What is this guide?
This guide is aimed at the novice Kindle Fire owner who wants more out of their device, but has been overwhelmed by all the jargon and maze of directions on what to do and how to do it. I've read through many of the threads here and I've noticed one common problem. While user-friendly tools like Kindle Fire Utility (KFU) have managed to help countless owners modify their devices, there are still a significant percentage of users who have stumbled along the way. KFU is a great utility, but because it gets the user up and running without teaching them first how to walk, any mishap results in confusion, frustration and another post on the forum asking the same old questions. My hope is this guide will provide the novice users with a general overview, some basic knowledge, and a foundation to help them seek out the answers they need without rehashing topics that have been discussed numerous times. This is not a copy-and-paste how-to guide. I've intentionally left out any commands so the reader is not tempted to fall into the same traps I'm trying to help avoid. If this is your first time with this guide, I suggest that it be read from top to bottom because the document builds upon the knowledge from the previous sections to explain the next.
What is stock? What is rooting? What is a ROM?
Stock is how the Kindle Fire was shipped to you. The term is used interchangeably to describe the original operating system loaded at the factory and the general state of your Kindle Fire. If you've done nothing more than use your Kindle Fire in the Amazon approved way (browsing, reading eBooks, using apps from the Amazon AppStore, etc.), you are running the stock software on a stock device.
The first step outside of this stock state is to root the device. With a stock device, you are using it as a standard user and not an administrator. You have no real administrative privileges and it can only be used as Amazon intended for it to be used. Just as a Windows or Mac OS based computer can be configured to prevent the standard user account from installing new software or performing other low-level tasks, the same is true of the Kindle Fire. Whether this is to protect the user from doing harmful things or locking the device down to Amazon services is a matter of perspective. However, if you want to get outside the confining box of the stock software, you will need root privileges. The process of obtaining these administrative privileges is called rooting. If you like the standard Kindle Fire user interface, but you want some other minor enhancements, rooting may be sufficient for your needs. However, there are tradeoffs for obtaining root privileges on a stock device. While you'll be able to do things like installing apps from the Android Market (now Google Play), Amazon may block services like video streaming to a rooted device. In addition, rooting officially voids the warranty on the Kindle Fire.
The more adventurous user might want to ditch the standard Kindle Fire user interface altogether and install a 3rd party ROM. Also known as flashing, installing a ROM completely replaces the stock Amazon software in favor of an entirely different operating system. This provides a brand new user experience and puts you squarely in the driver's seat of the device, controlling what you use and how you use it. A new ROM will also provide additional features not available or possible in the stock or rooted stock configuration, but you'll have to give up Amazon's Kindle Fire services altogether. Needless to say, installing a ROM officially voids the warranty on the device.
What is a bootloader? What is a recovery?
A bootloader is the first piece of software loaded onto the Kindle Fire when it is powered on or rebooted. In a nutshell, the bootloader is responsible for setting the basic hardware configuration for the device before it hands off control to an operating system. For a stock device, when the "kindle fire" logo first pops up on the display, that's the bootloader doing its job and subsequently telling the Kindle Fire operating system to begin loading. Because the stock bootloader is so limited in its function, an alternative bootloader, FIREFIREFIRE, has been developed to provide some additional functionality. One of these features is easy access to recovery... which leads us to the next question and answer.
A recovery is a mini operating system that allows the user to perform ROM installations, backups, restores, wipes, and other maintenance tasks. For Kindle Fire users, there are two choices for recovery, Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) and ClockworkMod Recovery (CWMR). Both provide a touch interface to mostly the same set of features, but TWRP seems to be the more popular of the two. Either one will work just fine and will be the go-to spot for flashing a 3rd party ROM. If the installed operating system is malfunctioning or you just want to try something else out for a while, you can use the recovery to backup the current ROM and flash a new one. If you change your mind at a later date, you can also use it to restore a saved backup.
What is fastboot? What is adb?
Fastboot and ADB (Android Debug Bridge) are command line tools for your computer that allow for direct interaction with the device. They are both available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
The 8 GB of storage space on the Kindle Fire is divided up into predefined sections called partitions. The bootloader, recovery and operating system have their own specific partitions. The primary function of fastboot is to flash or erase these partitions on the device. For example, fastboot can be used to flash FIREFIREFIRE or TWRP onto their respective partitions. Because each of these parts has their own particular partition, fastboot can flash or erase them without affecting another. One thing to keep in mind is that while the term fastboot most commonly refers to the command line tool, it can also refer to a particular mode on the Kindle Fire used to accept fastboot commands. Essentially, the Kindle Fire must be in fastboot mode for the computer to send fastboot commands to it.
ADB, on the other hand, primarily deals with file level interactions like copying a file to and from the device. However, ADB's most powerful feature is its ability to start a linux shell and execute some powerful commands directly on the device. The types of shell commands and their usage are outside the scope of this document, but most users won't be utilizing them anyway. Most commonly, adb is involved in the process of rooting the device or preparing it to flash a 3rd party ROM, then mostly unused after the process is complete.
The fastboot and adb commands require the Kindle Fire to be in specific states for the host computer to interact with the device. The fastboot tool needs the Kindle Fire to be in fastboot mode and cannot send commands to the device otherwise. Similarly, the Kindle Fire must be in recovery or booted to an operating system (with USB debugging enabled) for it to work with the adb tool. It's not possible to go back and forth between the two without at least rebooting the device.
What is a bootmode? What is a bootloop?
As the Kindle Fire powers up or reboots, the bootloader begins to do its job and checks for the bootmode of the device. The bootmode tells the bootloader how it should proceed in the boot up process. Most users will just be concerned about three of these bootmodes: normal (4000), fastboot (4002), and recovery (5001). In a great majority of the cases, the Kindle Fire will be in the normal bootmode setting, telling the bootloader to continue right on to booting the operating system. However, there are circumstances when the device needs to be started up directly in fastboot or recovery mode. This is possible by changing the bootmode setting and rebooting the device. Bootmode is a persistent setting, meaning the Kindle Fire will remember this new setting until it is changed again. No amount of restarts or ROM flashes will change the bootmode until it is explicitly changed again. This is a very important fact to remember because it's the cause of so many help requests...
A bootloop is essentially the device booting directly into fastboot or recovery mode on every start up because the bootmode has been set to that particular setting. The posts on the forum describing problems like, "stuck on the yellow triangle" or "keeps going into recovery" are in most cases caused by the bootmode setting. Technically, the device isn't doing anything wrong since it's been told by the bootmode to boot in those modes, but if the user doesn't know about the bootmode or how to set it back, it appears to be broken. The bootmode just needs to be set back to normal using fastboot or adb (KFU uses them behind the scenes to do the same), and the device can be rebooted to the operating system.
What is a brick (hard-brick / soft-brick / unbrick)?
In the strictest sense, a brick is an irreversibly broken device and about as useful as a masonry brick, hence the name. However, this slang term has come to include any malfunctioning device, so we have slightly more descriptive terms like hard-brick or soft-brick to indicate the degree of malfunction or difficulty of repair. To unbrick a brick just means to get the device back to working order.
With respect to the Kindle Fire, it's very difficult to completely brick the device unless physical damage or component malfunction is involved. In all software related bricking circumstances, the malfunctioning device can be unbricked. In 99% of the cases, you can fix it yourself with just a computer and a USB cable (maybe 2 cables, but more on this later). Only in the other 1% of the cases that involve a broken bootloader will you need more extreme measures. Unless you've dropped your Kindle Fire into the bathtub or tossed it off a building, everything will be OK. Take a deep breath, don't panic and keep reading.
