# Kindle for PC app problem and how Amazon helped me fix it (for Windows users)



## Bluebonnet

I had a serious problem yesterday with my Kindle for PC app, and I had to spend a long time with Amazon customer support to resolve it. Posting here in case my experience can help anyone having a similar problem. It turned out to be an issue related to MS Windows.

I use Kindle for PC on a Windows 7 desktop computer. I downloaded the app several months ago and it was working perfectly until yesterday. I bought three Kindle books and then went to my app to make sure they had been downloaded properly. I got an error message:  "This version of the Kindle app has expired and can no longer be used. Please update to a newer version."

Expired?  Huh? I didn't know that a free app would "expire." What happened to the older Kindle books I'd bought, and where did my three new books go? I went to the Amazon Kindle help pages, but could not find an answer for my particular problem. So I went on the Amazon customer support chat line. The rep said all my Kindle purchases were stored in my Amazon account, so not to worry about that.

I asked how to get the updated version of the app. We tried to do it. Unfortunately, the attempt to update it took me down a rat hole. I was told to "deregister" my old Kindle app, in other words, uninstall it.  However, the instructions the rep gave me to select xx from the drop-down menu and do so-and-so did not match what I was seeing on my screen, and some things he told me to click were disabled (grayed out). Then we tried using the "uninstall programs" feature from the Start menu to get rid of the old app. That just made things worse. The uninstall process started, but then it hung, and when I tried clicking to get it going again, my computer froze up. I tried to kill the uninstall through "end task" on Task Manager, and even that did not get a response. Finally the entire system froze up. There was no response to any clicks on anything, anywhere on the screen. 

At this point the online chat rep said he would have a tech guy telephone me. The man called right away and was able to talk me through updating the app. First I had to reboot the computer, and had to do "force shutdown" because the Kindle app uninstall process was still hung and was blocking the shutdown. After the reboot, we got the new app downloaded after several attempts; I kept clicking "download now," nothing would happen, then I'd click "try again" and still nothing happened. On about the 4th attempt the download of the updated app finally worked. The tech guy said I had not needed to do a "deregister" or an uninstall on the old app. (He didn't exactly say it, but I got the impression he thought I had been given the wrong instructions in the online chat advice.) We checked my Kindle library and all my books were there. Whew, what a relief.

The tech guy told me why this problem had started:  the Kindle for PC app had to be updated because Microsoft ended support for Windows XP. Although I was using Win7, not XP, the change apparently affected the app for all Windows users. So I am blaming Microsoft for all this stress!    I'm glad the Amazon guy was able to get it straightened out. I don't think I ever would have figured out what to do on my own.


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## history_lover

Bluebonnet said:


> I had a serious problem yesterday with my Kindle for PC app, and I had to spend a long time with Amazon customer support to resolve it. Posting here in case my experience can help anyone having a similar problem. It turned out to be an issue related to MS Windows.
> 
> I use Kindle for PC on a Windows 7 desktop computer. I downloaded the app several months ago and it was working perfectly until yesterday. I bought three Kindle books and then went to my app to make sure they had been downloaded properly. I got an error message: "This version of the Kindle app has expired and can no longer be used. Please update to a newer version."
> 
> Expired? Huh? I didn't know that a free app would "expire." What happened to the older Kindle books I'd bought, and where did my three new books go? I went to the Amazon Kindle help pages, but could not find an answer for my particular problem. So I went on the Amazon customer support chat line. The rep said all my Kindle purchases were stored in my Amazon account, so not to worry about that.
> 
> I asked how to get the updated version of the app. We tried to do it. Unfortunately, the attempt to update it took me down a rat hole. I was told to "deregister" my old Kindle app, in other words, uninstall it. However, the instructions the rep gave me to select xx from the drop-down menu and do so-and-so did not match what I was seeing on my screen, and some things he told me to click were disabled (grayed out). Then we tried using the "uninstall programs" feature from the Start menu to get rid of the old app. That just made things worse. The uninstall process started, but then it hung, and when I tried clicking to get it going again, my computer froze up. I tried to kill the uninstall through "end task" on Task Manager, and even that did not get a response. Finally the entire system froze up. There was no response to any clicks on anything, anywhere on the screen.
> 
> At this point the online chat rep said he would have a tech guy telephone me. The man called right away and was able to talk me through updating the app. First I had to reboot the computer, and had to do "force shutdown" because the Kindle app uninstall process was still hung and was blocking the shutdown. After the reboot, we got the new app downloaded after several attempts; I kept clicking "download now," nothing would happen, then I'd click "try again" and still nothing happened. On about the 4th attempt the download of the updated app finally worked. The tech guy said I had not needed to do a "deregister" or an uninstall on the old app. (He didn't exactly say it, but I got the impression he thought I had been given the wrong instructions in the online chat advice.) We checked my Kindle library and all my books were there. Whew, what a relief.
> 
> The tech guy told me why this problem had started: the Kindle for PC app had to be updated because Microsoft ended support for Windows XP. Although I was using Win7, not XP, the change apparently affected the app for all Windows users. So I am blaming Microsoft for all this stress!  I'm glad the Amazon guy was able to get it straightened out. I don't think I ever would have figured out what to do on my own.


