problem loading books to Forma via Calibre

anacreon · 10-26-2018, 10:55 AM

I do not know whether it is a problem with the device or with Calibre, but I have been painfully loading some 4000 books to my 2 days old Forma - mostly kepubs converted from epub on the way, the rest PDFs.
I've been sending them in small batches, but calibre still closes down half-way through. And sometimes it disconnects from the device. In both cases the device remains connected to my PC. I tried Microsoft analysis which detected no error, then I disconnected my Kobo account and then reconnected to refresh the data base without having to spend two more days' loading, but the problem subsists.

Here is the latest error message:

Spoiler:

I've had this type of problem everytime I've loaded my books on a new reader, but it seems worse. I don't know whether I should post this here or in the Kobo forum. Can someone tell from the log?

Thanks.

theducks · 10-26-2018, 12:48 PM

IO errors are usually the Device as a drive has issues (damaged file system ) or the connection is flaking (or timing) out during the transfer.

You could try running the standard Windows Check Disk utility on the Kobo drive.

stumped · 10-26-2018, 01:05 PM

but if the OP is experiencing this with "every reader he buys"
( "everytime I've loaded my books on a new reader")
I would begin to suspect the cable or the USB port in use
so a new question is - have you tried with different cables and with different PC ports?

also there are 2 sides to an I/O error - the I and the O. could be the PC hard drive where calibre resides is becoming error probe and so is not reliably sending the data?
that could be tested by doing a "save to disc" operation, just to some other PC folder, or to a USB stick, with the same batch of books

theducks · 10-26-2018, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumped

but if the OP is experiencing this with "every reader he buys"
( "everytime I've loaded my books on a new reader")
I would begin to suspect the cable or the USB port in use
so a new question is - have you tried with different cables and with different PC ports?

also there are 2 sides to an I/O error - the I and the O. could be the PC hard drive where calibre resides is becoming error probe and so is not reliably sending the data?
that could be tested by doing a "save to disc" operation, just to some other PC folder, or to a USB stick, with the same batch of books

Good point. Anti virus might be getting in the way. A bad USB driver is another.

kovidgoyal · 10-26-2018, 08:45 PM

THat I/O error is coming when sqlite tries to open the kobo database on the kobo device. General debugging options:

1) Use a diffeereent USB cable/port
2) Reset the Kobo and/or reformat the kobo drive

davidfor · 10-26-2018, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacreon

I do not know whether it is a problem with the device or with Calibre, but I have been painfully loading some 4000 books to my 2 days old Forma - mostly kepubs converted from epub on the way, the rest PDFs.
I've been sending them in small batches, but calibre still closes down half-way through. And sometimes it disconnects from the device. In both cases the device remains connected to my PC. I tried Microsoft analysis which detected no error, then I disconnected my Kobo account and then reconnected to refresh the data base without having to spend two more days' loading, but the problem subsists.

Here is the latest error message:

Spoiler:

I've had this type of problem everytime I've loaded my books on a new reader, but it seems worse. I don't know whether I should post this here or in the Kobo forum. Can someone tell from the log?

Unfortunately, I can't really add more than the others have. I can only state that some of the devices seem to be more susceptible to issues with the cable or port. I have a similar issue with my Glo HD. I have this very nice cable that came with my tolino epos. Both plugs are reversible. It's great to use. But, if I use it with the Glo HD, as soon as calibre starts accessing it, the connection partly drops and I get the above. All the other Kobo devices work perfectly with it. And it is actually worse for me, as when this happens, it leaves the USB port on the laptop in a state that it doesn't work with other ereaders and I need to reboot to fix it. I haven't been able to come up with a reason, and simply use a different cable.

theducks · 10-26-2018, 11:34 PM

David
Back around 2010-11 I had a Astak that had issues with Intels enhanced (USB2) mode.
I could either disable enhanced mode (and all devices suffered) or install an USB 1 only board. I found one cheap.
I proved it was the device, multiple computers failed, and they all had the same chip set. the ones without that, worked.

anacreon · 10-27-2018, 04:31 AM

Thank you everybody. In Forma's case, I didn't try any cable other than its cable from the box, since I'd read in other threads that it responds badly to other cables. Also I try not to plug/unplug too much from the device size since I had major port problems with the One's (I do the plug/ unplug on the PC dock's side instead): I had to exchange it twice and the last one died a month after the end of the two years guarantee. Luckily I have a Fnac shop not too far from me and when I went to fetch the Forma and brought back the unusable One for recycling, I was pleased that the employee managed to get me a 66 € refund. The previous exchanges were painless there too.

