Senin, 30 Maret 2009

Windows Media Player 11 and Sansa Players

Over the past year of so I've heard about a lot of "Synchronize to Continue..." error messages on Sansa players. A colleague sent along the following suggestion to roll back Windows Media Player 11 to the previous version of WMP (usually WMP 10). I am very happy to say that the patron having trouble with the Sansa M200 player now has a workable player again after rolling back to WMP 10.


Here are the full instructions.

Thanks, James!

1. Disconnect any portable music or video devices that might be
attached to your computer.
2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. In the Category View of Control Panel, click Add or Remove
Programs, and then click Remove a program.
4. Click Windows Media Player 11, and then click Remove.

If Windows Media Player 11 is not displayed in the list of currently installed programs, then try the following:

1. At the top of the list, select the Show updates check box.
2. In the Windows XP - Software Updates section, click Windows Media Player 11, and then click Change/Remove.
5. In each of the two confirmation dialog boxes that appear, click OK.
6. When the rollback process is complete (it might take several
minutes), click Restart.
7. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
8. In the Category View of Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Remove a program.
9. Click Windows Media Format 11 Runtime, and then click Remove.

If Windows Media Format 11 Runtime is not displayed in the list of currently installed programs, then try the following:
1. At the top of the list, select the Show updates check box.
2. In the Windows XP - Software Updates section, click Windows Media Format 11 Runtime, and then click Change/Remove.

If you installed a non-US English version of Windows Media Player 11, the instructions in the dialog boxes that are mentioned in steps 9, 10, and 11 might appear in English.

10. In the first confirmation dialog box that appears, click OK.
11. In the second confirmation dialog box that appears, select the
Do you want to continue with the rollback? check box, and then click OK.
12. When the rollback process is complete (it might take several minutes to complete), click Restart.
13. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
14. In the Category View of Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Remove a program.
15. Click Microsoft User-Mode Driver Framework Feature Pack 1.0.0, and then click Remove.
16. Follow the instructions that appear in the Software Update Removal Wizard.
If the Wudf01000 confirmation dialog box appears, click Yes to continue. When the software removal process is complete (it might take several minutes to complete), click Finish.

Note: If you remove Windows Media Player 11 and the Windows Media Format 11 Runtime, and then encounter error C00D271D ("A problem has occurred in the Digital Rights Management component. Contact Microsoft product support."), you might be able to resolve the problem by installing the Windows Media Format 9.5 Runtime. For information about installing the Runtime, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, see article 891122, "Update for Windows Media Digital RightsManagement-enabledplayers."

You might not be able to roll back to a previous version of the Player if the hidden folder $NtUninstallwmp11$ is deleted from your computer. Some non-Microsoft programs (such as CCleaner) delete this folder in an attempt to remove unwanted files from your computer.

Rabu, 25 Maret 2009

New MP3 Audiobook Titles

The first collection of MP3 titles are available to check out:






















































































































































































































































































































































































TitleAuthor
25 Things to Say to the Interviewer…Dexter Hawk
Alvin JourneymanOrson Scott Card
Art of WarSun Tzu
Baggage ClaimDavid E. Talbert
Beautiful BoyDavid Sheff
BlackwaterJeremy Scahill
Blizzard!Jim Murphy
Blood DiamondsGreg Campbell
BloodlistP. N. Elrod
Blue HorizonsIrene Bennett Brown
Brides of Prairie GoldMaggie Osborne
Bull RunPaul Fleischman
Dark ChallengeChristine Feehan
Dark DesireChristine Feehan
Dark FireChristine Feehan
Dark GoldChristine Feehan
Dark GuardianChristine Feehan
Dark LegendChristine Feehan
Dark MagicChristine Feehan
Dark MelodyChristine Feehan
Dark PrinceChristine Feehan
Deadly HousewivesSara Paretsky, Nevada Barr
Death Rides a Pale HorseDusty Rhodes
Dem Bones RevengeKris Neri
Dirty LaundryTori Carrington
Dr. Andrew Weil's Guide to Optimum HealthAndrew Weil
Dr. Phil Getting RealPhil McGraw
Elric of MelniboneMichael Moorcock
Escape!Sid Fleischman
Financial FreedomSuze Orman
Getting UnstuckPema Chödrön
Hans Brinker, or the Silver SkatesMary Mapes Dodge
HeidiJohanna Spyri
His Illegal SelfPeter Carey
I Am Legend and Other StoriesRichard Matheson
If The Shoe FitsStephanie Rowe
In Search of Captain ZeroAllan C. Weisbecker
In the Service of DragonsRobert Stanek,
In the Service of Dragons IIRobert Stanek,
In the Service of Dragons IIIRobert Stanek
In the Service of Dragons IVRobert Stanek
Killer in Pair-A-DiceDennis N. Griffin
KillshotElmore Leonard
Lair of the LionChristine Feehan
Learn in Your Car French CompleteHenry N. Raymond
Learn in Your Car Italian CompleteHenry N. Raymond
Learn in Your Car Spanish CompleteHenry N. Raymond
Learn to RelaxC. Eugene Walker
Les MiserablesVictor Hugo
Little BrotherCory Doctorow
Little MenLouisa May Alcott
Managing TransitionsWilliam Bridges
My Brother Sam is DeadJames Lincoln Collier
NightElie Wiesel
On Board the TitanicShelley Tanaka
OrinocoJames A. Ciullo
Our Inner ApeFrans de Waal
PollyannaEleanor H. Porter
Prentice AlvinOrson Scott Card
Red ProphetOrson Scott Card
SeedfolksPaul Fleischman
Seventh SonOrson Scott Card
Sky Woman FallingKirk Mitchell
Sofie MetropolisTori Carrington
The Bonesetter's DaughterAmy Tan
The Botany of DesireMichael Pollan
The CallingJennifer Ashley
The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonF. Scott Fitzgerald
The Daughters of Luke McCallLinda Sandifer
The Deepest Truth of Human ExistenceEckhart Tolle
The Feast of LoveCharles Baxter
The Fifth of MarchAnn Rinaldi
The Fisher BoyStephen Anable
The FountainheadAyn Rand
The Long GoodbyeRaymond Chandler
The Maltese FalconDashiell Hammett
The Mile High Hair ClubNaomi Neale
The Mouse and His ChildRussell Hoban
The Only Three Questions That CountKen Fisher
The Revenge of the Gypsy QueenKris Neri
The Road to ArmageddonLarry Collins
The Tortilla CurtainT. C. Boyle
The Voice of ReasonAyn Rand
The Year of FogMichelle Richmond
TraitorRalph Peters
VocabuLearn French CompletePenton Overseas
VocabuLearn Italian CompletePenton Overseas
VocabuLearn Spanish CompletePenton Overseas
We Die AloneDavid Howarth
WhirligigPaul Fleischman
WitnessWhittaker Chambers
You Can Read AnyoneDavid J. Lieberman

