Update Bricks Kindle Touch

Jimbo724 · 09-10-2013, 05:45 PM

My KT was working just fine until yesterday, when I turned wifi on for the first time in a long time and got a letter about an update. I left the KT connected to the USB cable to charge. When I came back a few hours latter, the KT was dead with wallpaper asking me to wait a moment while my Kindle starts up. It never started up. Rather than turning green when charging finished, the amber light went off. Disconnecting the USB cable and holding the power button down for 20 or 30 seconds did nothing. Reconnecting the USB cable and holding the power button down for a minute did nothing. The KT will not start. The KT does not mount on my computer. Gotta love an update that is supposed to enhance the user experience but kills the device instead.

I have been managing my KT via Calibre on an iMac running OS X Mountain Lion. Is there a Mac program that I can run on my iMac to force a factory reset, restart, or mount of my KT?

jswinden · 09-10-2013, 06:15 PM

Can you clarify a bit. Do I understand that you had the KT attached to your Mac via USB cable during the Kindle update? Or was it attached just to a charger? I've never had trouble updating my KT, but I usually do so with it plugged into the charger. I've never tried to update while it is plugged into my Mac so I'm not sure what would happen. The only way I can imagine the KT being able to update while plugged into a computer would be if it started the update and then you plugged it into the Mac before it finished, and in that scenario I can imagine some issues occuring.

pidgeon92 · 09-10-2013, 07:02 PM

It sounds like a dead battery to me. I'd plug it into a wall outlet for several hours (or overnight), then try to restart again.

Jimbo724 · 09-10-2013, 09:13 PM

The KT died while attached to my iMac via the USB cable and charging.

When I leave the KT attached to my iMac and charging, the yellow light eventually turns off but does not turn green. (I don't know when that happens because I do not watch the light for hours.)

I'll try charging it on a wall outlet.

pidgeon92 · 09-10-2013, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo724

The KT died while attached to my iMac via the USB cable and charging.

When the Mac falls asleep, the battery on the Kindle may very well be discharging.

I used to charge my Sony 950 on my iMac, and it took me a few charging cycles before I realized that it wasn't that the battery on the 950 was defective, but that the battery was draining rapidly when the Mac went to sleep. Now I charge all of my ereaders exclusively on wall chargers.

Jimbo724 · 09-11-2013, 02:33 AM

I charged the KT on a wall outlet. The light was yellow for several hours, then turned off, without ever turning green. Holding the power button down does nothing. This device is dead as a doornail.

Even though the KT is outside warranty, Kindle support agreed to send me a replacement because it was obviously (based on the frozen wallpaper) their update that killed the KT. It was working perfectly and had no battery issues before I turned wifi on and got the letter about the imminent upgrade. It's the only fair thing to do under the circumstances.

One really has to wonder about a device that dies because of a software upgrade.

ixtab · 09-11-2013, 03:12 AM

The 5.3.7 firmware has now been reported at least 3 times to occasionally do this (i.e., refusing to boot).

I can't tell if this always works, but a possible solution, which seems to have worked at least in one case, is here.

Jimbo724 · 09-11-2013, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ixtab

I can't tell if this always works, but a possible solution, which seems to have worked at least in one case, is here.

I can't mount the KT, so I can't see or delete any files on it. How can I mount a device that appears as if it is stuck in a completely powered-down (off) state? It's just plain dead.

ixtab · 09-11-2013, 05:35 AM

It's not completely dead. You could try Kubrick (see sticky post in dev corner), and select *all* available options (delete internal memory, delete external storage, etc.). Unless your Kindle has a hardware fault, there is a >95% chance to get it working again. It's almost impossible to totally kill a Kindle Touch.

Jimbo724 · 09-11-2013, 06:34 AM

When I try booting my iMac from the Kubrick CD, I see the error message, "no bootable device - insert bootable disk and press any key." Pressing keys does nothing because, I assume, there is no driver on the liveCD for my bluetooth keyboard. However, even if I found a plug-in keyboard, the error message is still there. Not sure what else I can do to boot from the Kubrick CD.

I used the OS X Disk Utility to burn boot.iso to CD.

ixtab · 09-11-2013, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo724

When I try booting my iMac from the Kubrick CD, I see the error message, "no bootable device - insert bootable disk and press any key." Pressing keys does nothing because, I assume, there is no driver on the liveCD for my bluetooth keyboard. However, even if I found a plug-in keyboard, the error message is still there. Not sure what else I can do to boot from the Kubrick CD.

