Original "Simple" debricking methods for K5-Touch, K4-Mini, & K3-Keyboard

[silver18]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

You need to reset the boot counter (preferred), OR zero out /dev/mmcblk0b3 (which will erase your settings and collections). I have posted how to do that MANY times. Here is one of those posts: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2033285

I'll add this and the IP-thing to my guide! I'll send you the new link asap!

[knc1]

Originally Posted by silver18

I'll add this and the IP-thing to my guide! I'll send you the new link asap!

If you happen to know where the 5.1.0 images and kernel are, those links would be nice to add as a footnote to your guide.
(I haven't found the 5.1.0 kernel image (yet) )

I will update my direct linked mirror copy of your guide once you post the new one.
About 60 copies of your first version have been downloaded since I posted it.

[geekmaster]

It looks like the "forensic images" need some new uploads...

Can somebody send me links to add to the URLs list in the forensic images pastebin link from the first post?

[kerotan]

I'm back with a bricked kindle touch again!

I successfully unbricked my KT just a few hours ago, but now I tried updating it first to 5.1.0 firmware and it showed me an Error 007. It restarted so and booted up again in the main menu so everything was just fine by then. Until I tried updating it to 5.0.3 firmware (I have the .bin lying around here in my HD) and it showed me an Error 006. It rebooted and now it's stuck in the tree with the text: Please wait a moment while your Kindle starts up.

So here I am again. What could've gone wrong? It won't even do a hard reset no matter how long you hold it (nor the sometimes required 2nd press after the long hold). And no, I haven't gone through the debricking method just yet. Should I not update it?

EDIT: After you've debricked your kindle touch, don't update to 5.0.3. It will debrick it again. I found the solution by updating to 5.0.4 firmware. It's up and running again. Thanks to all those who helped!

[silver18]

Originally Posted by knc1

If you happen to know where the 5.1.0 images and kernel are, those links would be nice to add as a footnote to your guide.
(I haven't found the 5.1.0 kernel image (yet) )

I will update my direct linked mirror copy of your guide once you post the new one.
About 60 copies of your first version have been downloaded since I posted it.

That's a lot!! 48 others on my link: about 100 in such a small time means lots of bricked Kindles!

Here's the new link: download link.
I also found a direct link in MediaFire: direct link.
I added:
- how to set IP
- how to fix "Your Kindle Needs Repair" if you don't zero mmcblk0p3
- 5.1.0 image link (thanks to Deep!)

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by silver18

That's a lot!! 48 others on my link: about 100 in such a small time means lots of bricked Kindles!

The forensic images have many hundreds of downloads too. We get a lot of download activity every time amazon comes out with a new firmware update.

I think that we are saving amazon from needing to replace hundreds of bricked kindles caused by their firmware updates.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by silver18

That's a lot!! 48 others on my link: about 100 in such a small time means lots of bricked Kindles!

Here's the new link: download link.
I also found a direct link in MediaFire: direct link.
I added:
- how to set IP
- how to fix "Your Kindle Needs Repair" if you don't zero mmcblk0p3
- 5.1.0 image link (thanks to Deep!)

Renamed to _v2.pdf so I could keep both v1 and v2 on-line
http://drpbox.knetconnect.com/k5/Gui...e_Touch_v2.pdf

Note: The v5.1.0 (main) image noted in your v2, as posted by Deep, has Dropbear installed (plus Dropbear client and scp).
Just in case that info should be mentioned somewhere in these de-brick threads.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by silver18

Here's the new link: download link.

I updated the link to the guide in the first post of this thread.

I noticed in the RNDIS part you say "Your PC should see a new drive (another one!!)" -- that should say "device", not "drive".

[kerotan]

I've re-debricked my KT and updated it to 5.0.4 (success) but updating it to 5.1.0 (from 5.0.4) gives me Error 006 (during phase 2/2). I'm currently reading on what to do about it. Some say you have to uninstall hacks but I haven't got any hacks installed on my KT. I'll update as I trod along!

EDIT: reset to factory defaults and updating to 5.1.0 (from 5.0.4) doesn't work for me.

EDIT 2: I've successfully updated my KT to 5.1.0 as per ixtab's post here:

Originally Posted by ixtab

Currently trying it as well. I also got error 6 in phase 2/2. I think I'll simply copy over the pristine 5.0.0 root image and do an update from there. Much easier than manually uninstalling all hacks. I'll keep you updated.

