Kobo Images

[ShootingStar3598]

Hi everyone.

I'm very new to eReaders and don't know much about technology. Now, I have a few questions about images. Not as in pictures. As in, the, you know, device images the ones you burn onto a disk.

1. What exactly is an image?

2. When burning an image to your SD card, do you need to edit the serial number so it matches yours?

3. Where do I find my Kobo Mini serial number?

4. When and why would you need to replace an image?

5. The Mini comes with firmware version 2.X. If you replace an image with, let's say version 3.X and reset, will it go back to 2.X or reboot with whatever's in the SD card?

6. If I load an image with the previous owner's serial number onto my SD card, plug it into my Mini, and after it installs do a factory reset, will it go back to my SN or stay with the previous owner's SN?

7. I once bricked my Kobo Mini and used Kiwisaurus' Guide on How to Fix a Bricked Kobo eReader (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=311227) to repair it. The last method did it for me (The "take out the SD card, download firmware and put it in the .kobo directory" one) and now I'm just wondering if I replaced the image or not. Are those two completely different things?

[PeterT]

Please don't double post.

You'll find answers to some of your questions in https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=209122

[ShootingStar3598]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Please don't double post.

You'll find answers to some of your questions in https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=209122

The thread helped a bit. Now I have a bit better understanding of an image but not really.

Could somebody PLEASE answer my questions in detail?

[lel24]

Originally Posted by ShootingStar3598

Hi everyone.

I'm very new to eReaders and don't know much about technology. Now, I have a few questions about images. Not as in pictures. As in, the, you know, device images the ones you burn onto a disk.

1. What exactly is an image?
i
2. When burning an image to your SD card, do you need to edit the serial number so it matches yours?

3. Where do I find my Kobo Mini serial number?

4. When and why would you need to replace an image?

5. The Mini comes with firmware version 2.X. If you replace an image with, let's say version 3.X and reset, will it go back to 2.X or reboot with whatever's in the SD card?

6. If I load an image with the previous owner's serial number onto my SD card, plug it into my Mini, and after it installs do a factory reset, will it go back to my SN or stay with the previous owner's SN?

7. I once bricked my Kobo Mini and used Kiwisaurus' Guide on How to Fix a Bricked Kobo eReader (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=311227) to repair it. The last method did it for me (The "take out the SD card, download firmware and put it in the .kobo directory" one) and now I'm just wondering if I replaced the image or not. Are those two completely different things?

1. I would define an image as a complete copy of the data on the disk, including partitioning (space disk is divided into) and all files on the disk. Many members of the community offer factory images for various Kobo eReaders. These are taken by resetting their device, removing card and imaging it.

2. From what I am aware of, the serial number is stored is stored wthin the image and it should be posible to identify and replace the serial number stored in the image. You shouldn't need to do this though as the device doesn't rely on the seral number for anything.

3. You can find your Kobo's serial number by going to Settings > Device Information > Serial Number.

4. You would replace the image in situations when the device is rendered unbootable, such as a botched fimware upgrade, or when a "hack" interfers with something and you cannot factory reset. This is normally the last resort for fixing a bricked device.

5. The way kobo's work is that the main partition holds the current firmware and a separate partition holds a factory image which is identical to the factory state. This means that the device will come with a specific firmware' and that the image comes with the version that was on the image creators device. So, yes the Kobo probably will go back to 2.x.

6. As the serial number is stored in firmware, the serial number will be overwritten with the previous owner's number.

7. Yes, these are 2 different things. One is copying a file, and the other is overwriting the entire card.

Generally, you shouldn't even need to open the device as a manual factory reset (light button + power) should suffice