cannot get into 'usb downloader mode'

[Philip Man]

Got a kindle keyboard firmware 3.4.2.
Using kubrick, got to the hold power button for 30secs and hold vol-…

Kubrick stays waiting for device.

Any suggestions how to downgrade to 3.4?

[dhdurgee]

Is there a reason for the downgrade? The 3.4.2 firmware can have JB installed directly and it is the only version with the proper security keys for internet use.

Dave

[Philip Man]

Ever since I installed 3.4.2 my Kindle has been acting up. Changed the battery, but would hang, restart itself, blank screen, power button not working.
Once that happens, I need to pull out the battery to reset.

I think same for 3.4.1, so want to downgrade to a known good version.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by Philip Man

Ever since I installed 3.4.2 my Kindle has been acting up. Changed the battery, but would hang, restart itself, blank screen, power button not working.
Once that happens, I need to pull out the battery to reset.

I think same for 3.4.1, so want to downgrade to a known good version.

I think the 'dump messages' feature has been in Kindle firmwares forever.
In the search bar (if 3.4.1 has a search bar), enter:
;dm
The semi-colon is part of the command.

The best time to do that is immediately after one of these problem restarts - that way the information about it will be near the end of the log files.

Read through the resultant logs produced (they show up as documents on the Kindle) and see if you can spot anything that seems unusual about the restarts.
and/or
zip them up and make them an attachment to your next post so somebody here can read through them.

[Philip Man]

Thanks for the help. Will continue to test, and will upload once I see anything out of the normal

[Philip Man]

Attached the log after my kindle reset by itself.

[knc1]

Your DHCP server is returning crap:

170718:060424 lipc-props: I lipc-props:prop:: ********* 4- Last DHCP Session *********
- - - - -
170718:060424 lipc-props: I lipc-props:prop:: 	r	Str	xfsn	[ARBI+I3oQXyepXXfC2Tz48DaRoozA0DkSzMJ1hsjOp/NgLdIEbEm/2kE0FD1c67Fi9g6PQERNsvWoHNieaH9XLV3E76uME1zFdqbTuf06rR9Z5a5YaMcl8pWXCdIpCIhfm/+knRNZWs=]

(That looks like a (malformed) base64 encoded string - a password key maybe?)
Check your DHCP server operation and re-test

You have WPA2-PSK security set -
I don't know if a K3 could handle WPA2-PSK - - you might check on that.
But there was a lot of network setup activity going on at the end of that log.

Does this unit have 3G?
If it does, is it compatible with the 3G providers in your country?
I don't recall if the K3 had an 'international model' (the K2/DX versions did).

You might try setting your WIFI access point to something other than channel 3 -
Channel 3 has a lot of over-lap with adjacent channels.

[dhdurgee]

Originally Posted by knc1

Your DHCP server is returning crap:

170718:060424 lipc-props: I lipc-props:prop:: ********* 4- Last DHCP Session *********
- - - - -
170718:060424 lipc-props: I lipc-props:prop:: 	r	Str	xfsn	[ARBI+I3oQXyepXXfC2Tz48DaRoozA0DkSzMJ1hsjOp/NgLdIEbEm/2kE0FD1c67Fi9g6PQERNsvWoHNieaH9XLV3E76uME1zFdqbTuf06rR9Z5a5YaMcl8pWXCdIpCIhfm/+knRNZWs=]

(That looks like a (malformed) base64 encoded string - a password key maybe?)
Check your DHCP server operation and re-test

You have WPA2-PSK security set -
I don't know if a K3 could handle WPA2-PSK - - you might check on that.
But there was a lot of network setup activity going on at the end of that log.

My K3 has no problem with WPA2-PSK on my WiFi network.

Dave

[knc1]

Originally Posted by dhdurgee

My K3 has no problem with WPA2-PSK on my WiFi network.

Dave

Good to know.
It has been years since I used my K3.

And it just occurred to me - we don't know it is a K3.
His info box says: Kindle keyboard
And his questions are about firmware version 3.4.2

But both of those could also be true if he was using a K2 with the Frankenstein installation of 3.4.2

- - - -

Now maybe he did post the first four characters of the device's serial number.
I will be honest, I did not page back through his posts to check.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by knc1

Good to know.
It has been years since I used my K3.

And it just occurred to me - we don't know it is a K3.
His info box says: Kindle keyboard
And his questions are about firmware version 3.4.2

But both of those could also be true if he was using a K2 with the Frankenstein installation of 3.4.2

- - - -

Now maybe he did post the first four characters of the device's serial number.
I will be honest, I did not page back through his posts to check.

No serial number.

[Philip Man]

My Kindle is a keyboard 3rd gen wifi without adverts.
Had it connected to wifi. Before, I did not have it connected and would still reset itself.
The firmware is 3.4.2 straight from Amazon.

I have now disabled Wifi connection. Maybe there is a problem with Wifi reseting the unit.

[Philip Man]

Reason for downgrading to 3.4 is so that I can use Duokan. It only works on previous versions

[dhdurgee]

Originally Posted by Philip Man

Reason for downgrading to 3.4 is so that I can use Duokan. It only works on previous versions

I SERIOUSLY suggest you reconsider this course of action. If you will search here for Duokan you will read many stories of people bricking their Kindles with it. There are alternatives available here to address most of the features that you are looking to Duokan for, I would suggest you tell us why you are considering Duokan. We should be able to suggest alternatives to save your Kindle.

Finally, if you decide to proceed with Duokan, plan to go elsewhere for support of your Kindle. The team that built Duokan incorporated software developed here with neither permission nor attribution. As such you can expect no assistance with that package.

Dave

[Philip Man]

I used Duokan before, and preferred it over kindle.
I just want better PDF reader with cropping, and epub support. Kindle doesn't give me these.

[dhdurgee]

Originally Posted by Philip Man

I used Duokan before, and preferred it over kindle.
I just want better PDF reader with cropping, and epub support. Kindle doesn't give me these.

I use k2pdfopt to preprocess any PDF documents I want to read and am happy with the results. I use Calibre to convert epub documents to AZW3 and hyphenate them and am also happy with the results.

Alternatively, looking at the K3 index under the master index, I see alternative reading environments FBreader, fbkindle and CoolReader 3 on kindle as offering epub support.

You might want to check these alternatives out and see if they work for you. If not, I wish you well and hope you can get the support you need for Duokan in their forums.

Dave