Sideloaded books not showing up in library

[veereihen6]

I'm sure this is a simple fix that I'm completely missing.

Just got a KA1 to replace my aging KPW2.

Am having a devil of a time sideloading books to the device and seeing them in the library.

I have sent both kepub and also tried epub to the device using Calibre, and i can verify that file is on device by looking at directory thru Windows Explorer, but when looking at device itself, no books show up under "My Books" or "Authors" or "Collections".

The device shipped with firmware 4.4.9439. I updated to the current firmware which didn't help, and then did a factory reset back down to 4.4.9439 again.

After reset I manually dragged file to the main device directory, and still no luck.

Does anyone have any ideas? The file itself seems fine as I can view it in Calibre, as well as on my old KPW2.

[GeoffR]

I don't know what the problem could be, but maybe some more information will help work out what is wrong:

Is the time/date set correctly on the device?

After the factory reset, the device should have updated to the current firmware version automatically as part of the setup process. What did you do to get back to firmware version 4.4.9439?

After you loaded the books and ejected the device, did it display a black "Processing" screen (on recent firmware versions the screen says "Importing Content")

If you connect the device to the computer again, are the books still there according to Windows explorer?

Edit: Did you set up the device via wi-fi or by connecting to a computer and using the Kobo desktop application? (setting up via wi-fi is best, it avoids some potential complications.)


I'll add that the most common reason for books not showing up is that they were put in the .kobo directory or some other directory beginning with a dot. They should be put in the root directory, or in a top-level directory you create yourself. This doesn't seem to be your problem, but I note it here in case others with the problem read this thread later.

[Dr. Drib]

I had a SOMEWHAT similiar problem with my Kindle once: Calibre showed the file loaded, but it wasn't at all visible on the Kindle.

I then did this, which solved the problem:

I deleted the file from my Kindle and then safely unhooked my Kindle. I let about 1 minute go by and then hooked the Kindle back to my computer with calibre already loaded. I then added the file back to the Kindle. This time, before unhooking the Kindle, I waited until the Kindle showed it had disconnected itself from my computer, before I physically removed the USB cable.

This solved the problem. The only thing I can think of is that I too quickly disconnected the Kindle from the computer.

[JSWolf]

Yes, if you don't properly eject the KA1, you can corrupt the database and that could cause the problem.

[veereihen6]

I think I figured out the problem, I think it was me not checking off the "Attempt to support new firmware" in the device interface plugins in Calibre. I was then able to get the KA1 to read the kepub's. But i don't know why it would not see files dropped into the root directory directly....

Thanks guys!

Edit: something else from GeoffR's comments, I had initially set up the KA1 using Kobo Desktop. On the second try, I skipped that and just did a wifi setup.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by veereihen6

I think I figured out the problem, I think it was me not checking off the "Attempt to support new firmware" in the device interface plugins in Calibre. I was then able to get the KA1 to read the kepub's. But i don't know why it would not see files dropped into the root directory directly....

Thanks guys!

Edit: something else from GeoffR's comments, I had initially set up the KA1 using Kobo Desktop. On the second try, I skipped that and just did a wifi setup.

The problem is then that you need to update your Calibre.

[veereihen6]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem is then that you need to update your Calibre.

Calibre was updated the other day to v3.15. I believe that this is the most recent build. I made sure I was up to date before I even opened the KA1 box.

I have heard mention that Kobo Desktop causes some issues, but didn't really see any definitive info on that.

For now it seems to be working ok. Is there a consensus on preference between kepub or epub?

[Dr. Drib]

Glad the issue's been solved!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by veereihen6

Calibre was updated the other day to v3.15. I believe that this is the most recent build. I made sure I was up to date before I even opened the KA1 box.

I have heard mention that Kobo Desktop causes some issues, but didn't really see any definitive info on that.

For now it seems to be working ok. Is there a consensus on preference between kepub or epub?

I think the Calibre problem is that you didn't stay with the updated firmware and the firmware that you have now was not programmed in to be recognized.

I prefer ePub for the better typesetting and less display issues.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by veereihen6

I think I figured out the problem, I think it was me not checking off the "Attempt to support new firmware" in the device interface plugins in Calibre. I was then able to get the KA1 to read the kepub's. But i don't know why it would not see files dropped into the root directory directly....

Thanks guys!

Edit: something else from GeoffR's comments, I had initially set up the KA1 using Kobo Desktop. On the second try, I skipped that and just did a wifi setup.

Sorry, but neither of these were the problem. If you are running an older calibre that doesn't support the firmware, you can still use it. The KoboTouch driver will display the books on the device properly, and allow you to send the books with no problems. What it won't do is the metadata management. That basically means it won't manage collections or the series information.

And doing the setup via WiFi and the Kobo deskop will produce the same thing. I've done both far to many times to think otherwise. And personally, I find the desktop methods safer, especially for the older devices. I have had problems doing the setup via WiFi, but not via the desktop. About the only problem I can think of is if you ejected the device at the wrong time, or something else tried to access it while doing the setup. Running calibre and the Kobo desktop at the same time when a Kobo device is connected is a bad idea. And I recommend that if you use one, disconnect and reconnect the device before using the other.

I don't know why it didn't work. The most likely reason is there was a problem with the books. If you saw the importing screen after ejecting the device and the progress bar didn't move across the screen, it was probably a book failing to import. Unfortunately, there is no indication given of why the import failed. If the import wasn't started, it usually means the device didn't see anything it thought of as a new book. This could be because the book was in the wrong place, all the books had already been imported, the extension wasn't one the device recognised or there was a problem with the name. And, there is always the problem that people can't find the book after the import happened. But, that usually happens after a bit of use when there is a lot of books on the device.

Sorry, this doesn't really help. As things are working now, it mainly about clearing up a misconception.