bricked? stuck on language selection screen

[n1kn0k]

I got a paperwhite2 for a few bucks, which could turn on but is stuck on a language selection screen. Doing a long press seems to reboot the device, and I can see the boy under the tree screen, and then I return to the language selection screen. Pressing on the screen doesn't register any sort of response, and I suspect it's a hardware problem...



I've charged this for ten days, but I don't see any change.

When I connect it to my Ubuntu computer, lsusb finds the connection:
$lsusb

Bus 003 Device 012: ID 1949:0004 Lab126, Inc. Amazon Kindle 3/4/Paperwhite

$dmesg

[204862.475368] usb 3-2: new high-speed USB device number 12 using xhci_hcd
[204862.498386] usb 3-2: New USB device found, idVendor=1949, idProduct=0004
[204862.498393] usb 3-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[204862.498397] usb 3-2: Product: Amazon Kindle
[204862.498400] usb 3-2: Manufacturer: Amazon
[204862.498403] usb 3-2: SerialNumber: [XXXXXX]
[204863.734945] usb-storage 3-2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[204863.735055] scsi6 : usb-storage 3-2:1.0
[204863.735155] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[204864.734012] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     Kindle   Internal Storage 0100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
[204864.734387] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
[204864.742921] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

$sudo ls -l /dev/disk/by-id

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  9 Jun  2 14:22 usb-Kindle_Internal_Storage_XXXXX-0:0 -> ../../sdb

address is confirmed but attempting to mount it gets me the error:

no medium found on /dev/sdb

fdisk -l doesn't tell me anything:

no medium found on /dev/sdb

Is there anything I can try that wouldn't require me to take it apart at this point?

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by n1kn0k

Is there anything I can try that wouldn't require me to take it apart at this point?

Some users have reported that copying a blank DO_FACTORY_RESTORE text file (without a file extension) to the root folder worked for them.

It couldn't hurt to try it.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by n1kn0k

[...] address is confirmed but attempting to mount it gets me the error:

no medium found on /dev/sdb

fdisk -l doesn't tell me anything:

no medium found on /dev/sdb

Is there anything I can try that wouldn't require me to take it apart at this point?

That is a symptom of the kindle being in "low battery" charging mode. The source code calls this "fake disk" mode (or something like that) and it shows up on a Windows computer as a 0MB hard drive.

The reason lab126/amazon uses this "fake disk" mode is so that host PC things a real USB device is attached, to prevent turning off power to that USB port (so your kindle can be charged on a PC USB port). Another reason is that the kindle was not able to turn on its SDRAM (main memory) or other internal devices due to a lack of sufficient power, so it with almost no firmware loaded and active, it can only safely trickle-charge the battery (because battery charging is a software function in the kindle, and software needs to load into SDRAM).

Beware that in this mode, the kindle may be set to draw as little as 10mA and can take more than a day to charge. I (and others) have found that after charging for a half hour or more, it can be switched to a faster charging mode by doing a hard reset (hold the power button for 30 seconds).

It is possible that you have a dead battery that will not take a charge. If so, you must commit to taking it apart at this point.

You can try swapping in a known good battery from another kindle that uses the same battery, to test this particular kindle. But that means opening the kindle, in which case you could attach to the internal serial port and SEE what messages are being displayed when you hard-reset it.

Or you could try that "kindle battery surgery" hack I posted in another thread if you do not have a spare battery to borrow for testing this device.

But a bad battery can prevent the kindle from booting at all, so yes, a battery change MIGHT be required. There are services that do that for you, or you can buy a replacement battery online, or (if adventurous) you could repair your dead battery (i.e. "kindle battery surgery").

EDIT: I just re-read the entire thread, and I see that your kindle DOES operate long enough to draw the "kindle tree" startup screen, then go to the language selection screen. Have you selected a language yet? If so, what happens next? Language selection happens after setting a device to shipping mode (and other things), and your kindle cannot go farther until you select a language. If you are stuck there, it is possible that your touchscreen is not working. I have a PW3 with a flaky touchscreen -- tapping the power button (in and out of screen saver mode multiple times) eventually gets it working again, for awhile. Try that, then select your language. I keep my "flaky touchscreen" PW3 in usbnetworking mode, so I can control it from there. However, the "fake disk" mode you described still indicates a dead battery, so like my PW3, perhaps you have a flaky touchscreen AND a dead battery (I swapped in a battery from a dead PW2 that could not even trickle-charge a good battery)...

[knc1]

I can't see any way to tell the difference between a dead battery and a dead touchscreen (but you just may not have enough power to run the touchscreen at the moment) without opening it up.

That model is easy to open, just follow one of the teardown descriptions.
The KT-2 is similar enough to the other models that you could follow those directions, see:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=249979

[geekmaster]

That 0MB (no partitions) shared hard drive suggests a dead battery. However, if the firmware is corrupted, even a new battery may be detected as a dead battery.

What is suspicious is that it appears to boot far enough beyond the "kindle tree" (boy under tree) boot screen to get to the language selection screen. If it gets that far it seems logical that the touchscreen should be initialized.

And perhaps (for security reasons or otherwise) it does not share the real filesystem until AFTER you select a language -- presumably done before loading the framework and seeing if a user-selected password is needed to continue. This seems unlikely though, erasing user settings is what gets you to the language selection screen.

One suggestion -- try swapping screens with another PW2. I did that without removing the screen, just by placing two devices side-by-side and swapping the connectors. It worked. I did that years ago with a K3 as well.

[n1kn0k]

Thank you for the quick replies, everyone.

As mentioned in my original post, I tried charging the device for ten straight days, and that doesn't appear to have changed anything.

Based on your replies, there are two feasible options to find the culprit: (1) swap battery, or (2) swap the touchscreen.

Unfortunately, I don't have extra PW2 devices I can dismember for this exercise. I do have a venerable K2. with the keyboard, that I still use. I wonder whether the batteries are the same...
EDIT: just checked online, batteries are not compatible.

@geekmaster, when I get to the language selection screen, selecting the language doesn't register. None of the screen touches appear to register at that point. Yes, I suspect it to be a faulty touchscreen, as well.

@knc1, i'll take a look at that. Thanks.
Thank you again for your help.

[dhdurgee]

If as knc1 indicates it is an easy model to open you might want to do so and try to charge the battery with an external charger. You should then be able to be sure if the battery is OK. If it won't take a charge externally you can then order a replacement battery. If it takes a charge and the unit still gets stuck you can then order a replacement touch screen or another PW2 to salvage parts from.

Dave

[knc1]

Originally Posted by dhdurgee

If as knc1 indicates it is an easy model to open you might want to do so and try to charge the battery with an external charger. You should then be able to be sure if the battery is OK. If it won't take a charge externally you can then order a replacement battery. If it takes a charge and the unit still gets stuck you can then order a replacement touch screen or another PW2 to salvage parts from.

Dave

A good suggestion.

A really, really discharged Li-Po battery has complex re-charge requirements.
Probably too complex for the on-board battery management, but external Li-Po chargers often have a 'restore' feature that can deal with the situation.

[Cinisajoy]

Are you charging via a power outlet or from a computer?

[dhdurgee]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Are you charging via a power outlet or from a computer?

Good point. A lot of computer USB ports are powered down when your unit goes to sleep. It is definitely safer to use a power outlet charger for this.

Dave

[n1kn0k]

I charged it for ten days from the wall outlet, and not from a computer.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Are you charging via a power outlet or from a computer?

[yacolioi]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm having the exact same problem. Also tried the commands from linux and having the same output. Can anybody help?