Further Notes: Downloading Your eBook

Here's an overview of the download process for PC and Mac users:

A. The big brown button first checks to see if your machine has Digital Editions already.
       If not, it will ask you if you want to install it.
       If you have an older version, it will ask if it can update your version.

B. The first time Digital Editions is opened, it will ask you to "Authorize" your computer. It wants you to associate your machine with an Adobe ID. If you don't have an Adobe ID, you can choose the small "get an Adobe ID online" link to set one up. (It's free.) Some people already have Adobe IDs, from using Photoshop or other Adobe products.

Here's why to authorize: If you authorize your computer with an Adobe ID, you will be able to open the same book file on up to five other computers or devices authorized to the same Adobe ID. If you choose "Don't Authorize," your book file will only be able to live on the first machine it opens on; it can't be moved elsewhere.

C. The last step is book delivery--there's a very small file, called URLLink.acsm, that needs to be downloaded to your computer. When it opens in Digital Editions, it will launch your electronic book.

ISSUES WE'VE RUN INTO:

Can't login, login doesn't work, what's my login?
Digital Editions wants to know your "Adobe ID." If you don't have an Adobe ID, choose the "get an Adobe ID online" link to set one up. If you have an Adobe ID already (perhaps from registering Photoshop or another Adobe product), it will work here.

(The "get an Adobe ID" link is regrettably small onscreen. Look for the line: "If you don't have an Adobe ID, it's free and easy to get an Adobe ID online" in Digital Editions. If you can't find that, or aren't using Digital Editions, use the "Create an Adobe Account" option on this page instead.)

Digital Editions is installed--what now? Nothing's happening. Where's my book?
Try clicking the big brown button again. It should trigger a download of URLLink.acsm, the file that will launch your ebook. (Also, look for messages from your browser. Dialog boxes or the "Information Bar," along the top of your browser window, may need attention before a download can continue.)

I see URLLink.acsm but it won't open.
URLLink.acsm is an unrecognized filetype.
Nothing opens URLLink.acsm.
Some browsers will know to open the URLLink.acsm file--with Digital Editions on a PC or Mac, or with an appropriate app, on a device--but other browsers will not help you open the file directly. If your browser has trouble pushing this file to the right e-reading app, try saving the file to your machine, then asking the appropriate app to open the file directly.

So, for instance, on a PC or Mac, try this: a) save URLLink.acsm somewhere convenient on your computer, b) close the Digital Editions application (if it's open), and c) then drag the icon for URLLink.acsm onto the icon for Digital Editions. This should launch your book.

I'm getting an error message that says E_ADEPT_IO, or E_ADEPT_DATABASE, or some other Adobe DRM Error.
These errors mean your computer is not letting the .acsm file connect to the server to authenticate and deliver your book.
    Are you behind a restrictive firewall?
    Do you have fairly high security settings on your computer?
    Can you add our server to the list of sites your browser or operating system trusts?
    Can you right-click on URLLink.acsm, choose "Properties," and unblock the file?

(Also, are you running the latest version of Digital Editions? If you opted not to upgrade your install to the latest version, you might see an error like this as well.)

(Extra note: If you get a DRM error with a title that you used to be able to read without issues, did you recently change your system clock? Changing it back should allow the book to open again.)

Why can't I read this on my Kindle?
We're sorry--you won't be able to read this ebook file on a Kindle. Amazon's Kindle devices aren't able to read protected files bought from stores other than Amazon. Some ebook devices (like the Nook or Kobo) do read ebooks bought at other bookstores, without any trouble, but Kindle can't. Some of the ebooks we distribute are also on sale at Amazon--if you buy it there, it will work on Kindle.)

I'm having trouble downloading Digital Editions with that brown button.
Take a look at the troubleshooting notes on this page. You should be able to install Digital Editions without using the brown button at all.

I own a Sony Reader PRS-T1 device, but it isn't being recognized by Digital Editions.
This Adobe forum offers a "quick answer" to the issue: https://forums.adobe.com/message/4333811
The underlying problem is that the T1 is no longer a simple "storage device" to the computer, so Adobe Digital Editions software doesn't recognize it. In order to transfer files to your PRS-T1, you will need to do the following:

For further assistance or technical support: bv-help@uchicago.edu

Thank you very much for your patience with this process, and for your interest in ebooks.

We are hoping that, as more people read ebooks, everyone's browsers and systems will become better at recognizing and opening ebook formats like acsm and epub. (Many file formats that work easily in systems today weren't handled gracefully by browsers five years ago.)