Troubleshooting Random rebooting in sleep mode

[Rob Y]

Originally Posted by CJCinIL

I'm happy (in a way) to have finally found someone else who was experiencing the weird reboot phenomenon. I was getting so frustrated with losing my page! I too have just been utilizing the bookmark feature, so no more lost pages.
I'll be watching this forum to see if there is a software fix down the road. I expected bugs like this to be ironed out and fixed my Kindle 3. I guess not.

You should call up customer service and let them know.

They stopped just sending out a replacement and are now looking into it as a software issue. When I called about the problems with the latest one, they told me to give them a call right after it reboots on its own so they can take a log of it and attempt to find the source of the problem. More people providing logs for them will help them find a pattern as to what is causing this. Also it doesn't take a lot of time, less than 5 minutes.

They said they most likely would be getting back to me early next week with what they found and hopefully provide a solution. Since more people seem to be having this problem I'll update the thread when I hear from them.

[phineas]

When I called about the problems with the latest one, they told me to give them a call right after it reboots on its own so they can take a log of it and attempt to find the source of the problem. More people providing logs for them will help them find a pattern as to what is causing this. Also it doesn't take a lot of time, less than 5 minutes.

They said they most likely would be getting back to me early next week with what they found and hopefully provide a solution. Since more people seem to be having this problem I'll update the thread when I hear from them.

I did the log thing with them too about 3 weeks ago. A woman named Trilby called me several times over a 5-day period. She also got through a couple of times and I gave her an overview of the many malfunctions I'd experienced with my first two Kindle 3s. But thereafter she missed me and left voicemails. Since she wasn't leaving me a return number, we didn't hook up again. In her last message, she asked me to send the two log files to tech support.

If that's what they ask you to do, when you send the logs, make sure you write a detailed message of what the logs are for and reference the person who called you. Overnight, Amazon seems to use offshore tech support. They're pretty clueless. So I'd send the logs in the AM. The first time I sent them was at the end of the day and when I woke up, tech support had bounced them back to me saying they didn't know what they were for. I'm sure it was in the CS records. The next tech figured it out. But Trilby never got back to me. They'd apparently abandoned my case for some reason. One clue to that may be that I wasn't given the instruction to call or grab the logs right after a spontaneous reboot. It's a pretty simple process to dump the logs. I viewed them after I had sent them. I found plenty of errors in them.

Another reason why they may have stopped working with me was that a week after I sent the logs my second Kindle 3 became worse. It was now an unusable device. Since I read every day, I called tech support back and they didn't bat an eye but just sent me out a third one.

I hope you can help them figure it out, Rob. We'll keep a watch for anything you may follow-up with.

[Prince Hal]

I am also getting this problem. Running 3.0.2. Only 10 books. 9 from Amazon, 1 short article in mobi. Three times in three days. I hope it is a software problem.

[bonsai]

I've been having the frequent reboot/freezing problem too. I got my first K3 about a month ago, and it worked fine for two weeks, then started resetting. I called Amazon on Wednesday to complain, and had a new Kindle Thursday.

Three days in, this one seems even worse. It doesn't just happen when sleeping - sometimes it happens as I'm reading. Very frustrating. And I've only got one book on it, so that shouldn't be the problem.

I just tried upgrading the software to 3.0.3 -- if that doesn't make a difference, I'll call Amazon again in a few days for a replacement. I love the Kindle when it works, but this is incredibly frustrating. Argh.

[Prince Hal]

Upgraded to 3.0.3 and the reboots have gone. Under 3.0.2 they were happening every time (almost) after waking up from sleep (the Kindle that is not me). No I have been re-bootless for 2 days.

I know others have tried 3.0.3 but to no success.

I have the standard leather Kindle cover, which has been on from the beginning.

[bonsai]

If the problem persists, try taking off the cover. I'm fairly certain the standard Kindle cover has been causing reboots for me -- with the cover on, it happens almost constantly (I had Amazon replace the Kindle 2x, and it kept happening). I took the cover off yesterday, and no reboot since. I'm going to give it one more day and make sure I'm still reboot-free, then call Amazon about returning the cover.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by chilady1

I have been experiencing the random re-boot since downloading the firmware 3.0.3 version.

