Kobo E_Reader wifi upgrade gone bad

[flyboy320]

Originally Posted by castona

Hello, I have a Kobo Wifi N289 and need a Firmware image for it.. If anyone can help that would be great. Tried to install Mark 2 firmware thinking that it was a Mark 2 but now i just get 7 black squares and a freeze on boot up. was on 1.9.12 and Kobo desktop app would not recognize the E-reader.

Any instructions on repairing it would be helpful as well!
Thanks!

PM sent.

[castona]

Hey, I'm trying to Flash my SD card on a N289. the SD card has 2 partitions one is not formatted the other is as, "KOBOeReader". I was wondering if anyone else would know which partition I would use to Flash the Image to.

Thanks

[PeterT]

I believe you overwrite the entire card, not a specific partition

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[castona]

Originally Posted by PeterT

I believe you overwrite the entire card, not a specific partition

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Yep I figured it out by trying both partitions, the un-formatted one failed, the other worked. everything is up and running again.

[lkroeker]

I would love the image for the N647.
Seems like Kobo can't resist bricking their devices as this has been going on since 2014... lol.

[flyboy320]

Originally Posted by lkroeker

I would love the image for the N647.
Seems like Kobo can't resist bricking their devices as this has been going on since 2014... lol.

PM sent.

[newreader1]

Hello, I already tried a factory reset and contacted Kobo support, got a very cut and paste response and they closed the case despite telling them what I needed.

Could I also please get the image for N647?

Thanks.

[davidfor]

PM sent.

[JSWolf]

This thread belongs in the Kobo Developer forum where all the other firmware request threads are. I've reported this thread a number of times and the MR staff has fallen down on the job.

[hmvkmv]

Dear exalted experts (flyboy320, davidfor, and others),

Thank you for your continuing public service. I am but the latest victim, my Kobo N289 having been bricked by an automatic update of some sort. Could you please send me an SD card image to try to reboot the device?

Also, I'm kinda new at this. So I just have to copy the image onto a blank SD card and insert it into the device, right?

Thanks so much!

[davidfor]

PM sent in response to a PM.

And a response already made about allowing some time between posts/PMs.

[scsigate]

Hi All,

Can someone be so kind to provide me a working image for my kobo wifi e-reader (N647). it is bricked due to the upgrade a few years ago. I would like to fix this.

Thanks,

[flyboy320]

Originally Posted by scsigate

Hi All,

Can someone be so kind to provide me a working image for my kobo wifi e-reader (N647). it is bricked due to the upgrade a few years ago. I would like to fix this.

Thanks,

PM sent..

[JEAM]

I was here back in August with the run-of-the-mill N647 "updating your software" corruption that requires replacing the SD image, and @flyboy320 kindly PM'd me the image.

Well, one night last week I finished the evening's reading on my Kobo and noticed that I couldn't put it in "Powered Off" mode, only in Sleep mode. Then the next time I woke it up, it didn't go back to the page in the book I was reading, but to a list of my downloaded books, with a different book selected.

This went on for several days until the Kobo ran out of juice (because I couldn't power it off, I guess) and had to recharge it. Two nights ago, on pressing the power button to start reading I got the dreaded "updating your eReader software" screen. For the second time in less than a year.

I had to track down the instructions all over again and then get reacquainted with the process. Fortunately, I'd kept the image that flyboy320 had sent, as well as the software to write the image to a new SD. So it was mainly a matter of reviewing the instructions before applying them.

For good measure, I ran a Linux fsck, as described by @Altivo, on the corrupted SD card and it found quite a bit of stuff to fix. In case the fix was good enough, I'm using the Disk Writer software to make an image of the repaired SD card: next time this happens, I'll try that one first as it already contains my books and account info, such that (hopefully) I won't have to reset the Kobo, re-enter my details, or resync it.

This all was time-consuming, but the most tedious part was having to click laboriously through each and every single page of The Last of the Mohicans to get to where I was on Chapter 24. No joke, it took over half an hour of repeatedly pressing the right-navigation button to get back to that point. Maybe newer e-reader models let you specify a page (or at least a chapter) to go to?? On the other hand, the reason I bought this model is because it was the only one that allowed the user to put books on it via a wired connection (wife is extremely neurotic and WiFi is verboten in our home). So, as Meat Loaf sang, I may be stuck with the N647 to the end of time.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by JEAM

I was here back in August with the run-of-the-mill N647 "updating your software" corruption that requires replacing the SD image, and @flyboy320 kindly PM'd me the image.

Well, one night last week I finished the evening's reading on my Kobo and noticed that I couldn't put it in "Powered Off" mode, only in Sleep mode. Then the next time I woke it up, it didn't go back to the page in the book I was reading, but to a list of my downloaded books, with a different book selected.

This went on for several days until the Kobo ran out of juice (because I couldn't power it off, I guess) and had to recharge it. Two nights ago, on pressing the power button to start reading I got the dreaded "updating your eReader software" screen. For the second time in less than a year.

I had to track down the instructions all over again and then get reacquainted with the process. Fortunately, I'd kept the image that flyboy320 had sent, as well as the software to write the image to a new SD. So it was mainly a matter of reviewing the instructions before applying them.

For good measure, I ran a Linux fsck, as described by @Altivo, on the corrupted SD card and it found quite a bit of stuff to fix. In case the fix was good enough, I'm using the Disk Writer software to make an image of the repaired SD card: next time this happens, I'll try that one first as it already contains my books and account info, such that (hopefully) I won't have to reset the Kobo, re-enter my details, or resync it.

This all was time-consuming, but the most tedious part was having to click laboriously through each and every single page of The Last of the Mohicans to get to where I was on Chapter 24. No joke, it took over half an hour of repeatedly pressing the right-navigation button to get back to that point. Maybe newer e-reader models let you specify a page (or at least a chapter) to go to?? On the other hand, the reason I bought this model is because it was the only one that allowed the user to put books on it via a wired connection (wife is extremely neurotic and WiFi is verboten in our home). So, as Meat Loaf sang, I may be stuck with the N647 to the end of time.

Yes, later models do in fact have table of contents support and going to newer pages. You can also load books on just fine without WiFi on newer models of Kobos and Kindles at least either through their respective desktop apps or dragging or dropping or something like Calibre.

The original Kobo and WiFi model also have table of contents support. You hit menu and then select table of contents then the chapter.

The new devices really are wayyyyy better. Just in every regard. Granted I never had the Kobo Wifi but the original Kobo and even when new it felt a few steps behind the broken PRS-505 it replaced. You don't need to use WiFi on the newer models at all. Even setup can be done via. the desktop app and a USB cable.