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Old 09-15-2015, 07:16 PM   #1
aholmes5
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Revert 5.6.5 to 5.4.0 via serial

NOTE by eschwartz -- Do NOT downgrade below 5.4.3.2 until you confirm your PW2 is an original model (2GB). The newer models never shipped with 5.4.0, and don't seem to appreciate you trying anyway.


I have a Kindle PW2 that lost its jailbreak during a OTA upgrade to 5.6.5 - despite trying to save via the hotfix (I didn't realize someone took device out of airplane). I have a 1.8v serial adapter from some electronics kit and was planning on running the serial port jailbreak and getting back to 5.4.0 (the last firmware that worked correctly with Collection Manager). I have downgraded a couple of other PW2s from 5.4.2 to 5.4.0 and found that to be very straightforward via ssh.

My question: Instead of
1) soldering up the serial TTL cable
2) getting root pw via python
3) booting into diag via bootm 0xE41000
4) running jb script
5) installing rescue pack
6) dd-ing the main partition and kernel

Can I:
1) Solder serial
2) dd the main partition and kernel via
zcat /mnt/us/mmcblk0p1.bin.gz| dd of=/dev/mmcblk0p1 bs=4096
dd if=/mnt/us/main_kernel.img of=/dev/mmcblk0 bs=4096 seek=65
3) reboot into 5.4.0 then jailbreak using standard tool

Trying to make this as simple as possible - any suggestions appreciated.

Cheers!

Last edited by eschwartz; 10-03-2015 at 10:08 PM.
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Old 09-15-2015, 09:13 PM   #2
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#1 - You don't have to have skills with a hot soldering gun, see my recent "Paint and Play" thread.
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Old 09-16-2015, 02:42 AM   #3
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Well, no need to jailbreak as the 5.4.0 images hosted by Ixtab already contain the JB.

But if you just want CM to work, without Nested Collections, it has received updates, mainly by @ADambi, that get it working on recent firmwares, including 5.6.5
So you can just re=jailbreak, without worrying about the downgrade.
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Old 09-16-2015, 10:23 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eschwartz View Post
Well, no need to jailbreak as the 5.4.0 images hosted by Ixtab already contain the JB.

But if you just want CM to work, without Nested Collections, it has received updates, mainly by @ADambi, that get it working on recent firmwares, including 5.6.5
So you can just re=jailbreak, without worrying about the downgrade.
SO, do you think I can just do the two dd operations from the serial console without rooting first?

I really have no interest in any of the features since 5.4.0. Goodreads is just not relevant to me nor is the bookerly font. I really should switch to kobo since software modifications aren't necessary to get collection/shelf management. I just hate that Amazon is disinterested in making users happy.
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Old 09-16-2015, 12:27 PM   #5
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Yes.
The 'rooting' has already been done in the ixtab images.

'rooting' often means running as user name 'root' (the admin's name) -
on your serial port, enter:
whoami
See, you are already root, just by the fact that your using the kernel's operator's console.

Last edited by knc1; 09-16-2015 at 12:30 PM.
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Old 09-16-2015, 02:47 PM   #6
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I don't know why these serial jailbreak guides keep telling people to get the root password.

Totally different use case.
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Old 09-28-2015, 01:29 PM   #7
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It worked!

I used three wires from an old floppy drive ribbon connector to solder to the contacts on the board. I hooked these up to a 1.8v usb to serial adapter. Used minicom on my mac to do the work. 115k 8n1 No hard/soft flow control are the correct settings. I keep seeing 8n2 posted around but I know for sure that 8n1 works. Haven't thought about that stuff since my US Robotics 9600 baud modem days.

What I learned:
1) Soldering these connections is quite difficult (and I'm an electrical engineer) - they are very small, close together and it would be easy to pull the little solder beads off the contacts if you put tension on the wires. I used some electrical tape to hold my floppy ribbon to the board. Don't forget to precoat your wires with solder before you attach them to the board.

2) After hitting a key within one second to bypass the normal boot process you need to exit to a prompt. Here you do need to login with root and the "fiona" password generated by the python command posted elsewhere.

3) After this, it is quite simple to dd the two images. I used the 5.4.0 images that ixtab hosts.
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Old 09-28-2015, 02:13 PM   #8
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*1 - that is the certain truth.

One alternative:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=264766
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Old 10-02-2015, 06:24 AM   #9
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[help] 5.4.0 doesn't work on my KPW2

hey, guys. I'm trying to flash-write my KPW2 from 5.6.5 to 5.4.x, and being stuck. This is how I tried to do:

1) downloading kernel image and main fs image from http://ixtab.tk/kindle-touch-images/PW2/main/5.4.0/ and put these 2 files on usb root folder
2) soldering the serial wires
3) entering diag mode from Uboot, by "bootm 0xE41000"
4) flashing the two image files to partitions:
dd if=/mnt/us/main_kernel.img of=/dev/mmcblk0 bs=4096 seek=65
zcat /mnt/us/mmcblk0p1.bin.gz | dd of=/dev/mmcblk0p1 bs=4096
5) reboot

after this, my KP2 stops at booting kernel, and crys out this:

