Font, ScreenSaver & USBNetwork Hacks for Kindle 2.x, 3.x & 4.x

[Pjama]

I just set up the COVER screensaver hack successfully! It took me a few tries, and I think it would be a good idea to clarify that the 'blank file' named 'cover' should be created by copying the 'DONT_HALT_ON_REPAIR' file and renaming it 'cover' then moving it to the linkss folder.

This is because I didn't understand that a 'blank file' meant a 'blank executable file' and I tried and failed many times with a blank txt file.

And when I look back over the years that I have tried various hacks on my previous kindles, I do remember never getting this to work, and that is why! So, maybe spell this out in the first post?

Anyway, I'm very pleased with it, so thanks very much!

[NiLuJe]

@Pjama: The whole shebang kinda got "fixed" by just recommending doing that via KUAL, because then it's just "click a button", and it does the right thing .

Otherwise, the exact instructions would heavily depend on the OS, the file manager, and how it's setup, which can quickly get hairy .

[Pjama]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@Pjama: The whole shebang kinda got "fixed" by just recommending doing that via KUAL, because then it's just "click a button", and it does the right thing .

Otherwise, the exact instructions would heavily depend on the OS, the file manager, and how it's setup, which can quickly get hairy .

Oh, I see, I’m doing it freestyle, without KUAL.

[arooni]

Perhaps a dumb question, but if I ever blew away my ssh keys (I have the latest usbnetwork installed on my paperwhite 4, and it set up to use openssh), and needed to log in via password, what would the root password be for my device?

I have set this up so long ago I forgot how I did it. I checked out https://www.sven.de/kindle/?# which has some options but none of those worked.

Update; I was able to extract the kindle password via kindletool; but when I tried ssh'ing with those values; no dice:

Root PW fionad96
Recovery PW fionad962

[I]  ✘  ~/d/k/USBNetwork  ssh -o PreferredAuthentications=password -o PubkeyAuthentication=no root@192.168.1.106 -v
OpenSSH_7.6p1 Ubuntu-4ubuntu0.3, OpenSSL 1.0.2n  7 Dec 2017
debug1: Reading configuration data /home/david/.ssh/config
debug1: /home/david/.ssh/config line 1: Applying options for *
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config
debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh_config line 19: Applying options for *
debug1: Connecting to 192.168.1.106 [192.168.1.106] port 22.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_rsa type 0
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_rsa-cert type -1
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_dsa type -1
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_dsa-cert type -1
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_ecdsa type -1
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_ecdsa-cert type -1
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_ed25519 type 3
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /home/david/.ssh/id_ed25519-cert type -1
debug1: Local version string SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_7.6p1 Ubuntu-4ubuntu0.3
debug1: Remote protocol version 2.0, remote software version OpenSSH_8.2
debug1: match: OpenSSH_8.2 pat OpenSSH* compat 0x04000000
debug1: Authenticating to 192.168.1.106:22 as 'root'
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT sent
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT received
debug1: kex: algorithm: curve25519-sha256
debug1: kex: host key algorithm: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256
debug1: kex: server->client cipher: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com MAC: <implicit> compression: none
debug1: kex: client->server cipher: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com MAC: <implicit> compression: none
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_KEX_ECDH_REPLY
debug1: Server host key: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256 SHA256:EnyqIeMglLeBP7sOKfWtHidGBlYL5I6wMy8/6++nbpk
debug1: Host '192.168.1.106' is known and matches the ECDSA host key.
debug1: Found key in /home/david/.ssh/known_hosts:180
debug1: rekey after 134217728 blocks
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS received
debug1: rekey after 134217728 blocks
debug1: pubkey_prepare: ssh_get_authentication_socket: Connection refused
debug1: SSH2_MSG_EXT_INFO received
debug1: kex_input_ext_info: server-sig-algs=<ssh-ed25519,sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com,ssh-rsa,rsa-sha2-256,rsa-sha2-512,ssh-dss,ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521,sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com>
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_ACCEPT received
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey,password,keyboard-interactive
debug1: Next authentication method: password

also related:
i normally use a different term variable for tmux and remote ssh purposes. (screen-256color or something). anyway to specify the term variable *only* for my kindle device in .ssh/config ? I tried adding " SendEnv term=xterm" which it didn't seem to work with

[I]  ~/.ssh  ssh kindle
#################################################
#  N O T I C E  *  N O T I C E  *  N O T I C E  #
#################################################
Rootfs is mounted read-only. Invoke mntroot rw to
switch back to a writable rootfs.
#################################################
[root@kindle root]# htop
Error opening terminal: screen-256color.
[root@kindle root]#

[NiLuJe]

The root account has been locked for quite a while, you won't be able to get in that way via OpenSSH.

Dropbear will let you in no matter what, as long as it's not set up to allow connections over WiFi.

----

Err, why is your TERM set to a screen variant? Is this actually a screen session? On what terminal emulator?

[arooni]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

The root account has been locked for quite a while, you won't be able to get in that way via OpenSSH.

Dropbear will let you in no matter what, as long as it's not set up to allow connections over WiFi.

----

Err, why is your TERM set to a screen variant? Is this actually a screen session? On what terminal emulator?

because it's my default for my tmux setup. without having to run export TERM=xterm; each time before connecting to the kindle; is there a way to specify the term variable in my ssh config?

[NiLuJe]

@arooni: That'll be fixed in the next snapshots, apparently the 256colors stuff was not a thing the last time I filtered the terminfo db to embed .

[arooni]

I shouldn't care about a thing like running zsh with colors on my Kindle but I guess I'm here so I do ...

[NiLuJe]

@arooni: Updated snapshots should now ship a better terminfo db .

[arooni]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@arooni: Updated snapshots should now ship a better terminfo db .

Neato ! No more exporting ssh'ing before dropping in my Kindle for a visit.

I must say you're my personal MVP here. SO MANY useful tools you've built for us all. Where do you find all the time?

PS: Loving colors on my ssh experience on kindle and now zsh works great (was getting extra characters when I was typing probably due to mismatched TERM variables). Also great theme/color scheme too.

If you had told me I'd be doing all this when I got my first Kindle DX or Keyboard years ago I wouldn't have believed you

[AIVABETO]

I have arrived 10 years late!!

i received a gif from an old friend, he gave me a Kindle 3G Keyboard with the 3.4.3 update but I cant do the jailbreak, could someone help me?

[ActionJ]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

Yep, what twobob said. For all intents and purposes, those are actually sleep screens, not screensavers. To switch them, you'd have to actually wake the device up, which entirely defeats the purpose (besides ruining your battery).

Would it be possible to create a script to power on and then off again to change it at a long interval to get the effect without high battery use? Am looking to do this to create a picture frame effect that would change daily but not require constant power.

Thanks

[NiLuJe]

You'll want to look into rtc wake, which can be a tad messy, but people have gotten the hang of it on most devices.

I haven't followed everything, because I don't care about it on Kindle, but I think @yparitcher has posted some working examples for K4 a couple of times over here. Try a targeted search on his username.

[Woh]

Where are the most current install instructions for USBNetwork located now?
On the Forum or Wiki?
I seem to have it working althought I only jailbroke it last night and I don't think I instaleld it correctly.

[NiLuJe]

In the package's README.

It is sparse on purpose. If you need it, you're supposed to have a vague idea of what you're doing, because it is kind of a loaded shotgun.