How do I unbrick my Kindle Fire?
Let's get the bootloop brick out of the way first. This shouldn't even be considered a brick by definition since the Kindle Fire is actually functioning correctly and working as expected. Regardless, it gets thrown into the realm of bricks, so it's here as well. As noted in a previous section, just getting adb or fastboot to set the bootmode back to normal will fix it. That is unless something else was done to the device after the change in bootmode preventing access to adb or fastboot commands. Then it's actually a brick at that point.
Most bricks will involve a malfunctioning operating system. These are typically caused by a bad flash or accidentally renaming / removing key components of the operating system. Most of these are probably with the rooted stock Kindle Fire software since these devices are the least likely to have a recovery installed.
The one word most often used in unbricking strategies is fastboot. If fastboot commands can be issued to the Kindle Fire, it's 80% fixed and the hard part is over. All that needs to be done then is to flash a new bootloader and recovery, reboot the device into recovery, flash a new ROM, and it's fixed. Everything else involves the question of how get the Kindle Fire into fastboot mode in the first place. Because the bootloader enables fastboot mode on the device, it plays a key role in the unbricking process and dictates what needs to be done. We'll go from easy to difficult.
With the FIREFIREFIRE (FFF) bootloader installed on the Kindle Fire, a yellow triangle logo (versions 0.9 to 1.2), a kindle fire with android logo (version 1.3) or a white and blue kindle fire logo (version 1.4 and beyond) will appear on the display as the device boots up. If you have FFF installed and running, you already have easy access to fastboot mode because FFF temporarily enables fastboot mode for a short period of time as the device boots up. Send the device a quick fastboot command during this time and it will stay in fastboot mode until it's rebooted again. For just the temporary fastboot mode alone, FFF is worth the price of admission. Even if you never install a recovery and the device will only run the stock Kindle Fire software, the temporarily fastboot will save you from a bad headache if the operating system should ever go bad.
With the stock bootloader, the standard kindle fire logo will appear on the display as the device boots up. Unlike FFF, this bootloader does not have a temporary fastboot mode, so the bootmode on the device must be manually set to fastboot mode (4002) and rebooted. To set the bootmode on a stock device, adb shell commands must be executable on the system. Because unbricking typically means attempting to replace a broken operating system, the chances of getting it done this way aren't so good. Remember FFF from the previous paragraph? This is why FFF and temporary fastboot mode is like a golden ticket to unbricking, a close second to having a factory cable...
With the stock bootloader and a broken system unable to change bootmodes, a factory cable is required. A factory cable is a special USB cable able to force the device into fastboot mode. If the bootloader is working properly, the factory cable can get the device into fastboot mode without any additional help. Anyone handy enough with a soldering iron can modify a generic USB cable with a micro connector into a factory cable. Pre-made cables are also available for purchase in various places or from an XDA member for a reasonable price. With the Kindle Fire off, plug the factory cable into the USB port of the device and then the computer. The Kindle Fire will then boot up in fastboot mode. The factory cable works with either the stock or FFF bootloaders and it's a worthwhile safety net to have around. With a factory cable, unbricking just comes down to "plug it in and flash new stuff" in almost every bricking situation, except the next one...
For the unfortunate owner of a Kindle Fire with a bad bootloader, it's the worst case scenario. Without a working bootloader, the device cannot enable fastboot mode and nothing else can be loaded onto the device. Tinkering with the bootloader partition can certainly put the device at risk, but even this problem can be fixed with some surgery. Firekit offers a set of software and scripts that allows the bootloader to be loaded via USB. However, the Kindle Fire case must first be opened up to short a circuit that enables this USB boot option. Fortunately, the situation rarely comes up and careful flashing of the bootloader partition will minimize the possibility of it affecting the device.
What next?
To all readers - If you've read this far, please provide some feedback on this guide. I'd like to know if you feel it's a useful starting point for beginners and how you think it might be improved. Again, this guide is only meant to be used to build up a new user's knowledge base, so I don't intend to provide step-by-step instructions for these tasks... the guide is already long enough as it is. Otherwise, I'd like to hear what you have to say and perhaps I'll try writing some expanded tutorials in the future.
To the novice user - If you are having problems with your device, look for threads discussing similar problems. Odds are that you are not the first to encounter your specific problem and it's likely to have been discussed already. As a general word of advice... people here (and any other forum in general) are more willing to help you if you've tried to help yourself first. Try reading and searching for things on this forum. There's a lot here… I know. Take your time and digest the information. Hopefully, the base knowledge you've gathered from this guide will help you to understand the discussions. Then if you hit a wall and just can't get anywhere, write your post detailing the problem, things you've tried and what happened as a result. A post that says "It's broken, help me" will get ignored while "I've tried A, B, C and get X, Y, Z... can someone suggest an alternative?" will get a flood of responses. Good luck!
Windows Device Drivers and the Device Manager
Will you be writing more guides?
Thanks to everyone who read my first guide and had so many kind words to say. I sincerely appreciate the posts and decided to continue on with the series with what I feel is the greatest stumbling block for new users using the Windows OS... device drivers. Each day brings another group of users with broken devices and many don't even know if their drivers are loading correctly. I'm hoping to fill the gap with this installment of my guides. I've deviated from the style of the first post and made this more of a step-by-step tutorial rather than a general information guide. If you have not read the first post, I strongly urge you to back up and go through that before continuing.
I want to offer a special thanks to b63, a tireless champion of the lost souls who come here seeking help. Some of the information in this guide have been borrowed from his helpful posts.
What are drivers?
Device drivers are specialized software programs necessary for the Operating System to interface and interact with hardware devices. Simply put, every attached piece of hardware needs a corresponding device driver for the computer to be able to talk to the device. Common peripherals like keyboards, mice, and thumb drives have generic drivers built into the OS, so the user need not worry about them (in most cases). However, other devices may need specific drivers to be installed by the user onto the host computer. If the OS cannot find or load up the proper drivers for the device, programs relying on the device drivers will not function properly.
With respect to the Kindle Fire, ADB drivers must be installed and functioning for fastboot and adb to send commands to the device. For users doing anything other than using the KF in the stock configuration, installing the ADB drivers will be the first step in modifying the device or troubleshooting problems. Proper installation is a crucial step and must be completed successfully before anything else can be done. Neither fastboot nor adb will be able to issue commands to the Kindle Fire without these drivers. Using Kindle Fire Utility provides no exemption because KFU uses fastboot and adb in the background to complete its tasks.
Do yourself a favor and make sure the ADB drivers get installed correctly and test them while the Kindle Fire is fully functional. Trying to get driver issues resolved when the Kindle Fire is malfunctioning just complicates matters and makes the job that much more difficult.
How do I install the ADB drivers?
The ADB drivers can be found in the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) provided by Google. Android developers use the SDK to build software for all sorts of Android devices. If you have an interest in Android development, you might want to go this route, but you will have to edit some configuration files with Kindle Fire specific information. However, the SDK method is probably overkill for most users here.
By far, the easiest and best method of installing ADB drivers on a Windows OS based machine is to use the installer provided in the Kindle Fire Utility distribution. Find the latest version and download it to your computer. The distribution is in the form of a ZIP archive, so the contents will have to be extracted before the files can be used. You can extract the files to any place on your hard drive, but the rest of the directions here will assume they have been placed in the "C:\kfu" folder. To do that...
