Troubleshooting Cant't turn on Kindle Paperwhite after long time no use

vmd108 · 07-25-2019, 11:11 AM

I did not use my device (Kindle Paperwhite 7th generation) for some time. When I opened the case cover it was a blank screen with empty battery mark. I put it on charge, but after the over-night charging, the green light did not appear as an indicator that the battery is full. Device can no longer be turned on. Screen saver is on screen. I tried all possible combinations for restarting by holding power button for 8 or 40 seconds but nothing helps. Contacting Amazon chat support was no help either. When I connect device to laptop, computer recognized it but without showing Kindle storage as before.

Is there some way that I could save files from device drive at least?

Deskisamess · 07-25-2019, 11:42 AM

One of the things that has been known to revive a dead Kindle is to plug it into a computer and leave it overnight.

Leaving it sit uncharged for a long time may have killed the battery. But from years of reading on the Amazon forums, the above fix may help. I've no idea why it sometimes works.

lumpynose · 07-25-2019, 04:11 PM

I've left my ancient Kindle Touch off for a year or more and it will come back when I plug it into a charger and leave it that way for a day or so.

barryem · 07-25-2019, 09:21 PM

It's really just a matter of luck. The problem with lithium ion batteries is that if they get so dead they have 0 charge and you apply a charge to them they catch fire. So they all contain circuitry that prevents them from accepting a charge when they get that low. At that point they're goners. I've heard of tricks that can sometimes bring one back but I've never known anyone to successfully use one of those tricks. And it's been so long since I've read one that I've forgotten what they are.

By the way, the indicator can say the battery is at 0 but it might still have some charge. Indicators aren't very accurate.

I left a Paperwhite under some things a few years ago and forgot about it and the battery was gone. I replaced the battery, which was no easy task. I foolishly bought a cheap battery for it from Ebay and it wasn't much good but it worked. I don't think I'd want to go through that again but if I did I'd probably get a Newpower99 battery. I've heard good things about them over the years although I've never actually used one.

You can find a video from Newpower99 on Youtube showing what's involved in changing your battery. I watched that before I decided to do it and while the process was identical to what the video showed I found it a lot more difficult than the guy in the video, so keep that in mind.

I'm not promoting Newpower99. I haven't used them. It's just the only reputable maker of Kindle batteries I know of. They've been around a lot of years.

Barry

NullNix · 07-26-2019, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryem

It's really just a matter of luck. The problem with lithium ion batteries is that if they get so dead they have 0 charge and you apply a charge to them they catch fire. So they all contain circuitry that prevents them from accepting a charge when they get that low. At that point they're goners.

There is a very slow emergency charge mode that is used if the battery circuit is dead, but it's slow. You might need to wait days or even a week for the thing to get enough power to do anything visible, but eventually things will speed up again. (Unless the battery is really, truly dead, which is possible: complete discharge can cause internal shorts, and the battery is a goner then.)

Ricky D'Angelo · 07-27-2019, 12:58 PM

It's for this reason I never completely "power off" my old ereaders to avoid getting a dead battery. Maybe it makes no difference in battery life to avoid powering off but it serves as a reminder for me to periodically check the charge of my old ereaders.

As far as charging a dead kindle I'm sure the usual suggestions such as trying different USB charging cords and plugging into different ports in the computer or different computers have been tried. Additionally, check for debris in the usb port in your kindle which may not allow for charging.

As far as getting the files from the dead device of course all amazon content is in the cloud. Any other content on your kindle I'm assuming you transferred mostly from your computer (unless you've downloaded stuff from the experimental web on your kindle) so you can access it there.

stumped · 07-27-2019, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky D'Angelo

It's for this reason I never completely "power off" my old ereaders to avoid getting a dead battery.

there is no way to power off a paperwhite, even if you want to. All you can do is blank the screen.

it does not have a shut down option, [ not even a secret one AFAIK] so unless you prise it open and pull the battery out, it stays on !

if you have one you are not using, like me, best you can do is leave it with wifi off but give it a top up charge every few months to keep the battery above zero.

dunno why they made them like that or if it is true for every PW generation but its true for my 3rd gen one.

ilovejedd · 07-27-2019, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumped

there is no way to power off a paperwhite, even if you want to. All you can do is blank the screen.

it does not have a shut down option, [ not even a secret one AFAIK] so unless you prise it open and pull the battery out, it stays on !

