My Kindle Paperwhite WiFi does not show screensavers

[Raj333]

Hello !

Its a Kindle PaperWhite WiFi (sorry about the heading) serial no given below last.
I read a similar post from member cazurrito. it does not answer my situation
I followed the Jailbreak instructions exactly. for my Kindle PaperWhite WiFi which originally showed version 5.3.8. I downloaded v5.3.5 (downgraded) as per the Jailbreak instructions on https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=198446.

i was careful to charge it first and put it into airplane mode after reading the instructions fully at first. then installed the update 5.3.5 successfully.

after updating the kindle, it showed 5.3.5 in the settings page. all OK so far.

then i installed the files extracted from kpw_jb.zip into the folders described.
(jailbreak.sh, MOBI8_DEBUG, and jailbreak.mobi) and ran the jailbreak by touching the screen after opening the jailbreak.mobi file. the jailbreak ran fine and i could also see the log file was saying OK in all its lines or steps.

but i did not see any /var/local/java/keystore/ , in fact not even a /var directory was seen when i connected to my PC in USB disk drive mode.
but other folders (python, /extensions, and /sslinks etc) could be seen !
so i created the /var/local/java/keystore myself and copied the key file into it. (the log file says it was created but i dont see it).

then i checked in /linkss/screensavers/ there was a .png file in it.
i also created another .png file with same resolution as prescribed and used the one given to me which was (758x1024x8BPP about 183KB).
and restarted after creating empty file "cover" ( later i tried with other keywords too like "last") but i never found any "autoreboot" file in this directory like i was supposed to !
further on restart option from menu, the original amazon screensavers keep appearing
i checked by connecting to my PC again the kindle. the file "last" is not there ! kindle is deleting it ?
i repeated many times, same deletion is happening.
now i am wondering if my kindle version has something to do with this and if amazon had locked in this device.
the kindle PaperWhite WiFi, i have is sr no. B024 XXXX XXXX XXXX
original firmware was 5.3.8 now it shows 53.5 (1879290013) when i downgraded in order to install the jailbreak.

i can enclose the log file too. it says OK in all lines.
I have never Jailbroken a kindle before although i have done rooting with android phones before without problems. Im using a windowsXP PC for this work.

Please help ! any suggestions ?

Raj

[NiLuJe]

First: you're confusing a lot of stuff together, which probably doesn't help, So I'll try to keep it clear & concise.

That said:

* You're jailbroken, that's good.
* You're confusing the device jailbreak with the Kindle jailbreak/dev-certs. Forget about the keystore stuff, that's dev-speak, as an end-user, you shouldn't ever come face to face with it. (TL;DR: the stuff you did on the USB root about that will probably be seen as funny by a few people, but is ultimately wrong & useless, though not harmful ).
If you need to use Kindlets, like KUAL, just install the prerequisite packages.

* Now, about the screensavers hack. Nope, it has nothing to do about your Kindle model/version/serial (which I just obfuscated in your original post, because you probably don't want that out in the open ).
You're also mixing a lot of different settings together, which doesn't help.

To go back to a sane state, I would:
* Uninstall the screensavers hack.
* Remove the linkss folder
* Install the screensavers hack

And STOP there. Check if it works, there's a default custom screensavers installed for this particular reason.

If it does work, good. Read the doc again to figure out which features you want to use, and then use the KUAL extension to enable them, forget about dropping files in the linkss folder like a madman .

If it doesn't, check the FAQ, with a particular emphasis on 'Is this a Special Offers device?' and 'Did it come from Waterstones?'.

[Raj333]

Thanks NiLuJe for your advice.) i will try to uninstall screensavers and reinstall.
i was following the http://www.howtogeek.com/168844/how-...apps-and-more/ method as given there exactly. it says there we can drop screensaver images into that folder if we want more of them.

Raj

[knc1]

Originally Posted by Raj333

Thanks NiLuJe for your advice.) i will try to uninstall screensavers and reinstall.
i was following the http://www.howtogeek.com/168844/how-...apps-and-more/ method as given there exactly. it says there we can drop screensaver images into that folder if we want more of them.

Raj

An interesting write-up of the process.

You can find more information specific to getting your screen savers to work in the, you guessed it, screen savers thread.

[NiLuJe]

Yeah, while it's always pretty great seeing people using and sharing our stuff, I'm usually a tiny bit wary of third-party documentation, because, by nature (third-party, not familiar with the code and possibly even how the device works) it usually doesn't quite grasp the hows and the whys, and thus can sometimes be confusing, not quite accurate, or just plain wrong . (I'm of course assuming we're all decent human beings, and that credit is given where credit is due ).

To be fair, this one is pretty much almost not wrong at all, and when it is, it's usually a pretty minor nitpick, so, yeah, kudos, because I'm painfully aware of how hard it is to actually write good doc (which I very much don't claim to be able to do myself ^^) .

