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

[Dylan Tomorrow]

Hi guys,

yesterday my Kindle Touch stopped working. Well, for the most part at least, that is I cannot read e-books on it right now. The home screen stopped showing up, it's just white emptiness. No matter how often I restart it, the home screen just does not load. The menu button and the book search do not work.

But the Kindle store button and getting into the browser (via Wikipedia in the search bar) do work. Browsing works, enabling and disabling wifi in the browser work. USB file mode works. Sometimes my device name shows up in the status bar, sometimes not. Sometimes the clock shows the proper time, sometimes 1:00 AM. Battery is full, charging still works.

Copying ENABLE_DIAGS onto it did nothing.

I backed all my files up onto my computer and started deleting stuff (I suspect the KT choked on too many e-books/index files/collection entries or something). I ultimately deleted everything in /documents, /audible, /music, /images as well as all files in /system/thumbnails and /system/Search Indexes. Still did not help.

This was all on a unmodified 5.2 Kindle Touch without jailbreak (the jailbreak 1.1 had been installed once, and then uninstalled immediately, just to see if it works).

I just installed the 1.7 jailbreak via copying the data.stgz onto my Kindle (restating it via holding the power button). It showed the freeing your kindle splashscreen and I can see the "You are Jailbroken.txt" when mounting it but the main screen and menu button still don't work.

I can't access the update function nor the factory reset function as the menu does not work. How can I debrick it? I am running Linux, I have no access to any Windows or Mac machine. All the simple debricking guides seem to be Windows-only. Please point me to the appropriate guides for Linux.

I already had a go at what I could gather, but it did not get me far. I did:

• git clone git://github.com/boundarydevices/imx_usb_loader.git
• compile imx_usb_loader *
• create mx50_usb_work.conf
• connect my KT to computer
• put my KT into USB Recovery mode (press and hold the power switch until the power LED turns off, then press and hold the "Magic Key", then release the power switch, then release the "Magic Key".)
• sudo ./imx_usb fastboot.bin **
• disconnect my KT from computer and restart
• nothing changed?

I am probably missing something obvious, so please point me in the right direction. I hope I have not bricked my Kindle any more than it already was!

*:

~/src/imx_usb_loader/imx_usb_loader$ make
cc -c imx_usb.c -o imx_usb.o -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -pipe -ggdb `pkg-config --cflags libusb-1.0`
gcc -o imx_usb imx_usb.o -lusb-1.0

**:

~/src/imx_usb_loader/imx_usb_loader$ sudo ./imx_usb fastboot.bin 
parse mx50_usb_work.conf
15a2:0052(KindleTouch) bConfigurationValue =1
Interface 0 claimed
report 1, wrote 16 bytes, err=0
report 3, read 4 bytes, err=0
read=56 78 78 56
fastboot.bin
No dcd table, barker=402000d1
dcd_ptr=0x00000000

loading binary file(fastboot.bin) to f8006000, skip=0, fsize=800 type=aa

<<<2048, 2048 bytes>>>
jumping to 0xf8006400
report 1, wrote 16 bytes, err=0
report 3, read 4 bytes, err=0
read=56 78 78 56
jump_mode 2 plug=1 err=0
fastboot.bin
header_max=1000

loading binary file(fastboot.bin) to f8006000, skip=0, fsize=120bc type=aa

<<<73916, 73916 bytes>>>
jumping to 0xf800642c

[eureka]

Originally Posted by Dylan Tomorrow

Hi guys,

yesterday my Kindle Touch stopped working. Well, for the most part at least, that is I cannot read e-books on it right now. The home screen stopped showing up, it's just white emptiness. No matter how often I restart it, the home screen just does not load. The menu button and the book search do not work.

But the Kindle store button and getting into the browser (via Wikipedia in the search bar) do work. Browsing works, enabling and disabling wifi in the browser work. USB file mode works. Sometimes my device name shows up in the status bar, sometimes not. Sometimes the clock shows the proper time, sometimes 1:00 AM. Battery is full, charging still works.

It looks like just "framework" (Java-based part of UI) didn't get load properly. Maybe problem with full /var/local or some other "minor" inconvenience?

Post your logs (here in spoiler or, better, into some pastebin serivice). To get logs, execute command ;dm at search field, then look for them in USB drive.