You shouldn't really have needed to go through all this. I have gotten the same error before, and all I did was manually download the newest version of Kindle for PC, install it, and it just writes over the former version. No need to deregister the old app and uninstall it first. I have really found that Kindle Support people don't always know what they are talking about - one tried to convince me that Kindle books on my Kindle PW wouldn't sync with Audible books, only Kindle books on a Kindle app would do so, which is clearly not true - any Kindle book on any device connected to wifi/3G will should sync with an Audible book. I think she was confused by the fact that you can't PLAY Audible books on a Kindle PW, but that has nothing to do with syncing.

Anyway, that error "This version has expired" is annoying because I have my Kindle for PC set to automatically update but it clearly NEVER does. So periodically, you just need to manually update it, which just means downloading the newest version and installing it. No biggie.


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## HappyGuy

I wonder if they're working on the app? I don't see it at Amazon. A search brought up just the cloud player and the cloud storage apps. Hmmm ...

Oops, never mind, I found it.


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## readingril

It's here
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

And I agree, it's most annoying that I've checked auto-update and it never ever has.


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## Tia K

readingril said:


> It's here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311
> 
> And I agree, it's most annoying that I've checked auto-update and it never ever has.


Been looking for that lol


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## sstroble

About 3 weeks ago, my computer also flashed the message.  "This version of the Kindle app has expired and can no longer be used. Please update to a newer version."
We use Windows 7 and were able to download the new version in a few minutes.
Maybe the versions they are sending out are not all the same?


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## Bluebonnet

I forgot where I posted this and couldn't find it again until now.  

I think I just got unlucky when I did the online chat, since the guy gave me wrong instructions. I'm interested to hear that others have had trouble getting automatic updates on the app. I'll have to keep an eye on mine.


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## Toby

I have the same problem. Tonight was my 2nd attempt & I am still seeing the message at amazon to update. i even tried it twice tonight. I'll try again sometime. I also have windows 7.


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## history_lover

Toby said:


> I have the same problem. Tonight was my 2nd attempt & I am still seeing the message at amazon to update. i even tried it twice tonight. I'll try again sometime. I also have windows 7.


What do you mean by you've "tried it"? Have you tried reinstalling the lastest version or are you just trying to open the old version? Because once you get that error, you really have to reinstall, it won't just go away if you keep trying to open it. But to reinstall, you just need to download and install the file, no need to uninstall the old version first.


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## Toby

I don't see the message now, so maybe the download worked. Maybe Amazon or who/whatever took their time to remove the message.


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## John F

Is the current version of Kindle for PC compatible with WinXP? That is and will continue to be my operating system until I get a new computer.


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## Betsy the Quilter

John,

there are two versions of the Kindle for PC app available--one for Windows 8, and one for Windows 7, Vista and XP. You can get the Win7/Vista/XP version here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_ln_ar?docId=1000426311

I expect it will be available for a good while.

Betsy


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## csfowler1962

history_lover said:


> You shouldn't really have needed to go through all this. I have gotten the same error before, and all I did was manually download the newest version of Kindle for PC, install it, and it just writes over the former version. No need to deregister the old app and uninstall it first. I have really found that Kindle Support people don't always know what they are talking about - one tried to convince me that Kindle books on my Kindle PW wouldn't sync with Audible books, only Kindle books on a Kindle app would do so, which is clearly not true - any Kindle book on any device connected to wifi/3G will should sync with an Audible book. I think she was confused by the fact that you can't PLAY Audible books on a Kindle PW, but that has nothing to do with syncing.
> 
> Anyway, that error "This version has expired" is annoying because I have my Kindle for PC set to automatically update but it clearly NEVER does. So periodically, you just need to manually update it, which just means downloading the newest version and installing it. No biggie.



Yeah, not so much. Hasn't worked that way for me.


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