I have a desktop pc with an attached PDA (which I never use). For some
reason I can't get either the "Micorosoft Reader" or the Adobe
E-reader thing to install properly. Help?
Please note that I don't mind reading on my desktop machine, and that
I have succesfully "installed" both progs; they just won't synchronize
or something. ((Who I am: Jim Baen of Baen Books. Believe it or not I
sell etexts! (on Baen.com(UNencrypted))

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Request for Question Clarification by haversian-ga on 16 Oct 2002 09:49 PDT

Hi Jim,

Could you clarify what you mean by "attached PDA"?  What brand?  What
model?

You have MS Reader and Adobe E-reader installed on your desktop and
they work fine except for synchronizing with the handheld?  Is there
an error message that comes up?  Have you tried more than one e-book
on each program, in case there's some problem there?

---

Clarification of Question by jimbaen-ga on 16 Oct 2002 10:16 PDT

Hello. Sorry I failed to mention that it's a Casio BE300, which I plan
on using as a test-bed for my own unencrypted offerings on Baen.com.
It's been hanging of my XP desktop for several months and I must admit
I had forgotten its presence until this came up. As for how many books
I've tried it on, the answer is _none_. It just doesn't get that far
in the install process. The Microsoft Reader keeps telling me to
"Activate" as if I've just arrived, and the Acrobat etext reader thing
hangs the system when I try to run it from File Manager (whatever it's
called now... I use Powerdesk.)This is all very frustrating, but I
must say it gives me a delicious case of the warm-fuzzies when I
contemplate the fact that all my competitors _use_ this crap and think
it is required. :)

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Request for Question Clarification by jeffyen-ga on 16 Oct 2002 18:01 PDT

I'm unsure whether your BE300 can actually run the software since the
latest version supports PPC 2000 and yours only support the Pocket
Manager platform [1].

Where did you get your version of MS Reader?

Anyhow for the meantime, maybe you can try the activation process
described at http://das.microsoft.com/activate/en-us/default.asp? and
see how it goes...



[1]
http://www.casio.com/personalpcs/product.cfm?section=175&market=0&product=3980

---

Clarification of Question by jimbaen-ga on 16 Oct 2002 19:23 PDT

Strangely enough, though I sell unencrypted ebooks, I don't know that
much about the other kind. What I did was go to Amazon, "buy" an
ebook, and get this to me unintelligible gibberish about how to
download it, ("Downloading is easy!" the messages all start.) As far
as I can tell, I'm supposed to download their software, and somehow
authenticate it. The thing is, without running software it seems I
can't download anything anyway, even though they (Amazon) have been
gracious enough to take my money. I have now managed to download the
MSereader, but it just nags me to "activate." Which I do, at which
point it nags me to "activate," which I do ...n.
About the attached PDA: since the behavior of this software seems
insane, I'm figuring I am "responsible," and the only way my
configuration might be different from the mass is that I have a Casio
BE300 attached to my system, where it has been sitting for quite a
while waiting to be used as a test-bed for running a test reader I'm
hoping to make the basis for a "Baen Reader."
Go to Baen.com to read great fat blogs on the minus value of
encryption in purveying e-text, btw.
I hope this helps, cause I'm sinking fast. :\
Sorry for the incoherence. 
Jim Baen

The Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader may not work properly with an
unregistered copy of Windows XP. Several courses of action are
available to someone in your position.

1. Purchase and register a copy of Windows XP.

2. Find a friend who owns a registered copy of Windows XP, and read
the eBook on his computer.

3. Downgrade from XP to an older version of Windows, such as 98 or 95,
that does not require registration.

4. Defeat the eBook encryption.

I do not recommend the last option. Even if you have purchased an
eBook and believe that you have the right to unfettered personal use
of its literary content, there are controversial legal questions
regarding the manner in which you may handle the data encoding that
content.

A programmer named Dmitry Sklyarov was held by U.S. authorities, and
released only recently, over allegations that his document decryption
software performed a criminal function. If you're interested in the
legal questions, you may wish to read a summary of the Sklyarov case.

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Sklyarov/ElcomSoft FAQ
http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/US_v_Elcomsoft/us_v_elcomsoft_faq.html

Sklyarov's software, called the Advanced eBook Processor, allowed
users to convert an eBook into PDF format. A PDF file can be opened
with the plain Acrobat Reader, but also with free software such as gv
and xpdf. You may like to read about a columnist's experience with
eBook decryption.

Electronic Book Web
Removing Those Pesky Passwords
http://www.ebookweb.org/opinion/roger.sperberg.20010712.aebpr.htm

For a comprehensive description of methods that have been used to
bypass eBook security, you may consult a website authored by David
Touretzky, the computer scientist who is known as a leader in the
movement against DVD encryption and digital rights management in
general.

David Touretzky, Carnegie Mellon University
Gallery of Adobe Remedies
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Adobe/Gallery/

Keywords used:
defeat ebook encryption

Regards,

leapinglizard

I feel really guilty getting a response like this for $15.00. Well done!

Jim, I understand your frustration, and in the words of WSJ tech
columnist Mossberg, 'the real dummies are the people who, though
technically expert, couldn't design hardware and software that's
usable by normal consumers if their lives depended upon it...'

Now, I believe you have to sign up for the Passport thingy at the
Activation website before you can continue..maybe you can try that
first...

Hi. Been there, done that. I've figured it out though. (Not the
solution, just the problem.:)  The thing is, I was using -- all
unknown, ahem, to myself, an unregistered, "informal" copy of XP. The
MSReader won't activate, and Adobe seems to be in cahoots: thier silly
reader just reboots the system when invoked.

Sorry for the wild goose chase. Look, give me an answer to this and
we'll call it a satisfactory ****, billable response.