Right click on the downloaded file and select "Extract All..." from the menu
Type "C:" into the box and press the "Extract" button
Windows should open a window to the C: drive after extraction
Rename the "Kindle Fire Utility" folder to "kfu"
Now the KFU files should be located in the "C:\kfu" folder. Open up the folder and you'll see an "install_drivers.bat" file among the contents. Windows may hide the ".bat" portion of the name, so it might just look like "install_drivers" in the folder. Disconnect the Kindle Fire from the computer (highly recommended) and then run the "install_drivers.bat" batch file. The installer will automatically check for the OS type (32 or 64 bit), and then install the appropriate drivers and configuration files.
Don't worry too much about Windows not being able to verify the publisher of the drivers. The warning is there because the drivers have been repackaged for use in KFU and have not been signed. It's OK to just install the driver software anyway. If Windows refuses to install unsigned drivers, that feature must be disabled before continuing. The process differs for various Windows releases, so search Google and find a suitable method for your system.
International users may have to change the language code in the "C:\kfu\drivers\dpinst.xml" file before installing. For example, German users should open the file with WordPad and change the "0x409" (English) to "0x407" (German).
How can I verify the drivers are loading?
The Windows Device Manager is the key to determining the status of all the computer's devices and drivers. Right click on the "Computer" wherever you can find it (the Start menu, the Windows Explorer, etc.), select "Manage" from the menu and the "Computer Management" program will start up. From the left panel, select "Device Manager" in the "System Tools" category and the large pane in the middle will show a list of device types. Click on the triangle (or plus sign) next to a device type and a list will expand to show all the devices of that particular type.
Now, connect the Kindle Fire to the computer and keep an eye on the device list. Windows will give some device detection beeps and the list will refresh with one of the following items. Refer to the table below…
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Before getting into the meaning of the table above, a small detail must first be covered. For adb to interact with the Kindle Fire, it must first have the "USB debugging" feature enabled. Without this feature, Windows will not even attempt to load the appropriate driver. The stock Kindle Fire software has this feature turned on at all times, but other ROMs must have "Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging" enabled. The rest of this document assumes normal mode has USB debugging enabled.
Getting back to the table above, notice the following:
Top row: the device is in fastboot mode. Bottom row: the device is in recovery or normal mode
Left column: the ADB driver has not loaded. Right column: the ADB driver has loaded
When the ADB driver has not loaded, the letter 'K' in Kindle is in uppercase for recovery or normal mode, but in lowercase for fastboot mode
When the ADB driver has loaded, the word 'Composite' appears for recovery or normal mode, but not for fastboot mode
So, if you've managed to get the ADB drivers installed properly, you should see one of the items on the right-hand side of the table. Test it in both fastboot mode and normal mode to be sure it loads correctly in both cases.
What can I do if the drivers won't load?
Windows can be very temperamental when it comes to device drivers. Don't assume the worst right away, but try rebooting the computer, disconnecting/reconnecting the device, and restarting the device in both modes. Fastboot in particular sometimes won't get detected by Windows on the first try and may require a reboot of the Kindle Fire.
If the Kindle Fire comes up as a different device or you get a "Code 10" error, you'll have to explicitly tell Windows what driver you expect to see for the device. The steps below are for Windows 7, but they should be very similar for earlier versions of Windows as well. The following may have to be performed twice, once for normal mode and again for fastboot mode. The steps below are listed for normal mode (and the fastboot equivalent in parentheses). Be sure to have tried installing the drivers using the batch file at least once or you will not be able to complete the process.
Connect the Kindle Fire in normal mode (fastboot mode) to the computer
In the Device Manager, right click on the device and select "Uninstall"
Check the "Delete the driver software for this device." box and press "OK"
Disconnect the Kindle Fire, reconnect and reboot in normal mode (fastboot mode)
The Device Manager should show "Other devices -> Kindle" ("Other devices -> kindle")
Right click on "Kindle" ("kindle") and select "Update Driver Software..."
Select "Browse my computer for driver software"
Do not click the "Next" button, but select "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"
Select "Android Phone" and then press the "Next" button
Press the "Have Disk..." button
Click the "Browse..." button, point it to the "C:\kfu\drivers\kindle" directory and press "Open"
Press the "OK" button
Uncheck the "Show compatible hardware" checkbox
Select "Android Composite ADB Interface" ("Android ADB Interface") and press the "Next" button
Select "Install this driver software anyway"
Press the "Close" button
The device should now appear in the Device Manager.
Now I can use KFU for everything, right?
KFU is great as a preliminary setup tool, but not so good as a troubleshooting tool. Making it easy also means hiding many details from the user and those details can help you understand what's happening with the device. If you get into a jam with the Kindle Fire, you're much better off getting your hands dirty with fastboot and adb. Whether you've used the SDK or KFU to install the drivers, you got the fastboot and adb programs as part of the package deal. You might as well learn to put them to good use.
Users seem to balk at the idea of using the command line, but all you really need to know is a few simple Windows "cmd" commands to get around the directory structure. Then, you just have to learn a handful of fastboot and adb commands to become a Kindle Fire expert. That doesn't sound so bad, does it?
Windows cmd, fastboot and adb
OK, so what are these commands?
To get started, click on the Start Menu to begin. Then, depending on the version of Windows, either use "Run…" or "Search" and type "cmd" to open up a command line window that will look a lot like...
The last line in this example is called a prompt and it's followed by a blinking cursor.
The prompt tells you where you are in the directory structure. When the "cmd" program first starts up, that location is your Windows user's home directory by default. In the above example, my username is "kinfauns" and my home directory by the same name is in the "Users" directory located on the "C:" drive. The "C:\Users\kinfauns" part of the prompt is the directory path and it uniquely describes the location of the home directory owned by the "kinfauns" user.
The blinking cursor indicates the program's readiness to accept a new command. Each time you execute a command, a new prompt/cursor will appear at the bottom, telling you that it's ready for you to type another.
Now type "dir" (without the quotes) and press Enter, and you'll see the names of all the folders in your home directory. The "dir" command just prints out a content listing of the directory indicated by the prompt. If you open up your home folder in Windows Explorer and look inside, you'll see everything in that folder shown in the list you got from the "dir" command. The "dir" command implicitly operated on the current directory shown in the prompt, but you can also provide an explicit argument to tell it what directory to list. For example, "dir C:\Users" lists all the users directories. Providing an argument after the command name will be important for the next command...
The "cd" command is used to change the current working directory. We need to get to the KFU directory, so we can use "C:\kfu" as an argument to the "cd" command. Type "cd C:\kfu" and press Enter to change to that directory. No output was provided, but the new prompt has a different directory path to confirm the "cd" command has executed successfully. You can try "dir" here to list the contents of the "C:\kfu" directory, but it's not necessary to first list it if you know what's in there already. In this case, we'll "cd" into the "C:\kfu\tools" directory, but you won't have to provide the full path. Since "C:\kfu" is already the current working directory, "cd tools" is equivalent to the "cd C:\kfu\tools" command. The one other key component to navigating the directory structure is the ".." directory. The ".." directory refers to the parent of the current directory, so "cd .." will take you back up to "C:\kfu" and another "cd .." will take you up to the "C:\" directory.
Now you'll be able to navigate through the directories and you should have a fair idea about how to construct a directory path (this will come in handy later). The fastboot and adb executables are in the "C:\kfu\tools" directory, so you'll have to get there using what you learned to be able to use them in the next section. There are just a few more tips that might come in handy...
Shift-right-click on/within a folder and select "Open command window here" to open a command line window with that directory path as the current working directory.
File/folder names or directory paths containing spaces must be enclosed in double quotes.
Drag and drop a file or folder from the Windows Explorer windows into the Command Prompt window. The complete, absolute path of the object will be pasted into the Command Prompt window automatically.
