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#16 | |
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Quote:
For others reading this in the future, to mount from recovery the option is "E. Export FAT partition" In the root folder I deleted the .bin file, but did not see any others (only Folders). I copied both the document and system folder, then added the empty DO_FACTORY_RESTORE file. On reboot the Software Update screen was no longer there, but the default tree pic took it's place. Spoiler:
I will hopefully find some time tonight to attempt #2 from above and report back. Last edited by stack; 09-21-2016 at 12:00 AM. |
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#17 |
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Phooey!
That bad block is part of the file system meta-data, leaving a corrupted file system. - - - - Give the factory initial firmware a chance, it might be programmed to deal with that kind of error. Note that if it does, it will be a slow process - On this flash memory, the build of e2fsck the Kindle uses has to start over after mapping out each bad block. So keep the Kindle on a charger while it is trying to recover the file system, it may take a few days (really). If it doesn't auto-recover, we will have to force it. We aren't ready for the "Erase All" big hammer (yet). There are less drastic things to try if "#2" doesn't do the job. = = = = Note: Even when everything is normal, it is a tricky business to install an update image that is larger than available memory (and without swap enabled also). We may, eventually, have to treat this as a blank eMMC - - Search for a fairly recent (this summer) thread with 'fastboot' in the title. It also has a lot of capture logs attached to the posts to serve as reference information. Don't be concerned if the thread you find isn't about the PW-2, the procedure will be the same. Ah, and yes, we did recover from a blank eMMC - - Which reminds me, we need to make a copy of the Diags system before doing an "erase all" on the Kindle. geekmaster is probably following this thread, he may have some other reference threads to suggest. Last edited by knc1; 09-19-2016 at 06:11 PM. |
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#18 | |
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Quote:
Spoiler:
I'm assuming that if it's possible to get a clean copy to the kindle, I would then select recovery option: U. Update using update*.bin file on FAT partition. Unfortunately I have the feeling we're going to have to do this the hard way. |
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#19 |
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We have stopped it from getting stuck in an update attempt.
But that is an awful lot of bad sectors to deal with, I don't know about that "still alive" message - that firmware may be overly optimistic. I am not sure what resources we have when running the 'Diags' system (system in p2 - which should still be intact). We can boot the 'Diags' system from U-Boot interactive prompt, but it is too late for me to think tonight. Actually, we can boot just about anything from U-Boot, and I have posted an eMMC utility, but I don't think I built it for running out of ram only. Something that may get more useful as these devices age. I'll look up the details when I am awake. (I can't recall everything, not even things I have wrote, the best I can do is remember how to find it.) Last edited by knc1; 09-20-2016 at 11:30 PM. |
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#20 |
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Is it worth trying to format the fat partition in a last ditch attempt to get the original firmware loaded? I was thinking of trying it before but didn't want to stray off-script in case the recovery does more than it says it will.
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#21 | |
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Quote:
Both "Main" and "Diags" need what looks like an error free /var/local (partition 3) and /mnt/us (partition 4) to complete the boot process. Otherwise the start-up code will try to re-format them. Currently, it is NOT trying to re-format either of them, so they must be 'good enough' to pass the simple tests to continue the boot. Not necessarily 'good enough' to work, just 'good enough' to pass POST. When the system re-partitions partition 4 (it is a partition within a partition system) to account for the reduced size (from mapping out more eraseblocks than the device has spare eraseblocks) and then re-formatting the re-sized partition we could very well end up with a partition within partition 4 that does not past POST. I.E: Inadvertently making both 'Main' and 'Diags' fail to boot. In which case you can proceed directly to the thread on how to replace the eMMC with a brand-new (bigger) one. Oops. ![]() Internally the eMMC only supports: Erase, Re-program, and Read (in eraseblock size, 4Kbyte, chunks). Meaning that when one is mapped out, you lose 8 "sectors" from the file system. It is pretty easy to destroy FAT-32 (or any format) taking out 8 adjacent "sectors" at a time. So let's try booting the other operating system first and make sure there isn't anything there that could help this situation. Perhaps Lab126 has an eMMC maintenance utility included there. |
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#22 | |
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Spoiler:
Nothing in Diags that immediately jumps out at me to attempt. Any suggestions? I didn't see a tutorial on backing up diags, should we do this now? |
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#23 |
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Sytem Diags - D - In some versions, that is: "exit to command line"
Misc Diags - M - Might exercise / test eMMC and just the label hasn't been changed (Kindles once used MoviNand devices) Utilities - Z - enable USBnet - that might let you ssh into the Diags command line - M - Do you have an nfs server set-up (it is usually included by default in Linux distros)? If so, we could try mounting the "Main" file system over nfs (just as if we where developers ![]() That one we get a root system image by opening up an Amazon update package with KindleTool. Also worth exploring: W and F Backing up 'Diags' - - We don't want to do it while mounted and running - and 'Main' isn't working (unless we can net-mount a good copy). Sticky "Where do I start?" - It will be among the "legacy" de-bricking things. But the 'Diags' system is evidently burned into the eMMC while still on the tape, before being mounted on the board. Then it is never changed, so anybody with a working PW-2 can donate a copy if we need it. (NiLuJe has a PW-2, when he gets time to return here) |
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#24 | |||
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knc1, I really appreciate your help here. Unfortunately I'm starting to feel like my head is about to explode trying to absorb all the disparate nuggets of info from all the posts I've read over the last week. I think I'm going to need a little (more) hand-holding through your last post. I'm a little confused about what we are trying to do here, or what I'm to do once completing certain steps. Are we attempting, in order, to address the I/O errors, back up data, then flash an update?
