Tools Serial Jailbreaking your fw >= 5.6.x Kindle for Dummies

[knc1]

The jb will work in any state of the Kindle.

You can 'fake register' your Kindle - there is a thread (or more) on the subject here.

If you want to avoid surprise updates, put a **FOLDER** named:
update.bin.tmp.partial
in the top of visible USB storage.

I don't know of any reason to not register the device (other than to avoid agreeing to the EULA).
So go ahead and register it before starting your changes, and leave it registered.
You can get away with using 'fake' information for most of the things Amazon wants to know about you.

[TheNeedforRead]

It's official - I am excited

Thanks both, lets see how I get on..

[bonacker]

Originally Posted by knc1

If you want to avoid surprise updates, put a **FOLDER** named: update.bin.tmp.partial in the top of visible USB storage.

Does this actually still work?

In the past, a similar hack to avoid getting "special offers" consisted of putting a file named .assets where Amazon wanted to put a folder with the same name where it would then contain the ad files. As I understand it (it was before my time), this worked until it didn't.

I know the theory is that the OS prevents a file being created in a directory that already has a sub-directory with the intended file's name and vice vera, but this can be overwritten in some instances. Who or what has the ability to delete the old file or folder and replace it? As a Windows user with full admin rights and also in a Unix, Linux shell, I can't do it. Just curious.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by bonacker

Does this actually still work?

In the past, a similar hack to avoid getting "special offers" consisted of putting a file named .assets where Amazon wanted to put a folder with the same name where it would then contain the ad files. As I understand it (it was before my time), this worked until it didn't.

I know the theory is that the OS prevents a file being created in a directory that already has a sub-directory with the intended file's name and vice vera, but this can be overwritten in some instances. Who or what has the ability to delete the old file or folder and replace it? As a Windows user with full admin rights and also in a Unix, Linux shell, I can't do it. Just curious.

We are not talking special offers, we are talking updates.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

We are not talking special offers, we are talking updates.

And the updates are installed by EXISTING code ALREADY in the kindle (which does NOT allow updates when that folder exists while you have older firmware installed). Amazon cannot install anything on kindles where this special file prevents them, UNTIL you install newer firmware for which this method no longer works.

However, after you install newer firmware that deletes that folder before continuing the update, then of course, this method will no longer prevent unwanted OTA updates. However, it still works for most firmware versions that we know of, at this time...

But lab126 seems to have hired somebody "smarter than the average bear" (probably aspie) recently, so who knows how locked-down future firmwares will become (and recent firmwares are already pretty darned tight, except for serial port access, and they may eventually lock that too) -- then we will need to shift our interests to non-amazon devices perhaps (the Nook crowd is quite active at this time). And of course, if you read my "fastboot manifesto" thread (regarding earlier kindles with unlocked bootloaders), the older kindles will always be hackable, no matter WHAT firmware amazon pushes at them. Kubrick to the rescue!

[bonacker]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Amazon cannot install anything on kindles where this special file prevents them, UNTIL you install newer firmware for which this method no longer works.
it still works for most firmware versions that we know of, at this time...

Thanks!

Sometimes, with the best of intentions, a poster will post something that at one time was accurate information, but unbeknownst to the well-meaning poster, no longer works. That's why I was double checking.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by bonacker

Thanks!

Sometimes, with the best of intentions, a poster will post something that at one time was accurate information, but unbeknownst to the well-meaning poster, no longer works. That's why I was double checking.

Yeah, the "fastboot manifesto" says "all kindles", which was correct when it was posted. But since then kindles were introduced that do not have a "magic key" (though recent kindles DO have a pair of "USB BOOT" pads (for a missing push-button switch) inside them, which sounds suspiciously like our "magic key"). With a little research, perhaps we can add modern kindles to Kubrick (with instructions how to open them and press the "invisible magic button" (i.e. jumper across the missing push-button pads).

