Can't enter USB download mode

[rea5245]

Hi,

I have a Kindle 4NT. I had it jailbroken and working with ssh over USB Network but had to undo all that. Now I'm trying to re-do it, and I'm running into various problems.

The current state is that it's at firmware 4.1.3, and I've reset to factory defaults. It boots normally, connects to a PC as a USB drive, but I can not get it to boot into USB Download mode (hold power button until LED turns off, press five-way, release power, release five-way). It just boots normally or, if it's plugged into a PC, as a USB drive. This means that MfgTool doesn't see it and KUBRICK doesn't see it.

This isn't the first time I've tried to re-do everything. Last time, I was able to jailbreak it and install USB Network. It showed up as a RNDIS network on my PC but I couldn't ssh in - the connection was refused (pings succeeded, so I know the Kindle was talking over the RNDIS). I was thinking that the problem might be that WiFi was on (FW 4.1.3 has Airplane Mode, but doesn't have a separate way to turn off WiFi, and I wasn't sure whether Airplane Mode was sufficient for USB Network to work) so I wanted to downgrade the firmware to get the WiFi Off menu item back.

More complications: I had installed Kite earlier, and it looks as if it's still there. If I delete ondrop and onboot directories and reboot, the directories are re-created. Basically, I'd like to get this Kindle back to it's factory state.

Can someone offer some advice? Why won't it go into USB download mode? Is there another reason SSH might not have worked?

Thank you,
Bob

[knc1]

Originally Posted by rea5245

- - - -
More complications: I had installed Kite earlier, and it looks as if it's still there. If I delete ondrop and onboot directories and reboot, the directories are re-created. Basically, I'd like to get this Kindle back to it's factory state.

Can someone offer some advice? Why won't it go into USB download mode? Is there another reason SSH might not have worked?

Thank you,
Bob

"USB downloader mode" is burned into the on-chip rom during manufacture of the SoC.
It is hard to hurt it, but the switches you have to use may be broken or stuck.

The symptoms you list seem like you had SSH set-up incorrectly.
I.E: you where pinging your own PC.
There are two ends to the USB cable, each end has a different address, re-read the directions to sort out what you did differently.

Kindles will often not "switch modes" from USB mass storage to USB networking while the cable is plugged in.
That is probably also part of your problems.

Have you tried the directions about putting a Kindle back into the 'as shipped' state?
Doing a 'factory reset' will get you close to that condition.
But of course, the people at the factory do not know how to 'reset' the things of ours that you put on it.

Also, the problem with 're-appearing' directories very likely means the flash chip is bad.

= = = =

K4's are old devices, you may just have one that is worn out.