Note, if jailbroken, you can use Linux command line halt/shutdown/poweroff to turn off the device.

I'm actually running a test right now comparing battery draw on the PW4 in various states: shutdown, airplane mode on, airplane mode off, deep sleep.

rem736 · 08-08-2019, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky D'Angelo

It's for this reason I never completely "power off" my old ereaders to avoid getting a dead battery.

it has nothing to do with whether or not you power off completely. it has to do with leaving it alone so long that the battery completely drains to zero and you don't notice. some batteries drain faster than others, whether in the off state or standby state. and if left unnoticed long enough, could kill the battery when there is nothing left for the device to drain. also, some (and maybe most) batteries drain themselves, even when not connected to any device at all. it's just a matter of the battery's quality and how much time has gone by.

atonement · 04-17-2021, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Note, if jailbroken, you can use Linux command line halt/shutdown/poweroff to turn off the device.

I'm actually running a test right now comparing battery draw on the PW4 in various states: shutdown, airplane mode on, airplane mode off, deep sleep.

Sorry to bother you but I am interested in knowing if you ever posted your findings.

07-25-2019, 11:11 AM	#1
vmd108 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2013 Device: KPW	Cant't turn on Kindle Paperwhite after long time no use I did not use my device (Kindle Paperwhite 7th generation) for some time. When I opened the case cover it was a blank screen with empty battery mark. I put it on charge, but after the over-night charging, the green light did not appear as an indicator that the battery is full. Device can no longer be turned on. Screen saver is on screen. I tried all possible combinations for restarting by holding power button for 8 or 40 seconds but nothing helps. Contacting Amazon chat support was no help either. When I connect device to laptop, computer recognized it but without showing Kindle storage as before. Is there some way that I could save files from device drive at least?

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07-25-2019, 11:42 AM	#2
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,742 Karma: 45300001 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022	One of the things that has been known to revive a dead Kindle is to plug it into a computer and leave it overnight. Leaving it sit uncharged for a long time may have killed the battery. But from years of reading on the Amazon forums, the above fix may help. I've no idea why it sometimes works.

07-25-2019, 04:11 PM	#3
lumpynose Wizard Posts: 1,086 Karma: 6719822 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: Palm Pilot M105	I've left my ancient Kindle Touch off for a year or more and it will come back when I plug it into a charger and leave it that way for a day or so.

07-25-2019, 09:21 PM	#4
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	It's really just a matter of luck. The problem with lithium ion batteries is that if they get so dead they have 0 charge and you apply a charge to them they catch fire. So they all contain circuitry that prevents them from accepting a charge when they get that low. At that point they're goners. I've heard of tricks that can sometimes bring one back but I've never known anyone to successfully use one of those tricks. And it's been so long since I've read one that I've forgotten what they are. By the way, the indicator can say the battery is at 0 but it might still have some charge. Indicators aren't very accurate. I left a Paperwhite under some things a few years ago and forgot about it and the battery was gone. I replaced the battery, which was no easy task. I foolishly bought a cheap battery for it from Ebay and it wasn't much good but it worked. I don't think I'd want to go through that again but if I did I'd probably get a Newpower99 battery. I've heard good things about them over the years although I've never actually used one. You can find a video from Newpower99 on Youtube showing what's involved in changing your battery. I watched that before I decided to do it and while the process was identical to what the video showed I found it a lot more difficult than the guy in the video, so keep that in mind. I'm not promoting Newpower99. I haven't used them. It's just the only reputable maker of Kindle batteries I know of. They've been around a lot of years. Barry

07-27-2019, 12:58 PM	#6
Ricky D'Angelo Fanatic Posts: 537 Karma: 2495066 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Latin America Device: Sony PRS-T1, PRS-T-2, PRS 350, PRS 950; Kobo Mini; Kindle PW3, Fire 10	It's for this reason I never completely "power off" my old ereaders to avoid getting a dead battery. Maybe it makes no difference in battery life to avoid powering off but it serves as a reminder for me to periodically check the charge of my old ereaders. As far as charging a dead kindle I'm sure the usual suggestions such as trying different USB charging cords and plugging into different ports in the computer or different computers have been tried. Additionally, check for debris in the usb port in your kindle which may not allow for charging. As far as getting the files from the dead device of course all amazon content is in the cloud. Any other content on your kindle I'm assuming you transferred mostly from your computer (unless you've downloaded stuff from the experimental web on your kindle) so you can access it there.

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