ebx.etd association for upgraded Digital Editions--HOW to do?

[Debra Schmidt]

The upgrade is screwing me up also! Not only did it erase everything in my library (but not immediately, strangely enough), now I can't download new files from the library even though I was forced to make the upgrade.

I am using Mac OX 10.4. The ebx.etd files fail to download and Help says I need to associate the files in preferences in order to make it work. THERE ARE NO PREFERENCES anywhere that I can find.

This upgrade was obviously premature.

[Guest]

Debra,

The preferences in this case are the system level preferences for associating a file with an app:

- Find or make an .etd file
- Right click on that .etd file
- Select Get Info
- Expand the "Open with:" section if it is not already expanded
- Select "digitaleditions1x5.app" from the drop down list
(If it is not already in the drop down list you can find it in the nicely unintuitive path of
"~/Library/Macromedia/Flash Player/www.macromedia.com/bin/digitaleditions1x5/digitaleditions1x5.app" where ~ is the unixism for your home directory)
- Click on the "Change All..." button
- Click "Continue" on the are you sure message box

Verify that double clicking the .etd file launches DE

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

[Debra Schmidt]

Jim,
Thanks, but this isn't working either. I have trashed and re-downloaded this software at least four times now. I made a fake ebx.etd file which does trigger DE into opening, but the library ebx.etd files still don't recognize DE, nor do they trigger it into opening. Any ideas where else the problem could be?
Thanks,
Debra

[Guest]

First I assume that by "the library ebx.etd files still don't recognize DE" you mean that you are in the process of borrowing a PDF from a Library (which one?) and that clicking on the library's provided download link in the browser (Safari, Firefox or something else?) causes an .etd file to be downloaded, but then nothing happens. Please correct me if I am wrong.

However if that is what is happening:

For a short term workaround while we are trying to figure how to really fix it:
-- Setup --
1.) Launch ADE
2.) Right Click on the icon in the dock and select "Keep in Dock"
-- Workaround --
Drag the .etd file onto the dock icon (shouldn't matter if ADE is running or not).

This will force the connection to ADE - it's not smooth or that user friendly but it should get you reading the books you wanted. ( which was your original goal - not trouble shooting your Mac 🙂 )

If you want to troubleshoot further, the first thing to do will be to check if double clicking on the .etd files after they have been downloaded from the library launches ADE. If they don't, right click on them, select "Open With >" - which should display a list of applications, if ADE is not the default application then something went wrong with the previous steps I sent you (are you sure you clicked the "Change All..." button).

If it does launch ADE, then your browser may be set up to only download files and not launch them afterwards. For instance in the Safari General preferences there is a checkbox - 'Open "safe" files after downloading' - that when left unchecked will cause Safari not to launch anything after downloading - leaving it up to the user to double click on the file after the download is done. So you should check your browser preferences to ensure it will launch files after downloading, if this is what you desire (there are security implications to this however).

Hope this helps.
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

[Debra Schmidt]

Jim,
Thanks, but I'm not getting even that far with the files. You are correct, it is from a public library, Bloomfield Twp (btpl.org) and I am using Firefox.

They fail to download at all. I get this:

Download Error
/Users/debraschmidt/desktop/ebx-1.etd could not be opened because the associated helper application does not exist. Change the association in your preferences.

To make it more strange, an book I had previously checked out two weeks ago DID download. Sort of. It still did the error message, but showed up as an ebx.etd file. Upon double-clicking, it did open DE. So I used that file to check the associated and it showed the default association as DE 1.5.

The newer files have added the -1 prefix to the file name and are totally uncooperative.

I'll be surprised if the tech people at the library know, but that's my next step if you don't have any other ideas. . .

Thanks!
Debra

[Guest]

(Note for other team members btpl.org fulfills through NetLibrary).

Debra,

Given that error message, I would expect that Firefox (btw, which version?) did download the .etd file, and then just couldn't figure out what to do with it. (As an aside if ebx.etd already exists, both Firefox and Safari won't overwrite it but will instead create ebx-1.etd, and then ebx-2.etd, etc... so this is an indication that you already had and ebx.etd file on you desktop - perhaps the one you created for troubleshooting earlier?).

So does ebx-1.etd exist on your dekstop?

If it's there then please see if double clicking will launch ADE (or if you are feeling more technically minded type "open /Users/debraschmidt/desktop/ebx-1.etd" in the terminal )

Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

[Guest]

Also Deanna Maertz had this reply for you that sounds like it should fix your problem:
(She had just placed it the wrong thread - http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.59b53da5 )

Deanna Maertz - 12:53am May 19, 08 PST (#15 of 16)
Debra,
I had this same problem. I found the solution under "what do I do with this?" in the support section. The problem is that Firefox doesn't know what to open the edx file with. You fix this under preferences in Firefox. There's an option to manage what to do with file types under the content tab. Make sure you know where to find your digital editions program, then use this to tell it where to find it.

If that doesn't work (or you can't figure out how to change it, like me), delete this command and it will ask you what to do next time you try to download a book. Then, you can guide it to where your digital editions program is located (it will bring up a mini finder window for you to browse through).
Good luck.

Deanna

[Debra Schmidt]

Deanna,
Thank you SO MUCH. I was going insane and Firefox was the missing part--it had just blanked out any association.

Jim,
Thanks for sticking with this!

Debra

[BWolfe__ADOBE_]

For future reference, there IS a technote about this! It's been available since ADE 1.5 launch on May 13...

eBook download message "What should I do with this file?" in Firefox browser (Digital Editions)
http://www.adobe.com/go/kb403103

Regards,

Bentley Wolfe
Senior Support Engineer, Flash/Flash Player
Adobe