How to bypass new Kobo setup screen?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by rashkae

Yes, I was there, *i* was the one who reported it. (The fake registration that caused the issue was the one that was included with the Nickelmenu add-on.)

Originally Posted by rashkae

My searchable post history on this forum only goes back to Sept of 2018 (500 messages) and the problem preceeded that. So, the details are lost to history, and probably not relevant to anyone anymore.

So two years before NickelMenu was released in May of 2020, you had an issue caused by a NickelMenu add-on? <very dubious look>

Hmmm.... I found items posted by you by searching that went back to March, 2012:

Originally Posted by rashkae

If you buy a Kobo with an older firmware, it will work as a pure play reader (but wifi will be disabled, so not downloading from Calibre server for you.) However, as old units eventually sell out and new units go on store shelves with newer firmware, even that function will be disabled. The new firmware will not accept new books until it's registered. New firmware is also needed for basic fuctions, (Like your own bookmarks, rather than just remembering the page where the book was last closed.)

Fortunately, you can have your cake and eat it too. Especially if you are a Linux user. If you must buy a Kobo rather than a Sony, there are 2 things you can do to get a full function device:

1. Instlal SQLite3 and open the KoboReader.sqlite in the .kobo directory.

Give it this command:

INSERT INTO "user" VALUES('aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa','aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa','xxxx@xxxx.xx','xxxx@xxxx.xx','2aaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaa==');

Next, you can download firmware 1.9.16.zip from Kobo. They don't publicize the link, but you should be able to find it in the Firmware thread.

Unzip the contents of the zip file into the .kobo directory. Eject/Unmount the Kobo and disconnect. It should update itself and enable all functions that are usually disabled until registered.

You can PM me if you need further clarification, but again, if all this seems like insane work to make a device you pay money for work, splurge a little on the Sony.

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Basically? Factory reset a Kobo Glo and fake registered it using the SQL kludge. Safely ejected and checked it seemed to be working okay. Reconnected, copied 20 or so books over from calibre, safely ejected, let them import, reconnected and let calibre update the metadata. Checked and looked okay. Reconnected to my computer, copied the newest at that time firmware version, safely ejected, appeared to complete the update, rebooted, popped up an error message and factory reset itself.

You will appreciate that there is not nearly enough detail here to even try replicating.,. (What firmware versions, what SQL kludge, etc...).. in any case, the I think you are mistaken. Not about the sequence of events, but cause and effect. Kobo forcing a Factory reset is almost certainly to be because of an error reading the root partition, or very corrupt filesystem on the user partition. If there is a critical error with the database, kobo simply deletes and re-creates it. (Errr, assuming it doesn't not detect the problem and does other weird thinks like not save book positions, )

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by DNSB

So two years before NickelMenu was released in May of 2020, you had an issue caused by a NickelMenu add-on? <very dubious look>

Indeed, it may (probably) have been the Kobo Start Menu add-on. My apologies, I got confused by the duplicate purpose. (to lauch alternative software.)

[DNSB]

My notes did not have the firmware revision listed. Basically, just that I followed the poster's message as best I could and got the same result. The factory reset and sideload was my contribution but hacking the user ID was from the original poster.

BTW, I followed your posting history back to 2011-Nov-24 (see quote) and didn't find your original report of the database corruption unless it was earlier than those messages. Though I admit to being amused by your pushing Sony's devices. The only thread I found that you had started was in December, 2012 (Kobo Crashes after replacing Epub, - solved)

Originally Posted by rashkae

That's because you aready used Windows (or the experimental deb package) to register the device. It won't work anymore without (but it used to, now it purposely goes out of it's way to disable the kobo until you set up with the Kobo Desktop software).

At the risk of joining the tin foil hat brigade, at this point, I have to questoin just exactly why Kobo is so desperate to force users into installing the kobo software on their pc's. It would have been just as easy to enable to kobo to register itself over internet than the new code they created just to cripple it. There's an ulterior motive here, I don't doubt the least.

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by DNSB

BTW, I followed your posting history back to 2011-Nov-24 and didn't find your original report of the database corruption unless it was earlier than those messages. Though I admit to being amused by your pushing Sony's devices.

Not nearly as embarrassing as the times I pushed Kindles. In any case, if you ever find the post I made on a new firwmare thread where I whined that installing the update popped up a message that there was an error with my account, press ok to clear database. (with no options to cancel first.), that was the kobo that was fake registered via a add on software package with a one touch to create a fake account with a fake name and e-mail. It would have been long after the 2013 post you found, but before firmware version 3.19

Edit: I will add that since firmware 3.19, up until firmware 4.31, I've been using the same database, (simply copying the file onto any new device.) and have never had any issues with updates, or any other database issues until the unclean usb mount issues popped up for a bit. That is tested on every single firmware version from January 2017 until early 2023 on multitple devices.

[DNSB]

The closest I found was a message from 2018 in the Bypass registration thread which referenced your issue. I've given up at this point since I've wasted far too much time on this topic.