Small debricking guide for “noobs”

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Aleyst

Yup, I'm a Sheila.

We are all glad with all the work everyone has put in, any news on why the problems using the 4.0.1 images?

The pastebin mostly provides archived image URLs that people send me. I have not analyzed the 4.0.1 images to see what is wrong with them. I suppose we should upload new copies.

Obviously, I learned the "shiela" reference from a famous Paul Hogan movie.

[Aleyst]

haha, Croc Dundee.

And yeah, if we can get working images for the 4.0.1, It'd probably cut down a lot of the issues.

[silver18]

I wrote this guide for Kindle Touch+Windows XP just because....I have Kindle Touch and I debricked it using Windows XP.

I don't know how Windows 7 or Vista work with driver (I used a Win7 once and installed RNDIS driver, it was a bit more complicated!).

[Aleyst]

Of course write it using what you have, I was just suggesting, I personally don't have an xp machine anymore which is why I suggested what I have, each to their own as they say.

Thank you for the wonderful job in the first place, it helped me and I direct others to it when they have problems

[bhaak]

Originally Posted by silver18

I wrote this guide for Kindle Touch+Windows XP just because....I have Kindle Touch and I debricked it using Windows XP.

I don't know how Windows 7 or Vista work with driver (I used a Win7 once and installed RNDIS driver, it was a bit more complicated!).

I'm currently debricking my KT with your PDF on Windows 7 after a failed update from 5.0.4 to 5.1.0. This binary diff-patching Amazon uses is not really resilient to partitions that have been tinkered with. I think next time I'll dissect the update package and try to do a dry-run update/check first.

It first failed rather early on (but wasn't bricked), then I made a md5sum list on the KT and on my backup dump on the my computer, diffed that and fixed what was different (or so I thought). But then it failed at around 80% into the update, bricking the KT, only showing the tree without any progress bar when booting.

The only thing that didn't work with your instructions was the installation of the usbnet driver on Windows 7. The linux.inf file didn't get found. But you can just select the device "Remote NDIS based internet sharing device" from a list of already installed drivers as detailed here:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kind...ng_root_access

Update: It worked but only after also clearing the /var/local partition as described in your document. I'm surprised that there is stuff in /var/local that can prevent the successful start of the device. Or maybe there was something deleted in the failed 5.1.0 update that the Java or Amazon framework needed.

[_Abahd_]

Thanks for that noob-friendly guide. My Kindle works again.

[Horus01]

Thanks tanks, tanks. My Kindle works again.

[drfr]

Hey,
I found this thread in my search for a solution for my bricked KT and I can do with some help if somebody would be that kind. I can only follow the guide until point 4 where my XP recognizes HID-compliant device, I can see it in device manager, but always only for a couple of seconds and then it drops off. I tried this on 3 PCs with XP SP3 and on a W7 x64 with the same results.
Thanks.

Edit: I finally got to the point where MfgTool said operation complete but then no new device seen in manager and devices disconnects in couple of seconds.

[ixtab]

@silver18: I just looked through the guide again, and I have a few comments:

1. you don't mention flashing the diags kernel. While it *probably* isn't necessary, I think it's best to just include that step. We can't be 100% sure that all devices come with a factory-fresh 5.0.0 diags kernel. That would be somewhere between steps 6 and 8, I guess.

2. I suggest to make it totally clear that (diags kernel and partition), and (main kernel and partition) must have matching versions (but not necessarily vDiags==vMain) . This is especially important, as we now have 5.1.2 kernels and images for main, while still using the 5.0.x ones for diags.

3. Finally, many of the images (esp. the 5.1.2 ones) now have slightly different names than the ones you mention. Maybe it's simply worth a paragraph at the beginning of the guide, where you give examples for the 4 different files required, along with a short explanation what each file is.

Thanks!

