Library book download

[patrickcabbage]

Trying to download a library book to my Kobo - it appears as "locked" and tells me to verify my adobe ID which I already have done!

[sjpt]

Can you give more details please?  For example ...

• Is this a Kobo tablet or eReader?
• Are you trying to download directly to the Kobo (tablet), or having problems copying from ADE (Digital Editions) on the computer to the Kobo?
• Is the book working fine on ADE itself?
• Are old books already on the Kobo still able to be read?

[patrickcabbage]

Hi sjpt - it's a Kobo ereader.  I don't know where the problem originates but I download the library book at ADE and then drag and drop the book from ADE to my Kobo (as I have always done).  The book appears on my Kobo but when I click on it to read I keep getting the same message "The content you are trying to view is locked.  Please use your Adobe ID to authorize your ereader with the Kobo desktop application or Adobe digtial editions."  I have unauthorized (using control, shift, D) and re-authorized ADE but am still getting the same message.  The book works on ADE and I can still read all my other books on my Kobo.

Thanks for any help you can give!  It's driving me insane!

[sjpt]

Is it just one book that it is failing on, or does it fail with all books freshly downloaded from the library?

If just one book, maybe the Kobo has an issue with that book.

I found when I had a Bookeen Opus that there was a very small number of books it just would't read,

though the detailed symptoms were different.

If all new books, is there any possibility that you have somehow got the Kobo and ADE registered with different Adobe IDs?

Try copying a DRM book that works on the Kobo from the Kobo to the computer, and seeing if you can read it on ADE.

If so, you might need to deauthorize the Kobo (ctrl-shift-E while plugged in) and reauthorize it with the ID you currently use on ADE.

But be aware that this may mean you can no longer read obn the Kobo those older books that currently work there.

[patrickcabbage]

It's failing on all.  I just bought a book from Kobo and am now getting the same message when I try to open that on my Kobo.  I can read everything on ADE (including everything purchased from Kobo as well as borrowed from the library), I can read all my old books on the Kobo - it just won't let me into anything new.  I de-authorized and reauthorized my Kobo and I'm still getting the same problem.

[sjpt]

Most peculiar.

I'd be slightly tempted by a backup and factory reset of the Kobo,

but that runs the risk that you won't manage to get it read either the old books or the new books afterwards ....

(If you do decide to do that, probably best to deauthorize it from Adobe first, as that reduces the risk of it counting as two devices against your maximum of six).

[patrickcabbage]

Well - I tried a "soft" reset and now all my books are gone.  And when I try to re-download them from ADE it says the books already exist on my Kobo but I can't see them.  I've contacted Kobo as I'm now getting very frustrated with this!  I've purchased a lot of books from Kobo and want them back!

[sjpt]

Hmmmm.  I suggest:

1. Deauthorize the Kobo from ADE
2. Stop ADE
3. Look at the Kobo as a mounted drive with your file manager (Windows Explorer, Mac FInder, ...)
4. Copy any books you don't already have elsewhere onto the PC;
5. and preferably copy ALL your books somewhere safe in the cloud; eg Dropbox or Google Drive.
6. Completely empty the Digital Editions folder on the Kobo.
7. Make sure the file manager is viewing hidden files and folders,
   backup and delete any folder on the Kobo with a name like '.adobedigitaleditions'
8. Start ADE
9. Authorize the Kobo
10. See if you can now copy books from ADE to the Kobo
11. and even with luck read the books
12. (optional) kill everyone involved in designing/building the Adobe DRM infrastructure and software
    (I don't think you can kill the testers ~ all the evidence points to the fact that there have never been any testers.)

[patrickcabbage]

Well...I did all that and nothing.  So I uninstalled ADE and re-installed, authorized it on my computer...and now I can't authorize my Kobo.  I think, after I've completed number 12 on your list, I'm going to jump up and down many times on my Kobo and go to my bookshelves and pull off one of those big papery things I used to read (the ease of use of these is astounding!).  If it wasn't for the fact that I've purchased so many ebooks...

[sjpt]

Ow, all I can suggest now (if you haven't already jumped up and down on it too much) is the hardest possible factory reset of the Kobo;

plus most of the steps above again.

Or maybe the Kobo people will come up with something useful?

Good luck ....

[patrickcabbage]

Thanks for your help, sjpt.  I've done the factory reset and still nothing.  I await pearls of wisdom from Kobo...  You, however, have been extremely helpful!

[sjpt]

One very last resort ...

If you can still read the books on the main computer, you should be able to DRM strip them using a program such as epubee.

You will then be able to read them on any device.

I do NOT advocate using such code to get around the valid limitations placed on a DRM book.

However, where the problem arises only because of the ineptness of Adobe's ADEPT DRM infrastructure and its implementation,

such a measure is totally justifiable.

[patrickcabbage]

If all else fails I'll try that.  I'm still trying to download the Kobo desktop application.  Yesterday it just wouldn't download - today it's telling me it will take an hour to download!  Can we say...there's something wrong with the app?!!!!