Originally Posted by Dylan Tomorrow

• git clone git://github.com/boundarydevices/imx_usb_loader.git
• compile imx_usb_loader *
• create mx50_usb_work.conf
• connect my KT to computer
• put my KT into USB Recovery mode (press and hold the power switch until the power LED turns off, then press and hold the "Magic Key", then release the power switch, then release the "Magic Key".)
• sudo ./imx_usb fastboot.bin **
• disconnect my KT from computer and restart
• nothing changed?

Right after loading of fastboot.bin you should use https://github.com/yifanlu/Fastboot-Kindle for interacting with fastboot mode. Don't disconnect and restart.

[Dylan Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by eureka

Right after loading of fastboot.bin you should use https://github.com/yifanlu/Fastboot-Kindle for interacting with fastboot mode. Don't disconnect and restart.

Oops, I see. I knew I was probably missing something obvious!

Originally Posted by eureka

It looks like just "framework" (Java-based part of UI) didn't get load properly. Maybe problem with full /var/local or some other "minor" inconvenience?

Post your logs (here in spoiler or, better, into some pastebin serivice). To get logs, execute command ;dm at search field, then look for them in USB drive.

That gave me an application error dialog and a "restarting now" error dialog after that. Then the home screen magically reappeared (without a full restart and with all the collections still in their old state, even though I had deleted all ebooks)!

No log files were written yet. Homescreen still there after disconnecting. Menu still does not work. Interacting with home screen does not work.

WTF!

Wait, the number of items in the collections is shrinking. So it it probably just updating its file database. Let's wait a bit ...

Homescreen gone again after second connect and disconnect. Hm, let's ;dm again!

Application error again. Framework error, wait while Kindle restarts again. UI flashes twice. Homescreen reappears. Collections have yet fewer items, almost empty now. (I know I should just do the fastboot mode properly, but I find this idiosyncratic buggyness oddly fascinating! )

Sorting mode change from collections to recent works! I can see the files vanishing now. Only 31 left. Scrolling works again. And they're all gone!

Ooops again, I mistyped. I typed dm; instead of
;dm all those times. Now with actually typing ;dm it did create logs. . Full all_system_logs_as_of_Sun_Nov_11_14.20.07_GMT+01.0 0_2012.txt is attached (zipped) or can be downloaded via Google Drive: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3Vw...thkey=CNORpfAE (sorry, google only lets you download it if you login ... The logfile is 1,5 MB, too big for pastebin and pastee)

Menu and everything works again now. I will put the books back now in increments of 50 or so and see if it hiccups again. I'm gonna let it index them anew, hopefully this way the framework won't crash again when all the books are on there.

Thanks for your help . Seems I should have just asked you guys earlier and tried to let it restart the framework via the search bar application crash/let it write log files, that would have made things easier!

[NiLuJe]

121111:021154 appmgrd[1140]: I lipc:evts:name=appStateChange, origin=com.lab126.appmgrd, fparam=com.lab126.booklet.home:Event sent
121111:021154 appmgrd[1140]: I lipc:evts:name=appActivating, origin=com.lab126.appmgrd, fparam=1:Event sent
121111:021156 root: *** glibc detected *** /usr/java/bin/cvm: double free or corruption (!prev): 0x0137cdc0 ***

Kapow!

As eureka said, I'd do a factory reset to make sure /var/local is cleared...

[knc1]

Compress the log file with zip, attach to post (limit: 20Mbyte compressed).

[Dylan Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

121111:021154 appmgrd[1140]: I lipc:evts:name=appStateChange, origin=com.lab126.appmgrd, fparam=com.lab126.booklet.home:Event sent
121111:021154 appmgrd[1140]: I lipc:evts:name=appActivating, origin=com.lab126.appmgrd, fparam=1:Event sent
121111:021156 root: *** glibc detected *** /usr/java/bin/cvm: double free or corruption (!prev): 0x0137cdc0 ***

Kapow!

As eureka said, I'd do a factory reset to make sure /var/local is cleared...

*gulp* Okay, will do. Just one question: Is there any way to keep my collections? I know that collections info for my purchased e-books is backed up in the cloud, but most of my files are sideloaded. And I should probably deinstall the jailbreak before factory resetting?

@knc1: Done, thanks for the tip!

[eureka]

Originally Posted by Dylan Tomorrow

Just one question: Is there any way to keep my collections? I know that collections info for my purchased e-books is backed up in the cloud, but most of my files are sideloaded.

If you want to backup your collections structure, take a look at ixtab's Collections Manager.

[Dylan Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by eureka

If you want to backup your collections structure, take a look at ixtab's Collections Manager.

