[NOT LV] Gutenberg PROBLEMS - driving me mad!

[lurcherlover]

I'm having a lot of trouble - making it very difficult - if not impossible to get the text from Gutenberg. I used to just copy it to a word processor or make a .pdf file to put on my tablet. Now I find that the text is corrupted and some of it either comes as a stream of vertical print for many pages, or it misses out huge sections, or both. This is what caused the problem with chapter 5 (of the book I am recording). If I go to the version without images then it now takes me to a box connected to the Apple shop and asks for passwords etc. Gutenberg has changed a system that used to work well, to a system which is a real mess. I've spent ten times more time trying to get accurate texts than recording and editing.

I should point out that I record away from the computer on a separate recording device in another room a long way from the computer, and so I need to either print the text or put it on a tablet.

Any idea how or what has happened? At this rate the book could take ten years to complete and I won't be around in a year or two let alone ten!

[TriciaG]

You don't say which format you're using, but since you say something about the ones with and without images, it isn't the html.

The plain html shouldn't cause such problems.

As a temporary fix until you figure out the problem, I've downloaded the html and made it into an RTF document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KY6EMil1vkmBHaJ30XScpNPIDH2Q6UvE/view?usp=sharing

[Availle]

I don't know what text version you are using, but maybe try plain text instead of mobi or epub?

I'm sorry you're frustrated but if the problem persists, this is not something we can fix here - gutenberg has a whole page on how to contact them here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact_information.html

[lurcherlover]

I don't know what text version you are using, but maybe try plain text instead of mobi or epub?

I'm sorry you're frustrated but if the problem persists, this is not something we can fix here - gutenberg has a whole page on how to contact them here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact_information.html

I am using the plain text as I always have, without problems before.

[TriciaG]

I have no problem connecting with the plain text.

I wonder if something has changed on your device.

[lurcherlover]

You don't say which format you're using, but since you say something about the ones with and without images, it isn't the html.

The plain html shouldn't cause such problems.

As a temporary fix until you figure out the problem, I've downloaded the html and made it into an RTF document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KY6EMil1vkmBHaJ30XScpNPIDH2Q6UvE/view?usp=sharing

Thanks, that seems to have sorted it out. Brilliant! I did try and use other text programs but with no success. I had been recording a chapter and editing and uploading in a matter of two or three hours, but the new edits I had to make because of this and then the texts for new chapters has given me about another ten hours of work. I had to collapse in bed last night at 7.00 pm as my eyes had given up and I felt my brain had gone somewhere. Even our dog was growling at me, nearly as loudly as my wife ...

[lurcherlover]

I have no problem connecting with the plain text.

I wonder if something has changed on your device.

No, nothing has changed. The problem is not connecting, but trying as I usually do to copy chapters to a word processor, and if not printing out, converting that to a .pdf file to put on my tablet. I would get text as lines all the way down many pages, and huge blank pages.

But hopefully it is OK now with the download from TriciaG.

[lurcherlover]

Actually, sorry, bad news. As soon as I try and copy from the rtf file into anything else, the same thing happens. A string of letters down the page. I think Gutenberg have put some spoiler in every other page to make it impossible to copy into other programs. I only managed to have success with chapter 9 by copying bits of text at a time, and eventually tying it all up, which takes ages. I will try and contact Gutenberg, but it looks like it might be impossible to finish this book with my setup away from the computer and where I need copies.

[Availle]

What type of "word processor" are you using? Could it be that somehow the text width of the pages are set too narrow?

I don't have a tablet, but can't you just use the rtf file on it?

[ColleenMc]

What brand of tablet do you have?

Colleen

[ColleenMc]

Or I guess I should say what OS does it use....Apple or android or something else?

[lurcherlover]

OK, I've solved it and downloaded into the word processor all of the files. It's ****** computers and software that's the problem. Lot's of hours of extra fruitless work.

I used to down load from Gute and copy into the word processor. If there were images (who needs images!) - I just used to delete them and all the text was fine. Now (and I'm sure it's new software with Gute) - if I delete the images (and there were several in different chapters but not all chapters) it completely wrecks the text. It's a pain and a waste of space to have to keep the images, but I see no other way around it. Someone messed up big time writing Gute's new software.

Thanks for all the help and advice. In the end it should have been obvious to me that it was the images, and only the chapters with images, that were causing the problems.

[ColleenMc]

Glad you were able to get it sorted!

Colleen