Utilize the "Tab" key to complete a file/folder name without typing it in its entirety (e.g. Try typing "cd C:\kfu\to" and then hit the "Tab" key).
For more information on Windows cmd commands, bleepingcomputer.com has a nice introductory tutorial and ss64.com has a full reference page of commands.
How about those fastboot commands?
Just to review, fastboot is a command line tool used to erase or flash partitions on Android devices. To use fastboot commands, the Kindle Fire must be put into fastboot mode by one of the following three methods...
Set the bootmode to 4002 and reboot
Connect a factory cable and reboot
Issue a fastboot command during FFF's temporary fastboot mode
Fastboot mode can be confirmed in Windows Device Manager as "Android Phone -> Android ADB Interface" when the proper drivers have loaded.
You can also verify the Kindle Fire is in fastboot mode by issuing...
Code:
fastboot getvar product
and it will confirm by returning "product: kindle" as the output. Alternatively,
Code:
fastboot devices
returning "0123456789ABCDEF fastboot" also means the device is in fastboot mode, but this does not seem to stop the FFF temporary fastboot countdown, so the first command is probably more useful to remember.
When using the stock bootloader (plain "kindle fire" boot logo), the fastboot command must always specify the custom vendor ID used by the Kindle Fire. For example, the commands above must be slightly altered to...
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 getvar product
fastboot -i 0x1949 devices
and likewise, all of the following commands will need the "-i 0x1949" switch when using the stock bootloader. The FFF bootloader's vendor ID has been changed to one that is normally recognized by fastboot, so the "-i 0x1949" switch can be omitted.
Now onto some more useful fastboot commands...
Code:
fastboot oem idme bootmode 4000
fastboot oem idme bootmode 4002
fastboot oem idme bootmode 5001
Using one of these commands will change the bootmode to normal (4000), fastboot (4002) or recovery (5001). Then issuing...
Code:
fastboot reboot
will reboot the device into the respective bootmode.
Use one of the following to wipe a partition on the device...
Code:
fastboot erase bootloader
fastboot erase recovery
fastboot erase boot
fastboot erase system
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase media
You must be very deliberate when using these commands. The fastboot erase command will immediately start erasing the partition and it will not be recoverable if you change your mind. Erasing the bootloader, boot, or system partitions (especially the bootloader) can seriously brick your device if they are not replaced. In most cases, it's probably best and safest to flash a new image on top of the existing data, but they are listed here for reference. The last two commands are probably more useful than the others. Erasing the data partition is roughly equivalent to a factory reset and the last command will erase the sdcard partition.
Rather than use the fastboot erase commands above, the fastboot flash command can be used to overwrite the partitions...
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader \path\to\u-boot.bin
fastboot flash recovery \path\to\recovery.img
fastboot flash boot \path\to\boot.img
fastboot flash system \path\to\system.img
fastboot flash userdata \path\to\userdata.img
Most users will most likely only need to utilize the first two of these commands to flash a new bootloader and recovery, but the others may still be useful if there's ever a reason to flash them separately.
Just in case you are unsure about what the "\path\to" part of the command means, it refers to the directory location of the file you are flashing. Let's say you want to flash a new recovery image and have the recovery.img file in the C:\kfu\software folder. You would replace the "\path\to" part with "C:\kfu\software" in the command to look like...
Code:
fastboot flash recovery C:\kfu\software\recovery.img
The file name at the end is also a generic example and should be changed to the actual name of the downloaded file.
The Kindle Fire can also be booted directly from a boot image on your computer without first flashing it to the device...
Code:
fastboot boot \path\to\boot.img
Because a recovery image is just another boot image, this feature is useful for testing out another recovery without overwriting the one currently installed. For instance, if you have CWMR installed, but you just want to take a look at the new TWRP release, use "fastboot boot" to boot from that image. It won't affect your CWMR installation and the next restart into recovery will boot into CWMR. Note: This will not work with TWRP 2.0.0 because that distribution is a boot image that automatically flashes the recovery image contained within the boot image. TWRP 2.1.0 and above will behave as previously described.
For even more fastboot commands, take a look at...
Code:
fastboot help
What about the adb commands?
As noted before, adb commands can be sent to the Kindle Fire when it is either booted into the OS or recovery. First check the Windows Device Manger to make sure "Android Phone -> Android Composite ADB Interface" appears in the list and then verify adb is working properly with the following command...
Code:
adb devices
To manage communications between the computer and the device, adb utilizes the services of a background server (daemon). When an adb command is issued, it checks to see that the server is running and starts one as necessary. After this server starts running, adb will output a line with a 16 digit alphanumeric identifier and a short description for each devices that responds to the query (e.g. "3A8F010600000001 recovery"). If you don't see this identifier, then the device drivers are probably not installed or not loading properly... see the previous post about device drivers.
Like fastboot in the previous section, adb can also be used to change the bootmodes on a rooted device...
Code:
adb shell idme bootmode 4000
adb shell idme bootmode 4002
adb shell idme bootmode 5001
These adb shell commands will change the bootmode to normal (4000), fastboot (4002) or recovery (5001). Then the device can be restarted with
Code:
adb reboot
These adb commands copy files and folders to and from the device...
Code:
adb push <source on host> <destination on device>
adb pull <source on device> <destination on host>
The arguments enclosed in angle brackets (<>) must be replaced with the path to files and folders as appropriate. To copy a file or folder from the host computer to the Kindle Fire, use the "adb push" command. To illustrate by example, let's say there's a folder full of mp3 files, "C:\mp3" on the computer and you want to copy some or all of them to the Kindle Fire's Music folder.
Code:
adb push C:\mp3\track1.mp3 /sdcard/Music/
adb push C:\mp3\track1.mp3 /sdcard/Music/newtrack.mp3
adb push C:\mp3 /sdcard/Music
The first command copies the track1.mp3 file to the Music folder on the Kindle Fire. The second command copies the same file with a new name on the device. The last one copies the entire contents of the mp3 folder to the Music folder. Note that Windows uses the backslash as a separator while the Kindle Fire uses the Unix/Linux conventions with the forward slash.
Conversely, "adb pull" copies a file or folder from the Kindle Fire to the host computer.
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/Music/track1.mp3 C:\mp3
adb pull /sdcard/Music/track1.mp3 C:\mp3\newtrack.mp3
adb pull /sdcard/Music C:\mp3
These commands are equivalent to the "adb push" examples, but move the files and folders in the opposite direction.
Another useful command is used to sideload an app onto the device...
Code:
adb install \path\to\App.apk
Some of the most powerful adb commands are actually Linux commands. One such example to change the bootmode of the device was covered earlier in this section. "adb shell" commands in this form...
Code:
adb shell <Linux command>
actually execute a Linux command directly on the device. The entire range of available Linux commands cannot be covered here because of the limited scope of this document. Just be aware that any commands in this form are really Linux commands being run through adb. For more information on Linux shell commands, An Introduction to the Linux Command Shell For Beginners is a good place to start.
Most users will be able to get by with the commands covered here, but adb has many other useful commands as well. Be sure to take a look at the built-in help for other useful adb commands...
Code:
adb help
How do I put all these commands together?
A supplement to this guide has been posted with details on how to root a stock device and install a custom ROM. The how-to guide outlines the use of these adb and fastboot commands in real-world tasks to modify the Kindle Fire.
Kindle Fire For Beginners - Supplemental How-To Guide
How can I thank you for this guide?
