problem with my forma reader

[anacreon]

After the problems I had following changing my email (see https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...02&postcount=1), I reinitialized the Forma - on November 17 - and started the painful process of loading my circa 5000 books on the reader. It was even more painful than usual, and I only finished it yesterday, to discover that 78 of them had transferred as epubs instead of kepubs. I really prefer kepubs (many of those books have notes), so eliminated them from the reader, and started loading them again piecemeal. I tried to convert them to kepubs in Calibre to help the process, but only 35 conversion were successful. I unplugged the reader, and saw that there were only 41 epubs, so 2 of the epubs were converted on the go.

But when I plugged it in again to update the metadata I had an error message

Then I turned the reader off, replugged it and got the same error message

Spoiler:

calibre, version 4.23.0
ERREUR : Erreur: Erreur pendant la communication avec le périphérique
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 90, in run
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 513, in _books
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 2025, in books
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\usbms\driver.py", line 459, in sync_booklists
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\usbms\driver.py", line 457, in write_prefix
File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\metadata\book\json_codec.p y", line 136, in encode_to_file
File "json\__init__.py", line 251, in dumps
File "json\encoder.py", line 209, in encode
MemoryError

I hope without hope that it is not a problem with the database that would mean I must reinitialize again, and restart the whole painful process.

Can someone tell me what the error message means?

EDIT: I tried a third time, after turning off both PC and reader, and it worked. Pity I can't change the title to "solved". But I would still like to know what the error message means.

[DNSB]

Perhaps this should be moved to the calibre devices forum?

The only time I've seen that error from calibre is when it has run out of memory trying to convert a book using the 32 bit calibre under Windows.

What OS and type of calibre install are you using? Windows (x86 or x64), Mac, Linux? Portable or install?

How much free space is left on your Forma?

Edit: Good to hear the problem went away. Though I do wish it had hung around to be swatted.

[davidfor]

That error is happening when calibre is writing the file "metadata.calibre" to the root directory of the device. Most times I have heard of it is with lots of books on the device and the 32bit version of calibre. 5000 shouldn't be enough to trigger this, but, the file includes all the metadata in the library and is formatted with leading spaces. If you have a lot of custom columns, or a lot of text in the long text fields, it will be bigger.

[anacreon]

I am using the portable 4.23 version of Calibre. I assume it is a 32b version since there is only one offered by Calibre while there are two for windows. I would appreciate a 64b version since both my PCs are 64b, but I guess it wouldn't be as much portable.
I have only 3 custom columns: read, current reading location and "lieu".
The longest text I have is in the tags column, under 90 characters.
There is 1.2 Gb available, which should be plenty.
Windows 10 20H2.

EDIT: I realized my PC was straining, so I didn't do much of anything else while I was doing this, just sitting in front of the PC with my spare reader Libra (which I would read much more on if it didn't grow a painfully yellow coloring, and much less luminosity than previously as far as I remember.)

[anacreon]

From both Davids answers, this is a Calibre 32b / windows problem, not a Kobo reader problem. Can someone move this thread to the Calibre forum?
Thanks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by anacreon

I am using the portable 4.23 version of Calibre. I assume it is a 32b version since there is only one offered by Calibre while there are two for windows. I would appreciate a 64b version since both my PCs are 64b, but I guess it wouldn't be as much portable.
I have only 3 custom columns: read, current reading location and "lieu".
The longest text I have is in the tags column, under 90 characters.
There is 1.2 Gb available, which should be plenty.
Windows 10 20H2.

EDIT: I realized my PC was straining, so I didn't do much of anything else while I was doing this, just sitting in front of the PC with my spare reader Libra (which I would read much more on if it didn't grow a painfully yellow coloring, and much less luminosity than previously as far as I remember.)

The solution is to keep Calibre Portable 4.23 for removing the DRM and use Calibre 5.x 64-bit for everything else. Then you won't have this memory issue because you'll be using a 64-bit Calibre to do the heavy lifting.

[anacreon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The solution is to keep Calibre Portable 4.23 for removing the DRM and use Calibre 5.x 64-bit for everything else. Then you won't have this memory issue because you'll be using a 64-bit Calibre to do the heavy lifting.

I need portable programs for everything possible for archiving and synchronizing between computers. It's enough hassle redoing parameters for Microsoft Office and Photoshop etc.
And I refuse to add any data of mine I can avoid on any cloud that isn't mine - just as I've refused Facebook and such from day 1. I do know that there are many already floating around, but let's not add to it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by anacreon

I need portable programs for everything possible for archiving and synchronizing between computers. It's enough hassle redoing parameters for Microsoft Office and Photoshop etc.
And I refuse to add any data of mine I can avoid on any cloud that isn't mine - just as I've refused Facebook and such from day 1. I do know that there are many already floating around, but let's not add to it.

No you don't need Calibre portable. The settings directory can be copied very easily to any other computer you run Calibre. The portable version is only 32-bit. I've seen a number of times someone has a 32-bit Calibre run out of memory and they should have installed a 64-bit Calibre. Calibre is a very simple install and uninstall. The settings live in one directory that can be copied. No need for portable unless you want 4.23 and 5.x at the same time. And given that the DeDRM plugin is making great strides with Calibre 5.x, it won't be long before you won't need 4.23.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by anacreon

I need portable programs for everything possible for archiving and synchronizing between computers. It's enough hassle redoing parameters for Microsoft Office and Photoshop etc.
And I refuse to add any data of mine I can avoid on any cloud that isn't mine - just as I've refused Facebook and such from day 1. I do know that there are many already floating around, but let's not add to it.

It is possible to change a Calibre Portable 32 bit install to a 64 bit install. This does require extracting files from a calibre-x64 msi and copying the calibre folder into the Calibre folder in the portable install.

Doing a step by step procedure

• Download calibre-64bit-4.23.0.msi from calibre's download site
• Create a directory called extraction in the root of your C: drive. Inside the directory create a directory called calibre423
• Copy the downloaded msi file to the extraction directory
• Open an administrator command prompt and cd /d c:\extraction
• enter "msiexec /a calibre-64bit-4.23.0.msi /qb TARGETDIR=c:\extraction\calibre423" on the command line.
• Checking in the calibre423 directory, you should no see a directory called PFiles with a Calibre2 directory inside it. Copy the contents of the Calibre2 directory to the Calibre directory in your portable install overwriting the existing files.
• Run the calibre-portable.exe executable in the root of the Calibre Portable directory and you should now be running a 64 bit calibre portable install.

Edit: yes, I know there are other tools for extracting files from msi files.

[anacreon]

Originally Posted by DNSB

It is possible to change a Calibre Portable 32 bit install to a 64 bit install. This does require extracting files from a calibre-x64 msi and copying the calibre folder into the Calibre folder in the portable install.

Doing a step by step procedure

Thank you so much for your perfect, detailed procedure. I now have a 64b portable Calibre. I did manage to convert all of the 15 books irreducible with the 32b version, but not without pain: though 2/3 or the books transferred (one by one of course) with decent delays, mostly under 10 minutes, the rest took painfully long - 47, 53 and 38 minutes for the worst. I had first modified Calibre parameters one task at a time and didn't do anything else on that computer meanwhile.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by anacreon

Thank you so much for your perfect, detailed procedure. I now have a 64b portable Calibre. I did manage to convert all of the 15 books irreducible with the 32b version, but not without pain: though 2/3 or the books transferred (one by one of course) with decent delays, mostly under 10 minutes, the rest took painfully long - 47, 53 and 38 minutes for the worst. I had first modified Calibre parameters one task at a time and didn't do anything else on that computer meanwhile.

Good to hear it was of use to you.