Old kindle - can't reset to factory settings?

MrsJ74 · 04-21-2019, 10:47 PM

Hi everyone - this is my first post.

I apologize if this has been asked before. I have an old kindle (running version 4.1.3) - I took it on a trip and since I've taken it off airplane mode it will no longer connect to wifi. I tried all the google stuff, I've done a soft reset a few times but it doesn't work, so I (took a deep breath) and tried to reset to factory settings. I understand how to do it, and I'm clicking the right things ... settings then menu then Reset to factory defaults, and I click OK - but then nothing happens. I can just go back to reading a book as if I hadn't just tried to reset it (but I still can't connect to wifi). (When I go to Wi-Fi networks and click view, nothing happens.) Has anyone seen this before? Any tips? Thanks so much!!
Laura

Tarana · 04-21-2019, 11:00 PM

It doesn't connect to WIFI or it doesn't connect to Amazon? Oh, wait, you explained that. Never mind. It also helps to identify which kindle you have - Try googling "what kindle do I have" and include the model number on the back of the device to narrow it down. Sometimes a software factory reset doesn't work and you have to do the hard factory reset a couple of times. I sympathize - it's frustrating when it doesn't work!!

MrsJ74 · 04-22-2019, 08:02 AM

Thank you! It's an older one - 4th /5th generation. Model # seems to be 9599A-0725.

eddie.t.h · 04-22-2019, 09:33 AM

Have you tried long (30s) holding the power button?

Tarana · 04-22-2019, 11:07 AM

Long hold on Kindle 4 is 40 seconds. I had this problem once and did the hard reset 7 times and it has worked ever since.

Is your unit black (kindle 5) or graphite gray (kindle 4)? I will do a little additional research on this when I get back home. I seem to recall there was some combo key thing that did more, but I could be confusing that with the Kindle Keyboard (3).

Doitsu · 04-23-2019, 01:00 AM

@MrsJ74 As a last resort you could also try the DO_FACTORY_RESTORE method.

tomsem · 04-23-2019, 08:19 PM

I ran into this issue recently with a couple of Kindles that were 7th generation and later that were running the latest firmware: the Reset option did nothing. I did a Restart, followed immediately by Reset, and it worked as expected. Perhaps that would work here as well.

MrsJ74 · 04-23-2019, 09:38 PM

Hi everyone - thanks so much for all the responses! Yes, i had tried the soft reset (holding the power button down) but it didn't fix the problem. For some reason, after maybe the 12th or 15th time of me trying to do the reset to factory settings, it actually did it - and the kindle reset and it now connects to Wi-Fi. So strange!!

tomsem · 04-23-2019, 10:34 PM

I wonder if Deregister would have gotten the same result without Reset. It is almost as ‘flattening’ as Reset but would leave any side-loaded content alone (I think), and maybe on the older devices, Amazon content and Personal Documents as well. Newer devices support custom fonts and Deregister did not remove those (but still have to recreate Themes), but content was all gone (I rarely side-load anything).

shalym · 04-26-2019, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsem

I wonder if Deregister would have gotten the same result without Reset. It is almost as ‘flattening’ as Reset but would leave any side-loaded content alone (I think), and maybe on the older devices, Amazon content and Personal Documents as well. Newer devices support custom fonts and Deregister did not remove those (but still have to recreate Themes), but content was all gone (I rarely side-load anything).

How new was the device? I just de-registered my Voyage running the latest firmware, and all of the content that was on the device was still there, even after a reboot. The content was a mix of books bought from Amazon, and books bought elsewhere and uploaded to my Kindle cloud. None of them disappeared when I de-registered the device. I was even able to open the book I was reading and take up right where I left off.

I'll try it with my Oasis in a bit.

Maybe the device you de-registered was a Fire, rather than an e-ink Kindle?

Shari

Tarana · 04-26-2019, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

How new was the device?
Shari

Kindle 4 is pretty old. 2011-2012.

I'm glad you kept trying it. There is a way to get the the developer level, but I can no longer remember how to do it or find a link for it. Anyway, you are working! Yay!

BTW, I noticed that deregistration works differently now. It pulls all your books off that are listed in the cloud. Never used to do that.

tomsem · 04-26-2019, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

How new was the device? I just de-registered my Voyage running the latest firmware, and all of the content that was on the device was still there, even after a reboot. The content was a mix of books bought from Amazon, and books bought elsewhere and uploaded to my Kindle cloud. None of them disappeared when I de-registered the device. I was even able to open the book I was reading and take up right where I left off.

I'll try it with my Oasis in a bit.

Maybe the device you de-registered was a Fire, rather than an e-ink Kindle?

Shari

I don’t remember which device this was (I was experimenting with 4 of them: 2 Voyages, Kindle 8th gen, Paperwhite 10th gen) but all of them were running the same software version, which is all that should matter.

