K3 Noob's guide to debricking through ATK :D

[qlob]

IIRC people above mentioned it did...

[darthzep]

I'm not sure if this is covered elsewhere in the thread, I'm trying to add it as an item on the wiki. I sorta hate to admit to being this dumb, but I just plain didn't see it the first several times I looked/cracked the case. there's a ribbon cable in the kindle 3 keyboards on the lower left side that can become disconnected and give (at least me, probably others as well) the impression that the kindle is frozen. I have an image of the cable in an opened k3 if someone can give me some pointers for attaching it to the wiki.
hopefully this will be of some use to someone else.

Thanks for the thread/wiki entry.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by qlob

IIRC people above mentioned it did...

So that could be what caused people to damage their bootloader, if they blindly followed the numbered list and did not notice the address change...

EDIT: I just noticed the "Languages" tab. I swapped steps 9 and 10 on the Spanish page too. I see that somebody added a "Charge your battery" step at the top of the English page, which renumbered the steps in question to 10 and 11 now, but only on the English page. The Spanish page uses hard-coded step numbers, and already has a "step 0".

[shihman]

Hello guys! Thanks for all your posts. Definitely helpful. Got ATK to finally work.. However, I am stuck here:


Step 11: Enter 0x00041000 in the first box of the operation settings section.
Step 12: At the bottom click Program.

When I click Program, it says:

LOADING RAM KERNEL:
Failed to initial flash or Do not support this Flash, please reset the target

My K3 is completely bricked and stuck at boy reading under tree for several days now. Plugging int ot he computer just gives me SE Ringo dialog.


Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by shihman

Hello guys! Thanks for all your posts. Definitely helpful. Got ATK to finally work.. However, I am stuck here:


Step 11: Enter 0x00041000 in the first box of the operation settings section.
Step 12: At the bottom click Program.

When I click Program, it says:

LOADING RAM KERNEL:
Failed to initial flash or Do not support this Flash, please reset the target

My K3 is completely bricked and stuck at boy reading under tree for several days now. Plugging int ot he computer just gives me SE Ringo dialog.


Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Perhaps your bootloader is damaged from writing the kernel to 0x00000000. There are instructions in the k3flasher thread (I think) for reflashing the bootloader.

[shihman]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Perhaps your bootloader is damaged from writing the kernel to 0x00000000. There are instructions in the k3flasher thread (I think) for reflashing the bootloader.

Thanks, Geekmaster!

Is this the one you are referring to? (Also posted by you "

rootfs is usually labelled mmcblk0p1...

You can use the mmcblk0 (no p1) image (or at least part of it) to flash at 0x0000000, to restore your bootloader that you damaged...

I think hawhill posted instructions for flashing the bootloader somewhere in his "k3flasher" thread... "

I have browsed through the k3flasher thread but could not find damaged bootloader. Sorry for my ignorance as I am a noob to debricking and programming. Would the bootloader be the rootfs.bin? If so, is there a possibility I will download another and make it work? Thanks!

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by shihman

Thanks, Geekmaster!I have browsed through the k3flasher thread but could not find damaged bootloader. Sorry for my ignorance as I am a noob to debricking and programming. Would the bootloader be the rootfs.bin? If so, is there a possibility I will download another and make it work? Thanks!

bootloader-3.3 in the "simple debricking" pastebin points here:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2217459

WARNING: rootfs.bin is the main root filesystem, which is large enough to overwrite your idme vars that identify your kindle. DO NOT DO THAT!

[shihman]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

bootloader-3.3 in the "simple debricking" pastebin points here:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2217459

WARNING: rootfs.bin is the main root filesystem, which is large enough to overwrite your idme vars that identify your kindle. DO NOT DO THAT!

Great! I have downloaded the bootloader, unzipped it and renamed it rootfs.bin. Right now, my WinXp loaded a driver for the K3 Board "mx35". After clicking program and also using the kernel.bin unzipped file, it now says:
"Connection error. Please reset the board and make sure the board in bootstrap mode."

Is that a step forward or did I just do what you told me not to do with the rootfs.bin? Argh.

[hawhill]

You got it all wrong. Note that the rootfs, kernel and the (in this case combined) partition table plus bootloader are separate entities which should be flashed to different locations. Take the time to learn the location for each of them. The name of the images is irrelevant, it only matters what you flash to what position. If you do things you don't understand, you'll probably make everything much worse.

