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

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by ppoo

@geekmaster: THANKS!!! My KT is COMPLETELY DEBRICKED
I think you should add these code to your topic, to check whether image is OK:

mount -o loop -text3 /mnt/us/mmcblk0p1-kt-5.0.0.img /mnt/mmc
ls /mnt/mmc
umount /mnt/mmc

If it mounts at /mnt/mmc, but fails at /mnt/us/tmp, then you must have a problem with your /mnt/us/tmp directory. It must be empty. Perhaps windows left a hidden file in it, like the desktop.ini files that windows litters all over your hard drives.

I want to keep this as simple as possible. Adding your "check" steps would make it more complicated, thereby reducing the success rate. I just fsck my image files on my linux host PC (or in the kindle as I suggested previously).

In general, you can tell if the image was good or bad just by rebooting.

[comodin]

aaargh.
I read, trying to understand at my best, every single thread or link, and when it seems I get to understand what problem my KT has and how to deal with it, something goes wrong.
If anyone has any suggestions, please, don't hesitate to write. I know I'm yet another idiot with an issue anybody can fix, but I'm really struggling here....

so:

my brand new KT after a week of usage (no jailbreak, came with latest firmware so no updates) decides to not turn on. after leaving it on charge overnight (wall socket) an playing a bit with the power button (didn't know yet about the magic one) it managed to start again with my whole collection and no faults nor lagging.
After three days during which I left it on, no charging (I'm used to do it with my Macbook Air) but not using it neither, it didn't want to turn on even when connected to a power source. Played a bit with the power button, didn't manage to get it started until the green led blinked a few times and disappeared.
From this moment on, only amber led showing.

If I leave it on charging (both usb-powered or usb wall charger), the led will disappear after a few hours. Disconnect-reconnect and amber led back again.
Nothing on the screen, none. Blank.
Ok, it's bricked.
I use OsX with Parallels VM and Win7 64bit running on top of it.
When I connect the device to the VM the first time, with no magic reboot whatsoever, win installs HID Compliant Device drivers and the VM sees a NS Blank CODEX device.
After a few seconds, the device gets disconnected.
Changed USB port, changed cable, same behavior.
I try to use the magic button, VM always recognizes NS Blank CODEX, win uses HID Compliant Drivers.
Device gets disconnected after very short time.
Amber led on even if system doesn't see the KT, so I suppose it's somehow charging it at least.
This could explain why, after several minutes in this situation, when I press the power button again (magic boot/button or not doesn't seem to make any difference), the KT manages to remain connected to VM&Win7 longer.
MFGTool sees the device during this short periods and is able to upload u-boot for fastboot.
Sometimes manages to complete the operation for diags mode but still I see nothing on the screen of the KT which, after a few seconds, drops connection again.
Note that every time I want it to get reconnected I use the magic button procedure anyway, but Win7 seems to recognize the device as soon as I release the power button without giving me time to release the magic one afterwards.
This is what Device manager in Win sees from the HID driver:

PHP Code:

HID\VID_15A2&PID_0052&REV_0001
HID\VID_15A2&PID_0052
HID_DEVICE_UP:FF00_U:0001
HID_DEVICE 


So I try to use libusb drivers.
If I use geekmaster's custom .inf file Win7 tells me "the file doesn't support this installation procedure" or something similar.
So I use inf-wizard.exe and manage to create a .inf file selecting the NS Blank CODEX device from the list (if it remains connected long enough for me to highlight it) which I'm able to install.
From now on Win7 sees the KT as libusb device, no more as a HID device, but I don't have any "device instance Id" option to check for.
The KT seems to be able to stay connected to the system longer now, but it eventually drops off.
If I try to use fastboot for Win while the KT is connected and seen as a libusb device, the application hangs on "waiting for device".
Tried to restart Win7 several times but always the same behavior.

I live on a small island where Internet connection is slow and unreliable, so trying to download a linux or winxp image and let it run in a VM (maybe different from Parallels) is not an option, sigh.

WTF????

[geekmaster]

How many books did you put on your kindle? On the K4 and K5(touch), a kindle can brick if it has too many books in its collections database, filling /var/local (/dev/mmcblk0p3). If that is the problem, it is usually solved by zeroing mmcblk0p3 and rebooting. Then you need to remove some books so it does not brick again.