Of course, from what I have learned recently, according to FreeScale docs, *ALL* USB VID 15a2 are dedicated to USB Downloader mode, so we may need to stop checking the USB PID in that case, so that kubrick CAN work with newer kindles (after jumpering across that missing USB BOOT switch inside the newer kindles).

[bonacker]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Yeah, the "fastboot manifesto" [...](after jumpering across that missing BOOT MODE switch inside the newer kindles).

I have no idea what you are talking about, but God bless you for your work.

Seriously, I am in awe of what you've been able to do and for the selfless contributions you've made to the JB community. Thanks again.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by bonacker

I have no idea what you are talking about, but God bless you for your work.

Seriously, I am in awe of what you've been able to do and for the selfless contributions you've made to the JB community. Thanks again.

I understand about half but I haven't done anything with circuit boards since early 1990 and those boards were bigger and for video games.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by bonacker

I have no idea what you are talking about, but God bless you for your work.

Seriously, I am in awe of what you've been able to do and for the selfless contributions you've made to the JB community. Thanks again.

When I wrote "fastboot manifesto" I tried REALLY REALLY HARD to write in language that could be understood by "mere mortals".

So click that link and read as much as you can without melting your brain, and tell me if I was mistaken in my attempt at "readability for the common man".

[Cinisajoy]

I found it readable.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I found it readable.

Sadly, it melts MY brain trying to write like that. Typically, only computers (and other aspies) can understand me enough to tolerate me in large doses... It takes a lot of work on my part to "act normal". But my list of accomplishments includes things that others called "impossible", more times than I can count.



Famous People with Aspergers Syndrome:

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by Famous People with Aspergers Syndrome

Famous People Who Have/Had Aspergers Syndrome
Adam Young, multi-instrumentalist, producer and the founder of the electronic project Owl City.
Adrian Lamo, American computer hacker
Carl Soderholm, speaker in neuropsychiatric disorders
Clay Marzo, American professional surfer
Craig Nicholls, frontman of the Australian garage rock band, The Vines
Dan Aykroyd, comedian and actor: Aykroyd stated he has Asperger's, but some feel he was joking.
Daniel Tammet, British autistic savant, believed to have Asperger Syndrome
Daryl Hannah, actress
Dawn Prince-Hughes, PhD, primate anthropologist, ethologist, and author of Songs for the Gorilla Nation
Gary Numan, British singer and songwriter
Heather Kuzmich, fashion model and reality show contestant on America's Next Top Model
James Durbin, finalist on the tenth season of American Idol
Jerry Newport, American author and mathematical savant, basis of the film Mozart and the Whale
John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye
Judy Singer, Australian disability rights activist
Liane Holliday Willey, author of Pretending to be Normal, Asperger Syndrome in the Family; Asperger syndrome advocate; education professor; and adult diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at age 35
Lizzy Clark, actress and campaigner
Luke Jackson, author
Michael Burry, US investment fund manager
Nicky Reilly, failed suicide bomber from Britain
Paddy Considine, actor
Peter Howson, Scottish painter
Phillipa "Pip" Brown (aka Ladyhawke), indie rock musician
Raymond Thompson, New Zealand scriptwriter and TV producer
Richard Borcherds, mathematician specializing in group theory and Lie algebras
Robert Durst, American real estate developer accused of murder
Robert Napper, British murderer
Satoshi Tajiri, creator and designer of Pokemon
Tim Ellis, Australian magician and author
Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and author
Travis Meeks, lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.
Vernon L. Smith, Nobel Laureate in Economics
William Cottrell, student who was sentenced to eight years in jail for fire-bombing SUV dealerships