[ 2.074566] mmc0: unrecognised EXT_CSD revision 7
[ 2.079296] mmc0: error -22 whilst initialising MMC card

does this mean MMC card on my KP2 is not supported by the downloaded uImage? How can I proceed downgrading my KP2? Thanks!
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Old 10-02-2015, 08:50 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seigeweapon View Post
hey, guys. I'm trying to flash-write my KPW2 from 5.6.5 to 5.4.x, and being stuck. This is how I tried to do:

1) downloading kernel image and main fs image from http://ixtab.tk/kindle-touch-images/PW2/main/5.4.0/ and put these 2 files on usb root folder
2) soldering the serial wires
3) entering diag mode from Uboot, by "bootm 0xE41000"
4) flashing the two image files to partitions:
dd if=/mnt/us/main_kernel.img of=/dev/mmcblk0 bs=4096 seek=65
zcat /mnt/us/mmcblk0p1.bin.gz | dd of=/dev/mmcblk0p1 bs=4096
5) reboot

after this, my KP2 stops at booting kernel, and crys out this:

[ 2.074566] mmc0: unrecognised EXT_CSD revision 7
[ 2.079296] mmc0: error -22 whilst initialising MMC card

does this mean MMC card on my KP2 is not supported by the downloaded uImage? How can I proceed downgrading my KP2? Thanks!
Most likely, but let's check a few things first:

*) Which model of PW-2? There are at least eleven models:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Serial_Numbers

*) Why did you want to install a 5.4.0 kernel and system image?
Why not something more recent, such as the system image that was working prior to the update to 5.6.5?
Why the kernel?

You must have some goal your trying to achive that you did not bother to mention.
We could give you better help if we knew what you where trying to accomplish.
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Old 10-02-2015, 12:01 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knc1 View Post
Most likely, but let's check a few things first:

*) Which model of PW-2? There are at least eleven models:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Serial_Numbers

*) Why did you want to install a 5.4.0 kernel and system image?
Why not something more recent, such as the system image that was working prior to the update to 5.6.5?
Why the kernel?

You must have some goal your trying to achive that you did not bother to mention.
We could give you better help if we knew what you where trying to accomplish.
hi knc1, thanks for the quick response!
my KP2's serial # is 9017xxxx, so according to the link you provided, the model is this:

B017, 9017 Kindle PaperWhite 2 (2013) WiFi (4GB) (U.S., Intl.) PW2, PW2IL [Support added in KindleTool 1.6.3]

the reason I want to downgrade my KP2, is that I want to use Duokan. I already own a lot of book bought from the online book store of Duokan, so I'd love to install it on my kindle.

The Duokan official site suggests that 5.4.3.2 is the highest version it supports, 5.6.x is definitely not supported. So I tried my best to find closest version, 5.4.0.

I also tried to leave the kernel as it is and flash-program the main image only, but something still went wrong. What should I do?
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Old 10-02-2015, 12:19 PM   #12
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@seigeweapon: IIRC, the first FW version that handled those models is 5.4.3.2 (at least mine did, that's what it shipped with).

Since that's a public, full release, you shouldn't have any problem getting your hands on it and flashing it.

Those are Kindles, the usual caveat of "don't flash anything lower than what that specific model was originally shipped with" *always* applies .

Last edited by NiLuJe; 10-02-2015 at 12:22 PM.
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Old 10-02-2015, 12:49 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NiLuJe View Post
@seigeweapon: IIRC, the first FW version that handled those models is 5.4.3.2 (at least mine did, that's what it shipped with).
Did you happen to keep the original factory install package when you received that Kindle?
That one will have the kernel in it - probably the only one that has the kernel in it.

If you do, push it to our kpool - I'll take it apart and build a kern.img and mmcblk0p1.img from it.
This is the second or third time someone has trashed their PW-2 with a too old image file.

(this is my weekend to clean-up my server, other than kpool, it is a big mess.)

Last edited by knc1; 10-02-2015 at 12:52 PM.
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Old 10-02-2015, 01:57 PM   #14
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@knc1: The (main) kernel is also in the official update :?.

Code:
tar -tvzf ~/Kindle/5.4.3.2/update_kindle_5.4.3.2_converted.tar.gz | ag uImage
-rw-r--r-- signdaemon/signdaemom 2490368 2014-04-23 10:26 imx60_wario/uImage
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Old 10-02-2015, 03:35 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NiLuJe View Post
@knc1: The (main) kernel is also in the official update :?.

Code:
tar -tvzf ~/Kindle/5.4.3.2/update_kindle_5.4.3.2_converted.tar.gz | ag uImage
-rw-r--r-- signdaemon/signdaemom 2490368 2014-04-23 10:26 imx60_wario/uImage
OK, that will do. Thanks for the research.
I wrote "maybe" because I hadn't had a chance to look for it.

Now, back to where I was last month -
get KindleTool built for the older system the leased server is running.
Maybe I'll build a full-static x86_64 version, once I find an old enough libarchive that will build on it.
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