Installed Reader (PRS650) on a new computer, now the "Library" is empty

[Scuttler]

Hello everyone,

I installed the Reader software on a new computer. I can use it to see and read books on the  device, so that the "Reader" area is populated with the books. i also successfully got my Adobe ID so that I can read purchased PDFs. However... despite all my attempts to synchronise, the "Library" area is completely empty except for the User Guide and How to Get Ebooks manuals.

I re-registered my device on this site, but that didn't change anything.

Syncs take about two seconds and don't seem to do anything. Whilst trying to sort this out I've realised I don't really understand the sync process, and what I'm syncing to. I do have access to the old computer disk (although it won't boot) - is it as easy as importing a folder from that disk?

Thanks for any guidance ....

Regards,

Colin

[Drumzman · Accepted solution]

Hi Colin,

When you say the 'Library' area is empty, do you mean on your computer (in the Reader Library software) or on your PRS650?

If you mean on your computer, and it is any eBooks that you have purchased that you are missing, then I'd suggest visiting the websites where you purchased them from - most retailers have an order history section if you log on that should have a record of the titles you've bought: and most will allow you to re-download them (as long as you are using the same Adobe ID as before).  That way would save you the hassle of trying to get files off your old computer, especially if it isn't working properly.

If it's the Reader itself that isn't showing any eBooks and the Library on your computer is intact, then I'd suggest trying the drag and drop method of transferring files to your Reader and see if you have any joy.  If you do, then it might just mean that you need to adjust the sync settings in the Reader Library software.

(Personally I must admit that I don't bother with sync, as usually when I need to transfer an eBook to my Reader it's because I've just bought a new one, so it's only a single file that I need to synchronise.  As a result I always just drag and drop as I find that much quicker than waiting for a sync process - because I guess sync has to go through the process of comparing the libraries on both the Reader and the computer to work out if there are any differences before getting on with any transfers that may be necessary.  It just seems to me that the drag and drop method is uncomplicated and gets the job done - buit that's just me!)

Hope this helps anyway.

[Scuttler]

Hi Drumzman,

Thank you for the reply.  I did mean that the Library on my computer (in the software) was empty, the PRS 650 is working fine.

Since posting my question I've come to the conclusion that I didn't really understand what the Library is, or what sync does :smileyblush: . I have managed to get some items into the Library viiew and am pretty confident that I can import the others into the view too, and the PRS650 lets me read them, including the purchased ones.

I had originally thought that sync was two-way, so that if I synced with a folder on the PC it would copy new books from the PC onto the reader and copy the contents of the reader to the folder (useful as a sort of backup), but I've come to the conclusion that this is not the case. Maybe this is in the product documentation somewhere, but it doesn't exactly leap out at me. I can see your point with the comments about syncing - why not just keep everything in a convenient folder and drag & drop when necessary?

Anyway, thanks again.

Regards,

Colin

[Scuttler]

All,

OK, now I'm completely confused :smileysad:. It seems I can de-authorise/re-authorise my Reader (the PRS650 device itself) at will, but I still cannot get sync to work in the way that I think it should work (maybe I'm wrong) and I don't really understand what is happening, or why this is so difficult. Any some questions:

- should sync be a two-way process? So if I have 100 books on my PRS650, and I select an empty folder to sync with on my PC's hard disk, should the folder then contain the 100 books?

- same question for the "Library" container seen in the Reader software, should that be two-way sync?

- I can drag & drop books from my device (using the Reader software) to the "Library" container, but not to my selected folder on the hard disk (which does have the heart icon next to it). Is that expected behaviour?

- where is the "Library" actually located?

- when I re-download the only book I have purchased from the W H Smith site, it actually downloads a 2kb file (actually that's rounded up, the file is called "Download.acsm" and is a mere 1,347 bytes. Obviously that's not the actual book, but when I do sync it, another copy of that book appears on the PRS650, and I can read all of them (after saying "Yes" to authorise my reader, if de-authorised). I'm not at all sure what's happening there, or even what my question is , but that seems a bit odd to me.

- asking out of sheer curiosity, for those who have a perfectly working system, are all the values of the "owner" elements in the file :\database\sync\sync.xml the same, or are they different. I don't think it's a good idea to play around with this file, or to tell anyone what its contents are, I'm just wondering if my problems are due to different users somehow being assumed by the reader.

Thanks in advance for answers to any of these questions, I have also asked Sony support some of them, but they seem to be a bit under pressure at the moment. This was all working nicely on my previous PC, maybe I was just lucky.

Colin

[eBookBoy]

Hi Colin!

Actually the sync process only works (or syncs) with content in the library to the reader, not from the reader to the library. As a workaround you can try to drag & drop the content you have in the reader to the library.

GoodLuck!

eBookBoy

http://digialreader.freeforums.org

[Drumzman]

Hi Colin,

On the question of re-downloading your eBook from WHSmith, you're correct in that the file you mention is not the book itself.  When you press the download button on the WHSmith website you'll get a choice of whether you want to 'save' or 'open' the file.  If you choose 'save' (which it sounds like you have done) then you simply download a linkto the eBook you've purchased.  It is always best to choose the 'open' option at this stage as this will automatically transfer the actual eBook into your library in the Reader Library software.  By choosing 'open' I suppose you're 'cutting out the middle man' so to speak, which does simplify the whole process.

All the best.

[Scuttler]

Thank you Drumzman and eBookBoy for helping to demystify this for me, I think I understand it now and it seems to be working.

Regards,

Colin