Hit the "Thanks" button and share your positive experiences in this thread. If you feel like you have more to give, consider donating a few minutes of your time to new users who come here looking for help. None of us were born with this knowledge and we all need a hand up from time to time. Be kind and generous when you post. Thanks for reading!
congratulations !
very well written guide to understand how the kf works
would recommend every new kf user to read it - hope they take the time ...
b63 said:
congratulations !
very well written guide to understand how the kf works
would recommend every new kf user to read it - hope they take the time ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... thanks! I was scanning the general section this morning to see if anybody had posted a response to the guide, but I couldn't find it right away... went to the second page and still couldn't find it so I thought it was deleted for length or something. Only then did I notice it had been made a sticky post. A thanks to b63 for the kind words and a humble bow to whoever made it a sticky.
Thanks for taking the time to write this guide. It is great to see contributions like this for the community to use.
Wow. This is incredible. This is so easy to read and helped me alot with little minuscule things i didn't know which made it hard for me to understand completely. Thanks for the taking the time and making the extra effort to include all the little explanations.
Thanks, this was a good help, I have been flashing ROMs on my Captivate and a couple other Android phones for about a year, but I just got the Kindle on Saturday so I look forward to playing with it, and this guide helped point me in the right direction
sent from my Fusion ICS powered captivate on the xda premium app.
Thankyou for this guide! I have had my Kindle fire for a while now and have so far managed to brick it unbrick it and erase all the system data.(don't ask me how lol) but I did fix that as well.... All kindle fire users should read this!
This should be stickied.
Cl8rs said:
This should be stickied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am pretty sure that it is....
Excellent guide, helps not only understand KF but Android developement altogether, kudos.
Awesome write upp
Can u pls explain cyanogenmode m confused
Sent from my GT-S5570 using XDA
Many thanks to everyone with good words to say about the guide. I hope it was really worth the read for all of you. I also hope that you'll help spread the word about it to new members who might also benefit from reading it. Thanks.
tejasghalsasi said:
Awesome write upp
Can u pls explain cyanogenmode m confused
Sent from my GT-S5570 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.cyanogenmod.com/
CyanogenMod is an aftermarket firmware for a number of cell phones based on the open-source Android operating system. It offers features not found in the official Android based firmwares of vendors of these cell phones.
ROM is another word for firmware. Although the Kindle Fire doesn't have official support (yet) from the group behind CyanogenMod, many hard working developers have used it as a basis for the ROMs you see in the development section. You'll often see it referred to as CM7 (based on Gingerbread) and CM9 (based on Ice Cream Sandwich).
Thank you for this guide. Just in time for my KF to arrive tomorrow.
This really clears the things and what to do with KFU.
thank you for this amazing post -really appreciate you people taking out time to write such posts for noobs like me -must be tedious for you but its lifesaving for us
It's a great orientative post, I couldn't think of anything to add that it doesn't cover already.
Maybe mention that ICS ROMs are in early stages of development and some features aren't working yet? (HWA-> some games, netflix, flash....)
What you could add is a comparison between CM7 and CM9 and ICS and maybe some "best practices".
Dasanko said:
It's a great orientative post, I couldn't think of anything to add that it doesn't cover already.
Maybe mention that ICS ROMs are in early stages of development and some features aren't working yet? (HWA-> some games, netflix, flash....)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bambi007 said:
What you could add is a comparison between CM7 and CM9 and ICS and maybe some "best practices".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I appreciate the suggestions, but I would like to avoid topics that might change from week to week. I know that CM9 is a hot topic right now, but its development is in a very fluid stage. The guide is meant to be a primer for beginners so that they have a foundation of knowledge they can use to find and understand areas of interest specific to the individual. It's not really intended to be a "what's new" guide in the world of Kindle Fire development.
I'm not sure what you mean by "best practices" in this context. I'm thinking about doing an additional guide that's more of a tutorial, but it's just bouncing around in my head for now. When I find some time to organize it, I'll do something with it.
Thanks again for reading.
Thank you for writing this guide! I'm relatively new to rooting devices in general and had my first success with my 4G Amaze and now the KF. But I've always been confused by some of the terms people have used. So thank you for clarifying all this without making me look like a total newb! lol
kinfauns said:
I'm thinking about doing an additional guide that's more of a tutorial, but it's just bouncing around in my head for now. When I find some time to organize it, I'll do something with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be wonderful, I have yet to flash any ROMs onto any devices yet because I still know very little about them, other then what they do. But to know which ones are "best" or more popular would be great.
Ex:
Like CM9 can't do video
CM7 not as "flashy" but can do video
but again thank you for providing this awesome guide!
Related
I really need some help please! I think I may have done something very bad. I have a tmobile mytouch 3g. I was trying to update from cyanogenmod 4.2.1.9. I was using a darkstar theme from ringer nation.
Here’s where I think i screwed myself. I am fairly new to all this stuff so I was trying to find a guide on how to update the mod and instead of doing it properly by adding the files to the sd card, doing a wipe, and then installing everything. I instead messed up and did an install of sapping.nbh and basically followed all the directions to originally root the phone. Including formatting the sd card and everything. When I realized that i was doing this all wrong I was still able to load my os and everything seemed ok. I was getting a sd card error that said that the card was blank or had an unsupported file system, but I was able to mount it so, I erased everything off the card and then put the cyanogen update and the drc83_base file and attempted to load into recovery and do the update.
I loaded into and did a wipe. I attempted to follow the instructions on upgrading from the cyogen page. (God I wish I had found that page first) But after I did the wipe and I attempt to Apply any from SD I get “error: sd card is not mounted”
When I attempt to reboot the phone it goes to the tmobile mytouch logo, THEN it goes to my them logo from Ringer Nation, then it just goes to a black screen I let it sit there for like 5 minutes to see what would happen, but nothing. So I took out the battery and sim. I can get into recovery though so I hope that someone can help me figure out where to go from there.I thought that since I had done a wipe that the theme would have been deleted as well? This is weird.
I did do a nandroid backup before. Hopefully that will prove to be helpful. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to dump as much useful information about this problem so that hopefully someone will be able to help! BTW I'm using a mac with the latest snow leopard software.
As I am desperate for help, please reach out to me via aim – icolinirie or via email
Thank you in advance for everything. This is a great community, and all of Cyanogen’s work is greatly appreciated!!
EDIT: I really need some help! Here's some more information. I have a Magic 32B. Its running Cyanogenmod v1.4 + JF Recovery.
From what I have gathered I need to adp into my phone in order to get it to mount. Anyone know how to do this on a mac. I am trying, but I don't fully understand. I have created the .bash_profile from terminal and typed the following "export PATH=${PATH}:/Users/itunes/Documents/android-sdk-mac_86/tools" which is the path to the tools file in the sdk. I am just stuck at this point. I don't know what to do from here.
Hi I quote.
Install SDK utilities you need to connect your PC to your phone
You can download the full SDK from the Android Developer website for your platform
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
You'll need to download the SDK appropriate for your platform and extract it into a directory somewhere. I'm going to assume you're using Windows here and suggest you extract it into a folder called
C:\AndroidSDK\
on your hard disk. You can put it anywhere you like really, but if you do you'll need to substitute it for the folder above.
Add the tools directory to your system path for easy access
In Windows it's easy to add the Android SDK Tools directory to your system path. Doing this lets you use the Android SDK tools anywhere and makes it easier for you.
On Windows XP: Go to Control Panel->System, Choose the 'Advanced' tab and then click 'Environment Variables' To do this on Vista/Windows7: Simply go to Control Panel->System and choose 'Advanced System Settings' and then 'Environment Variables'
Now that you've got here locate Path under System Variables and click Edit, then add the following to the end of the string displayed:
;C:\AndroidSDK\tools\
Then click OK until you get out of the menus.
