K5 FW 5.x ScreenSavers Hack

[gxn1]

Originally Posted by knc1

That is a very original story.

Oh, no. Trouble.

Compare the configuration file on your Kindle with the original one, tell us what changes have been made to the original.

*crap* I no longer have one. I did, at several times I know. But as I originally wrote, I have been trying to get these hacks installed for a long, long time without success, and I would delete my original save Kindle file after my friend and I failed to do so.

I think what really screwed my having this over was that when he and I had tried a 2nd or 3 time to install the "Kindle Launcher/Dev" hack (or whatever it was named) and appeared nothing happened.

I did NOT even realized it has installed until almost a month after he and I had tried this. I was "flipping" through the pages of the covers of the books on my Kindle when I came across a thing that looked to me like a "reptile egg" and I realized it had installed. But by then I deleted my original Kindle configuration file because I thought nothing had changed.

Yes, I do realize this makes everything more difficult if not impossible to solve.

As I said, at this point, even though I have 100s of screensavers I have been wanting to use again for so long, I think I will have to just accept just trying to undo it.

Check your firmware version - Is it now the same as when you started? (and mention what it is).

Kindle 5.6.1.1 (2689890035)

I believe that is the original firmware though I have no idea what long number in parentheses is after it.

Ever since Amazon did that update which killed my being able to use my screensavers, this has just been one long nightmare for me. The lost of not being able to have my own screensavers really diminished my enjoyment of using my Kindle for me.

(I have written Amazon several times and ask why, given such features as having custom screensavers and the ability to add extra fonts are such great features for Kindle users that Amazon simply does NOT create *official* firmware to INCLUDE these features, but I have never gotten an answer.)

So, not having the original configuration, I guess I am in trouble with solving this.

It just occurred to me is maybe I *should* make a backup of my entire Kindle contents on my PC, then do "Reset Device" and then put all of my books -- and books only -- back on my Kindle. I could do this manually or I have Calibre.

Anyway, that is all the information I have for you. Sorry.

. . .

[knc1]

Nothing in that post that I can see which would be of any help in telling you how to fix it.

Check the "view count" of this thread.
Note the number of reports similar to your own (appox. 0).

The only possible conclusion is it is something you have done, and most likely did wrong.

Do not do a "Reset (to factory defaults)" - it does not do what you think it does.

[gxn1]

Originally Posted by knc1

Nothing in that post that I can see which would be of any help in telling you how to fix it.

I said that was likely in what I previously wrote.

The only possible conclusion is it is something you have done, and most likely did wrong.

I did say that already as well. I said I had great difficulty in understanding the techo-talk that appears in the hack instructions. Even the friend who helped me had a problem with it. We did the best we could trying to understand instructions which were not written for general understanding.

Do not do a "Reset (to factory defaults)" - it does not do what you think it does.

Okay, so I have a problem and you see no way to fix it -- WHAT DO I DO?

Having my "screensaver" being whatever page of a book I was reading is crap -- it defeats the purpose of a screensaver.

So, again, what should I do? I want to get rid of that -- and right now it seems the only way I can do so is if I do a "Reset to factory defaults".

AND I do *understand* what it means. I can save the books on my Kindle and pit them pack after the Reset -- or I can use Calibre to do so. At least then I would have the original Kindle screensavers back, boring as those are. I will have to redo all my Kindle setting. And, from what I understand that I will *not* be able to rehack a Reset Kindle of this type. Is that correct?!

So again, if you do *not* want me to do a "Reset", then what *do* I do to stop the last page I read from ending up as my Kindle "screensaver"???


. . .

[knc1]

Open the first post of this thread.

Scroll down to the (red) section labeled: "INSTALL" -
Move down to the (black) sub-section labeled: "Screensavers" -
Open the spoiler -
Move down to the (red) sub-sub-section labeled: "If you intend to use the cover feature"

Begin reading at that point.
When you reach the sentence:

You now have a couple of choices to make:

Start paying attention.

