PW3 KINDLE PW3 5.8.11 Jailbreak/Downgrade

[Antinoos]

Originally Posted by datanoise

while some people might be lucky, I just bricked a device on 5.8.11 (3243010037) trying to downgrade to 5.7.4 factory. I don't know if I'd have had more success trying the 5.8.9.0.1 image:

Was this 5.8.11 the out-of-the-box firmware? Or did you get it via an OTA update?

With currently selling Kindles, there are good chances that they might be downgradeable, sidegradeable, or even upgradeable to factory build firmwares. As long, as they didn't get an OTA update... As for currently selling PW3s: 5.8.9.0.1 MUST be used. Don't fiddle around with the very old 5.7.4!

Your report means for me: Your device was re-flashable with a factory firmare. But it got bricked, as you've used the too old one with a too new hardware revision... I case of a non downgradeable fw, the factory firmware file will simply not be recognized as valid - the UYK menu entry is grayed out then...

[knc1]

There is a "Disable Authentication on First Connect" flag in (at least some) of the newer firmwares.

I haven't had a chance to investigate it, but going by its name, it may have something to do with what you have observed.

Investigating it is way, way down on my todo list, in case someone else wants to look into it.

[datanoise]

Originally Posted by Antinoos

Was this 5.8.11 the out-of-the-box firmware? Or did you get it via an OTA update?

Out of the box firmware, the PW3 did never touch the internet.

Originally Posted by Antinoos

Your report means for me: Your device was re-flashable with a factory firmare. But it got bricked, as you've used the too old one with a too new hardware revision... I case of a non downgradeable fw, the factory firmware file will simply not be recognized as valid - the UYK menu entry is grayed out then...

That has been my feeling too. What I don't understand is that a couple of weeks ago I have been able to downgrade a (new & coming from the same country) pw3 with no trouble using 5.7.4. Sadly I lost the piece of paper where I noted the firmware revision that it was running on before the downgrade. But this one DID an OTA upgrade right before I attempted the downgrade: it was probably running a version more recent than 5.8.11.

If the downgrade was successful but the kindle can't reboot because the firmware is too old it would mean that there have been big enough changes in hardware between versions able to run that 5.7.4 firmware and versions currently sold (need for different drivers?)

If that's the case: why had I been able to downgrade another pw3 few days before? That's what I don't understand: why some people can downgrade with no trouble while other can't.

The screen is stuck in three parts, and only one (top - right) is moving acting like it's full screen, then showing 'your kindle needs repair". When I reboot the bottom side (wait while your kindle reboot) and the left side (probably the left side of the image of the tree but with darker colors) don't move. My thought is that maybe the new (well.. 5.7.4) firmware could boot but the kindle is stuck in an earlier stage.

[knc1]

In addition to hardware differences, there could be sql data base structural differences between versions.
Those are not changed during the image change, they live in a different partition.

When go up in version number, the new image will include an update script to move the user's data to the new structure.
There isn't any factory scripting to go from new structure to old structure.

Of course, those differences are only hit when old firmware tries to reference data in a new structure table.
Which is where the device's usage history can come into play.
If their is never a reference to a new structured table (because it is empty) by the old firmware - no hang.

Those tables in the user's persistent storage do not 'just happen'.
There are reference copies in the main filesystem that are copied into the user's persistent storage during the "Reset (to factory defaults)".

Which is why the old, but still the most recent, jail break directions told people to "Reset" the device before installing the factory firmware image.
I.E: Brand new, empty, database tables.
If empty => no references => no chance of hang from this problem

= = = =

See, the crazy old man isn't all that crazy.

[datanoise]

In this case as the unit as never been used, those tables are supposed to be empty. I don't really see what the difference(s) could be between the unit in which the downgrade was a success and the one for which it wasn't.

[hius07]

There was a similar issue reported in our forum (4pda.ru). It was unbricked as follows.
The usb-storage was visible within about 20 sec after reboot only. The user splitted official update bin (5.8.11 IIRC) into three parts and managed to copy each part within 20 sec. Then combined original bin, after reboot the device was unbricked.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by datanoise

In this case as the unit as never been used, those tables are supposed to be empty. I don't really see what the difference(s) could be between the unit in which the downgrade was a success and the one for which it wasn't.

Never been used since you received it perhaps.
But do you know its prior history for certain?

[datanoise]

Originally Posted by hius07

There was a similar issue reported in our forum (4pda.ru). It was unbricked as follows.
The usb-storage was visible within about 20 sec after reboot only. The user splitted official update bin (5.8.11 IIRC) into three parts and managed to copy each part within 20 sec. Then combined original bin, after reboot the device was unbricked.

I'll try that if I can get access to the storage. Yesterday I've been able to access the storage a couple of time, tried the DO_FACTORY_RESTORE - probably a mistake as it didn't do any good and since then I can't access the device as storage. (Device seen on my computer, but not the partition; and can't be mounted). If I manage to be able to mount the user partition I'll try this, thanks!