Now that you've done this you should be able to bring up a command shell and type 'adb' and it should run straight away without needing to change path.
Please note that you can skip this step completely if you find it too complicated - however you will need to CD to the ?AndroidSDK\tools every time you open up a command prompt so it's worthwhile doing. I'm going to assume you have made the change above in all further examples as it gets too complicated really. If you're not confident in a DOS shell, I'd suggest you do a little bit of reading up on basic navigation in DOS first.
Enable Debugging mode on the phone before connecting to PC and installing the ADB driver
Menu > Settings > Applications > Developement > USB Debugging
Install the USB drivers correctly - check using "adb devices".
If you have already connected your phone to your computer before then the USB drivers are probably already loaded. If you're lucky then typing 'adb devices' in a command prompt will produce something like:
C:\AndroidSDK>adb devices
List of devices attached
XXXXXXXXXXXX device
Where XXXXXXXXXXXX is the serial number of your phone. If it doesn't produce that line, then you need to check Device Manager and ensure the device drivers for your phone were installed correctly.
If you are having issues installing the ADB driver, you need to connect your phone then go into Device Manager and check the ADB device properties. Check the following property and it'll look something like:
Device Instance Id: USB\VID_0BB4&PID_0C02&MI_01\7&293A7D0D&0&0001
To fix the driver installation problem, you need to edit the driver's .ini file and change all the references of 0C03 to 0C02, or 0C02 to 0C03 if your device property states your Device Id is 0C03.
Note: After flashing a new ROM, your Device Id may change again to either 0C03 or remain as 0C02. So you need to update the .ini file again as above to refelect the change and re-install the driver. Another known way to fix the above issue is to download and install HTC Sync - this seems to install the correct drivers.
How to use ADB
ADB stands for Android Debugging Bridge - it's a useful way of talking to your handset while it's running. ADB provides commands for copying files to and from your phone, installing packages and debugging your Android applications.
Useful commands include:
adb devices - lists which devices are currently attached to your computer
adb install <packagename.apk> - lets you install an Android application on your phone
adb remount - Remounts your system in write mode - this lets you alter system files on your phone using ADB
adb push <localfile> <location on your phone> - lets you upload files to your phones filesystem
adb pull <location on your phone> <localfile> - lets you download files off your phones filesystem
adb logcat - starts dumping debugging information from your handset to the console - useful for debugging your apps
adb shell <command> - drops you into a basic linux command shell on your phone with no parameters, or lets you run commands directly
How to use Fastboot
Fastboot is another boot method and is used to drop the phone into a safe mode to load/flash alternate roms. You need USB debugging turned on before you can use Fastboot mode - so I'd recommend you do this first (under Settings->Applications->Development->USB Debugging). You will also need to power off your phone first (hold down Power and select Power Off) and then hold down the Back+Power Buttons to start the phone in Fastboot mode. You will need your USB cable connected to be able to issue any commands and assuming your drivers are correct you should be able to issue:
C:\AndroidSDK>fastboot devices
List of devices attached
XXXXXXXXXXXX fastboot
Other commands in this mode include - we'll cover these below in subsequent sections.
fastboot boot <filename> - boots a rom stored on your pc specified by the filename
fastboot flash <partition> <filename> - flashes a rom stored on your pc, partition can be one of {boot, recovery, system, userdata}
fastboot binaries for mac and linux can be found here.
3. Learn how to use fastboot and boot a recovery rom
Download a recovery rom for your device
There are several different recovery roms available for the HTC Magic devices.
Amon_RA has created several nice recovery roms available from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=530492 and get the Recovery Rom appropriate for your device - these recovery roms have Nandroid Backup and Nandroid Restore and are perfect for the average user.
You can also use Cyanogen's 1.3.1 Recovery ROM available for: PVT32A devices and PVT32B devices - this rom has some additional options for partitioning your SD card for ?Apps2SD/Swapper/etc.
Fastboot the recovery rom
Fastbooting a rom doesn't write anything to your device - it just loads it directly from your PC - so it's a completely safe way of fixing/recovering/backing up your existing rom. To fastboot a rom you need to first drop your phone into Fastboot mode and check that it's working. Now drop into a command shell and make sure the recovery image you're wanting to load is in the same directory that you're running this in. If it's called something other than recovery-rom.img then substitute that instead.
C:\AndroidSDK> fastboot boot recovery-rom.img
If you are having problems changing the directory in the command prompt, just make a copy of the command prompt .exe itself, and place it in the folder that contains the recovery rom, then run the above command.
And once again, if you have a perfected SPL which does not allow remote fastboot, you will have to fix it first.
Use the Recovery Rom to Backup your current ROM with Nandroid
Once you've booted to a recovery rom - you can use the Nandroid Backup option. If you get a 'cannot mount /dev/mkblkxxx error' when you do this then check your microSD card is inserted correctly and if so, wait a few seconds for it to register to the recovery rom correctly. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again (sdcard can take a few seconds to mount!)
You do not need to be a rocket scientist to do this.
you can use the ADB to put in recovery again by fast boot
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=530492
Hey! First off Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate someone chiming in to throw some advice my way! But while reading your thread you described the instructions for windows. In this case I have a macbook pro running snow leopard.
I did download the android sdk to my documents folder and I understand that I need to execute some scripts from the terminal on my mac to get things running. But I really dont know what those scripts are or what exactly to do.
I can get into the recovery mode on the MyTouch by holding power and home when powering on. So do I open the console from the recovery screen on the mytouch and then run the scripts on the terminal from my macbook? And which scripts should I run to get the sd card mounted onto my desktop (that is what I'm trying to do). Im not too sure what to do from there either. I want to get the phone back to stock android 1.5 os so that I can root again. My sd card has to be corrupted because it keeps giving me an error saying that it wont mount when I try to do a fix file systems or try anything from that menu. What to do??
What!
can you get in the recovery?
Yeah I can get into cyanogen v1.4 recovery. I'm just stuck from there.
Ok ok If I understand this correctly then you are not briced. you do not have any imag on your phone.
if you do not have anything nadroid recovery on sdcard you must enter a new ROM on the sdcard and flash it
remember full wipe.!
Yes this is what I believe I must do. But I need to either find a way to mount my SD card from the phone while it is in recovery mode (cyanogen v1.4). That's my problem.. I wish there was an easier way to get it mounted onto my mac from the recovery screen. I think I'm just going to go to best buy tomorrow and get a micro sd card reader and maybe another sd card just in case.
Once I have done that though. What files should I put onto the sd card in order to flash it back to original factory android 1.5.
What do you think?
Good idea
I have never used cyanogen v1.4 recovery
I use the recovery-RA-sapphire-v1.5.2H.img and ther you can use USB togle in recovery mode, You must go to the store to buy the adapter that fits on your Mac, I have two adapters for your Mac, you can borrow
Yeah that's the plan for tomorrow. Thanks for the offer man. But I'm in Los Angeles, Ca LOL!! Where are you?
icolinirie said:
Yeah that's the plan for tomorrow. Thanks for the offer man. But I'm in Los Angeles, Ca LOL!! Where are you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bergen . norway.
http://maps.google.no/maps?f=s&utm_...o-google-gm&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=google map
OMG! WOW! Looks like a beautiful place! LA is a concrete jungle but beautiful in its own respects. Bergen looks like a very comfortable place! I enjoy finding out about these things. Maybe someday I'll visit. I'd definitely love to!
icolinirie said:
OMG! WOW! Looks like a beautiful place! LA is a concrete jungle but beautiful in its own respects. Bergen looks like a very comfortable place! I enjoy finding out about these things. Maybe someday I'll visit. I'd definitely love to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is sick cold. I'll take one picture out the window
There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about how exactly to root and install custom ROMs on the Kindle Fire, so I’ve created this how-to guide in the hope that what happened to me (nearly bricking my device) won’t happen to anyone else.
