Adobe Digital Editions 4 misbehavior

[Marg1780]

I've just setting up a Windows 11 laptop, and have discovered that Adobe DE 2.0 (which I've been using through generations of Windows upgrades) no longer works. I've heard a few people have managed to get it going, but they're more tech savvy than me... Same issue with version 3, though that one is said to be possible - see previous proviso.

Which leaves me facing ADE 4, which seems pretty universally to be classed as spyware. (Not surprising, everything is nowadays.) What really creeps me out is the rumor?/reality? that the package combs through the entire drive in search of epubs, not just the ADE folder. The latter would be annoying, since I'm sure they go way beyond what they actually need to do to conduct their business, but inescapable. Searching outside their own folder takes should-be-criminal instrusion to a whole 'nother level.

I haven't been able to find any discussions of the topic that aren't a decade or so old. Can anyone kickstart my current knowledge? Or point me at a discussion? I love this site but I always find it overwhelming when I try to search for specific information rather than just looking around.

[Aleron Ives]

Many people are having trouble with ADE these days. The general solution is to use the DeACSM/ACSM input plugin for Calibre and ditch ADE altogether. Like you, ADE 2 stopped working for me, and I didn't want to deal with ADE 3 or 4, so I switched to using Calibre. I just redeemed a book a few minutes ago.

[JSWolf]

I have Windows 11 and I have ADE 2.0.1 installed. It works no problem. I've done nothing to get it to work other then install it. I am using the DeACSM plugin and that works very well.

[Marg1780]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Many people are having trouble with ADE these days. The general solution is to use the DeACSM/ACSM input plugin for Calibre and ditch ADE altogether. Like you, ADE 2 stopped working for me, and I didn't want to deal with ADE 3 or 4, so I switched to using Calibre. I just redeemed a book a few minutes ago.

Thanks for your reply. I did find the thread for the ADE replacement, which is something I'd really love to use since ADE is an annoyance. I'm struggling with very out-of-date knowledge of working with Windows internals, though, and skimming through the thread, kept encountering comments (such as those relating to the ADE key file(s?)) which are total blank spots for me. I haven't made it over to GitHub (I assume) yet to see if it comes with a set of installation/use instructions that I can follow. But I am encouraged to know that people are using it successfully. Being able to avoid the entire issue would be a great improvement.

[Marg1780]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have Windows 11 and I have ADE 2.0.1 installed. It works no problem. I've done nothing to get it to work other then install it. I am using the DeACSM plugin and that works very well.

Thanks for the information. When I tried to install V2.x, it wanted a c++ library installed, but either failed when I clicked on the box to install it, or just gave me the info and left me to find it myself (I don't recall which; I think V2 did it one way and V3 the other). Therein I run into the problem of being very out of date on Windows internals. I am certainly familiar with the c++ libs, having done some Windows development back in the NT era and thereabouts, but I've no idea where to find them now and where to put them so they don't make Windows 11 turn up its toes.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Marg1780

Thanks for the information. When I tried to install V2.x, it wanted a c++ library installed, but either failed when I clicked on the box to install it, or just gave me the info and left me to find it myself (I don't recall which; I think V2 did it one way and V3 the other). Therein I run into the problem of being very out of date on Windows internals. I am certainly familiar with the c++ libs, having done some Windows development back in the NT era and thereabouts, but I've no idea where to find them now and where to put them so they don't make Windows 11 turn up its toes.

I didn't install any C++ lib(s). I was also not asked to install such.

[Marg1780]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I didn't install any C++ lib(s). I was also not asked to install such.

My apologies, I know better than to not double check something I did yesterday while becoming frazzled...

When I run the installer file, it tells me I need Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1, then "Please install and try again. Would you like to proceed to .NET download page?"

When I click Yes, I'm directed to a Microsoft 404 page that says "We're sorry, this download is no longer available."

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Marg1780

My apologies, I know better than to not double check something I did yesterday while becoming frazzled...

When I run the installer file, it tells me I need Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1, then "Please install and try again. Would you like to proceed to .NET download page?"

When I click Yes, I'm directed to a Microsoft 404 page that says "We're sorry, this download is no longer available."

Here is the link for .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Full Package).

http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...dotnetfx35.exe

[Marg1780]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Here is the link for .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Full Package).

http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...dotnetfx35.exe

Thanks again. I found a 3rd party site that had it, one I wasn't familiar with, but hadn't tracked it down on Microsoft. I'm currently on another laptop, so will give it a try on the Win11. Just double-click, I hope - I did see something on one site about running it through PowerShell.