I used the OS X Disk Utility to burn boot.iso to CD.

I guess that's what "think different" means.

I have tested this on an Intel Macbook Pro, and it worked. It definitely won't work on non-Intel Macs, but it should work on Intel-based ones. You best bet would be to try it on an x86 Laptop or something.

Anyway, if I understand correctly, you already ordered a replacement Kindle anyway, so it's not that much of an issue.

09-10-2013, 05:45 PM	#1
Jimbo724 Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	Update Bricks Kindle Touch My KT was working just fine until yesterday, when I turned wifi on for the first time in a long time and got a letter about an update. I left the KT connected to the USB cable to charge. When I came back a few hours latter, the KT was dead with wallpaper asking me to wait a moment while my Kindle starts up. It never started up. Rather than turning green when charging finished, the amber light went off. Disconnecting the USB cable and holding the power button down for 20 or 30 seconds did nothing. Reconnecting the USB cable and holding the power button down for a minute did nothing. The KT will not start. The KT does not mount on my computer. Gotta love an update that is supposed to enhance the user experience but kills the device instead. I have been managing my KT via Calibre on an iMac running OS X Mountain Lion. Is there a Mac program that I can run on my iMac to force a factory reset, restart, or mount of my KT?

09-11-2013, 06:34 AM	#10
Jimbo724 Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	When I try booting my iMac from the Kubrick CD, I see the error message, "no bootable device - insert bootable disk and press any key." Pressing keys does nothing because, I assume, there is no driver on the liveCD for my bluetooth keyboard. However, even if I found a plug-in keyboard, the error message is still there. Not sure what else I can do to boot from the Kubrick CD. I used the OS X Disk Utility to burn boot.iso to CD. Last edited by Jimbo724; 09-11-2013 at 06:37 AM.

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09-10-2013, 06:15 PM	#2
jswinden Nameless Being	Can you clarify a bit. Do I understand that you had the KT attached to your Mac via USB cable during the Kindle update? Or was it attached just to a charger? I've never had trouble updating my KT, but I usually do so with it plugged into the charger. I've never tried to update while it is plugged into my Mac so I'm not sure what would happen. The only way I can imagine the KT being able to update while plugged into a computer would be if it started the update and then you plugged it into the Mac before it finished, and in that scenario I can imagine some issues occuring.

09-10-2013, 07:02 PM	#3
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	It sounds like a dead battery to me. I'd plug it into a wall outlet for several hours (or overnight), then try to restart again.

09-10-2013, 09:13 PM	#4
Jimbo724 Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	The KT died while attached to my iMac via the USB cable and charging. When I leave the KT attached to my iMac and charging, the yellow light eventually turns off but does not turn green. (I don't know when that happens because I do not watch the light for hours.) I'll try charging it on a wall outlet.

09-11-2013, 02:33 AM	#6
Jimbo724 Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	I charged the KT on a wall outlet. The light was yellow for several hours, then turned off, without ever turning green. Holding the power button down does nothing. This device is dead as a doornail. Even though the KT is outside warranty, Kindle support agreed to send me a replacement because it was obviously (based on the frozen wallpaper) their update that killed the KT. It was working perfectly and had no battery issues before I turned wifi on and got the letter about the imminent upgrade. It's the only fair thing to do under the circumstances. One really has to wonder about a device that dies because of a software upgrade.

09-11-2013, 03:12 AM	#7
ixtab (offline) Posts: 2,907 Karma: 6736092 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: K3, K4, K5, KPW, KPW2	The 5.3.7 firmware has now been reported at least 3 times to occasionally do this (i.e., refusing to boot). I can't tell if this always works, but a possible solution, which seems to have worked at least in one case, is here.

09-11-2013, 05:35 AM	#9
ixtab (offline) Posts: 2,907 Karma: 6736092 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: K3, K4, K5, KPW, KPW2	It's not completely dead. You could try Kubrick (see sticky post in dev corner), and select all available options (delete internal memory, delete external storage, etc.). Unless your Kindle has a hardware fault, there is a >95% chance to get it working again. It's almost impossible to totally kill a Kindle Touch.

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