That was also my experience, although it was more a problem of having to do a full reboot when trying to put in the password, rather than random reboots while reading. 3.0.2 did seem more stable to me. And one could even guess that 3.0.3 is still marked as "early preview" for this reason.

HOWEVER, I haven't had any problem in the last 36 hours or so. And I changed absolutely nothing.

By the way, I use the standard non-lighted case, with the device often being lugged around in my backpack. My pattern of use is to, many times a day, read a chapter, or look at a web site or two, and then go on to some non-Kindle task.

Because the problem comes and goes, it is tempting to try to associate it with whatever pattern of use recently changed. But anything like that could be coincidental, and I can't see any pattern personally.

I hope there is some good programmer at Amazon who is being given the uninterrupted time to come up with real stability for version 3.1.

My message for anyone from Amazon reading this: When you come out with new software versions, issue a truly detailed list of the changes and fixes. Then when you come out with new software versions, customers who are interested could be reassured that very specific problems are being noticed and addressed.

I knew that by purchasing a new model there could be bleeding edge problems. If a Kindle 3 thread like this appears a year from now, something is wrong.

My TomTom model was released about 6 months ago, and you still can't put it it up to the highest volume due to a continuing software bug. Amazon is not alone in having software bugs, assuming the problem is software.

[phineas]

I can't say how I got this confirmed, but I did: Amazon *does* replace defective Kindles from re-certified returned stock (as most electronics companies do). My advice: If you've been through multiple replacement Kindle 3s, as I have, don't get another replacement. Return the one you have for a refund. Ask for a "full refund" if you're over 30 days.

Then, order a new one once you have your refund. That's the surest way to break out of this cycle. There are plenty of people out there who have Kindle 3s that work just fine. While I hope it's a software problem, many of us have "wiped" (reset to original) the physical memory and started over. And still had the problems. That's an indication that it's either something about your digital content or it's the hardware. Like others, I eliminated the digital content from the equation and still experienced problems. You always suspect software first, but once you've eliminated software from the equation, it's got to be hardware.

Hope this helps. My refund came through and I just placed a new order for a Kindle Wi-Fi. If anyone's interested I'll return and post my experience on the new order.

[Rob Y]

Originally Posted by phineas

I can't say how I got this confirmed, but I did: Amazon *does* replace defective Kindles from re-certified returned stock (as most electronics companies do). My advice: If you've been through multiple replacement Kindle 3s, as I have, don't get another replacement. Return the one you have for a refund. Ask for a "full refund" if you're over 30 days.

Then, order a new one once you have your refund. That's the surest way to break out of this cycle. There are plenty of people out there who have Kindle 3s that work just fine. While I hope it's a software problem, many of us have "wiped" (reset to original) the physical memory and started over. And still had the problems. That's an indication that it's either something about your digital content or it's the hardware. Like others, I eliminated the digital content from the equation and still experienced problems. You always suspect software first, but once you've eliminated software from the equation, it's got to be hardware.

Hope this helps. My refund came through and I just placed a new order for a Kindle Wi-Fi. If anyone's interested I'll return and post my experience on the new order.

I figured they just replaced the returned devices with a refurbished one and that's how I've gotten "unlucky" 3 times now when there seems to be a high percentage of Kindles that work fine.

This week has been perfect in regards to my Kindles performance. The optimist in me is thinking that they figured out the problem and sent out a remote update on Monday that fixed it. I haven't heard from Amazon to confirm this, but the sudden change (absolutely no reboots after experiencing a reboot almost every time it went to sleep) has me thinking that this is what happened.

Realistically I think that this is just a temporary thing and the reboots will happen again. And if they do I will just do as you suggest, wait out the 30 days, get a full refund and purchase a new one.

