K5 FW 5.x ScreenSavers Hack

[Lanark1982]

OOps - okay - Yes, it failed about 2/3 of the way through the bar. I carried on and installed the linkss files and the blank cover file and I'm getting the message the screensaver hack is installed but it hasn't processed a cover yet.

I used the version of python that was on the first post of this thread and downloaded it this evening.

So - should I roll everything back? How do I go about uninstalling the various packages if neccesary? Or do I just try a new installation and update of Python? (the pw2 is using version 5.4.2 of the software - if that's any help)

Thanks for the reply, by the way.

Oh - and I have about 212mb available on the device memory.

EDIT: I uninstalled both linkss and python and reinstalled both. This time I got no error messages. I have put in a blank "cover" file into the linkss folder, but still not getting a book cover as a screensaver - there is a change though, I'm not getting the "screensaver hack has been installed successfully" screensaver rather than the one saying "a cover has not been processed yet".

Just as an aside - I notice that you want the files to be in png format. Now, I embed my covers into the mobi files using calibre, but they're usually originally jpegs - will this cause problems?

[Lanark1982]

And ....... it's now working!

It was almost certainly because Python didn't properly install.

Now .... is the Collections Manager and Kual available for 5.4.2 yet?

Thanks so much for your help.

[knc1]

KUAL should "just work" - let us know if it doesn't.

Note: The various "buttons" are much more likely to be firmware specific than KUAL itself.
Let us know what (and how) things fail when you find them.
Check on that progress in the KUAL thread please.

CM - Probably not - that is a "per firmware" modification - - which takes time, sometimes, lots of time.
Check on that progress in the CM thread please.

[moutemoute]

Hi,

and thanks for this hack.

I have a little problem using it.

I use it on my PW2 in last mode, and it works perfectly in normal use.

But I have a running script to show a webpage in the experimental browser.
Every X minutes, the script enables wifi, load the url, wakes the kindle up, put it to sleep, sleep X and reload itself.
With the hack, I'm able to show the url as the screensaver and it works really great.... when it's usb connected.

When it's not, the script will never wake up from the sleep. My first try was to use crontab, but it's the same problem, the script is never called when usb is not connected.

Is there a behaviour difference from the hack, when USB is connected or not, which could explain this? Like a blocking process watching usb or something like that ?

Thank you for your answer, and keep up the good work!

[NiLuJe]

@moutemoute: That's probably because when the device is asleep, well, it's *really* asleep.

Leaving it plugged prevents it from entering a deeper sleep state, which explains why it then works.

Apparently, the ad system has a way to interact with a sleeping device, but nobody has really looked into it.

[moutemoute]

Thanks for the fast reply.
That was exactly the problem, I used sirpoot method (view topic) to keep control on it but I'm not really really satisfied with the method. I don't know if I consume really less energy in this mode.

Where should I look if I want to study the ad system ? (my PW2 is the ad free version) ?

[Snorkledorf]

I don't seem to be able to update the hack on 5.4.2.1: the .bin file disappears as soon as I unplug it from USB. (Japanese wi-fi PW2)

When unplugged, the Kindle's twirly thing twirls for a few seconds, "Update Your Kindle" is greyed out, and when re-plugged in to see what's up, the .bin file is gone. I've tried the ss file and the python file so far, both disappear before I can get to the menu.

There's lots of space free, and I've been doing this dance for 3 Kindles now so it should be a pretty routine process at this point...I don't think it's a noob mistake. Unless it is anyway.

[GoSharks]

One of the frequent replies when the "Update Your Kindle" stays grey and your .bin file disappears is to check that you don't have a stray .bin file hanging out in in your root directory... don't know if it applies here, but you might give it a look. Cheers!

[Snorkledorf]

Good idea to check that. Currently all I have is:

documents
driveinfo.calibre
extensions
linkss
metadata.calibre
python

And these invisible files:

.active_content_sandbox
.fseventsd
.Spotlight-V100
.Trashes
system

(The first 4 are hidden Mac-specific files.)

[GoSharks]

Any chance you're trying to use the wrong .bin install file? (there are two...be sure you are using the specific PW2 install .bin file and not the touch/pw install .bin)

[Snorkledorf]

What? Install the file labelled "PW2" on my PW2? How confusing (to me, apparently...)! Sheesh. Yup, that was the blindingly obvious problem, thanks! It's working now. I only had to install the screensaver .bin; Python was apparently fine.

Maybe labeling the other one "PW1" instead of just "PW" would help make it clearer?

[spadders]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@spadders: You have a couple of different possibilities, check the 'Cover Mode Behaviour' submenu in the KUAL extensions to set them up. (OTOH: letterbox [the default] with white or black borders, stretch, and autocrop).

Once that's done, you'll have to clear the cover cache and switch books for the new covers to be converted this way (again, there's a button for that in the 'Screen Saver Tools' submenu).

@NiLuJe: Thanks for this.

[iDoc]

Hello all! First off, thank you all for such a great resource of information ~ it really helps those of us who do not speak programming language!

Accordingly, I was hoping to get some help with my Paperwhite: I installed the JailBreak software, followed by the Screensaver hack. Soon, I was marveling at my uploaded M.C. Escher lithographs every time I put my Kindle to sleep.

However, last week my Paperwhite was running low on battery, so I plugged it in (to a wall outlet). When I started it the following day, it would only load the default screensavers (pencils, ink well, typewriter, etc).

When I installed the hack, I moved all the default screensavers to a backup folder as recommended. In fact, I'm not even sure where it is finding the default screensavers; to test the system, I deleted the default ones off the Kindle and it STILL was able to load them!

Did the hack fail? Do I just have to reinstall? I loved having the custom screensavers, but I don't want to do anything that will put my Kindle at risk of being an oversize paperweight.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[jmartindf]

Hi,
I have 0.16.N installed and working on my PW (FW 5.3.9). I use it in cover mode and, for the most part, it works well. I run into problems with magazines though.

I can see covers for the magazines on my Kindle's home screen but I've never seen a magazine cover get used as my screensaver. Is this something that should work or not? If it should, how can I figure out why it's not working?

If the SS hack will never work with magazines, can I request a fallback mode to display some default custom screensaver whenever I'm reading a magazine? As it is, whenever I read a magazine my screensaver always shows the cover of the last book that I read. That's misleading and tends to drive me away from reading magazines (because I can't show off what I'm reading). Instead, I'd like it to fall back to a regular screensaver and show that instead. It still wouldn't advertise what I'm reading but at least it also wouldn't show I book that I haven't read recently.

[GoSharks]

@iDoc-
Any chance your PW updated while it was plugged in overnight? If so, you will need to reinstall the SS hack.

**If this turns out to be your problem, you might try adding BackDoorLock to the list of hacks you add. It will keep silent updates from happening.