I wasn't clear enough about what was happening on the other devices: I was speaking of Calibre closing off often when I load many books, that is with new devices or after a factory reset.

stumped · 10-27-2018, 09:40 AM

look at it this way: you have 4 suspects- the PC [hardware] , the Kobo, the cable, & the transfer software(calibre)

the easiest 2 tests are to change the cable and /or change the connection ( i.e. use a different USB port). those are unlikely to make matters any worse, and one or the other may fix the issue.
if not they you are looking for ways to take the others out of the loop or bypass them i e.g. test on a friends PC or sideload the books using windows + usb without using calibre....
you can also try disabling all anti virus in case that is interfering or slowing stuff down so much that calibre gives up and disconnects. I am unsure if calibre can be tweaked to wait longer or retry more often before stopping with an IO error.

many people exclude the calibre library folder from AV scans and checks, as any books will be checked when they arrive elsewhere on the PC, before going through an add to library process

anacreon · 10-27-2018, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumped

look at it this way: you have 4 suspects- the PC [hardware] , the Kobo, the cable, & the transfer software(calibre)

the easiest 2 tests are to change the cable and /or change the connection ( i.e. use a different USB port). those are unlikely to make matters any worse, and one or the other may fix the issue.
if not they you are looking for ways to take the others out of the loop or bypass them i e.g. test on a friends PC or sideload the books using windows + usb without using calibre....
you can also try disabling all anti virus in case that is interfering or slowing stuff down so much that calibre gives up and disconnects. I am unsure if calibre can be tweaked to wait longer or retry more often before stopping with an IO error.

many people exclude the calibre library folder from AV scans and checks, as any books will be checked when they arrive elsewhere on the PC, before going through an add to library process

It is an old problem I had with many USB cables, several devices and several PCs. The antivirus scan is something I have to try if Microsoft allows it (I use Defender). I finally finished downloading my 4000 books on the Forma, but it would be useful next time.

stumped · 10-27-2018, 10:28 AM

Definitely set up exclusions in defender. I am pretty sure you can exclude specific folders. It could be holding up the transfer process and causing a time out..
A forum Search on defender may also be productive

theducks · 10-27-2018, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacreon

It is an old problem I had with many USB cables, several devices and several PCs. The antivirus scan is something I have to try if Microsoft allows it (I use Defender). I finally finished downloading my 4000 books on the Forma, but it would be useful next time.

You CAN set 'Exclusions' by folder in Defender. It just takes a bit of drilling down to get there.

stumped · 10-28-2018, 01:27 AM

while we were rabbiting on - this post from the master got overlooked|?
so most likely the AV thing is a red herring..

KOVID
"THat I/O error is coming when sqlite tries to open the kobo database on the kobo device. General debugging options:

1) Use a diffeereent USB cable/port
2) Reset the Kobo and/or reformat the kobo drive

10-26-2018, 10:55 AM	#1
anacreon Guru Posts: 961 Karma: 3475832 Join Date: May 2012 Location: France Device: Elipsa, Sage	problem loading books to Forma via Calibre I do not know whether it is a problem with the device or with Calibre, but I have been painfully loading some 4000 books to my 2 days old Forma - mostly kepubs converted from epub on the way, the rest PDFs. I've been sending them in small batches, but calibre still closes down half-way through. And sometimes it disconnects from the device. In both cases the device remains connected to my PC. I tried Microsoft analysis which detected no error, then I disconnected my Kobo account and then reconnected to refresh the data base without having to spend two more days' loading, but the problem subsists. Here is the latest error message: Spoiler: calibre, version 3.33.1 ERREUR : Erreur: Erreur pendant la communication avec le périphérique IOError: disk I/O error Traceback (most recent call last): File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 87, in run File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 510, in _books File "site-packages\calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 1781, in books File "site-packages\calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 169, in device_database_connection IOError: IOError: disk I/O error I've had this type of problem everytime I've loaded my books on a new reader, but it seems worse. I don't know whether I should post this here or in the Kobo forum. Can someone tell from the log? Thanks.

