Dies ist eine wichtige Information und wirkt sich offenbar auf alle Kobo-Leser aus. Diese E-Mail habe ich übrigens auch erhalten.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Virgilio1

Dies ist eine wichtige Information und wirkt sich offenbar auf alle Kobo-Leser aus. Diese E-Mail habe ich übrigens auch erhalten.

According to Google, that translates as:

This is important information and apparently affects all Kobo readers. Incidentally, I also received this e-mail.

In one way, it does affect all Kobo ereaders. But, all the other devices already have firmware updates that use the later security protocols. They should all be OK, unless the owner has done something to prevent the update. And then, it is only the Glo HD and older that would truly be of concern. And maybe the Touch 2. The later devices came with firmware later than what is being sent to the Mini. That implies they already have the security updates. The Touch 2 came with 3.18, so it could be either way, but updates have been available for it for a long time.

[plusz]

Interesting. I have one mini which I don't actually use. My firmware was 2.4.0 To update it I had to disable WPA2 on my Wifi, i.e. open it public, otherwise I was constantly getting an error during download. It went up to 3.4.1 then to 3.19.5761.

However I also updated my H20 to 4.12 and I quite like it. They finally did something with the ugly UI

[johnson_chung]

I just updated my Kobo Mini from 3.4.1 to 3.19.5761 by kobo desktop.

[Mercador]

My Mini seems to have downgraded as well... I guess this is the end of the line for this device.

[cmolinap]

Just to record, my wife's Kobo Mini has been installed since July 2017 Firmware 4.5.9587, and works perfectly. No problem at all.