Dealing with Kindle ebooks in calibre

[booksies]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I only get offered a phone call (Amazon UK). But it has a synthesised voice that asks you for the three digit code that is spoken, but the 1st digit is never clear, so after 2 attempts they hang up.

How do you contact CS?

I usually start with the online chat, then "force" it to send me to a rep instead of the useless question/answer tree (basically keep selecting need more help or whatever option(s) that lead the system to get you to a live person). Sometimes my refunds get processed in chat, other times, I've requested to talk to someone, in which case they call me, not me them, so I don't have a code I need to put in.

Annoying, but good luck!

also, if you do it later at night, they might just be annoyed enough to just give you what you ask for without question. I had an issue with an Audible book and I spent less than 10 min total and dude even gave me an extra credit for the inconvenience, lol. the two times I've reached CS in evening have been the fastest resolutions. Daytime? forget it.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by booksies

I usually start with the online chat, then "force" it to send me to a rep instead of the useless question/answer tree (basically keep selecting need more help or whatever option(s) that lead the system to get you to a live person).

Online chat seems gone on Amazon UK. I can only find a link "Call me", and then I'm phoned.
Have you an Amazon UK link?

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by joondez

All this could have been avoided if my Amazon device could simply read the book that I bought from Amazon...but I got the "The item is not compatible with this device." How could it not be compatible? I literally bought the book from you, Amazon. Thank god for everyone else here otherwise I'd be fighting for a refund right now

Not all of their books are compatible with all devices/apps. It will say on the book's page.

[PaulBenn]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Online chat seems gone on Amazon UK. I can only find a link "Call me", and then I'm phoned.
Have you an Amazon UK link?

From a Google search for "contact number for amazon uk customer services" (without the quotes):-
"You can call Amazon UK customer service at 02070847911"

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by PaulBenn

From a Google search for "contact number for amazon uk customer services" (without the quotes):-
"You can call Amazon UK customer service at 02070847911"

I need text. Not badly synthesised voice bot!

[XrXca]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

...
It wasn't until I deleted all my old kindle for pc/mac keys and just had the one that's current running that I was getting .kfx only!

Thanks, I was stuck till I cleared out the keys. Amazon killing download forced me to pull pull and old eink kindle out, (Now I'm glad I didn't give it a grandkid).
Made sure everything was up to date, added the serial number and got nowehere.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by svenlind

Allow me to elaborate a little on this method.
With the Kindle connected to the computer. In Calibre select Device-->Show the books in the main memory of the device.

Then select the books that you want to add. Right Click and select Add books to library.

I just drag-and-drop the files into the calibre window, but I've noted your method in the first post for those who want to go through calibre.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by XrXca

Thanks, I was stuck till I cleared out the keys. Amazon killing download forced me to pull pull and old eink kindle out, (Now I'm glad I didn't give it a grandkid).
Made sure everything was up to date, added the serial number and got nowehere.

A serial number is only good for books from that E-ink Kindle. DeDRM automatically pulls the Kindle for PC key from the current installation.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

DeDRM automatically pulls the Kindle for PC key from the current installation.

A heads up on that. The latest version of Kindle for PC (2.7.1) now stores the user's key in a new location (.kinf2024) and deletes the old one (.kinf2018). So if the app is allowed to update to that version and you re-install an older one you will need to re-register it since the previous account information will have been lost.

My guess is that this change is a prelude to blocking older versions of the Kindle for PC app going forward.

[StevePoling]

I have a mystery, but a good kind. When I learned that Amazon was disabling D&T via USB I quick downloaded all but the last 5 ebooks I'd purchased. And I was able to convert them all to MOBI format the next day.

I then ran an experiment using my Kindle Graphite DX (old) and after USB D&T was nuked I talked to Amazon and they confirmed I had (in their eyes) an expensive brick. But they'd give me a discount on a new shiny.

Instead, I went to Facebook Marketplace and bought a used 11th generation Kindle Paperwhite. I downloaded those 5 ebooks wirelessly. And discovered KFX format.

After some to-and-fro I added the KFX Input plug-in and keyed in my new Kindle's serial number. I transferred all the books to my laptop and into Calibre. There was no metadata for any of them. None would let me convert them to MOBI b/c DRM. And I spent a couple days flailing about without joy.

This evening I noticed an update to KFX Input and picked it up. I also ran Calibre to fetch them off my eInk Kindle (the new one) and they came in as KFX files (not KFX-ZIP). That was different.

Now's the mystery. They had the DRM stripped off, had all their metadata, and converted to MOBI without issue.

What changed to make it start working all of a sudden? I'll take the win, but I'll sleep better knowing why. Any suggestions?

[lkmiller]

I'd guess a restart of calibre after getting the correct plugins and serial number in there.

[texasnightowl]

Originally Posted by StevePoling

I transferred all the books to my laptop and into Calibre....

I also ran Calibre to fetch them off my eInk Kindle (the new one) and they came in as KFX files (not KFX-ZIP). That was different.

What changed to make it start working all of a sudden? I'll take the win, but I'll sleep better knowing why. Any suggestions?

KFX files need the whole folder structure, so if you copied just the main book file, ie. the azw file, or if you took them out of the folder structure, it won't work. KFX is usually a total of 4 files all in the same folder based on the book's ASIN.

The second time, when it worked, it sounds like you did so within Calibre and used the Device view? But basically that means the books and the supporting files were all in their expected places.

Just a guess...I don't know for sure what you did the first time when you transferred the files to your computer...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

A heads up on that. The latest version of Kindle for PC (2.7.1) now stores the user's key in a new location (.kinf2024) and deletes the old one (.kinf2018). So if the app is allowed to update to that version and you re-install an older one you will need to re-register it since the previous account information will have been lost.

My guess is that this change is a prelude to blocking older versions of the Kindle for PC app going forward.

I wonder if DeDRM will work if .kinf2024 is copied and renamed to .kinf2018.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I wonder if DeDRM will work if .kinf2024 is copied and renamed to .kinf2018.

Let us know how it works if you try that.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Let us know how it works if you try that.

I was hoping someone with the new K4PC installed to try it.