Speculated to have Asperger's Syndrome
Abraham Lincoln,1809-1865, US Politician
Alan Turing, 1912-1954, English mathematician, computer scientist and cryptographer
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German/American theoretical physicist
Alexander Graham Bell, 1847-1922, Scottish/Canadian/American inventor of the telephone
Anton Bruckner , 1824-1896, Austrian composer
Bela Bartok, 1881-1945, Hungarian composer
Benjamin Franklin,1706-1790, US polictician/writer
Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970, British logician
Bobby Fischer, 1943-2008, World Chess Champion
Carl Jung, 1875-1961, Swiss psychoanalyst
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1868-1928, Scottish architect and designer
Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886, US poet
Erik Satie, 1866-1925 - Composer
Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, Czech writer
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish playwright, writer of Pygmalion, critic and Socialist
George Washington, 1732-1799, US Politician
Gustav Mahler, 1860-1911, Czech/Austrian composer
Marilyn Monroe, 1926-1962, US actress
H P Lovecraft, 1890-1937, US writer
Henry Cavendish, 1731-1810, English/French scientist, discovered the composition of air and water
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, US industrialist
Henry Thoreau, 1817-1862, US writer
Isaac Newton, 1642-1727, English mathematician and physicist
Jane Austen, 1775-1817, English novelist, author of Pride and Prejudice
Kaspar Hauser, c1812-1833, German foundling, portrayed in a film by Werner Herzog
Ludwig II, 1845-1886, King of Bavaria
Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889-1951, Viennese/English logician and philosopher
Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, German/Viennese composer
Mark Twain, 1835-1910, US humorist
Michelangelo, 1475 1564 - Italian Renissance artist
Nikola Tesla, 1856-1943, Serbian/American scientist, engineer, inventor of electric motors
Oliver Heaviside, 1850-1925, English physicist
Richard Strauss, 1864-1949, German composer
Seth Engstrom, 1987-Present, Magician and World Champion
Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, US inventor
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, US politician
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch painter
Virginia Woolf, 1882-1941, English Writer
Wasily Kandinsky, 1866-1944, Russian/French painter
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756-1791, Austrian composer
Historical people
Alfred Hitchcock, 1899-1980, English/American film director
Andy Kaufman, 1949-1984, US comedian, subject of the film Man on the Moon
Andy Warhol, 1928-1987, US artist.
Charles Schulz, 1922-2000, US cartoonist and creator of Peanuts and Charlie Brown
Glenn Gould, 1932-1982, Canadian pianist
Hans Asperger, 1906-1980, Austrian paediatric doctor after whom Asperger's Syndrom is named
Howard Hughes, 1905-1976, US billionaire
Isaac Asimov, 1920-1992, Russian/US writer on science and of science fiction, author of Bicentennial Man
Jim Henson, 1936-1990, creator of the Muppets, US puppeteer, writer, producer, director, composer
John Denver, 1943-1997, US musician
L S Lowry, 1887-1976, English painter of "matchstick men"

Contemporary People
Al Gore, 1948-, former US Vice President and presidential candidate
Bill Gates, 1955-, Entrepreneur and philanthropist. A key player in the personal computer revolution.
Bob Dylan, 1941-, US singer-songwriter
Charles Dickinson, 1951, US Writer
Crispin Glover, 1964-, US actor
David Helfgott, 1947-, Australian pianist, subject of the film Shine
Garrison Keillor, 1942-, US writer, humorist and host of Prairie Home Companion
Genie, 1957-?, US "wild child" (see also L'Enfant Sauvage, Victor, )
James Taylor, 1948-, US singer/songwriter
Jamie Hyneman, 1956-, Co-host of Mythbusters
Jeff Greenfield, 1943-, US political analyst/speechwriter, a political wonk
John Motson, 1945-, English sports commentator
John Nash, 1928-, US mathematician (portrayed by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, USA 2001)
Joseph Erber, 1985-, young English composer/musician who has Asperger's Syndrome, subject of a BBC TV documentary
Kevin Mitnick, 1963-, US "hacker"
Michael Palin, 1943-, English comedian and presenter
Oliver Sacks, 1933-, UK/US neurologist, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings
Paul Kostabi 1962-, writer, comedian, artist, producer, technician
Pip Brown "Ladyhawke", 1979-, New Zealand Singer/Songwriter, Musician
Robin Williams, 1951-, US Actor
Seth Engstrom, 1987-, Magician and World Champion in Sleight of Hand. The best man with a deck of cards that the world has ever seen.
Tony Benn, 1925-, English Labour politician

And I think you can add geekmaster and eschwartz (and maybe knc1), and perhaps many other kindle addicts who have "too many posts and/or too much karma" to that aspie list too, eh?

