Mac & PC won't recognize Kobo

[bookwurm70]

Found the solution in another thread, had to modify my Mac to see files that start with a .

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by bookwurm70

Found the solution in another thread, had to modify my Mac to see files that start with a .

Interesting. Does your Kobo drive show up as a hidden drive? Is it visible in Disk Utility without hidden files visibility?

[bookwurm70]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Interesting. Does your Kobo drive show up as a hidden drive? Is it visible in Disk Utility without hidden files visibility?

Yes, on the Mac the Kobo was registering as a hidden file since it starts with a .
I was using the Finder, but by Kobo device was not there. I had to go into the Terminal and add some code to view hidden files in order to see it.

I did try my Kobo on a Mac with Windows 10 installed and had no problem with the computer seeing my Kobo, it was just in the Mac iOS that it was an issue.

[JSWolf]

There is a directory on the Kobo that starts with a . .kobo is the directory. But, there's no reason the device should show as hidden. I would have to say that it's a major bug/flaw/cockup/screw up/botch job/stupid thing to do/ in OS X. The Kobo does not start with a . in the name of the device.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Glad you figured out a solution that works for you! That's weird. My KA1 shows up as a device even with hidden files shown off. I only have to show hidden files if I want to see the .kobo folder on it.

[bookwurm70]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Glad you figured out a solution that works for you! That's weird. My KA1 shows up as a device even with hidden files shown off. I only have to show hidden files if I want to see the .kobo folder on it.

It depends if you use Windows or Mac OS. My problem was just with Mac OS. In Windows 10 it worked fine.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by bookwurm70

It depends if you use Windows or Mac OS. My problem was just with Mac OS. In Windows 10 it worked fine.

What I think people are trying to say is that while there are hidden directories on the Kobo's internal storage whose names start with a ".", the device name does not start with a "." and should not have been hidden. For example, if you have your Mac's Finder preferences set to show external disks, you should see the Kobo exposed storage mounted as a disk on the desktop.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by DNSB

What I think people are trying to say is that while there are hidden directories on the Kobo's internal storage whose names start with a ".", the device name does not start with a "." and should not have been hidden. For example, if you have your Mac's Finder preferences set to show external disks, you should see the Kobo exposed storage mounted as a disk on the desktop.

Exactly. My Mac still has El Capitan. I'm planning to upgrade very soon. I read today that Sierra changed some of the default preferences for Finder and you may need to recheck the setting to show external disks.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I upgraded to Sierra today (finally). Long overdue and just in time for High Sierra!

My KA1 still connects via USB and shows as a mounted drive on my desktop with no issues (just like it did with El Capitan). I didn't have to change any settings.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I upgraded to Sierra today (finally). Long overdue and just in time for High Sierra!

My KA1 still connects via USB and shows as a mounted drive on my desktop with no issues (just like it did with El Capitan). I didn't have to change any settings.

High Sierra on a virtual machine also shows the Kobo exposed storage as a mounted drive. I don't have a handy Mac to try High Sierra on a physical machine but that it works on a VM looks good.

[bookwurm70]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Interesting. Does your Kobo drive show up as a hidden drive? Is it visible in Disk Utility without hidden files visibility?

Tell me more about Disk Utility. I am new to Macs so I have a lot to learn.

All I see is the Mac HD. My Kobo is currently plugged in and the KA1 thinks it is connected.

My Mac has stopped recognizing my Kobo again (worked 2 or 3 times, then quit).

Anyone know of anywhere I might need to change settings for Sierra to see my Kobo?

[Bookworm_Girl]

Plug your Kobo in by USB. Press the command key and space bar at the same time to bring up spotlight search. This is one of the most useful things to know about the Mac. A quick way to search for any program, file name, contact, convert units, all kinds of things! Start to type Disk Utility and it will auto fill in the name. Hit enter to open the Disk Utility program. You should see categories in the left-hand bar for Internal (your hard drive) and External (mine says KOBOeReader) if your KA1 is proprerly recognized by your Mac.

Here is another item to check. When you have the Finder window open, press the Command key plus Comma key together. This will bring up the Finder Preferences (like settings/options in Windows) and select the General icon. Here you will see the option to check or uncheck a box to show External disks on your desktop. If this box is checked and your KA1 is properly connected (mounted), then you will see an icon of a disk drive on the desktop labeled KOBOeReader. You can drag this icon on top of the Trash Bin to "eject" the mounted drive when you are ready to disconnect.

The last tip is that in the Finder window in the left-hand bar, you should see a category called Devices. Place your mouse pointer to the right of the label Devices towards the edge of the gray bar and you should see a toggle that switches between Hide and Show. Your devices could be hidden from showing in the list.

Hope that helps! I'm a big fan of the Missing Manual series for the macOS written by David Pogue if you want to learn more.

[asleyam]

Disk utility gives a map of connected devices, provides simple partition repairs, allows the initializing, imaging and formatting of partitions and creation of encrypted folders.
If you want to see details of hardware/software, you need to browse the system report. Access it either from the apple icon at top left corner of the desktop or applications/utilities. All usb info is there, including details of connected devices. Your kobo may possibly be listed there in the usb port section, even if not showing on the desktop.

I expect that your finder preferences are set to show mounted devices?

Many people end up frustrated with the Finder limitations. There is a free version of Forklift in the mac app store. This is a dual paned file manager that among many other options, has easy show/hide hidden files. There are other similar file managers - dcommander, xcommander etc.


What model is your mac?

If you have ruled out cable issues, the next thing is to hard reset the computer. Switch off all power to the mac (remove plug from power point) and wait at least 5 minutes - assuming it is an iMac.

Check the system logs for info - everything is logged. Console is in applications/utilities.

Try the free app tinkertool to do various checks. Don’t tinker too much, or you will end up like me - having to restore a backup. On the other hand, you end up learning a great deal. Nothing concentrates the mind like a non stop blinking apple logo and the disastrous reality of one’s intrepid foray into roads unknown. Which is mitigated by the knowledge that you wisely clone/backup each day and in a few minutes all will be well again.

Another thought .. connect an external drive, install OSX on it. Reboot into that new install. Connect the kobo. If the problem persists it is likely hardware rather than the OS. This is one way I check my systems. I have several clones, known good ones. I boot into them to troubleshoot issues.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by bookwurm70

Tell me more about Disk Utility. I am new to Macs so I have a lot to learn.

All I see is the Mac HD. My Kobo is currently plugged in and the KA1 thinks it is connected.

My Mac has stopped recognizing my Kobo again (worked 2 or 3 times, then quit).

Anyone know of anywhere I might need to change settings for Sierra to see my Kobo?

Like some people already said, Disk Utility gives you a way to see all of your connected drives, regardless of whether they are enabled to show in Finder. So if you see your Kobo there, try what the others have described and see if external drives are highlighted to show in the Finder settings.
If, however, your device does not appear anywhere even though it tells you it's connected, this suggests that weird issue that Kobos occasionally seem to have with some USB ports. Try a different one and see if the device, considering that it is highlighted to appear in Finder, connects. On my Macbook Pro 15 (2013), I usually get that behavior with certain USB cables, but only in connection with my Aura One. Must be something with Kobo’s USB implementation (perhaps the port sends too much power and the Kobo assumes it's a charger or whatever).
It's annoying at first, but you can get used to it and then it's not so bad, often quite good and sometimes even great.
(incidentally, this is also Kobo’s new marketing slogan )

[JSWolf]

Why is OSX so much of a pain?