Thanks, I just did . I had to temporarily put all of my e-books back on my Kindle though for Collections Manager to actually be able to access and write their info into the .json export file.

(Thank god I don't have a 2.3 Paperwhite, because there I'd probably have lost my Collections, being unable to jailbreak it and all .)

Just did the factory reset, now gonna consecutively repopulate it with e-books .

The only remaining obstacle is now our shitty Cisco wifi router which is again being a total **** when trying to make WPS work (I hate that thing! Never let your computer-incompetent parents buy the router! ), but I eventually got that to work last time too .

[porcdecaine]

Hi. i Have a K4Black and i destroyed it after trying to instal duokan and then selecting things randomly in diagnose and fastboot

I chose "erase all" in fastboot, but i could still finish all the steps in silver18's guide. I tried both the 4.0.0 and the 4.0.1 images but i can 't boot main. In the end in putty when i reboot it gives and error and disconnects and the kindle is frozen.
Mfgtool can;t boot main, it can only boot dignose and fastboot. when i chose reboot from diagnose it freezes.
So i can enter diagnose, i can get in usb mode, ssh. but everything else fails.
Any help?

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by porcdecaine

Hi. i Have a K4Black and i destroyed it after trying to instal duokan and then selecting things randomly in diagnose and fastboot

I chose "erase all" in fastboot, but i could still finish all the steps in silver18's guide. I tried both the 4.0.0 and the 4.0.1 images but i can 't boot main. In the end in putty when i reboot it gives and error and disconnects and the kindle is frozen.
Mfgtool can;t boot main, it can only boot dignose and fastboot. when i chose reboot from diagnose it freezes.
So i can enter diagnose, i can get in usb mode, ssh. but everything else fails.
Any help?

"Erase all" erased your kindle's identity, so it does not even know how to initialize DRAM during startup. I and others have recovered from that situation by forcing idme serial and pcbsn in a custom patched and recompiled uboot, that forces our own personal values.

You may have been lucky if you ran a diag that saved your values in a log file on your USB drive, but not knowing what "random order" you ran them in, you could have saved only ERASED values.

During your significant labor ahead (even if you know your idme vars and know exactly what you are doing), I hope you learn how profoundly unwise your behavior was while in diags and fastboot. But having done that, you probably have a large learning curve ahead before you can even contemplate repairing it.

Doing such a thing ACCIDENTALLY is unfortunate, but you chose to do it willingly. Things that you do not understand can bite you when provoked, which you did in this case.

What part of "erase ALL" do you not understand?

EDIT: Do not even THINK about copying your idme vars from another K4. That would be identity theft and amazon will blacklist both devices (there is an experienced dev here who "accidentally" got bit by that.)

[xray]

Please help I cannot get when I hit next in ATK 1.67 I keep getting no usb mess. I am running on win xp with serv pack 3. I have uninstalled and reinstalled atk a number of times. Very frustrated what am I doing wrong?

[hawhill]

Your K3 might be just broken - physically. But please give information about the condition (screen changes, reboot loops or just "stuck, not changing"?).

Is your device in USB downloader mode? Does Windows see a device when you connect it (check Windows' device manager)? Which one?

[xray]

originally it froze up. Did reset and let me read about 4 pages then froze again. Let charge on wall plug for 24hr's reset and worked for maybe 15 min. It has been charging for 3 days and will not reset now stuck on collections page. When I start atk and click next it says no usb detected. Should I have the kindle plugged into usb before starting ATK? When I connect k3 to computer with usb it does recognize the kindle and even shows me all of the books I have on it. On device manager it shows up under portable devices.

[qlob]

fixed "Download Mirror #2" by removing 4.0.1 links.

[porcdecaine]

Originally Posted by porcdecaine

Hi. i Have a K4Black and i destroyed it after trying to instal duokan and then selecting things randomly in diagnose and fastboot

I chose "erase all" in fastboot, but i could still finish all the steps in silver18's guide. I tried both the 4.0.0 and the 4.0.1 images but i can 't boot main. In the end in putty when i reboot it gives and error and disconnects and the kindle is frozen.
Mfgtool can;t boot main, it can only boot dignose and fastboot. when i chose reboot from diagnose it freezes.
So i can enter diagnose, i can get in usb mode, ssh. but everything else fails.
Any help?

Thank you for your answear. I didnt expect to be able to do that damage with that comand Anyway,

I bought a new one yestarday. Could i use that one to repair the bricked one? I don't connect to amazon anyway.