Quote:
Quote:
Spoiler:
It doesn't seem to do much more than comparing hashes. However you can probably see more into the output than I can ![]() Quote:
As an aside I found a version.txt on the kindle that displayed, "Kindle 5.6.5 (273030 038)". I'm thinking this is a good thing for once we're up and running. I'm assuming it also may help decide which firmware version to try installing since we can't downgrade (no?). I apologize for my rudimentary skill level here as Linux is not my strong suit. It is very interesting learning as I go, unfortunately it seems that for every thread I read I end up with more questions than answers when trying to make them applicable to this situation. |
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#25 |
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All I was saying was those where things to explore.
Which you seem to be doing (I don't have a PW-2 to explore). That 'exit to login prompt' thing may be the only one we can use (plus the networking stuff). If 'exit to login prompt' works, we don't need anything else. ![]() (Well, other than 'main' network mounted.) The KindleTool is easy to learn, easy to use, if lab126 can learn to use it . . . . . don't be concerned about that, take your time at this. And if you give KindleTool your serial number - it can also produce your Diags, user: Root login password. ![]() No magic, just experience and everybody has to start somewhere. Embedded Linux is rapidly showing up in every kind of device, and Kindles are a cheap (un-documented) place to learn. Last edited by knc1; 09-21-2016 at 05:29 PM. |
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#26 |
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I understand. Makes a lot of sense to see what can be done before actually attempting to do something that might not work. I was thinking there might be a playbook to follow and simply felt overwhelmed trying to decipher all that I was reading.
Unfortunately I've run into a pretty big snag in moving forward. Last night I tried to 'exit to login prompt' when minicom froze on me. Turns out I somehow pulled out the ground wire from the board as I was manipulating the screen (that little guy was a pain to get a grip on the pad in the first place). Today I spent some time modifying the kindle and put headers on both the kindle and ftx board. Spoiler:
Of course now I cannot connect to minicom or putty. I've spent the last few hours testing and re-testing every connection with a multimeter, but there are no shorts and everything looks solid. Is it possible I've killed something by either losing ground or pulling the battery when exiting diags? Everything else seems the same as there are no issues restarting or getting the screen to light up to the tree screen. I'm totally stumped and will probably end up reverting the modifications to what worked if there isn't a common issue I'm missing here. Any ideas? Last edited by stack; 09-23-2016 at 12:55 AM. |
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#27 |
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Check first that Tx and Rx did not get swapped from before modification to now.
Remember, with the jim.ftx board using an external reference, the external reference MUST be powered BEFORE the usb connection is powered. Plug in battery, press power button to start the Kindle, plug in USB cable to PC. That order, don't rush, you can follow plugging in the USB cable with another power button re-boot once the adapter has been powered on. (I thought mine was dead for a long time until I stumbled onto that one.) That shield is also ground - and actually easier to solder too than the board's internal copper ground plane (which is why it was so hard to solder the first time). Very close to the shield and the serial port pin-out are a pair of resistors about the size of fly shit. A little stray heat and they come off. I don't recall the PW-2 pictures posted here, but some Kindle models have those resistors INSIDE of the shield, where you can not see if they came loose. Summer, Chicago - humidity should be too high for ESD to be a problem, but maybe. But a stay "ground loop" between the soldering iron and the electronics could have killed the interface port(s) (either cable end). (It doesn't look to me as if your using a hot air gun - which is even harder to use in this case - stray hot air is hard to control ![]() Beware of multi-meter in use. That is low voltage CMOS, the multi-meter must be an extremely high impedance type with a special "Diode" test range. From the appearance of the work, you probably already know about that. Could it be the adapter end? Might have pulled or bent something on the other end of cable while working. Duh.... All that comes to mind at the moment. |
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