This guide was designed for 64-bit Windows 7, because that’s what I own. However, the instructions will work to some extent on other operating systems, but you might have to change a couple of things (like file paths and such).
SETTING UP ADB
Unfortunately, rooting does require a bit of prep work first. You’ll need to download the Android SDK and install it. Then, open up the SDK Manager and download two packages: the “Android SDK Platform-tools” under Tools, and the “Google USB Driver package” under Extras. If there’s an error during installation under Windows, try opening the SDK Manager with administrative privileges.
Then, open up Control Panel, click on "System and Security", then "System", then "Advanced system settings". In the dialog box that pops up, select "Environment Variables". In the bottom scroll box, scroll down until you see the variable “Path”. In the value box, add this string to the end:
Code:
;C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools
You WILL need to change this depending on where you installed the Android SDK – I chose the default installation path on 64-bit Windows 7.
Next, open up your user folder (“C:\Users\<your name>\”) and open up the “.android” folder. Open up the “adb_usb.ini” file (create it if it doesn’t already exist) and add the following string to it:
Code:
0x1949
Then, go into where you installed the Android SDK (again, in my case, “C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\”), and go into “extras”, then “google”, then “usb_driver”, and open up “android_winusb.inf”. Add the following to the [Google.NTx86] and [Google.NTamd64] sections:
Code:
;
;Kindle Fire
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006&MI_01
Then, turn on your Kindle, and plug it into your computer. Go back into Control Panel, click on “Hardware and Sound”, then click on “Device Manager”. Go through the list, and you should find a device under “Other devices” with a small yellow triangle on the icon called “Kindle”. Right click on it and click “Properties”. On the dialog box that opens up, select the Driver tab, then press “Update Driver”. Select “Browse my computer for driver software” then specify the directory where “android_winusb.inf” is stored (in my case, “C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver”) and press next. The “Android Composite ADB Interface” should successfully install.
Congrats, you’ve completed the prep work and now your computer can access the Kindle Fire through the Android Debugging Bridge (ADB)!
ROOTING
This process has recently been made far easier by the Kindle Fire Utility (KFU), which is a script that simplifies the use of BurritoRoot, which is currently the only way to root the Kindle Fire. This root method currently works with the most current version of the Amazon firmware (v. 6.2.1).
Download the Kindle Fire Utility. IMPORTANT: there seems to be a problem with version 9 (the latest version) with properly downloading the TWRP image, so install version 7 instead!
Next, unzip it and open “run.bat.” If your Kindle Fire is plugged into your computer and turned on, and you’ve completed the above prep work, you should see the following:
Code:
ADB Status: Online
ADB Rooted: No
Boot Status: 4000
Select option 3 (“Install Permanent Root with Superuser”). The utility will install BurritoRoot on your device, and when it’s finished, it will display “Press any key to continue…” And that's it! Your Kindle Fire has been rooted!
INSTALLING THE ANDROID MARKET AND OTHER GOOGLE APPS
Now, you’re probably rooting to gain access to the Android Market and other Google apps, so in order to do that, at the Kindle Fire Utility main menu, select option 6 (“Extras”) then option 2 (“Install Google Apps / Go Launcher EX”). You’ll need to be connected to the Internet for this step. Again, just wait, and it’ll install the required apps. Again, you’ll see “Press any key to continue...” when it’s finished.
INSTALLING TEAM WIN RECOVERY PROJECT (TWRP)
After you’ve rooted your device, you probably will want to test out CM7 or the latest ICS pre-alpha on your device. To do that, you’ll need to install a special recovery program called Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP). You can use the Kindle Fire Utility to do that too. Simply open it up and select option 5 (“Install latest TWRP Recovery”). Like before, you’ll need to be connected to the Internet.
Now, you need to really pay attention in this step. When you see “Press any key to continue”, DO NOT PRESS ANYTHING RIGHT AWAY. Look at your Kindle Fire, and wait for TWRP to install. When you see a “Reboot” button, press it, and wait for a yellow triangle to appear in the centre of the screen. When that appears, go back to the utility and press any key. Again, you’ll see “Press any key to continue...” when it’s finished.
FLASHING CUSTOM ROMS
Now, to flash a custom ROM, turn your Kindle Fire off first. Then, turn it back on. When you see the yellow triangle, press the power button until it changes from green to orange. TWRP will load, and you’ll be able to access a number of settings from there.
First, copy the ROM that you've downloaded to your SD card. To do this, click Mount and then Mount USB Storage. You’ll be able to access the card from your computer. When you’re done copying the file, click Unmount. Click the home icon at the top right hand corner to return to the main menu.
Next, in order to make a backup of your current ROM, click Backup, then Backup Now. When that’s finished, press the home icon to return to the main menu.
Now, click Wipe and click on Factory Reset. Click Yes on the following screen. This is to ensure that leftover data from your old ROM won’t mess up the new one. Click the home icon to return to the main menu.
Next, click Install, select the proper ROM, and press Install. When that’s finished, press Wipe Cache. When that’s complete, press the home button and reboot the device. Your new ROM is now installed!
TROUBLESHOOTING
Stuck at Kindle Fire Screen
If all you can see is the Kindle Fire boot screen, something probably went wrong with installing TWRP. Try opening up a Command prompt and issuing the following commands (with the Kindle plugged in):
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 oem idme bootmode 4000
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
Afterwards, try re-installing TWRP with the Kindle Fire Utility.
Stuck at Yellow Triangle
Again, if you've been staring at the yellow triangle for several minutes, something probably went wrong with the installation of TWRP. Plug in your Kindle and open up Device Manager. You should see either an "Unknown Device" or a device called "kindle." Manually install the ADB drivers by opening up "Properties" and selecting "Update Driver", then manually selecting "Android ADB Composite Interface" from the list instead of automatically searching for the proper driver (Windows won't be able to find it). Afterwards, try re-installing TWRP with the Kindle Fire Utility.
this should help clear some confusion up for those on windows 7
Big Android n00b here and I have to say this guide did wonders for me, I appreciate you doing this.
Can you post a step by step on how to flash kernels?
Thank you this awesome guide. Everything went very smoothly.
Sent from my CM7 Kindle Fire using xda premium
michaelkourlas said:
Again, if you've been staring at the yellow triangle for several minutes, something probably went wrong with the installation of TWRP. Plug in your Kindle and open up Device Manager. You should see either an "Unknown Device" or a device called "kindle." Manually install the ADB drivers by opening up "Properties" and selecting "Update Driver", then manually selecting "Android ADB Composite Interface" from the list instead of automatically searching for the proper driver (Windows won't be able to find it). Afterwards, try re-installing TWRP with the Kindle Fire Utility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked great! One problem though...now I'm stuck in TWRP..now what...any advice is much appreiciated. Thanks
The "troubleshooting code" by the OP with the fastboot commands will do it.
Or use the KFU and look at the BootMode menu.
Ok back up and running. I used KFU option recheck ADB /Fastboot Mode..it worked and TWRP seems to be working now..
When I Connect my kindle stuck at the logo and install the drivers, I still get <waiting for device> from fastboot. can anyone help me?
