Remove DRM from PDB ebook from B&N (Barnes & Noble),...

[spunky]

I downloaded an ebook from B&N that is in PDB format but can't read on my Sony PRS300. Any suggestions???

Originally Posted by spunky

I downloaded an ebook from B&N that is in PDB format but can't read on my Sony PRS300. Any suggestions???

Are you sure it is DRM protected? Try to convert your PDB ebook with freeware Calibre.

If you buy DRM-protected books from B&N, then IMHO it is better to buy DRM-protected EPUB files, because you can remove DRM protection from B&N (Barnes & Noble) EPUB ebooks.

You can also buy EPUB (or PDF, but EPUB is better) books in US stores that provide Adobe EPUB ebooks. For example: Books on Board, FictionWise. DRM protected EPUB ebooks works on Sony Readers, so you don't need to remove DRM protection from EPUB ebooks.

However the situation with audio and video content shows, that some stores leave the market and some computers crash, so users are left with legally purchased DRM protected content that they can no longer use. Also your next ebook reader may not support EPUB or PDB, and it is always easier to convert DRM-free content.

So I highly recommend to buy DRM-free content or at least to remove DRM protection from any ebooks or media files immediately after purchasing them. But please do not abuse rental licenses!

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

How to convert PDB file into PDF

1. Download and install freeware PDFCreator
2. Open your PDB file in the PDB viewer for windows (ISILO)
3. Press the "Print" button, then select the DoPDF Printer and press the "Ok" button.
4. It will prompt you to save the PDF file as. Enter the filename for the PDF file and the folder to save to.
5. In case of large documents you may want to print to several PDF files (for example: pages 1-500, 501-1000, 1001-1500) for faster access.

Please note that internal PDB links will not be maintained in the result PDF file.

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

The original ereader2html.py has been split into two pieces:

1. erdr2pml.py which simply generates the pml file, any images, and bookinfo.txt file and this can be used with Dropbook. Its syntax is that of the original file.

2. pml2xhtml.py which takes a pml file, and bookinfo.txt file and generates an xhtml file. It uses python subprocess to invoke tidy via the command line. Command line versions of tidy build out of the box on Linux, and MacOSX (actually it is already installed on MacOSX machines) and is available for Windows as a binary

There are two reasons for ereader2html.py beeing split. The first is that the DRM piece now stands alone as it will be updated much less frequently. And the second reason is that the pml to xhtml piece will be free to use by anyone anywhere since it now has nothing to do with DRM (and can be updated more often more easily).


How to remove DRM from PDB files with erdr2pml.py

Download the latest version of erdr2pml.py and xpml2xhml.py files from The Dark Reverser blog

or
Download erdr2pml.py v. 0.11

http://pastie.org/771116

Rename the downloaded file to erdr2pml.py

This will output the raw pml and images. You can then use Dropbook to convert this back to a non-drm PDB file.

Palm DropBook is a simple freeware application for Windows and Macintosh which allows you to convert a text file formatted using the Palm Markup Language into a Palm OS .pdb file which can be read with the eReader application.

You can also use xpml2xhml.py to convert raw pml and images to html.

You can get xpml2xhtml.py from

http://pastebin.com/m5f77fec8

http://code.google.com/p/ebook-conversion-tools/updates/list

Download the file and rename it to xpml2xhtml.py

xpml2xhtml.py syntax is

python pml2xhtml.py infile.pml [bookinfo.txt] outfile.html

See also:
ebook DRM removal tools archive

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

How to remove DRM from eReader PDB ebooks with ereader2html.py:

Please note that ereader2html.py was split into 2 files: erdr2pml.py and xpml2xhml.py, which were significantly improved after that. It is recommended to use erdr2pml.py and xpml2xhml.py instead of ereader2html.py.

Download the latest version of ereader2html.py from The Dark Reverser blog

or
Download ereader2html.py 0.09

http://pastebin.com/f7be19a99

ereader2html.py converts eReader PDB books to HTML

ereader2html.py infile.pdb outdir "your name" credit_card_number

Step by step: How to remove DRM from eReader PDB ebooks with ereader2html.py:

1. Install Python.
2. Create a working directory.
3. Copy ereader2html.py to the working directory.
4. Copy ereader.pdb file to the working directory.
5. Open File Explorer and navigate to the working directory.
6. Right click an item in the list on the left and select "Properties".
7. Highlight the directory information after "Location:". Right click and select "Copy".
8. Open terminal (in linux) or command prompt (in Windows).
9. Type: "cd " (no quotes needed) and right click to paste the directory information you just copied, and hit enter.
10. From the terminal / command prompt, enter the command as documented:
    

    ereader2html.py infile.pdb outdir "your name" credit_card_number

[anonymous1234]

Can anyone walk me thru converting a pdb ereader file please? I was able to convert my mobipocket files successfully but the pdb directions are not as detailed. I tried following the same basic idea but got error messages. Thanks

[johnr267]

Hi, I feel like a real idiot, but have been trying for ages to remove the follow the instructions above, however, i just can't get it to work. As per the post before me, can someone please help and provide say, an example of the input - inclusive of dummy details.

Originally Posted by johnr267

Hi, I feel like a real idiot, but have been trying for ages to remove the follow the instructions above, however, i just can't get it to work. As per the post before me, can someone please help and provide say, an example of the input - inclusive of dummy details.

Please be more specific.

[johnr267]

Sorry for that, OK I followed the steps above up to Point 10, where I just couldn't get the terminal input correct and kept getting an error message "ereader2html is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file". I've then played around with the other inputs and got the same message.

Overall my input was as follows (details changed of course):
ereader2html good life.pdb outdir "john dow" 123456789012345

Not sure if this is correct - ie have I put spaces where I should, or inadvertently excluded spaces etc.