In that part you will learn how to enable the "cover mode".
How to disable it should be obvious from those directions.

If that is not enough directions, get someone you know to help you (not the 'friend' that took months to set it up - try somebody else - it isn't brain surgery we are asking you to do).

[XXCoder]

You sure you hit all 15 images? I had similar problem, and I fixed it by re-saving all problematic pictures.

I now have 100 and no problems.

[hokie83]

Originally Posted by gxn1

Let me say first I found the instructions on how to install the screensaver hack for my Kindle confusing and needed to have a friend assist me in installing it.

...
However, after it reach the last one, it did not start repeating but instead whatever was on my screen when I turned off my Kindle (or it shut off itself) is what appeared as "the screensaver". For example, if I was reading page 235 of "War and Peace", when I turned off my Kindle, the "screensaver" would be page 235 of "War and Peace".

...

So -- can anyone help me SOLVE this so it will show the screensavers I install in my Kindle and once it was gone though them, repeated them?

Because right now, I really do NOT have any screensaver at all -- and I have a few 100 I really would like to be able to use.

If this cannot be fixed, I might need help in undoing the hack so at least the crappy Amazon screensavers show again.

Thank you.

. . .

Like you I find a lot of what is posted here confusing. I also had a lot of problems with the screensaver getting "stuck" on the last page read before the device went to sleep. One or more of my images were formatted slightly different than the Kindle wanted. After I posted about my issues NiLuJe kindly posted an updated snapshot version of KUAL that added an option to modify the images files currently on the Kindle to the proper format. His snapshots are posted here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=225030


Since you did not install the hack yourself, you may not want to update KUAL. Or you may have a lot of images to process and find that it easier to do them all at once on the PC. I downloaded imagemagick and I wrote a simple batch file to convert all my images at once. I have not had any issues since then. I can post the instructions if you think it will help.

[knc1]

I can post the instructions if you think it will help.

It is a fact of life that no matter how much you dumb down a set of instructions, there will always be someone who can not understand them at whatever level you write them.

If you make them too simplistic, then the majority of people will refuse to read them, because they insult their intelligence.

Plus -
This is a technical forum about technical subjects, how do you intend to write anything at all relevant without using at least an occasional technical term?

[hokie83]

Originally Posted by knc1

It is a fact of life that no matter how much you dumb down a set of instructions, there will always be someone who can not understand them at whatever level you write them.

If you make them too simplistic, then the majority of people will refuse to read them, because they insult their intelligence.

Plus -
This is a technical forum about technical subjects, how do you intend to write anything at all relevant without using at least an occasional technical term?

I am sure trying to help people of varying skills and experience level all with different devices that require different approaches is frustrating, but I think your post is a bit harsh.

I had a very similar experience as gxn1 and I found something that worked for me and I offered to share my very simple solution (assuming gxn1's problem is improperly formatted image files). I know from your response to me a several pages back you think it is the wrong approach to convert the files on the PC, but it worked for me.

[knc1]

That was written before I knew of NiLuJe including a "convert all" button in the screensaver menu.

That should make the directions short and sweet:
See this problem :: <description>
Push this button :: <description>

In fact, I should probably update the screensaver image related entry in the FGA list to mention the new button.

[henriquemaia]

First of all, thank you so much for this add on. It’s so nice to have more control over the Kindle.

I mostly use my Kindle (pw3) in landscape mode. If I understood correctly from reading this thread, I can’t use the ‘last’ option as screensaver due to some framework limitation. Is that it?

Thanks again for the work done so far and for taking time to read this.

[knc1]

Put your Kindle in landscape mode.
Note where you are at = that setting is only available while viewing a document.

Tap the 'top' to bring back the menu bar.
Tap the 'home' icon (without changing the settings).
See? Now the display is in portrait mode.

