Kindle Paperwhites - Gen 7 vs new Gen 11?

[zaqxsw]

I bought a Gen 5 PW in 2012, then a Gen 7 PW in 2017. I'm now looking at a Gen 11 PW in 2022 mainly due to battery life on the Gen 7. I can live with it, but it seems I'm on a 5-year upgrade cycle.

Obviously, I can see the technical spec. differences online. My question has to do with what I can't see in the way it handles personal documents and Calibre processed eBooks.

None of my Kindle Gen 7 PW content is stored in the cloud. My personal documents are emailed to my Kindel's email address and then sent to my Gen 7 PW. They are not kept in the cloud. My eBooks are all manually downloaded to my computer, processed by Calibre in a .azw3 format using a plugin, and then side loaded into my PW. They all come from public eBook libraries or websites.

1) It there anything new I need to be aware of with the Gen 11 in my continuing to handle content in this way?

2) Am I able to directly copy my Gen 7 PW Documents folder over to the Gen 11 PW Documents folder through my computer? I would also copy the Calibre created eBook covers folder that Calibre creates to ensure covers remain intact.

3) Do I keep all of my covers, bookmarks, and notes doing this? When I moved to the Gen 7 from the Gen 5, I did this. The only issue was I did lose bookmarks and notes from my eBooks, but not from my personal documents. The new Gen 7 didn't like my copying the eBook folders, and wanted to create its own, hence the loss of bookmarks and notes. No problems with the actual eBook files themselves.

I know these are complicated questions unless someone has already done this.

Thanks for any replies!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by zaqxsw

I bought a Gen 5 PW in 2012, then a Gen 7 PW in 2017. I'm now looking at a Gen 11 PW in 2022 mainly due to battery life on the Gen 7. I can live with it, but it seems I'm on a 5-year upgrade cycle.

Obviously, I can see the technical spec. differences online. My question has to do with what I can't see in the way it handles personal documents and Calibre processed eBooks.

None of my Kindle Gen 7 PW content is stored in the cloud. My personal documents are emailed to my Kindel's email address and then sent to my Gen 7 PW. They are not kept in the cloud. My eBooks are all manually downloaded to my computer, processed by Calibre in a .azw3 format using a plugin, and then side loaded into my PW. They all come from public eBook libraries or websites.

1) It there anything new I need to be aware of with the Gen 11 in my continuing to handle content in this way?

2) Am I able to directly copy my Gen 7 PW Documents folder over to the Gen 11 PW Documents folder through my computer? I would also copy the Calibre created eBook covers folder that Calibre creates to ensure covers remain intact.

3) Do I keep all of my covers, bookmarks, and notes doing this? When I moved to the Gen 7 from the Gen 5, I did this. The only issue was I did lose bookmarks and notes from my eBooks, but not from my personal documents. The new Gen 7 didn't like my copying the eBook folders, and wanted to create its own, hence the loss of bookmarks and notes. No problems with the actual eBook files themselves.

I know these are complicated questions unless someone has already done this.

Thanks for any replies!

How the PW5 handles content is the same as the PW3 with the same firmware version. If you are not syncing, forget emailing eBooks. That's would be a waste of time. It's best (IMHO) to copy your eBooks over to your (in use) Kindle via USB with Calibre.

The thing is, you now have to send ePub to Amazon and sometimes this will fail. We don't know yet what's causing the intermittent fail. It will never fail to put KF8 eBooks from Calibre to your Kindle.

If the content in your PW3 documents DIRECTORY has no DRM, you can copy it to the computer and then over to the PW5. Yes you will lose bookmarks and highlights from your eBooks.

Yes, it's pretty easy to go from the PW3 to the PW5.

[zaqxsw]

Jon, thank you very much for your reply. It's the most concise info. I've found. It reflects what I learned migrating from PW1 to the PW3 in 2017. Yes, none of my content has DRM, as it's just for personal use and I've run into notes, etc. limits with DRM.

Your first sentence mentioned having the same firmware version on both PW's. That won't be an issue for me until they stop updating firmware for PW3. If what you say is important, then timing does become an issue in that you want to migrate to PW5 before PW3's firmware falls behind?

Any idea why you lose bookmarks and highlights on eBooks when directly copying? I thought that info. would be in the eBook folders, but apparently not.

I did not lose any of that on personal documents.

Thanks again!

[shamanNS]

Because some years ago Kindle firmware has changed the way it names ".sdr" directory where it keep two "sidecar" files ( .azw3f & .azw3r) that contain info for notes and highlights and also for those 2 files inside the sdr directory.