Edit: But if flashing doesn't work with the RAM kernel error always coming up, you should go and try to charge your Kindle. Charge it for a full day. Never mind what color the LED is. Really. Charge it.

[shihman]

Originally Posted by hawhill

You got it all wrong. Note that the rootfs, kernel and the (in this case combined) partition table plus bootloader are separate entities which should be flashed to different locations. Take the time to learn the location for each of them. The name of the images is irrelevant, it only matters what you flash to what position. If you do things you don't understand, you'll probably make everything much worse.

Edit: But if flashing doesn't work with the RAM kernel error always coming up, you should go and try to charge your Kindle. Charge it for a full day. Never mind what color the LED is. Really. Charge it.

Hi Hawhill!

ARGH! I think I bricked and already bricked one then! Will update you on the progress. It is now plugged into the USB port in my computer and there is no light at all. Will leave it plugged in the wall charger though.

On the pastebin, the gitbrew link for 3.3 is dead (rootfs). Do you have any other link / recommendation?

THANKS! Will try 3.2 and 3.1 again later.

[qlob]

Use the 3.0.2 images.

[hawhill]

Sorry, I wasn't all that helpful - except I guess charging for some time (hours! even a day!) is a good idea anyway. But that's for the battery and device recognition part of the story. Don't trust LED, it's not helpful at this early stage in device boot-up.

As qlob advised, use the 3.0.2 images. You can bother about updating when/if the device is up and running again. Always make sure rootfs and kernel are corresponding. I think uboot did stay the same, so that shouldn't matter for partition table / bootloader.

Flash the partition table / boot loader first (to offset 0x0). Then flash the kernel (to offset 0x00041000). Then flash rootfs (to offset 0x003c1000).

Good luck!

[shihman]

Originally Posted by hawhill

Sorry, I wasn't all that helpful - except I guess charging for some time (hours! even a day!) is a good idea anyway. But that's for the battery and device recognition part of the story. Don't trust LED, it's not helpful at this early stage in device boot-up.

As qlob advised, use the 3.0.2 images. You can bother about updating when/if the device is up and running again. Always make sure rootfs and kernel are corresponding. I think uboot did stay the same, so that shouldn't matter for partition table / bootloader.

Flash the partition table / boot loader first (to offset 0x0). Then flash the kernel (to offset 0x00041000). Then flash rootfs (to offset 0x003c1000).

Good luck!

THANKS, very helpful indeed! So, the bootloader offset is 0x0 (not 0x00000000).

When I unzip the rootfs files for both links:

mmcblk0p1-3.0.2 (factory): https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwJ...jVuM0FXUzd4d00

AND

mmcblk0p1-3.0.2 (factory): http://db.tt/iPs8FdNw

it remains archived. Will try that still though after renaming.

[twobob]

Originally Posted by shihman

THANKS, very helpful indeed! So, the bootloader offset is 0x0 (not 0x00000000).

When I unzip the rootfs files for both links:

mmcblk0p1-3.0.2 (factory): https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwJ...jVuM0FXUzd4d00

AND

mmcblk0p1-3.0.2 (factory): http://db.tt/iPs8FdNw

it remains archived. Will try that still though after renaming.

Let me check what you mean...
I'm grabbing the file. 2 mins...

Okay: You should see the following output:

A zip file. You unzip this. Inside here a .gz file. You unGz this.
finally you output the .img file. Use that...

Hope that helps. Writing random stuff to the device isn't going to help

I have attached pictures of the unzipping of the img inside the gz and the gz inside the zip.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by shihman

THANKS, very helpful indeed! So, the bootloader offset is 0x0 (not 0x00000000).

When I unzip the rootfs files for both links:

mmcblk0p1-3.0.2 (factory): https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwJ...jVuM0FXUzd4d00

AND

mmcblk0p1-3.0.2 (factory): http://db.tt/iPs8FdNw

it remains archived. Will try that still though after renaming.

?????
What are you intending to do? Those are the same files.
And what kernel have you downloaded (or going to download) that matches them?

**DO NOT** rename them, just un-compress them.
They are only compressed to save bandwidth.