[silver18]

Originally Posted by ixtab

@silver18: I just looked through the guide again, and I have a few comments:

1. you don't mention flashing the diags kernel. While it *probably* isn't necessary, I think it's best to just include that step. We can't be 100% sure that all devices come with a factory-fresh 5.0.0 diags kernel. That would be somewhere between steps 6 and 8, I guess.

2. I suggest to make it totally clear that (diags kernel and partition), and (main kernel and partition) must have matching versions (but not necessarily vDiags==vMain) . This is especially important, as we now have 5.1.2 kernels and images for main, while still using the 5.0.x ones for diags.

3. Finally, many of the images (esp. the 5.1.2 ones) now have slightly different names than the ones you mention. Maybe it's simply worth a paragraph at the beginning of the guide, where you give examples for the 4 different files required, along with a short explanation what each file is.

Thanks!

Thanks for pointing it out!
I was thinking about updating the guide and this is really the right time to do it.

1. flashing diags kernel works the same way as flashing the main kernel, isn't it?! I mean, the command is the same (apart from the different file name)?

2. you mean that main kernel version must match main partition version AND diag kernel version must match diag partition version (while main version could not necessary has the same version of diag)?

3. oook, this one is totally clear!

I just asked all these stuff to double check everything as the guide has LOTS of download and, while I can bear to mess up MY kindle, I don't want to mess up someone else's!

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by silver18

Thanks for pointing it out!
I was thinking about updating the guide and this is really the right time to do it.

1. flashing diags kernel works the same way as flashing the main kernel, isn't it?! I mean, the command is the same (apart from the different file name)?

2. you mean that main kernel version must match main partition version AND diag kernel version must match diag partition version (while main version could not necessary has the same version of diag)?

3. oook, this one is totally clear!

I just asked all these stuff to double check everything as the guide has LOTS of download and, while I can bear to mess up MY kindle, I don't want to mess up someone else's!

1. yes, almost. I don't have the tool around, but IIRC it's "fastboot flash diags_kernel <filename>" or so.
2. exactly.
3. One more thing: it's also good to note that while all partition images seem to be gzipped, some kernels out there are gzipped, and some aren't. So a general statement along the lines of "if it ends with .gz, it should be unpacked first" should probably do.

Thanks!

[geekmaster]

I suppose that we need an "image extracting" guide. Some images were xx.img or xx.bin or xx.dmp. Compression may be xx.gz, xx.tar.gz, xx.zip, xx.7z, or no compression. The pastebin.com page just contains contributed links.

[silver18]

New version is now out. I added more links to images, a description on how to flash diags_kernel and a note on packed images and on matching versions.

[packerzrock]

Sorry if this has been gone over but I searched and could not find anything.

1st off I have a K4NT and am running WinXP

Guide works fine getting it into Diags as long as I use the Down option on the directional pad during the reboot option.

Then it does put the K4 in as the Human Interface Device so follows the guide almost perfect.

Problem is if I tell it Kindle Fastboot it does not reboot to show up as Kindle Fastboot in Device Manager.

I do not know if this will help you but when I go to Diags option in MfgTool.exe and choose the USB option in the menu I can access the file directories on the Kindle but the flash tools cannot find it being it is now shown as a "Generic Volume" in device manager.

So that is where I am stuck and again I am sorry but really I am a noob in some cases on this. Looking forward to your help, Thank you!

EDIT: Forgot to mention when I try the fastboot option it seems to disappear from the Device Manager. Not an HID / Storage device / and certainly not a Kindle fastboot. Hope that helps. Thanks again.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by packerzrock

...
Problem is if I tell it Kindle Fastboot it does not reboot to show up as Kindle Fastboot in Device Manager.

EDIT: Forgot to mention when I try the fastboot option it seems to disappear from the Device Manager. Not an HID / Storage device / and certainly not a Kindle fastboot. Hope that helps. Thanks again.

Try making it always boot to fastboot mode (unless you use MfgTool to boot something else), but selecting "Install Fastboot Bundle" in the diags menu.