Upgraded to Win 10. Calibre not detecting Kindle

[Kostas15]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite and have just upgraded my comp software from Win 7 to Win 10
Previously when I connected my kindle with Calibre it would open and detect the kindle and show the contents
When I connect the kindle now a little window opens asking what I want to do with the device. import photos to drop box. Open the Kindle files or do nothing. This is a win 10 function
The Calibre software program does not seem to detect the kindle connection as it did previously
Any advice will be appreciated
When this problem was noticed I downloaded and installed latest version of Calibre so I am up to date

[eschwartz]

A lot of people have been having this problem with their ereaders (not just Kindle).

You have been hit with the curse of the Windows 10 upgrade.
Windows is not reporting your device as a removable device (Windows Explorer may know, but it isn't telling calibre ).

This has only happened with people who did an in-place upgrade to Windows 10 -- no one who did a fresh Windows install or started with Windows 10 has reported the problem.
So doing a fresh reinstall of Windows and reinstalling all your software *should* fix it, although that is a PITA.

Moderator Notice

This is a calibre problem, not intrinsic to the Kindle, so I am moving this to the calibre forums.

[theducks]

Eschwartz. I think this may be a Windows problem.

It is asking what to do with the Device (upon connecting).

The answer should probably be Nothing

Calibre can't see it because W10 has not released the device to the file system because it is mode confused: MTP or PTP or a drive (with letter)

W10 played funny with my K4 when I recently connected it.
I believe I removed the device in the Device Manager, when it was (re)discovered, it was recognized by the OS and calibre

[eschwartz]

Hah, I'm the non-Windows user here.
But even I know that Windows -- used to -- asks you if you want to open removable drives in the File Browser, or perform other actions registered as "things to do with removable drives".

That certainly doesn't have anything to do with MTP/PTP -- especially because it is easy to tell what it is, and the Kindle is neither.

No, this is the curse of the Windows 10 upgrade striking yet again....

[kovidgoyal]

I wish I had access to Win10 machine that demonstrated this problem, none of my upgraded windows machines has this issue.

I could probably add some special code for win10 to deal with it -- but without such a machine it would be shooting in the dark.

[PeterT]

Do you have any other USB storage devices you could try plugging in to your computer? Ideally a simple USB "key" type thingie.

Would like to see if IT gets a drive letter and shows up in Windows Explorer.

And no; a camera or SmartPhone would not be a good test.

[PeterT]

Googling for issues one finds this for instance
USB Devices not working in Windows 8.1 / 10

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Googling for issues one finds this for instance
USB Devices not working in Windows 8.1 / 10

One of the comments in that article

Spydur ALC • 4 months ago

USB port fail after Windows 10 upgrade

Upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 (64). Soon thereafter,
two of four USB ports stopped working.

I initially restored these by going to Device Manager,
Universal Serial Bus controllers, and disabling and then re-enabling the
following drivers on my desktop PC (Dell XPS One 2710):

Intel® USB 3.0 eXtensible Host
Controller – 1.0 (Microsoft), and

Texas Instruments USB 3.0 xHCI Host Controller

This only worked for a little while.

I searched for updated drivers. None to be found or had.

I next Uninstalled the drivers for both devices, above, and
re-booted. The onboard drivers reloaded and the USB ports worked again… for a
few hours.

Stumbling around and while looking through Startup programs
in Task Manager, I discovered the Intel® USB 3.0 Monitor.

I disabled it and re-booted.

So far, so good. Perhaps Intel’s USB monitor doesn’t play
well (yet?) with Windows 10…

If it is a problem with the Intel USB monitor (which IMO is probably unnecessary bloat if it's loaded at start up), then that might explain why it's not happening on some (most ?) systems.

I've seen this reported for Kindles and Kobo, but I don't recall seeing anything for tablets - does that make sense?

@PeterT - if not a camera or a phone, then what sort of device would be similar to an e-reader?

FWIW calibre 64bit on my 'upgraded from Windows 7 to 10' machine can see a 'visiting' Kindle and my 'droid tablet. I don't run the Intel USB monitor, but 'just for fun', I started my NEC USB3.0 Adapter Monitor, calibre can still see the Kindle.

BR

[Kostas15]

After reading Peter Ts comments I tried connecting my Samsung 8 Inch tablet to the comp and Calibre recognises it and shows the books in memory on this tablet
Tried my kindle again and only the Win 10 software recognises it as Kindle (I) with the three options of reading photos and uploading to Dropbox, Open the kindle to look at what is there or do nothing
I have tried clicking on do nothing but Calibre still does not detect kindle Tried a friends kindle with the same result.

I have come to rely on my Calibre App
What can I do to correct this problem bearing in mind that I am no computer wizz kid and need full solution and hopefully not too technical

Reinstalling the Win 10 and reloading all of my other software would be a bit drastic

[PeterT]

The problem is that tablets /smartphone / cameras tend to implement a totally different protocol for communicating to the PC; either MTP or PTP (or both). eReaders and USB memory sticks implement the USB Mass Storage protocol.

What would be interesting is screen prints from Windows Device Manager showing both images with and without the eReader connected, and if at all possible drilling down into the specifics of the eReader device in device manager.

Also, a screen print from Windows Explorer when the eReader is attached to hopefully show Windows assigning it a drive letter.

[eschwartz]

Why do you keep suggesting the problem is/may be PTP/MTP?

Is there any good reason to think that that is the problem? Considering, that the Kindle emphatically is not a PTP/MTP device....

...

Are you suggesting that Windows thinks it is an MTP device anyway? That would be kind of silly but anyway, people have provided Debug Device Detection, and no erroneous PTP/MTP devices were listed by calibre either.

[PeterT]

I'm NOT saying its MTP or PTP. In fact it's not. It's an USB Mass storage issue. Someone asked WHAT device might look like an eReader. I attempted to explain WHY a camera or tablet working in calibre did not help one bit.

[PeterT]

Also please show me WHERE I said this might be PTP / MTP?

[theducks]

W10 pro x64)
I just did a test (I know, 'WE don't do tests' )

I have a Aluratec USB VGA (trigger t1) adapter. I added a 3rd Monitor via that. Monitor 3 works. But then the K4 fails (was working in Calibre before)

I disconnected the Monitor and looked at the Device Manager
<attached device properties>
Bad descriptor?

This may extend this issue to ALL USB Video users

[theducks]

(With no USB Monitor device attached)
I rebooted and, once again the Kindle is found.
Note the entries (was the first time I attached the K4 to W10 )
USB Vid adapter and K4 do not play together.

Someone is walking into the others buffers?