Senin, 23 Maret 2009

Sansa M200 Players Removed from Compatible Devices

After a series of emails to troubleshoot a "Synchronize to Continue Your Music Subscription" error (showing up on many types of Sansa devices), OverDrive's tech support team has removed the Sansa M200 series of players from the compatible devices page:
Based on the device specifications, the Sansa m200 series devices should work with OverDrive Audiobooks as they support the DRM protected WMA file format, as well as MP3 (the formats in which our titles are delivered). Some users have had success using Sansa m200 series devices with OverDrive Audio Books. Unfortunately, due to various complaints regarding the performance of these devices, including the issue your patron is experiencing, we have had to remove the devices from our compatibility list.

Rabu, 18 Maret 2009

Tutorial: Installing OMC on Macs

This presentation/tutorial covers downloading MP3 audiobooks to a Mac, installing the OverDrive Media Console, and transferring the MP3 audiobook to an iPod.

In preparation for offering the new MP3 audiobooks, I ran through the process of installing the OverDrive Media Console (OMC) software on my MacBook and transferring a title to my iPod. I took screenshots and notes of the process and created a little presentation. Even if you aren't a Mac or iPod user, take a look at the presentation to familiarize yourself with the process.

Notes:
  • I'm a self-taught Mac and iPods user (aren't we all?), and I might do things a little different than normal. Sorry! Feel free to give me any tips you might have.
  • I had a problem with OpenOffice.org interfering with the OverDrive audiobook files and that might have slightly screwed up how things work. I ended up uninstalling OpenOffice.org for the time being.
  • I doubt that it's necessary to change the audiobook genre to spoken word to enable the resume playback feature, but it is nice to keep the audiobooks all together as one genre.

Sabtu, 14 Maret 2009

OverDrive Media Console for Macs

Here are the instructions for installing the OverDrive Media Console (OMC) for Macs, downloading an audiobook, and transferring the title to an iPod.

  1. Prior to downloading your first MP3 audiobook, you must install the OMC on your Mac.

  2. Click on the "Audio Software" link located at the bottom of the left sidebar.

  3. Download the OMC for Macs.

  4. The file should automatically extract and a new window should appear.

  5. Choose where you'd like to install the software (most likely on the primary hard drive).

  6. Finish the installation.

  7. You'll probably find the new OMC in your applications folder. Try this: Open a new Finder window >> Open Applications >> Open the OMC.


Now that the OMC has been successfully installed, you can download your first MP3 audiobook.

  1. Log into your account using your library card.

  2. Select a book and add it to your cart.

  3. Proceed to checkout.

  4. Read and agree to the terms of service.

  5. Confirm the checkout.

  6. Download the audiobook.

  7. Using Safari, the audiobook file is downloaded to the "Downloads" folder.

  8. Double-click on the audiobook file to open it though the OMC.

  9. The MP3 files are quite large and will take longer to download to your computer than the WMA files.


Connect your iPod to the Mac to transfer the files.

  1. Highlight the audiobook title in the OMC and click the "Transfer" button to send the file to your iPod.

  2. Open iTunes and find the files on your iPod.

  3. Change the genre to "Spoken Word" to enable the resume playback feature for these titles by selecting the titles, opening the "File" menu >> Get Info >> Change the genre to "Spoken Word."


[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Jumat, 06 Maret 2009

Audiobook Statistics (For Librarians)

In order to obtain downloadable audiobook statistics for your library, you'll need to access Content Reserve. This Website is password protected. If you do not know the username and password, please contact me at NHSL.

Instructions:
  • Log into http://contentreserve.com
  • You must use Internet Explorer. 
  • Go to the Reports tab.
  • Click on the fifth link down the list (View Activity Charts).
  • Choose your library from the list of "branches"
  • Select the desired dates.
  • You can futher refine the results by choosing to view both the Always Available titles (leased) and the purchased titles or just one of the two formats. 

Kamis, 05 Maret 2009

Audiobook Check In Times

"When are OverDrive titles checked back in?"

According to the Tech Support Team, titles expire around the same time that they were checked out, usually within 15 minutes -- seven days later, of course, for audioboks and 14 days later for eBooks.