Update: It worked. Here are the steps I took:

1. Make sure that you are using the diags partition with SSH. To install, enable usbnetwork while normally booted, then: dd if=/mnt/us/mmcblk0p2_ssh.img of=/dev/mmcblk0p2 bs=4K
2. Create ENABLE_DIAGS file on the "USB drive", and reboot.
3. Once in diags, enable usbnetwork by touching the N - U - Z - X items.
4. Wait for 30 seconds, then SSH to 192.168.15.244 (user: root, pw: mario)
5. dd if=/mnt/us/mmcblk0p1.img of=/dev/mmcblk0p1 bs=4K
6. dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mmcblk0p3 bs=4K (this resets a few settings, but actual content is still kept)
7. idme -d --bootmode main
8. rm /mnt/us/ENABLE_DIAGS; sync; reboot

After that, I could update to 5.1.0 without problems. I'll now check the localization procedure (Since 5.1.0 includes french, german, spanish, brazilian portuguese, I guess that these translations are now obsolete; there are still other languages for which this may be useful).

Thanks to all those who helped! silver18 (he has a new guide!) and geekmaster! and ixtab's post too!

PS Do not give up on your bricked kindle! And don't update your KT to 5.0.3 (after debricked 5.0.0)! If somehow you can't update to 5.1.0 after debricking it, follow ixtab's post above and update normally and all will be fine!

[silver18]

Originally Posted by knc1

Renamed to _v2.pdf so I could keep both v1 and v2 on-line
http://drpbox.knetconnect.com/k5/Gui...e_Touch_v2.pdf

Note: The v5.1.0 (main) image noted in your v2, as posted by Deep, has Dropbear installed (plus Dropbear client and scp).
Just in case that info should be mentioned somewhere in these de-brick threads.

It means it has SSH already installed?

Originally Posted by geekmaster

I updated the link to the guide in the first post of this thread.

I noticed in the RNDIS part you say "Your PC should see a new drive (another one!!)" -- that should say "device", not "drive".

I'll edit it, thanks!!

[knc1]

Originally Posted by silver18

It means it has SSH already installed?

Yes.
Unless the start-up scripting erases it (its under the /usr/local sub-tree).

Edit:
Perhaps that is the real reason for the /opt/factory/rootfs_md5_list I mentioned above.
It could be that scripting removes any file not on that list from the filesystem.

It has been reported: "... scripting removes the dropbear installation in /usr/local ..." but that might just be an artifact of a more general "approved manifest" system.
I.E: /usr/local is the only place where things have been put, to then later be removed by scripting.

Some ambitious soul with a KT and a love for reloading the system image would need to check this out for us.

If this turns out to be true, then all we have to do when installing things into the image (like SSH) is to also add the md5 of the files to this "approved manifest".
Unless that turns out to be a 'signed file' with a detached signature and we end up having to deal with another signed file. I never looked for that possibility.


I tried COLOR=GM and this is what I got.
Looks like a day of file forensics for me.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

Yes.
Unless the start-up scripting erases it (its under the /usr/local sub-tree).

I intended to provide a main partition recovery image as close to virgin (no hacks) as possible. Then people can choose what hacks to install. Some people do not want the "simple USBnetwork" hack preinstalled. We need to make that very clear so nobody gets upset (especially in the parent "Amazon Kindle" forum).

Personally, I would prefer that all of the hacks that *I* want to use are pre-installed, and there was a discussion awhile back about providing an image with NOTHING installed and another one with ALL popular hacks installed.

Anyway, it would be better if that main image WITH ssh in it had "_ssh" in its filename like we did with the diags partition image, to eliminate possible confusion.

Also, because .bz2 files are not commonly used around here, you NEED to show how to extract it using "tar -j" instead of "tar -z"...

[knc1]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Anyway, it would be better if that main image WITH ssh in it had "_ssh" in its filename like we did with the diags partition image, to eliminate possible confusion.

Also, because .bz2 files are not commonly used around here, you NEED to show how to extract it using "tar -j" instead of "tar -z"...

I suspect that Deep just forgot to mention that he took the image after installing SSH.
Or assumed we knew that since he had to SSH into the Kindle to copy it out, he would have left it in there.

About the packaging -
It is only a single file, no reason to use tar at all.
And gzip is "good enough" (read: "common enough") that our posts to each other can stick with that compressor.

About tar -
The (GNU) tar will self-detect the compression used, if any.
tar --extract --file=whatever.tar.bz2 works without specifing the compression since about version 1.15 or so.
Unless you are using the (Busybox) tar - that one should be used as GM posted above.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

I suspect that Deep just forgot to mention that he took the image after installing SSH.
Or assumed we knew that since he had to SSH into the Kindle to copy it out, he would have left it in there.

The only safe way to take an image of main is while booted from diags. When booted from main, the system periodically WRITES to the main partition (sad but true). If your open files change on the partition while copying it, that is not good. That is WHY debricking uses diags with SSH...

[knc1]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

The only safe way to take an image of main is while booted from diags. When booted from main, the system periodically WRITES to the main partition (sad but true). If your open files change on the partition while copying it, that is not good. That is WHY debricking uses diags with SSH...

Then we had best just wait for Deep to tell us what changes from factory where done to that image.
I will check the image and see if I can tell if it was copied while files where open (that testing is not a "sure thing" - would be better if Deep told us).