Old behavior was "book_name +.sdr" and newer behavior is "book_name + some_id_thing +.sdr". IIRC that id/hash string of characters is unique for each device.

So the problem is that when you copy over "documents" directory from Kindle A to Kindle B there is a mismatch of that hash string used in sdr directory & filenames and thus instead of using the pre-existing sdr directory Kindle just creates a new one and generates new files inside.

For test purposed you can copy one book > open the book on that other Kindle device (so it creates matching sdr directly) > make one note > close the book > copy over azw3f & azw3r files from old Kindle > replace in filenames that hash/id part with value used by new Kindle > reopen the book & check if it displays your old notes, highlight. It should.

So the solution to that problem would be to automate / batch rename (search X > replace with Y) all those files.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by shamanNS

Because some years ago Kindle firmware has changed the way it names ".sdr" directory where it keep two "sidecar" files ( .azw3f & .azw3r) that contain info for notes and highlights and also for those 2 files inside the sdr directory.

Old behavior was "book_name +.sdr" and newer behavior is "book_name + some_id_thing +.sdr". IIRC that id/hash string of characters is unique for each device.

I think the id hash is based on the account rather than the device. There is a post somewhere on the Developers Forum that might even document the algorithm.

In any case, I just checked a book that I have in 2 kindles, and the hash is the same.

[zaqxsw]

Thanks, folks, for all of the replies! I appreciate it.

[shamanNS]

@j.p.s You are probably right. I only remember that the one time I needed / wanted to transfer notes & highlights between two Kindles I was transferring them from PW1 (that used firmware build that didn't add that id string) to a PW3 that had newer firmware and that I've figured out what was he reason for PW3 not using old azw3r & azw3f files and then solved the problem by editing filenames & overwritting the files.


If so (that hash id is the same for all Kindles registered to the same Amazon account) that just transfering the files from one Kindle to another should work, no?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I think the id hash is based on the account rather than the device. There is a post somewhere on the Developers Forum that might even document the algorithm.

It is a hex representation of the MD5 hash of the user's Amazon account id.

[CathyA]

Originally Posted by zaqxsw

...
None of my Kindle Gen 7 PW content is stored in the cloud. My personal documents are emailed to my Kindel's email address and then sent to my Gen 7 PW. They are not kept in the cloud...

Unless you have logged into your Amazon account and deleted all the files you emailed, they are definitely kept in the cloud. You can see them here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/mycd/digit...pdocs/dateDsc/

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It is a hex representation of the MD5 hash of the user's Amazon account id.

Thank you, but how does someone determine the exact text string for their amazon account id?

Never mind, found it:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4165908

[zaqxsw]

Originally Posted by CathyA

Unless you have logged into your Amazon account and deleted all the files you emailed, they are definitely kept in the cloud. You can see them here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/mycd/digit...pdocs/dateDsc/

You can choose to disable that function: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...N7P2TFA2YTH5YW

I have no personal documents saved to the cloud and I don't have to delete them.

[CathyA]

Originally Posted by zaqxsw

You can choose to disable that function: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...N7P2TFA2YTH5YW

I have no personal documents saved to the cloud and I don't have to delete them.

Good to know. Thank you.

[zaqxsw]

I have just gotten a PW 5 Gen 11 for Xmas. To answer my original question of copying books/documents from PW 3 to PW 5:

Yes, if you have DRM removed books and personal documents on your old Kindle Paperwhite, you can just copy the entire contents of your old Documents folder to the new PW Documents folder. One exception is to not copy the dictionaries folder.

All highlights, bookmarks, etc. come over. I've got a lot more to explore, but so far, the bookmarks even work in finding the right location. The new PW does not create new folders.

The only negative is that the books and personal documents are not sorted by my original Collections organization. But the Collections are listed when I select a book/document and choose to add/remove from a collection.

So, I'm pretty pleased with the transfer, but have 332 books/documents to sort into my old Collection organization... Tedious but I'll work a few dozen a day.

I appreciate all of the previous replies!

[zaqxsw]

Correction: I just downloaded a new book to my computer, not to the Kindle, but I did specify my Gen 11 instead of my old Gen 7. I have not processed it through Calibre yet or copied it to my Gen 11.

I downloaded the book to my laptop and returned it to the state eBook library and then deleted it from Amazon content.

Even though I haven't processed the book through Calibre yet to my Kindle Gen 11. ALL OF MY COLLECTION organization came back on the new PW 5 Gen 11!!!