Kobo Libra Colour - Error I don't understand

[MsWoodhouse]

I have my Calibre on my iMac, and have been using my Kobo Libra Colour happily for a few months.

Last night I started getting this message, it seemed to coincide (but I can't be sure) with setting up the News fetching feature of Calibre, which I knew about but have never utilized before.

Now when I connect my Kobo to my iMac, I get this error:

calibre, version 7.23.0
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "calibre/gui2/device.py", line 112, in run
  File "calibre/gui2/device.py", line 566, in _books
  File "calibre/devices/kobo/driver.py", line 2075, in books
  File "src/cursor.c", line 240, in resetcursor
apsw.CorruptError: CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

It DOES seem to connect okay and I can upload books, but it's resetting them - as in, I was reading a novel on my Kobo and noticed that after the last sync with my iMac, my novel was back to the cover page instead of where I left off (but all my highlights were still there).

Anyone know what this error is and why I'm getting it?

Thanks!

[MsWoodhouse]

UPDATE - I just plugged my Kobo into my iMac and Calibre, and was just moving books around in Calibre, and when I ejected my device....

...all my books are gone. The Kobo is totally empty. I have no idea why.

PLEASE does anyone know what happened?

[MsWoodhouse]

Third update - I downloaded the version of Calibre just prior to the the one that just came out today (7.22), and removed all news subscriptions, and it immediately automatically put all the books back on, but lost ALL my notations. I'm so frustrated. I had just carefully been highlighting the novel I was reading, and now I'm back at zero.

(I don't understand why notations and bookmarks don't sync to Calibre, I will never get why that isn't included - if you lose your machine or get a new one, all those bookmarks and highlights are just gone).

[MsWoodhouse]

My novel has been ruined - the table of content are gone, replaced with some list of HTML files.

So apparently downloading the new Calibre has broken my books, my database, everything.

Getting the same error:

calibre, version 7.22.0
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre/gui2/device.py", line 112, in run
File "calibre/gui2/device.py", line 566, in _books
File "calibre/devices/kobo/driver.py", line 2075, in books
File "src/cursor.c", line 240, in resetcursor
apsw.CorruptError: CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

[Bookstooge]

This is why I never plan on buying a kobo. Their database corrupts at the drop of a hat and you have to sign out of your account, then back in.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

This is why I never plan on buying a kobo. Their database corrupts at the drop of a hat and you have to sign out of your account, then back in.

Sorry, but there have only been a couple of Kobo FW releases in the years I have had my Kobos. We believe those were tied to how Kobo handled USB disconnects.
I have 2 Kobo's. My Libra2 is my daily driver and I USB connect many times a week. Other that that FW issue ... No resets needed (I also use the DB backup tools in Kobo Utilities and have used it a time or two when I failed to pay attention to the connected status and did an Oh S... USB pull)

OTOH There are a few 'Best Practices' (and these apply to many USB devices), that reduce these issues to almost zero.
1) Do almost all USB connection activities STARTING from the bookshelf screen (no book open).

2)Wait for the OS to say it is OK to disconnect the cable. (Many OS buffer data transfers to give the user the illusion of fast)

2) Wait for the Kobo Screen to return (after Processing) to the cover view screen before pulling the plug. (lets the background stuff settle before dealling with a USB plug pull signal)

[chaley]

FWIW: in our almost 3 years using our two Libra 2s we haven't had a single database corruption. From the beginning I have connected from the home screen, used "eject" from calibre, waited for Windows to tell me it was safe, and waited for the import to finish. I don't use anything fancy such as NickelMenu.

I've used every release of calibre, and often versions of calibre that were never released. I've used test versions of the Kobo driver (I don't use Extended) with complex collection definition templates. Kobo Utilities handles both my and my wife's kobo, doing backups and syncing reading location, percent read, and date read.

My Libra 2 has been incredibly reliable. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to get another Kobo.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by MsWoodhouse

My novel has been ruined - the table of content are gone, replaced with some list of HTML files.

So apparently downloading the new Calibre has broken my books, my database, everything.

Getting the same error:

calibre, version 7.22.0
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre/gui2/device.py", line 112, in run
File "calibre/gui2/device.py", line 566, in _books
File "calibre/devices/kobo/driver.py", line 2075, in books
File "src/cursor.c", line 240, in resetcursor
apsw.CorruptError: CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

What I do to be safe is I use calibre with Kobo Utilities. I have Kobo Utilities backup the database. So if it was to become corrupt for some reason, I can restore the latest backup. I only once had a problem that was user error.

Are you making sure you properly eject your Kobo? Before I connect to the computer, I go to the home screen. I then connect. When I eject, I wait until I am back at the home screen after the importing is done (If I am adding books).

I agree 100% with @chaley. I've had a Kobo since The end of November 2014 and I find them to be highly reliable.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

This is why I never plan on buying a kobo. Their database corrupts at the drop of a hat and you have to sign out of your account, then back in.

Never have had any database corruptions with 3 different Kobo models in 5 years.

But yes, Kobos do seem to have more bugs than Kindles. I expect it's the result of their open OS - Amazon keeps a lot tighter control over their devices and severely limits things users can do. This is also the reason I don't plan on buying another Kindle. I find Kindles too limiting after using Kobo readers.

YMMV.

[MsWoodhouse]

Okay so there's a lot of discussion about Kobo's being difficult, but does anyone know what actually happened or how I can avoid it happening again? Why did it happen right after I started using Calibre news Fetch?

[MsWoodhouse]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I do to be safe is I use calibre with Kobo Utilities. I have Kobo Utilities backup the database. So if it was to become corrupt for some reason, I can restore the latest backup. I only once had a problem that was user error.

Are you making sure you properly eject your Kobo? Before I connect to the computer, I go to the home screen. I then connect. When I eject, I wait until I am back at the home screen after the importing is done (If I am adding books).

I didn't know most of this, so no - I haven't been careful about what screen the Kobo is on when I connect, though I do use the "eject device" function in Calibre and am careful to wait until that's completed and not just yank it off the cord.

Am downloading Kobo Utilities now.

[Bookstooge]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Never have had any database corruptions with 3 different Kobo models in 5 years.

But yes, Kobos do seem to have more bugs than Kindles. I expect it's the result of their open OS - Amazon keeps a lot tighter control over their devices and severely limits things users can do. This is also the reason I don't plan on buying another Kindle. I find Kindles too limiting after using Kobo readers.

YMMV.

All I know is that I see kobo database corruption posts on a weekly and monthly basis here at Mobilereads. While I'm not recommending kindles any more, I NEVER had a problem with my oasis in the 7'ish years I used it? Not once.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

All I know is that I see kobo database corruption posts on a weekly and monthly basis here at Mobilereads. While I'm not recommending kindles any more, I NEVER had a problem with my oasis in the 7'ish years I used it? Not once.

Yes, it can happen, but not to everyone and not on a regular basis. Those posters are a small part of the general user base.

Kindles are certainly more stable, but also more limited.

[MsWoodhouse]

Is database corruption what even happened here? This thread started with my question which has never been answered. Help? Anyone? I STILL have no idea what happened to my Kobo.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by MsWoodhouse

Is database corruption what even happened here? This thread started with my question which has never been answered. Help? Anyone? I STILL have no idea what happened to my Kobo.

Yes. Your first post contains

apsw.CorruptError: CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

Something, probably a disconnect without waiting for things to stabilize, corrupted the kobo database. The problem is almost certainly not caused by calibre. No one can say with certainly what caused it because we weren't there watching when it happened.