And here is a thread where you can see what others have to say about me in other forums (both good and bad, but you can learn a lot about me and others like me from that VERY LONG thread):
https://forums.oculus.com/community/...-matt-sonic/p1

[bonacker]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

So click that link and read as much as you can without melting your brain, and tell me if I was mistaken in my attempt at "readability for the common man".

I'll read it and post back, but I'm going out for the day now.

My comment about my not understanding what you wrote was *totally* a comment on *my* ignorance of the subject matter and its terms. It had *nothing* whatever to do with how you expressed yourself.

Since this is a forum for developers, it makes sense that one would assume that a reader has the technical fluency to understand what you wrote. I'm just a script kiddie (except for the kiddie part).

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Sadly, it melts MY brain trying to write like that. Typically, only computers (and other aspies) can understand me enough to tolerate me in large doses... It takes a lot of work on my part to "act normal". But my list of accomplishments includes things that others called "impossible", more times than I can count.



Famous People with Aspergers Syndrome:
And here is a thread where you can see what others have to say about me in other forums (both good and bad, but you can learn a lot about me and others like me from that VERY LONG thread):
https://forums.oculus.com/community/...-matt-sonic/p1

Are you sure I want to know that much about you?

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Are you sure I want to know that much about you?

Aspies are famous for sharing TMI, without even recognizing that there IS any boundary between "inside" and "outside". We do not wear "social masks" (though female aspies try really hard to pretend -- watch that Maja Toudal (a/k/a "The Anmish") youtube video posted above). We just open up and share. If that is too much information, well... When aspies take over the world (so many more in each new generation that it is now considered less of a "syndrome" and perhaps a genetic mutation to prepare us for the "tecnological singularity") y'all will learn to cope with overwhelming information you might have preferred stayed hidden. Oh well, the future is coming at us faster all the time (including the parts we wish could remain hidden). Sorry if I offend anybody, but we would probably have drawers full of bricked kindles if I had not created a new path in the wilderness (with initial guidance from YifanLu) for others to follow... But then the "shrinks" claim I cannot be aspie because I am "too functional". But they also claim they would be "filthy rich" if they had a tiny fraction of what I have left after my TBI decades ago (which really made holding a "normal job" nearly impossible). But then, I never learned to take money seriously (perhaps since I read "The Creature from Jekyll Island" as a young child). You can learn A LOT from that link to the Oculus forum (though registration might be required to see my embedded images and videos). I am not afraid to share. I would not be afraid to give a speech about anything I know in front of millions of people, naked even (such concerns about what others decide to upset themselves about are strictly artificial "social" things, which I choose to respect just so as NOT to make "normal" folks hurt themselves by being exposed to something they decided somewhere along the way was not fit for their mental well-being). The physical world as we know it is not real anyway -- it is just a model running in our minds, tuned by impulses fed to it from our sensory organs... What we experience is as real as it gets, and getting mentally disturbed from a particular pattern of sensory inputs is a purely personal problem. But I try to adapt to it just so I can interact with others in forums such as this... Sorry if I occasionaly seem a bit odd-ball, but I have certain worthwhile qualities as well...

I try really hard to make any links I provide safe for "normal folks". Go ahead and click them if you dare, but prepare to suffer the consequences of learning something new. IMHO, learning new stuff keeps your mind young, and can never hurt -- but it is your mind, so you must decide if it is ready to learn something you might never have considered possible. My imagination does not respect "normal" boundaries (which I think is a requirement for solving "impossible" problems).