10-26-2018, 01:05 PM	#3
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	but if the OP is experiencing this with "every reader he buys" ( "everytime I've loaded my books on a new reader") I would begin to suspect the cable or the USB port in use so a new question is - have you tried with different cables and with different PC ports? also there are 2 sides to an I/O error - the I and the O. could be the PC hard drive where calibre resides is becoming error probe and so is not reliably sending the data? that could be tested by doing a "save to disc" operation, just to some other PC folder, or to a USB stick, with the same batch of books Last edited by stumped; 10-26-2018 at 01:10 PM.

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10-26-2018, 12:48 PM	#2
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,804 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	IO errors are usually the Device as a drive has issues (damaged file system ) or the connection is flaking (or timing) out during the transfer. You could try running the standard Windows Check Disk utility on the Kobo drive.

10-26-2018, 08:45 PM	#5
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,859 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	THat I/O error is coming when sqlite tries to open the kobo database on the kobo device. General debugging options: 1) Use a diffeereent USB cable/port 2) Reset the Kobo and/or reformat the kobo drive

10-26-2018, 11:34 PM	#7
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,804 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	David Back around 2010-11 I had a Astak that had issues with Intels enhanced (USB2) mode. I could either disable enhanced mode (and all devices suffered) or install an USB 1 only board. I found one cheap. I proved it was the device, multiple computers failed, and they all had the same chip set. the ones without that, worked.

10-27-2018, 04:31 AM	#8
anacreon Guru Posts: 961 Karma: 3475832 Join Date: May 2012 Location: France Device: Elipsa, Sage	Thank you everybody. In Forma's case, I didn't try any cable other than its cable from the box, since I'd read in other threads that it responds badly to other cables. Also I try not to plug/unplug too much from the device size since I had major port problems with the One's (I do the plug/ unplug on the PC dock's side instead): I had to exchange it twice and the last one died a month after the end of the two years guarantee. Luckily I have a Fnac shop not too far from me and when I went to fetch the Forma and brought back the unusable One for recycling, I was pleased that the employee managed to get me a 66 € refund. The previous exchanges were painless there too. I wasn't clear enough about what was happening on the other devices: I was speaking of Calibre closing off often when I load many books, that is with new devices or after a factory reset.

10-27-2018, 09:40 AM	#9
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	look at it this way: you have 4 suspects- the PC [hardware] , the Kobo, the cable, & the transfer software(calibre) the easiest 2 tests are to change the cable and /or change the connection ( i.e. use a different USB port). those are unlikely to make matters any worse, and one or the other may fix the issue. if not they you are looking for ways to take the others out of the loop or bypass them i e.g. test on a friends PC or sideload the books using windows + usb without using calibre.... you can also try disabling all anti virus in case that is interfering or slowing stuff down so much that calibre gives up and disconnects. I am unsure if calibre can be tweaked to wait longer or retry more often before stopping with an IO error. many people exclude the calibre library folder from AV scans and checks, as any books will be checked when they arrive elsewhere on the PC, before going through an add to library process

10-27-2018, 10:28 AM	#11
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	Definitely set up exclusions in defender. I am pretty sure you can exclude specific folders. It could be holding up the transfer process and causing a time out.. A forum Search on defender may also be productive

10-28-2018, 01:27 AM	#13
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	while we were rabbiting on - this post from the master got overlooked\|? so most likely the AV thing is a red herring.. KOVID "THat I/O error is coming when sqlite tries to open the kobo database on the kobo device. General debugging options: 1) Use a diffeereent USB cable/port 2) Reset the Kobo and/or reformat the kobo drive