How many books do you have on it?

VID/PID 15a2/0052 is the USB Downloader mode. You need to run MfgTool (for windows) to use that. Then boot to diags mode and set fastboot mode from the diags exit menu (fastboot bundle). Do you have access to a windows PC to "install" fastboot mode?

After the kindle boots to fastboot, you can use any fastboot (windows, linux, or mac version), to do the rest.

[comodin]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

How many books did you put on your kindle? On the K4 and K5(touch), a kindle can brick if it has too many books in its collections database, filling /var/local (/dev/mmcblk0p3). If that is the problem, it is usually solved by zeroing mmcblk0p3 and rebooting. Then you need to remove some books so it does not brick again.

How many books do you have on it?

VID/PID 15a2/0052 is the USB Downloader mode. You need to run MfgTool (for windows) to use that. Then boot to diags mode and set fastboot mode from the diags exit menu (fastboot bundle). Do you have access to a windows PC to "install" fastboot mode?

After the kindle boots to fastboot, you can use any fastboot (windows, linux, or mac version), to do the rest.

thank you for your reply geekmaster.
I realize that you are doing a wonderful job here providing us with your knowledge and tips...

the thing is that, as I wrote in my previous post, my Kindle Touch doesn't show anything on the screen when I manage to use MFGTool to force diags mode, even if the application gives a positive output. Moreover, after a few seconds (sometimes just a bunch, sometimes for one minute or so) the device (or the OS/Virtual Machine) looses the connection and MFG switches back to "no device connected".
I do not have access to a windows machine but I run Win7 64bit on a virtual machine (Parallels for OSX) which works fine with any other usb device, meaning that it doesn't drop the connection.
Btw, I had something like 20 books in the KT, don't know if you consider that "too many books"...

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by comodin

thank you for your reply geekmaster.
I realize that you are doing a wonderful job here providing us with your knowledge and tips...

the thing is that, as I wrote in my previous post, my Kindle Touch doesn't show anything on the screen when I manage to use MFGTool to force diags mode, even if the application gives a positive output. Moreover, after a few seconds (sometimes just a bunch, sometimes for one minute or so) the device (or the OS/Virtual Machine) looses the connection and MFG switches back to "no device connected".
I do not have access to a windows machine but I run Win7 64bit on a virtual machine (Parallels for OSX) which works fine with any other usb device, meaning that it doesn't drop the connection.
Btw, I had something like 20 books in the KT, don't know if you consider that "too many books"...

It sounds like a dead battery. The battery charger function does not work correctly on a bricked kindle. You cannot trust the LED power indicator.

I suggest that you plug it into a USB power cube for several hours, then use MfgTool to switch it to fastboot mode and let it charge in fastboot mode for several more hours (leave it attached to host PC, but fastboot software not needed).

Then try booting to diags again.

20 books should not be a problem, unless one of them has a damaged file format that confused the collections indexer.

[comodin]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

It sounds like a dead battery. The battery charger function does not work correctly on a bricked kindle. You cannot trust the LED power indicator.

I suggest that you plug it into a USB power cube for several hours, then use MfgTool to switch it to fastboot mode and let it charge in fastboot mode for several more hours (leave it attached to host PC, but fastboot software not needed).

Then try booting to diags again.

20 books should not be a problem, unless one of them has a damaged file format that confused the collections indexer.

I left it plugged in either wall usb charger either usb port on my mac for a good 12 hours. I understood already that I cannot trust the led indicator, but really I don't know how else I should charge it. tried with different cables also.
The wall charger definitely works with my other usb-powered devices that I recharge daily, so that shouldn't be the problem.
The only thing I notice is that the amber led after several hours of charging time goes off completely and never comes back on unless I unplug the device and replug it.
Is it possible that the actual battery is dead for good?
I'm sorry that you had to write something that you told to other users already, I thought too that the problem was the battery but really I can't think about anything else but this answer to my problem: battery completely irreversibly definitely absolutely f****d for no apparent reason.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by comodin

Is it possible that the actual battery is dead for good?
I'm sorry that you had to write something that you told to other users already, I thought too that the problem was the battery but really I can't think about anything else but this answer to my problem: battery completely irreversibly definitely absolutely f****d for no apparent reason.

