skindle.exe: Parse Error : Failed payload read of record color:1 offset. Help please

[bug]

Hi,

I just downloaded a book from Amazon to my pc (windows xp) and I am trying to remove the drm (with skindle) without success. This is a replica of what I get on the screen:

skindle -i xxx.azw -o xxx.mobi
Attempting to locate kindle.info
Found kindle.info location
Using UserName = "Void"
Using SystemDrive = "C:\"
Using VolumeSerialNumber = "2923434349"
Device PID: PGCR4RRS
PID for xxx is: JFApEetY
Didn't find PID magic numbers in record
Found a DRM key!
634702b65r3829g3
Parse Error : Failed payload read of record color:1 offset 0x4de592:0x0

and then windows sends a pop-up telling me skindle has made an error and has to close. This has happened several times already.

Anybody knows what I'm doing wrong, or how this could be solved?

Thank you very much in advance,

Simon

Try to use unswindle or DeDRM AppleScript for Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6 instead.

[Telic]

I have converted quite a few paid for books using Skindle which is a great little tool.

However, for 3 books recently, I have had this same 'type' of error...

...
Didn't find PID magic numbers in record
...
 <followed by>
...
Parse Error : Failed payload read of record color:# offset 0x######:0x#

Unswindle didn't help either, but luckily, I have found a way around this, although it is a bit more cumbersome, than the cute Skindle utility.

You will need 4 sets of tools :

1. "Calibre" or some other tool which can convert between multiple types of eBook, including HTML.
Anyone wanting to convert books presumably has this program anyway... essential software.

2. "Sigil" for correcting & editing ePub ebooks

3. Python 2.6 (not 2.7 or later afaik)

4. DRM tools downloaded from links posted in the following thread :
DRM Tools Archive


I am not entirely sure why the error occurs but this error seems to indicate a type of book that you should treat as a "Topaz" book, rather than a "Kindle" book. I had thought that these types of books were basically the same thing, but it seems they must be treated differently from a DRM removal standpoint.

Anyway, use the Topaz tools from the above download in option 4. Unzip them, and search the directories for the Topaz one.
There is a Readme text file included with the Topaz tools that explains clearly how to use them - they have a GUI interface.

So in other words, where skindle gives the parse error you reported, then using topaz drm removal can work - but it gets a bit more complicated....

The result of the Topaz DRM removal tools is a "book.html" with an associated CSS style sheet file, and an "img" directory with photos, illustrations, etc.

In order to convert to another ebook format, I had to drag the "book.html" file in to Calibre which 'converts' it to a Zip format ebook; Then I had to select/download a Cover image for it, and convert it to ePub format....

However, this process is not perfect, and each of the 3 books I extracted using Topaz tools had some errors in them when they reached the ePub format in Calibre. Some characters in headings only were mis-translated making nonsense words, and hyperlinks in tables of contents were consistantly "off-by-one" in linking to the wrong chapters... (also, only black and white images were extracted for some reason, apart from the cover)

So I had to use Sigil to edit the resulting ePub book in order to tidy up the files, and correct mistakes in the Table of Contents. Once I had cleaned up this drm free, converted epub format, I could then convert back to drm free Mobi, etc. etc.


Hope this helps for now, and I'm praying that someone will update Skindle to cope with these types of books if possible.... or perhaps Topaz is a legacy drm that won't be encountered any more for newer books, so don't lose these Topaz tools if you are downloading even slightly older books.... the three books I had problems with recently are all published in the last 5 years or so - no idea why they're topaz as opposed to 'kindle'

Originally Posted by Telic

I am not entirely sure why the error occurs but this error seems to indicate a type of book that you should treat as a "Topaz" book, rather than a "Kindle" book. I had thought that these types of books were basically the same thing, but it seems they must be treated differently from a DRM removal standpoint.

Thanks you for posting your solution! Here is a thread about topaz scripts:
topaz scripts