Error: "Document can't be opened on this machine"

[wes.g]

I have two ebooks that I bought from amazon.com in 2003 and 2005 that won't open after reinstalling everything on my laptop. I used my adobe ID to set up Digital Editions, but it gives the error: "This document can't be opened on this machine. Please contact the site where you obtained the document to download another copy."

I contacted amazon.com and they say that they only promised to have the ebook available for download for 60 days.

I sent a message to Adobe support last week about the problem and haven't received a reply yet.

Why would these ebooks be readable for over 5 years and not be readable now? It seems that Adobe's ebook DRM is broken here and I'm not getting a solution from anyone. From what I read on the net, I'm not the only one having this problem with Digital Editions.

Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

[wes.g]

I just found this information about ebook usage from the publisher of one of my ebooks that I bought in 2003 from amazon.com that now doesn't open in Digital Editions.

"Usage Rights for Wiley Adobe E-Books

Any Wiley e-book you purchase will come with certain restrictions that allow Wiley to protect the copyrights of its products.   After you purchase this Wiley Adobe E-Book title, you:

• May use the provided link to download the file up to 4 times onto different computers. This link is accessible in the My Account section of this website or from the original e-mail.
• Must download it within 14 days of purchase
• May not move the file to a different computer
• May not lend, sell or give the e-book to another user
• May not copy the e-book file
• May copy/paste anything up to a page of text, 10 pages total, every 7 days
• May not copy/paste diagrams, figures, or artwork
• May annotate text in e-book"

The first bullet contains a restriction that limits the use of an ebook to approximately 5 to10 years given the 3 to 5 year life of a PC and the biannual frequency that I've had to reinstall Windows from a reformatted disk to correct problems.

I don't remember being told this in 2003 when I bought the book from amazon.com. If it was added since that that time, then it is a change of our sales agreement and I don't believe that it can be done after the fact.

Basically, I would never have bought an ebook with a life of 5 to 10 years and now that I know that this is the publisher's usage policy I will never buy another Adobe ebook. It the equivalent of buying a printed book with vanishing ink.