# Do ALL mobi files expire?



## Liz in PA (Dec 29, 2010)

In January, I created a mobi file from a document at work, which was to be available for free to the public. Recently I was told it was no longer possible to view/open the link provided. All the info I am seeing is about library books. Is there something I can do so that the files I create don't expire? Or, is something else the problem?

~Liz


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

It could only expire if you specifically created it with an expiration date.  I don't even know of a common .mobi creation tool that will let you set that up.  Library Mobipocket books do this, but they have DRM, too.

Are you sure the web server (or whatever) is still working?  The comment was about the link, not the book (at least the way you wrote the post).


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Liz, have you tried downloading the .mobi file to your own computer using that link?  If so, do you get an error message?  If you can post the link, others here can see if it works for them and let you know.  Also, what program did you use to create the .mobi file?


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

This does sound like it might be a problem with the link rather than with the .mobi file.


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## Liz in PA (Dec 29, 2010)

I used Calebre to create the mobi file from an epub file created with Adobe Digital Editions. The epub files we had on our page also stopped working. I was not able to open them on my work computer, home computer, or Kindle...


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

If you can post the link to the file here (or send it to me in a private message), I'll take a look at it and see if I have any ideas what the problem may be.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Liz in PA said:


> I used Calebre to create the mobi file from an epub file created with Adobe Digital Editions. The epub files we had on our page also stopped working. I was not able to open them on my work computer, home computer, or Kindle...


I'm a bit confused. You said that you're not able to open either the .epub or .mobi files. Are you able to actually download the files from the internet using the link(s) there? If you're able to download the files but they're not opening, then it sounds like the Adobe Digital Editions .epub file was created with an expiration date and/or DRM protection. Did you have to strip out DRM before converting from .epub to .mobi using Calibre?

I'm not an .epub or ADE expert, so I can't help you with that. Perhaps someone here can suggest another way to create your .epub and .mobi files. Was the original document created with MS Word or another program? Do you have either the MS Word .doc file or HTML that you could use to create the .epub and .mobi files?

_Edit:_ Liz, I remember when you first posted in January, so I just checked your older posts. You had posted this link at that time: http://www.landscapes2.org/plan/Plan.html. I just tried to download the .mobi and .epub files using the links on that web page. All I get is a "HTTP Error 404 - File or directory not found" error. Have those files been removed from your company's server?


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## Liz in PA (Dec 29, 2010)

Sorry if I've confused you!

After putting the link on each of 2 different websites (also on different servers) in January, I was able to download the document directly from my Kindle, AND also download the file to a computer. Now, 3 months later, neither is possible. We took down the link till we figured it out, but put the link back here:
http://www.landscapes2.org/plan/Plan.html

to see if that helps figure this out.

I deeply appreciate the help!

~Liz


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

The links are showing on the web page that you posted, but when I click on the link, all I get is the "HTTP 404 - File not found" page. I just tried again, and I get the same message.

A few thoughts....

The shortcut to the .mobi file (as shown in the link) is

```
http://www.landscapes2.org/plan/ereader/Landscapes2.mobi
```
Are you sure that the .mobi and .epub files are in the correct subdirectory (/plan/ereader) on the server? Do the .mobi and .epub file names exactly match the ones shown in the links? Is the server _currently_ configured properly for ebook file downloads, or could something (a configuration file?) have been changed or deleted? (See the original discussion regarding MIME types here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,47503.0.html.)


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

When I click on the epub and mobi links on your site, I get a "The page cannot be found" error. This means the problem is with the link itself -- the files on the server have either been deleted, moved or renamed.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

The server must have an appropriate MIME type which tells the browser what application is associated with the file.

application/x-mobipocket-ebook
application/epub+zip


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## Liz in PA (Dec 29, 2010)

Well, we're fixed/checked everything suggested ...and it still doesn't work.

http://www.landscapes2.org/ztests/ereader.html

The most fustrating part is that they worked before, on each of 2 different websites/servers, and now neither works. It just doesn't make sense to me. Any why does nobody else have this problem?

~Liz


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

Look in the access and error logs for the web server, and see what the web server thought it was trying to serve.  Maybe it is a permissions problem?  Is this Apache on Linux, or something else, in the way of a web server?


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## ferdalba (Jan 27, 2011)

I just tried both links, and both worked perfectly well. Didn't get any error messages.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I have no way to open ePub. . .and don't want to install another program. . .but .mobi seemed to work fine for me.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I just tried http://www.landscapes2.org/plan/Plan.html again, and both the .epub and .mobi downloads work now. It looks like the problem has been fixed, Liz! I'm curious, how was the problem solved?


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## Liz in PA (Dec 29, 2010)

Dreamweaver,

HA! Good question! It wasn't working last time I tried! Good news, but it would be even better if I knew WHY! I'll let you know if I find out...


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## Liz in PA (Dec 29, 2010)

After talking to our web person, I think that the mime info was what fixed it, and it just didn't take effect yesterday as our internet/web provider led us to believe it would. 

We haven't notified our other, locally handled website/server about the mime info, and it still doesn't work there, probably proving the point.

It still seems odd that both servers changed something in the last 3 months that affected this, but the important thing is that it works!

Huge THANK YOU to everybody who took the time to offer assistance!

~Liz


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