Serious firmware or database failure in Kobo Wireless - help!

[tigeraid]

Hey guys, I've perused around the forum but mostly I've just found tricks I've tried before, so I'll try and run this down quickly.

I have a wireless Kobo, currently using v1.9 of the software (Mar 29, 2011), revision 58.

Things were fine for months, adding/removing books using calibre, reading several books. Weird things started to happen when I started a particular book, though... First, whenever I powered it off, and then back on, it would always return to the same page, as opposed to where I stopped reading. Even when I was completely done the book, it would still only show 10% read in the menu. Then when I moved onto the next book, it wouldn't save a page at ALL, even when powering it off in the middle of the book... It would return me to the main book list and that particular book showed as "unread."

I figured I had a couple of corrupt books (library downloads), so I decided to use calibre to remove the books on the kobo, and then I transferred a bunch back over, including some new ones.

Lo and behold, not only did the ones I "removed" reappear when I turned the kobo back on, but none of the new books appeared!

At this point I was growing frantic, so I went through all the usual syncing, which did nothing... Then I searched on some forums, found all the "master reset" suggestions, both with the pinhole button and without, and none of them have worked.

I even tried to copy the database file and use sqlite to build a fresh one, but sqlite kept giving me errors about particular lines in the database "cannot be NULL."

I'm just about out of options here--help?

Is there another way to replace/upgrade/re-create the database on this thing?

[PeterT]

There is a stickied post that has instructions for downloading a new "blank" database and a link to it. If the link is NOT valid let me know and I will get it to you.

[tigeraid]

okay, I see that... How do I know which firmware version I have/need, 1.8 or 1.4?

[filmo]

Kobo wifi go to settings menu overview. Under device info is software version. I'm using version 1.9

[tigeraid]

So I should be using the 1.8 firmware? Is there not a download for the 1.9 yet?

Also, PeterT, the links don't work anymore...

[tigeraid]

Alright so I found a version of the zipped 1.8 on google, and followed the directions to the letter. No change.

Literally wiping the damn thing clean, and pasting fresh files into it, and somehow not only does my database still reappear, but all the BOOKS I deleted do too! WHAT IS GOING ON!?

It's like deleting System32 and rebooting, and Windows somehow magically reconstructs it all!

EDIT: the plot thickens... the "Kobo" folder within the .kobo folder shows a Modified date of 12/31/2000, and so does the devices.salt.conf file... Maybe I have a hardware problem, the cmos clock or whatever equivalent kobo has?