Any way to sideload books and keep notes AND covers?

Siavahda · 11-29-2023, 11:02 AM

If I send books to my kindle via Calibre, I keep the covers but have lost all notes/highlights/where I was in the book.

If I move the books to my kindle by manually moving the books and their files (including the old sdr file) into the documents folder, I keep the notes etc, but the cover is blank/gone. (My kindle is on permanent airplane mode, this has nothing to do with the WiFi.)

I know there must be a way to keep the notes AND the cover, because I've managed to do it for two books - though as I was trying a hundred different things, I have no idea what I did and haven't been able to replicate it yet.

I've tried using the Calibre 'match book to library' function, and also 'update cached metadata on device', but neither have made the covers appear once I disconnect from Calibre.

Help?

jhowell · 11-29-2023, 03:49 PM

Cover thumbnails images for the library view are stored on the Kindle in the hidden /system/thumbnails folder. Copy that also to retain those images.

Siavahda · 11-29-2023, 04:00 PM

How do I find/access that folder?

I have a folder called amazon-cover-bug that seems to be all the covers, but they're all named thumbnail_randomnumbers, no way to link them to their books except manually.

I'm concerned I don't have /system/thumbnails - I backed up my kindle before a factory reset, and I didn't dig it out and copy it then...

jhowell · 11-29-2023, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siavahda

How do I find/access that folder?

The /system folder is hidden, but you can just navigate there in the file viewer of your OS to examine it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siavahda

I have a folder called amazon-cover-bug that seems to be all the covers, but they're all named thumbnail_randomnumbers, no way to link them to their books except manually.

That is a backup of the files that normally appear in /system/thumbnails made by calibre. It will only have thumbnails for books loaded via calibre.

You can just copy the entire contents to /system/thumbnails on your new Kindle. Don't worry about any extra files. They don't take up much space.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siavahda

HI'm concerned I don't have /system/thumbnails - I backed up my kindle before a factory reset, and I didn't dig it out and copy it then...

The backup may or may not have included the /system folder depending on how you did it.

Siavahda · 11-29-2023, 04:32 PM

I'm looking at my backup in the file viewer (using Windows) and I'm not seeing it. I tried View --> Hidden, but that didn't make it appear.

But I copied the thumbnails from amazon-cover-bug to /system/thumbnails on my kindle, and that worked! My ebooks are showing their covers now, and I still have my notes and all. Thank you SO MUCH!

11-29-2023, 11:02 AM	#1
Siavahda Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 9400 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Helsinki Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2018	Any way to sideload books and keep notes AND covers? If I send books to my kindle via Calibre, I keep the covers but have lost all notes/highlights/where I was in the book. If I move the books to my kindle by manually moving the books and their files (including the old sdr file) into the documents folder, I keep the notes etc, but the cover is blank/gone. (My kindle is on permanent airplane mode, this has nothing to do with the WiFi.) I know there must be a way to keep the notes AND the cover, because I've managed to do it for two books - though as I was trying a hundred different things, I have no idea what I did and haven't been able to replicate it yet. I've tried using the Calibre 'match book to library' function, and also 'update cached metadata on device', but neither have made the covers appear once I disconnect from Calibre. Help?

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11-29-2023, 03:49 PM	#2
jhowell Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,753 Karma: 86500093 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Charlottesville, VA Device: Kindles	Cover thumbnails images for the library view are stored on the Kindle in the hidden /system/thumbnails folder. Copy that also to retain those images.

11-29-2023, 04:00 PM	#3
Siavahda Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 9400 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Helsinki Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2018	How do I find/access that folder? I have a folder called amazon-cover-bug that seems to be all the covers, but they're all named thumbnail_randomnumbers, no way to link them to their books except manually. I'm concerned I don't have /system/thumbnails - I backed up my kindle before a factory reset, and I didn't dig it out and copy it then...

11-29-2023, 04:32 PM	#5
Siavahda Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 9400 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Helsinki Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2018	I'm looking at my backup in the file viewer (using Windows) and I'm not seeing it. I tried View --> Hidden, but that didn't make it appear. But I copied the thumbnails from amazon-cover-bug to /system/thumbnails on my kindle, and that worked! My ebooks are showing their covers now, and I still have my notes and all. Thank you SO MUCH!