Translation:
The "landscape" setting appears to be a feature of the document reader application, not of the graphic display stack (ah, mostly the 'framework' part of it).

And if you play with it a bit more, you find that the portrait / landscape setting is not "per book" - it affects anything the default reader handles and only what the default reader handles.

- - - - -

There is a way to put the hardware to sleep, without changing what is displayed on the screen.

but that would probably be tricky to program -

It would have to display the "book's page" in the reader that has the desired, landscape, image as a page and then signal the kernel's power control to immediate enter sleep state (so the framework never executes to put everything back to portrait).

And you can almost bet that once that is made to work with one specific device/firmware version - Amazon would release an update that would break it.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by gxn1

So again, if you do *not* want me to do a "Reset", then what *do* I do to stop the last page I read from ending up as my Kindle "screensaver"???
. . .

Let me try. Do you have kual? It should show up as an item on your home screen. Open kual and select Screen saver > cover mode behaviours

[knc1]

Originally Posted by Barty

Let me try. Do you have kual? It should show up as an item on your home screen. Open kual and select Screen saver > cover mode behaviours

He at least had it at one time.

*) This is a PW-1, running 5.6.1.1 which means it requires MrPI to install packages.

*) The work took "months" for a 'friend' to do.

*) So the work dates from before the search-bar command to run MrPI.

But of course we can't tell if the 'friend' removed KUAL after doing the set-up.
So asking if it is still available is indeed required.

Since the work was done by someone else, you may have to explain how to identify (and maybe how to use) KUAL.

The complaint is that the "last page read is shown as the screen saver" -
So there are documents on the Kindle, but we don't know if the 'friend' put them there or the user.

Probably worth asking, since if the user put the documents on the Kindle, the user could update KUAL (which for this device / firmware combination is still just a document).

KUAL is normally released in a zip archive file and I **THINK** NiLuJe updated the KUAL post attachment with the most recent snapshot of KUAL.
Probably worth checking that before giving directions on opening an archive or giving a link to the most recent release.

And if the most recent release is still only in the snapshot thread, then we need to know if the user can open an xz compressed archive.

The archive has three KUAL applications, by different names, so describing how to chose which of the three to move to the /documents folder should be straight forward.

That now has the user having the most recent KUAL on the device, the one with the 'fix all images' button.

Which requires python to be installed.
Question: Did the friend install python?

If they did, great!
If they didn't, repeat the parts above that relate to installing Python.

ah...
Without Python, not only will the "fix all images" choice not work, the screensaver add-in probably must default to doing nothing (I.E: leaving the screen showing what was on it when the device went to sleep)
Which should sound like the current problem.

Lots of luck to any "helpdesk" person that can help this user, in this situation (also recall that the author (NiLuJe) is temporary away from the site).

= = = =

Once past this user who has and does not want the Kindle to show the last page viewed while it sleeps . . . .

Go here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=278539
Who does not have, but should have, his Kindle to show the last page viewed while it sleeps.

- - - -

No extra credit for running the help desk while I tend to things other than Kindle user problems.

[gxn1]

Originally Posted by knc1

Start paying attention...

If that is not enough directions, get someone you know to help you (not the 'friend' that took months to set it up - try somebody else - it isn't brain surgery we are asking you to do).

----------------


Being insulting is not helpful.

[gxn1]

Originally Posted by Barty

Let me try. Do you have kual?
It should show up as an item on your home screen.

Yes, I do and yes, it does.

Open kual and select Screen saver > cover mode behaviours

I did this and restarted my Kindle.

So the results were this:

When I turn my Kindle off, one of the original screensavers shows.

When I turn it on, the Kindle menu shows *over* the screensaver. It does *not* directly open to the Home Page. I need to press the Home icon on the control panel for it to show my books.

So it sort of works for now.

I've only done this several times now, so I do not know if this will last or if it will start doing something else. I will let you and the others hear know.

Thank you for constructive help.
. . .