- Ebook

How To Solve Adobe Digital Editions Error #2038

Adobe Digital Editions is a free program created by Adobe for use with PDF and EPUB ebooks that are protected by Adobe’s DRM. Part of my work involves providing some technical support for users who encounter errors from this program. Since I don’t work directly for Adobe, I’ve had to develop my own solutions to these errors.

This particular error is frustrating for ebook users because the error doesn’t give any hints as to what the problem actually is. The full text of error message is similar to this (depending on your computer):

IOError on local file open

Path: (this varies depending on the folder names in your computer)

Event Detail: Error #2038 — end —

Over time I’ve been able to identify three possible solutions to this error. Sometimes none of these three will solve it for a user, but these options take care of the majority of cases.

A) The ebook has been removed from your “My Digital Editions” folder.

Note: Only take this action if you’re able to re-download the ebook from the store where you bought it. If you’re not sure, login to your account at that store to see if you have additional downloads available for the ebook. If that is not shown, contact them to find out.

1. Delete the ebook from the Library. This will remove the bad file path that Adobe Digital Editions is using to look for the ebook.

In Adobe Digital Editions, make sure you are in the Library view. To make sure that you care, click the Library button that looks like three books. This is in the top-left area of the screen.

Next, click the ebook that you need to delete. You should see a small arrow appear next to it. Click that arrow, and then click Delete.

2. Re-download the ebook from the website where you bought it.

B) Non-English characters.

Adobe Digital Editions will sometimes not function correctly if your main hard drive name or other similar folders have non-English characters. If you remove those characters, the program should behave normally. I recommend checking both filenames and the “name” of the hard drive or computer, such as “Bob’s Computer”.

C) Adobe Digital Editions need to be reinstalled.

Sometimes Adobe Digital Editions just needs to be reinstalled. First uninstall it from your computer. Then, install it again from Adobe’s website. (http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/)

I hope this information has been helpful for you. This program functions normally the majority of the time, but any software can have intermittent trouble. Good luck!

About the Author: Jared Scott has over ten years experience working in the eBook and eReader industry. His eBook Reader Software blog is updated regularly with informational posts relating to eBook software. For more help with Adobe Digital Editions, check out his Adobe Digital Editions help category.