[phineas]

Rob:

Originally Posted by Rob Y

Realistically I think that this is just a temporary thing and the reboots will happen again. And if they do I will just do as you suggest, wait out the 30 days, get a full refund and purchase a new one.

Fwiw, don't wait beyond the 30 days of the original purchase, if possible. Amazon's default practice is to give you a prorated refund after 30 days from the original ship date. That 30 days doesn't restart with replacement Kindles. I had to go through a few hoops to get fully refunded at about 45 days. Amazon did come through, with even a little extra that covered part of my initial shipping charge (I had purchased overnight delivery). But your mileage might vary. The rep I got felt I deserved a full refund beyond the cut-off.

Speaking of my refund, after that was credited to my c.c. account I ordered a brand new Kindle 3. Even though I paid for 2-day delivery, it arrived the next morning. I've had the fourth one for 30 hours now. I've experienced zero problems. It's working perfectly. Unlike with my previous Kindle 3s, I took it slow getting set up. I did nothing with it until it was fully charged. Initially, I loaded only one book. At about 15 hours I loaded about a dozen of my unread books (typical of what I load on my Kindles). I've both left it alone for 8 hours and used it pretty constantly for long periods of time. The only thing I haven't done yet is put the Amazon cover on it, but that's next.

After a packed day+ of use, the Kindle 3 I ordered new, is as solid as my old Kindle 2. Not even a hiccup. It's too soon to call it "problem solved." But it's looking good.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

I haven't had any problem in the last 36 hours or so. And I changed absolutely nothing.

And in the five days since I wrote the above (#21), still not a single problem.

I add and delete magazine articles daily (some via Instapaper), but it's been a couple weeks since I added a book (that being Les Misérables from Project Gutenberg). Could it be that my K3 was stuck for two weeks or so indexing? Who knows? Maybe someone at Lab126.com knows the likely story, but they are not talking.

And IMHO they should be. There's plenty of precedent in the computer industry for support people chiming in on a polite and respectful board like this. Honest communication and realistic expectation-setting might reduce returns and increase customer loyalty.

[sirmaru]

If you are an American KIndle WiFi 3 without 3G please vote in this poll:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...25#post1229525

[phineas]

3.25 days on the new Kindle 3 without any issues whatsoever.

[Rob Y]

Originally Posted by phineas

Rob:


Fwiw, don't wait beyond the 30 days of the original purchase, if possible. Amazon's default practice is to give you a prorated refund after 30 days from the original ship date. That 30 days doesn't restart with replacement Kindles. I had to go through a few hoops to get fully refunded at about 45 days. Amazon did come through, with even a little extra that covered part of my initial shipping charge (I had purchased overnight delivery). But your mileage might vary. The rep I got felt I deserved a full refund beyond the cut-off.

Oh ok, I misread what you wrote, I thought it had to be at least 30 days before they gave the full refund. Thanks for the heads up.

It's pretty strange but I've now gone a week without any issues at all. I just got off the phone with CS to see if they maybe sent a remote update (perhaps the non-beta 3.0.3, I think I still had the beta one) but they had no record of that happening.

So I have no idea what "fixed" the problem, but this past week has been flawless with zero rebooting*.

*Of course me saying this with so much confidence means that I will be back on here tomorrow saying how the rebooting is happening again.

[Rob Y]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

And in the five days since I wrote the above (#21), still not a single problem.

I add and delete magazine articles daily (some via Instapaper), but it's been a couple weeks since I added a book (that being Les Misérables from Project Gutenberg). Could it be that my K3 was stuck for two weeks or so indexing? Who knows? Maybe someone at Lab126.com knows the likely story, but they are not talking.

And IMHO they should be. There's plenty of precedent in the computer industry for support people chiming in on a polite and respectful board like this. Honest communication and realistic expectation-setting might reduce returns and increase customer loyalty.

Ok, so there definitely has to have been an update to the 3.0.3 software that was sent out, or something to that effect, because both of ours couldn't have just magically fixed themselves on the same day.

I might try uploading my books from my archive to really test it out.