Troubleshooting Kindle Paperwhite

Half Baked · 01-01-2020, 12:21 AM

I have a Kindle Paperwhite (7th gen), but I ran into the infamous "Your kindle needs repair (error code: 2)." After several restarts and hard resets, it always returned to that screen, and I was unable to fix it.

I tried putting a file named DO_FACTORY_RESTORE with no extension in the root directory when I mounted the kindle to my laptop, but after ejecting and restarting the kindle, it still returned to the "needs repair" screen. To make matters worse, after this reset, the drive stopped appearing on my laptop when plugged in.

I finally found a comment online saying that if you click the power button once a second when you plug in the Kindle, it will connect. This worked and I was able to put the 5.12.3 firmware update in the root directory (found here). After ejecting and restarting the. Kindle it finally came to the default setup (what you see when you first buy the device), and I was able to register it to my Amazon account.

This is progress, but the issue I have now is that the Kindle constantly restarts and crashes. When it eventually loads back up, it says “application error,” but this can be caused by something as simple as looking up a word in the dictionary.

Any insight into how to resolve these constant crashes would be much appreciated.

j.p.s · 01-01-2020, 11:49 AM

It sounds like the flash memory on your kindle is worn out and the kindle is only good for trade in or parts.

Junket · 01-01-2020, 12:24 PM

Well, you either have a hardware fault or software corruption. As you have already tried wiping the user area and updating the firmware, a hardware fault seems more likely as suggested by the poster above.

You can try charging your device with a wall charger for a minimum of 24 hours (slow charge curve for a possibly failing battery). And you could try waiting it out a few days in case the system is doing extended error checking to try and recover. A process can literally take days to complete.

Other than that, about all that is left is perhaps considering a serial port adapter (which would need to be soldered to your Kindle internally) which would provide a kernel log. This would probably confirm the nature of the errors.

Odds are though that it's the eMMC (flash memory) problem described above which is not practical to repair. ./

JSWolf · 01-01-2020, 04:48 PM

I suggest you call Amazon. Maybe you'll be lucky and Amazon will replace it/ If not, Amazon might give you a discount on a new Kindle.

01-01-2020, 12:21 AM	#1
Half Baked Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2019 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Kindle Paperwhite I have a Kindle Paperwhite (7th gen), but I ran into the infamous "Your kindle needs repair (error code: 2)." After several restarts and hard resets, it always returned to that screen, and I was unable to fix it. I tried putting a file named DO_FACTORY_RESTORE with no extension in the root directory when I mounted the kindle to my laptop, but after ejecting and restarting the kindle, it still returned to the "needs repair" screen. To make matters worse, after this reset, the drive stopped appearing on my laptop when plugged in. I finally found a comment online saying that if you click the power button once a second when you plug in the Kindle, it will connect. This worked and I was able to put the 5.12.3 firmware update in the root directory (found here). After ejecting and restarting the. Kindle it finally came to the default setup (what you see when you first buy the device), and I was able to register it to my Amazon account. This is progress, but the issue I have now is that the Kindle constantly restarts and crashes. When it eventually loads back up, it says “application error,” but this can be caused by something as simple as looking up a word in the dictionary. Any insight into how to resolve these constant crashes would be much appreciated.

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01-01-2020, 11:49 AM	#2
j.p.s Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,792 Karma: 103362673 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: pb360	It sounds like the flash memory on your kindle is worn out and the kindle is only good for trade in or parts.

01-01-2020, 12:24 PM	#3
Junket Nil adsuetudine maius Posts: 278 Karma: 500000 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: US Device: PW4	Well, you either have a hardware fault or software corruption. As you have already tried wiping the user area and updating the firmware, a hardware fault seems more likely as suggested by the poster above. You can try charging your device with a wall charger for a minimum of 24 hours (slow charge curve for a possibly failing battery). And you could try waiting it out a few days in case the system is doing extended error checking to try and recover. A process can literally take days to complete. Other than that, about all that is left is perhaps considering a serial port adapter (which would need to be soldered to your Kindle internally) which would provide a kernel log. This would probably confirm the nature of the errors. Odds are though that it's the eMMC (flash memory) problem described above which is not practical to repair. ./

01-01-2020, 04:48 PM	#4
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,792 Karma: 146391129 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I suggest you call Amazon. Maybe you'll be lucky and Amazon will replace it/ If not, Amazon might give you a discount on a new Kindle.

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