Originally Posted by knc1

Never been used since you received it perhaps.
But do you know its prior history for certain?

I don't know it's history but I assumed it had been restored to factory defaults before being sold, and doing another reset to factory default would not change anything.

[hius07]

Yes, it should be written in red in the instruction:
if your downgrading to factory initial firmware failed, do not use DO_FACTORY_RESTORE - it would brick the device finally.

[datanoise]

Too bad I didn't read about that earlier. I'll have to open it. Is there any up to date tutorial for unbricking using the serial port, that would be a good read to avoid any mistake?

Edit: sounds simple though

1. "E. Export FAT partition" / copy .bin from amazon
2. "1" - return to recovery menu,
3. U. Update using update*.bin file on FAT partition

[knc1]

Originally Posted by datanoise

Too bad I didn't read about that earlier. I'll have to open it. Is there any up to date tutorial for unbricking using the serial port, that would be a good read to avoid any mistake?

Edit: sounds simple though

2 - just unplug the usb cable, it will "un-export" automatically.
(Besides, the Kindle system can't read the storage while it is exported.)

[Antinoos]

Originally Posted by datanoise

That has been my feeling too. What I don't understand is that a couple of weeks ago I have been able to downgrade a (new & coming from the same country) pw3 with no trouble using 5.7.4. Sadly I lost the piece of paper where I noted the firmware revision that it was running on before the downgrade.

Much more interesting would not only be the detailed build info (this 10 digit decimal number in brackets), but also the first 10 (or even better 12) digits of the serial number. Taking the KT3 I'm just using as an example: "G000 K905 72xx xxxx". I suppose that there are very different hardware revisions of the same basic type; especially when it comes to the best and longest selling PW3. I assume they might be distinguished from the digits 6 to 10; here "05 72".

Let me sum my experiences up:

1) The first PW3 I jailbroke in End of 2016 on behalf of a friend of mine was a remnant device, running out of the box a relatively old firmware as for the date of purchase (5.8.1 or something like that, while 5.8.7 was the OTA version at that time). This device could be downgraded without any problems to 5.7.4 factory. After jailbreaking, I updated to 5.8.7.0.1 user firmware; and a few weeks ago the owner decided to update to 5.8.11.

2) Another PW3 bought in April 2017 (out of the box 5.8.7 - i.e. the last directly downgradeable version...) made a lot of problems: It literally took about over a hour to finish the reboot to the factory 5.7.4 version. But after a bit of panicking, the jailbreak was possible. Unfortunately, I don't have this device handy right now (I only use it as a replacement, my "daily burner" is a KT3), but I can give its serial number today in the late evening MET.

3) A PW3 of a friend of mine bought in Dec. 2017 and running fw 5.8.9.0.1 out of the box, got bricked using the 5.7.4 factory downgrade. For the replacement device he got - fortunately also running 5.8.9.0.1 - I already had the 5.8.9.0.1 factory version at hand (thanks knc1!), and using this version: No problems at all, downgrade (or better in this case: sidegrade) to factory version was finished after around 15 minutes only. Then updated to 5.8.11 user fw and added the OTA blocker dir...

[hius07]

Just curious: yesterday got three reports on successful downgrade of newly bought PW3s with factory 5.8.11 (3243010037) to the initial factory 5.7.4.

[datanoise]

Originally Posted by knc1

2 - just unplug the usb cable, it will "un-export" automatically.
(Besides, the Kindle system can't read the storage while it is exported.)

Noted, thanks!

Originally Posted by Antinoos

Let me sum my experiences up

Very interesting. There has to be a reason why many units downgrade without troubled, while some have problems.

In my case both where G090G10580XXXXXX: I don't think the hardware was different.

Originally Posted by hius07

Just curious: yesterday got three reports on successful downgrade of newly bought PW3s with factory 5.8.11 (3243010037) to the initial factory 5.7.4.

It seems like many people downgrade this one just fine using 5.7.4 - but some aren't that lucky. The hardware seems to be the same, there should be another difference that provokes the problem during reboot (as it seems like the install goes fine, and trouble arises when the device has to reboot on the new firmware).

[Antinoos]

Originally Posted by hius07

Just curious: yesterday got three reports on successful downgrade of newly bought PW3s with factory 5.8.11 (3243010037) to the initial factory 5.7.4.

Highly interesting. (3243010037) is exactly the build number of the user/OTA firmware 5.8.11 for PW3 - no special or out-of-the-box version.

And now I can also give the more detailed serial number of my PW3 number 2) from my list above, which took excessively long to boot into the factory 5.7.4: "G090 G105 7104 xxxx". And @datanoise: It's probably the 9th digit that makes the difference: In your case it is "8", and possibly represents a newer hardware/board revision...