So, a couple of corrections, in order of appearance:

* The first thing it should mention is that you should NOT be using a Special offers device (and point to the MYK page for those poor souls using one) .
* The official update files aren't mirrored (for obvious reasons), even on ixtab's page, that's just a redirection to Amazon .
* The rescue pack patches & enables access to the 'diags' system, it doesn't install/spawn an SSH daemon on the main system (that's USBNetwork's job).
* The Python package doesn't install a KUAL extension, that's the ScreenSavers package .
* And right after the initial install is where I would recommend people to STOP, and check that it actually works before playing with the settings (that's actually an advice that you can apply to a lot of stuff, but I digress ;p).
* Once you've confirmed it does, THEN you can start playing with the settings, which I would *strongly* recommend to do through the KUAL extension, both because it's easier, and also because it takes the mutually exclusive stuff into account. (And if it doesn't work, to start by checking the FAQ I linked to earlier).
* Enabling multiple modes should not cause crashes, it just probably won't work as intended (there's a priority order, last || cover > everything). That said, not enabling multiple modes is a good practice, because, while it shouldn't cause real issues, I can't really guarantee it won't behave weirdly either .
* The autoreboot mode is disabled by default on fresh installs in the latest releases, but if you're updating, disabling it is still a good advice .
* The 'reboot' trigger file depends on the autoreboot mode being enabled, and it was indeed mostly useful for some Calibre plugins, although that was mostly on previous devices, on the K5, the only plugin that used this is jackie's plugin (can't remember the exact name OTOH, sorry) that put book covers in the screensavers pool, which is now of course superseded by the 'cover' mode . [Hence why it was disabled for fresh installs in the latest version, that, plus KUAL, made the feature clunky & redundant]
* I won't mention the rest of the trigger files that tweak the cover mode behavior, because you should be using KUAL for that anyway, but there are quite a few (most notably the fitting modes, and the border color).

(I don't have an account on this website, so feel free to link to this post in their comments section ).

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

The official update files aren't mirrored (for obvious reasons), even on ixtab's page, that's just a redirection to Amazon .

Well, the files actually are mirrored there, just in case they disappear from Amazon's servers one day. But yes, as long as they still exist, the downloads simply redirect to Amazon because I'm not sure whether my hoster would like the pretty massive bandwidth consumption... (It's really amazing how many hits I get on these files )

And, of course, another correction: a mobileread registration is not required to merely download files from the forum - fortunately! I so hate forums where you can only download things after registration... Or even worse: "Links are only shown to registered users". Gaah!

[Raj333]

Hello NiLuJe
I tried out today your advice.
copied the update_linkss_0.14.N_install.bin file to root dir of the kindle
and gave "update kindle software" from kindle settings page.
it said "updating" and came back after some time.
I put in a file "last" in the linkss folder and read a book on the kindle.
when i switched it off, and later on, it still shows amazon screensavers in rotation each time i make it on/off. no change in behaviour.
-----
i then repeated the python install, just to be sure copying update_python_0.7.N_install.bin to kindle root directory. again went thru kindle update software process.
-----
checked if screensavers appear. no luck.
repeated with update_linkss... one more time. no improvement.
-----
Im puzzled about one thing (i read the jailbreak.sh script to try to understand where it creates the certificates directory . it shows in line 267 - "cp -f "${TMP_DIR}/developer.keystore" "/var/local/java/keystore/developer.keystore" || fail "Unable to copy Kindlet certificates" "

i assume this means the dir "/var/local/java/keystore should be created or some error should get recorded in the log file.
but in my case such dir did not get created, and the logfile says -
installing updater certificates
OK
installing kindlet certificates
OK
Installing jailbreak bridge
OK
installing rescue pack (main)
OK
installing rescue pack (diags)
etc etc
JAILBREAK succeeded.
=============
now i will check up with the kindle list maintained to see if my device is listed there......

Raj

[GoSharks]

@Raj333-

Did you do a restart via menu>settings>restart with the USB cable NOT attached after doing the hack and adding the 'last' file?

[Raj333]

Im not sure how to check if this is an SO device.
I was careful to keep the kindle on airplane mode right from the time i first started this entire process 2 days ago ! its still in same mode.

[twobob]

setting page. ;711 in search bar

PAGE 2:
mentions the SO status

[GoSharks]

Originally Posted by Raj333

Im not sure how to check if this is an SO device.
I was careful to keep the kindle on airplane mode right from the time i first started this entire process 2 days ago ! its still in same mode.

If you go to the 'Manage My Kindle' > Manage My Devices' page of your Amazon account online, it will tell you if SO is activated or not....there may be other ways also, but I don't know them.

edit- see, knew there had to be another way!

[Raj333]

Thanks GoShark and TwoBob, for your suggestions.

firstly, yes, i did do a RESTART at the end after planting the empty file "cover" and i also tried with "last".
when doing the restart i saw the message "s COVER MODE SETUP ..."
but the old screensavers of amazon kept coming later.
when using "last" file in linkss dir, and RESTARTING, i got the message
, now it says "S last mode setup" on kindle screen when it was coming back.
-------

secondly I went to amazon page where my device is registered.
there are only 3 items of info on that page on top of which it says "Manage your devices", in my devices,
in first tab it give my kindle serial number, model (Kindle Paperwhite) and my email address. nothing else.

I tried ;711 as you said, it shows one page only ! this page is titled "711 page". Page 1 of 1 it says at the top Left corner. it further says on this page -
DSN no -
Version Kindle 5.3.5 (1879290013)
Registration : Yes(1)
Certificate: Yes(1)
Time: GMT ....
---
connection details
MAC, wireless: Off(0)
AP:-
scan:0
Failuers:
Country: unknown
IP 5-DHCP
----------
THATS ALL !

Raj

[NiLuJe]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

* Uninstall the screensavers hack.
* Remove (meaning manually delete) the linkss folder
* Install the screensavers hack

And STOP there. Check if it works, there's a default custom screensavers installed for this particular reason.

Three things to do. In order.

NOT anything else.

Because, again, you mention a whole lot of stuff completely unrelated to the issue, and basically did a whole bunch of stuff for nothing .

(Do keep GoShark's advice about the USB cable in mind, though, I always forget about it, but it is key ).

[GoSharks]

@NiLuJe-
Waterstone?

[NiLuJe]

@GoSharks: Possibly .

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

If it doesn't, check the FAQ, with a particular emphasis on 'Is this a Special Offers device?' and 'Did it come from Waterstones?'.