The simplest option for removing DRM: Calibre Plugins

[Apprentice Alf]

1. You must already be able read your ebooks, either on your computer or on your ebook reader. (Kindle, Nook, etc.) If you cannot read your ebooks on your computer or on your ebook reader, you won’t be able to remove the DRM. Contact your ebook retailer and sort out any problems reading your ebooks before trying to remove the DRM.
2. Download and install calibre for your Operating System.
3. Download the latest DRM tools package, and unpack it.
4. Run Calibre. Click Preferences. Click Plug-ins.
5. Click on the large “Add a new plugin” button
6. Navigate to the tools folder unzipped in step 2
7. Open the Calibre_Plugins folder
8. Select one of the zip files in that folder
9. Click on Add
10. Click on the “Yes” button in the warning dialog that appears. A Confirmation dialog appears that the plug-in has been installed.
11. Repeat steps 4 to 9 for every zip file in the Calibre_Plugins folder (five at present).
12. You must now configure the plugins. Which plugins need configuring, and the information you need to enter depends on what kind of ebooks you have. If your ebooks don’t match the description at the start of any of the following items, ignore it and move on to the next.
    
    To configure a plugin, you must find it in the list of plugins. All the DRM removal plugins are in the File type plugins section of the Plugins section of the calibre prefereces. Click on the plugin in the list to select it, and then click on the Customize plugin button. In the dialog that then pops up, enter the required information, detailed below.
    
    1. If you have Mobipocket ebooks, where you either entered a PID on the retailer’s web site, or you must read them in Mobipocket Reader, you must enter the PID you entered on the retailer’s web site, or the PID of your installation of Mobipocket Reader into the customisation field of the K4MobiDeDRM plugin. The PID will be ten numbers and letters, with * or $ as the eighth character. If you have more than one PID, enter them separated by commas,
    2. If you have Amazon Kindle ebooks that were downloaded to your Kindle, you must enter your Kindle’s serial number into the customisation field of the K4MobiDeDRM plugin. If you have already entered a PID there, add the Kindle serial number as well, separating it from the PID with a comma.
    3. If you have Amazon Kindle ebooks that were downloaded to the copy of Kindle for Mac or Kindle for PC that was installed on this computer, you do not need to add anything extra into the customisation fields.
    4. If you have ePub ebooks that can be read in Adobe Digital Editions, you do not need to add anything extra into the customisation fields.
    5. If you have PDF ebooks that can be read in Adobe Digital Editions, you do not need to add anything extra into the customisation fields.
    6. If you have ePub ebooks from Barnes & Noble (e.g. for Nook), you must enter your name and full credit card number into the customisation field of the Ignoble Epub DeDRM plugin. The name and credit card number should be the ones set as part of the Credit Card unlock code on your Nook Library page. Separate the name from the number with a comma and do not put any spaces in the card number or around the comma.
    7. If you have eReader ebooks from Barnes & Noble, or from, say, Fictionwise, your must enter your name and the last 8 digits of your credit card number into the customisation field of the eReader PDB 2 PML plugin. Again, the name and credit card number must be the ones entered at your ebook retailer’s website as the DRM key/Unlock code.
    8. If you have ebooks bought at the Apple iBooks store, it is not currently possible to remove the DRM.
    9. If you have Microsoft LIT ebooks, there is no Calibre plugin that can remove the DRM.
13. Now click on the Apply button, and then close the preferences.

You’re now ready to remove the DRM from your ebooks. Just import them into calibre, and the DRM will be removed. The plugins ONLY remove the DRM when the ebooks are imported. If you have already imported your ebooks into calibre, your will need to remove them and import them again.

Converting to other formats
Calibre will convert your ebooks for you, once they have had the DRM removed.

[davids8477]

Thanks for the info.

Unfortunately this only seem to work for some of my books.

For others I get a message telling me the book is protected by DRM etc.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by davids8477

Thanks for the info.

Unfortunately this only seem to work for some of my books.

For others I get a message telling me the book is protected by DRM etc.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Download DRM Tools Archive:
ebook DRM removal tools archive

If you have problems with DRM tools from it, report the exact errors that you get.

[davids8477]

Originally Posted by Stream Recorder

Download DRM Tools Archive:
ebook DRM removal tools archive

If you have problems with DRM tools from it, report the exact errors that you get.

Actually I think I solved the issue.

I tried using the Python scripts that are available on the web to see if they would work. I got an error message saying that the version on Kindle for Mac I was using was not recognized. So i deleted everything related to Kindle from my Mac and found an older version (from Time machine) and restored that.

Now the Calibre plug-in is working find again.

Not saying it was the new version on Kindle that was the issue - maybe some corrupt setting or something. But its fixed now.

[mgh]

I do not own a Kindle, but have bought books to read on Kindle for iPhone reader.

I do not know where to find these books on my hard drive so that I can import them into Calibre. The iphone does not show any copies of them either.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Originally Posted by mgh

I do not know where to find these books on my hard drive so that I can import them into Calibre. The iphone does not show any copies of them either.

If you buy your ebooks with Kindle for PC, you should be able to find them in My Documents/My Kindle Content.

Also if you use the same login/password for your Kindle for PC as well as Kindle for iPhone, ebooks purchased with Kindle for PC should appear in Kindle for iPhone automatically.

[mgh]

Thanks!

dunno why I was having trouble finding them.

[mgh]

Worked beautifully.
Thanks!

[wadetarave]

I've installed the plug-ins twice for but it will only remove the DRM for three of the five books I need. This is what the error says on the two books when I try to convert them...

Cannot Convert

This book is locked by DRM. To learn more about DRM and why you cannot read or convert this book in Calibre click here.

What can I do to fix that?

Originally Posted by wadetarave

I've installed the plug-ins twice for but it will only remove the DRM for three of the five books I need. This is what the error says on the two books when I try to convert them...

Cannot Convert

This book is locked by DRM. To learn more about DRM and why you cannot read or convert this book in Calibre click here.

What can I do to fix that?

Use standalone DRM removal programs and see the detailed error that you get.

p.s. Read the sticky threads