Do you turn WiFi off? I don’t. That might account for different result. I expect that if WiFi is on, Deregister will include a step to update the list of devices linked to your account, and logically, that should remove the content linked to your account. If WiFi is off, then that cannot happen. But I’ve only done this once or twice so this is a conjecture.

janrey · 04-27-2019, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

How new was the device? I just de-registered my Voyage running the latest firmware, and all of the content that was on the device was still there, even after a reboot. The content was a mix of books bought from Amazon, and books bought elsewhere and uploaded to my Kindle cloud. None of them disappeared when I de-registered the device. I was even able to open the book I was reading and take up right where I left off.

I'll try it with my Oasis in a bit.

Maybe the device you de-registered was a Fire, rather than an e-ink Kindle?

Shari

If you deregister a device I do believe all it does is stop it from connecting to your Amazon account. It doesn't delete anything on the device, even if you connect it to wifi.

tomsem · 04-28-2019, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janrey

If you deregister a device I do believe all it does is stop it from connecting to your Amazon account. It doesn't delete anything on the device, even if you connect it to wifi.

That is not what my experience was.

shalym · 04-28-2019, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsem

That is not what my experience was.

I tried it on my Voyage and all downloaded content stayed on the device. I then tried it on my Oasis2, and all downloaded content was deleted. Both were running the latest software, and both had wifi turned on.

Shari

04-21-2019, 10:47 PM	#1
MrsJ74 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2019 Device: Kindle (old)	Old kindle - can't reset to factory settings? Hi everyone - this is my first post. I apologize if this has been asked before. I have an old kindle (running version 4.1.3) - I took it on a trip and since I've taken it off airplane mode it will no longer connect to wifi. I tried all the google stuff, I've done a soft reset a few times but it doesn't work, so I (took a deep breath) and tried to reset to factory settings. I understand how to do it, and I'm clicking the right things ... settings then menu then Reset to factory defaults, and I click OK - but then nothing happens. I can just go back to reading a book as if I hadn't just tried to reset it (but I still can't connect to wifi). (When I go to Wi-Fi networks and click view, nothing happens.) Has anyone seen this before? Any tips? Thanks so much!! Laura

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04-21-2019, 11:00 PM	#2
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,978 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	It doesn't connect to WIFI or it doesn't connect to Amazon? Oh, wait, you explained that. Never mind. It also helps to identify which kindle you have - Try googling "what kindle do I have" and include the model number on the back of the device to narrow it down. Sometimes a software factory reset doesn't work and you have to do the hard factory reset a couple of times. I sympathize - it's frustrating when it doesn't work!!

04-22-2019, 08:02 AM	#3
MrsJ74 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2019 Device: Kindle (old)	Thank you! It's an older one - 4th /5th generation. Model # seems to be 9599A-0725.

04-22-2019, 09:33 AM	#4
eddie.t.h Groupie Posts: 198 Karma: 123456 Join Date: Jan 2018 Device: Too Much Kindle :-)	Have you tried long (30s) holding the power button?

04-22-2019, 11:07 AM	#5
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,978 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Long hold on Kindle 4 is 40 seconds. I had this problem once and did the hard reset 7 times and it has worked ever since. Is your unit black (kindle 5) or graphite gray (kindle 4)? I will do a little additional research on this when I get back home. I seem to recall there was some combo key thing that did more, but I could be confusing that with the Kindle Keyboard (3).

04-23-2019, 01:00 AM	#6
Doitsu Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,584 Karma: 22735033 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle PW2	@MrsJ74 As a last resort you could also try the DO_FACTORY_RESTORE method.

04-23-2019, 08:19 PM	#7
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,477 Karma: 26425959 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	I ran into this issue recently with a couple of Kindles that were 7th generation and later that were running the latest firmware: the Reset option did nothing. I did a Restart, followed immediately by Reset, and it worked as expected. Perhaps that would work here as well.

04-23-2019, 09:38 PM	#8
MrsJ74 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2019 Device: Kindle (old)	Hi everyone - thanks so much for all the responses! Yes, i had tried the soft reset (holding the power button down) but it didn't fix the problem. For some reason, after maybe the 12th or 15th time of me trying to do the reset to factory settings, it actually did it - and the kindle reset and it now connects to Wi-Fi. So strange!!

04-23-2019, 10:34 PM	#9
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,477 Karma: 26425959 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	I wonder if Deregister would have gotten the same result without Reset. It is almost as ‘flattening’ as Reset but would leave any side-loaded content alone (I think), and maybe on the older devices, Amazon content and Personal Documents as well. Newer devices support custom fonts and Deregister did not remove those (but still have to recreate Themes), but content was all gone (I rarely side-load anything).

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