It could be possible, due to the manufacturing process not every battery comes off the line identical.
The variations are small, but there are variations and somebody has to get the ones on the short (no pun intended) end of the specs.

GM, myself, and others here have posted threads about the batteries.

But from just general observation of the posts reporting battery related problems, I personally suspect there is something not quite right about the battery management firmware (or hardware device).

If there is such a thing as a "design problem" it is unlikely that the problem can be found "in the field".
With the understood exception that somebody with the right tools might just "get lucky" and stumble onto it.

[klx1204]

(Background: My Kindle Touch is 5.1.0 as brought original. Today I unJailbreak kindlet-jailbreak with a uninstall.bin, then my KT showed NEEDED REPAIR.)

After I executed

sudo ./fastboot flash diags mmcblk0p2.img

, my KT couldn't get access into diags mode even with mfgtool and stucked on the boy-tree screen. I can get into the main frame w/ mfgtool, but I can't get into diags any more.

Any help plz?

[t-ror]

Background:

Previously I removed my K4nt advertising. Also got custom wallpapers and I used the CoolReader (with cr3runner)

Yesterday my k4nt bricked. I entered with WinSCP, I deleted something ... I do not know. The Kindle restarted again and again until the battery went off.

Today, I have entered the diagnostic menu with the Select Boot for K4 (fastboot did not work) I have run USBnet, it works! I have copied the forensic image and I have run from WinSCP:

dd if=/mnt/us/mmcblk0p1.img of=/dev/mmcblk0p1 bs=4K

My Kindle is no longer a brick! Geekmaster, very, very much thank you.

Should I take into account something? Can I sleep peacefully?

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by t-ror

My Kindle is no longer a brick! Geekmaster, very, very much thank you.

Should I take into account something? Can I sleep peacefully?

If it is working to your satisfaction, then you are done. Whether or not you can sleep peacefully depends upon many things including health and security. Something as inexpensive as a kindle should not affect your sleep.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by comodin

aaargh.
I read, trying to understand at my best, every single thread or link, and when it seems I get to understand what problem my KT has and how to deal with it, something goes wrong.
If anyone has any suggestions, please, don't hesitate to write. I know I'm yet another idiot with an issue anybody can fix, but I'm really struggling here....

so:

my brand new KT after a week of usage (no jailbreak, came with latest firmware so no updates) decides to not turn on. after leaving it on charge overnight (wall socket) an playing a bit with the power button (didn't know yet about the magic one) it managed to start again with my whole collection and no faults nor lagging.
After three days during which I left it on, no charging (I'm used to do it with my Macbook Air) but not using it neither, it didn't want to turn on even when connected to a power source. Played a bit with the power button, didn't manage to get it started until the green led blinked a few times and disappeared.
From this moment on, only amber led showing.

If I leave it on charging (both usb-powered or usb wall charger), the led will disappear after a few hours. Disconnect-reconnect and amber led back again.
Nothing on the screen, none. Blank.
Ok, it's bricked.
I use OsX with Parallels VM and Win7 64bit running on top of it.
When I connect the device to the VM the first time, with no magic reboot whatsoever, win installs HID Compliant Device drivers and the VM sees a NS Blank CODEX device.
After a few seconds, the device gets disconnected.
Changed USB port, changed cable, same behavior.
I try to use the magic button, VM always recognizes NS Blank CODEX, win uses HID Compliant Drivers.
Device gets disconnected after very short time.
Amber led on even if system doesn't see the KT, so I suppose it's somehow charging it at least.
This could explain why, after several minutes in this situation, when I press the power button again (magic boot/button or not doesn't seem to make any difference), the KT manages to remain connected to VM&Win7 longer.
MFGTool sees the device during this short periods and is able to upload u-boot for fastboot.
Sometimes manages to complete the operation for diags mode but still I see nothing on the screen of the KT which, after a few seconds, drops connection again.
Note that every time I want it to get reconnected I use the magic button procedure anyway, but Win7 seems to recognize the device as soon as I release the power button without giving me time to release the magic one afterwards.
This is what Device manager in Win sees from the HID driver:

PHP Code:

HID\VID_15A2&PID_0052&REV_0001
HID\VID_15A2&PID_0052
HID_DEVICE_UP:FF00_U:0001
HID_DEVICE 


So I try to use libusb drivers.
If I use geekmaster's custom .inf file Win7 tells me "the file doesn't support this installation procedure" or something similar.
So I use inf-wizard.exe and manage to create a .inf file selecting the NS Blank CODEX device from the list (if it remains connected long enough for me to highlight it) which I'm able to install.
From now on Win7 sees the KT as libusb device, no more as a HID device, but I don't have any "device instance Id" option to check for.
The KT seems to be able to stay connected to the system longer now, but it eventually drops off.
If I try to use fastboot for Win while the KT is connected and seen as a libusb device, the application hangs on "waiting for device".
Tried to restart Win7 several times but always the same behavior.

I live on a small island where Internet connection is slow and unreliable, so trying to download a linux or winxp image and let it run in a VM (maybe different from Parallels) is not an option, sigh.

WTF????

USB VID/PID = 15a2:0052 is "usb downloader" mode. MfgTool can talk to it in that mode.

Fastboot "waiting for device" means that it cannot see the kindle as a fastboot device. In linux (or Mac) it needs to run as root.

Fastboot mode is USB VID/PID = 1949:d0d0. You should use win32 fastboot so you do not need to switch between the windows VM and the host OS. Any interruptions to the USB connection will make fastboot mode drop out. You can make it stay in fastboot mode by setting the bootmode idme var to fastboot, either with the diags idme command or with the diags exit menu "install fastboot bundle" option. Then your kindle will boot to fastboot mode (which does not change the eink display).

There are some command-line linux images that fit on a floppy disk. You should be able to run fastboot from one of those if it supports your USB chipset.

You may want to try "Tom's Root Boot": http://www.toms.net/rb/

More linux boot disks (including linux with Xwindows on 2 floppies): http://www.bootdisk.com/linux.htm

This shows how to load USB support on a boot floppy: http://www.linux-boot.com/Boot/USB/

EDIT: Remember that you must set the idme bootmode var to fastboot mode when using a linux boot floppy. Booting to fastboot mode from MfgTool will only last until a USB reset or disconnect (which can happen when entering or leaving a VM, or unplugging the USB cable).

[nathansuchy]

Thats what I do way more secure.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by nathansuchy

Thats what I do way more secure.

I am running a 32-bit Windows XP VirtualBox VM on 64-bit Linux Mint (an Ubuntu distro), as I have mentioned in various threads.

comodin said here that he is running a windows VM (parallels) on OSX (on a Mac).

Because your reply does not contain a quote to establish context, who is your recommendation to run Windows in a VM meant for?

I try to provide solutions for all popular host PC operating systems. I do not recommend that people permanently change their host PC operating system, just to make kindle debricking easier. However, I like virtualbox because it seamlessly lets me connect and disconnect the virtual USB port, so that the kindle does not drop out of fastboot mode when switching between the Windows VM (for MfgTool) and linux fastboot on the host PC. Even so, I use win32 fastboot these days and just stay in windows when debricking my kindles...

And security is mostly an illusion (even in a VM) because of "phone home" apps that can easily bypass any "security" in the VM. Even linux (especially Ubuntu, which was designed for beginners), is not that locked down out of the box, until you lock it down yourself.

Real security means having only an internal network LAN, and an external internet (for email and web access) with NO connections between them. In secure installations, people use two computers, one for internet access and the other for internal network access. No software can guarantee security if there is any wired or wireless connection path between the two networks. Even network PRINTERS have been compromised to provide a reverse proxy into supposedly secure networks.

Printer hack: http://www.techspot.com/news/46462-h...e-updated.html

Even lithium-ion battery firmware has been hacked.

[silver18]

I wrote a small guide to debricking.
It contains all steps needed to flash a new main partition on a Kindle Touch using Windows.
I hope it's useful!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

PS I'm not responsible for any problem caused to your Kindles.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by silver18

I wrote a small guide to debricking.
It contains all steps needed to flash a new main partition on a Kindle Touch using Windows.
I hope it's useful!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

PS I'm not responsible for any problem caused to your Kindles.

I added it to the top of the "References" section of the first post in this thread. Thanks. (A "little" karma increase too. )