Waiting for device probably means you machine doesn't recognize the kindle..read the OP last paragraph and reinstall the drivers manually. Once you do that open up KFU... select bootmode menu...1...0...Recheck ADB / Fastboot...that worked for me..
i have got root and super user but am getting stuck trying to load TWRP? any suggestions? tried KFU .7 and .9
sdk manager options
I know I need to make sure platform-tools and google usb drivers are checked, but I notice too that Android 4.0.3 is checked also. Should I leave it checked?
I got everything installed and working but I have a quick question. When I boot up my fire I see the triangle image, a black screen, the triangle image again, black screen, then finally cm7 will start loading. Does this sound normal for everyone?
Yes, same thing. First firefirefire is backlit bright, second is dimmed.
Still cant get TWRP to load the kindle reboots and stays stuck at.kindle fire screen and have to use fastboot cmds listed by op to.get it to boot. HALP PLZ! Really want to get cm7 on this thing!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
michaelkourlas said:
There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about how exactly to root and install custom ROMs on the Kindle Fire, so I’ve created this how-to guide in the hope that what happened to me (nearly bricking my device) won’t happen to anyone else.
This guide was designed for 64-bit Windows 7, because that’s what I own. However, the instructions will work to some extent on other operating systems, but you might have to change a couple of things (like file paths and such).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks !! Works like a charm
Solution to this possible scenario :
a) Script (0.91) says " Waiting for Devices)
b) KF shows the scary yellow Biohazard sign
c) The kindle is not updated in the Device Manager and it does not accept the standard android_winusb.inf
Solution:
Use this
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
to update the driver
I was SOOOOOOO worried it would get bricked .... hope this helps
If this helps you and you feel like paying it forward, do help me with my whatsapp issue : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1415426
Thanks
KFU seems to download the twrp file but then the kindle reboots and it seems like it never loads it on the kindle i end up stuck at the intial Kindle Fire stock screen when the message says
***********************************************
* WARNING *
***********************************************
The device is now restarting to install TWRP.
Do not press any key until you hit reboot on TWRP on the Kindle.
When you see the yellow triangle, you are safe to continue.
Press any key to continue . . .
there is no TWRD installed or anything i waited five minutes for it to load but did not load. have to unplug reboot kindle and then run fastboot commands to get it to boot correctly to stock. anybody have a link to the commands used to manually install twrp?
Ok so I am new hear and I was reading in THIS POST about installing TWRP using the Kindle Fire Utility. So I installed the drivers as directed and I see in my device manager "android ADB device" and in my taskbar I can eject the kindle. In File Manager I do not see the Kindle fire and the Kindle Fire Utility is not seeing my Kindle Fire. I am stuck and cannot post in the above forum because I have not made enough posts. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I would like to install Cynogen Mod to my Kindle fire to be able to access the full capabilities of this wonderful device.
Thank you
a good method to start is using kfu as you suggested but there are some tricks to get it running:
- place it to c:\ and rename it to "kfu" (it don't like spaces in pathname)
- try to install the correct drivers by running install_drivers.bat else install/update them manually:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21720811&postcount=41
- pay attention on the driver verification level:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22065426&postcount=846
- the drivers are in c:\kfu\drivers\kindle
- right drivers for each mode:
normal & recovery boot -> android composite adb interface
fastboot -> android adb interface
once you got rid of the drivers you have to update the run.bat of kfu to work with burritoroot3:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21749205&postcount=792
now you should be good to go ...
Thank you BB3 I will give this a try later tonight. appreciate the help
man install buritoroot and TWRP(which installs and FireFireFire) by yourself when i tried with the kindle fire utility all got were errors, but when i installed it by myself everythink went smooth. Just find separate guide for every step
1.Root
2.TWRP and FireFireFire
3.CM7
I'm having the same problem as you and it sucks I just want to root it
Hate to necro post, but I'm having the same issue and none of the posted suggestions work. I have the ADB drivers installed (the Kindle is detected as "Android Composite ADB Interface"), but I did not install the drivers using the KFU batch file; I could never get it to stop producing the unsigned error, no matter what system settings I chose for unsigned drivers. I ended up doing a manual driver install and directing the installer at the driver files that came with KFU. Now KFU refuses to "see" the Kindle connected to my system and therefore I can't do a thing with it. I am able to browse the Kindle files in Windows Explorer (should I be able to? I've seen conflicting answers to this), but KFU always reports its ADB status as "Offline". Soft disconnecting the Kindle (hitting the "Disconnect" button on the Kindle) doesn't change anything, except removes my ability to browse the Knidle files (no surprise there).
This is a fully updated (6.3) Kindle and Windows XP. I did attempt to manually do what KFU does automagically prior to finding out about KFU, but that effort produced similar results; the Kindle was never detected by the SDK tools, despite the drivers loading properly. I have also tried multiple USB ports on my system, but they all produced the same results. About the only thing I haven't tried is a different USB cable, but if the Kindle is able to be "seen" by the OS correctly, I don't think the cable is a problem.
Have you tryed rebooting your computer? http://liliputing.com/2012/03/root-...ogle-play-store-with-kindle-fire-utility.html or http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=/watch?v=mwMHIkX20YI&v=mwMHIkX20YI&gl=US nat3mil gives good instruction it helps to watch the video do the step while paused then move onto the next its how I did it the first time the second time I just used the utility was easy peasy cause drivers were already installed and functional
Yeah, I followed those exact instructions and video, with no results. Reboot doesn't make any difference, KFU still can't see the device.
cogadh said:
Yeah, I followed those exact instructions and video, with no results. Reboot doesn't make any difference, KFU still can't see the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you followed the instructions to the t like not plugging in your device until you have the drivers installed .then you may have something on your computer preventing adb try the 6.2.2 method
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=/watch?v=AZ88CYWv0FU&v=AZ88CYWv0FU&gl=US or just keep looking for something that works cause people miss steps all the time sometimes its persistence or trial and error that gets results I'm very surprised your not seeing anything in device manager that applies to your kindle mine installed some drivers immediately when I connected it I had to change them to root it but it did show up in the list of devices as well as appearing next to my c drive as a kindle for SD card access but I'm on windows seven anything I connect does something.
No, Device Manager sees everything fine, it's KFU that refuses to see it. I am getting both a Kindle storage device and an Android ADB device in Device Manager, as well as seeing the Kindle as a removable drive in Windows Explorer. The old 6.2.2 instructions are of no help, that's what I tried the first time I attempted to root the device before the 6.3 update and I got the same exact results. I don't know what on my machine could possibly be interfering, this is a very barebones XP, I don't even run anti-virus on it.
cogadh said:
No, Device Manager sees everything fine, it's KFU that refuses to see it. I am getting both a Kindle storage device and an Android ADB device in Device Manager, as well as seeing the Kindle as a removable drive in Windows Explorer. The old 6.2.2 instructions are of no help, that's what I tried the first time I attempted to root the device before the 6.3 update and I got the same exact results. I don't know what on my machine could possibly be interfering, this is a very barebones XP, I don't even run anti-virus on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be your machine but don't use the utility and when you do put twrp on if ya get there use 2.0 the older version people are having trouble with the new one http://www.techtuple.com/477/how-to-root-kindle-fire-6-3-easily/ this is done through cmd without utility. Original thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1568340
About all the advice I can give you all else fails use another computer windows 7 machine things are more straight forward than xp
Edit: just a side note a lot of people are bricking their devices I keep remembering the Christmas story be careful you'll shoot your eye out also some people I believe are having success opening kfu attaching thier fire while off then powering up the kindle
I read somewhere that the utility doesn't work for xp wish I could find the post I think you need to push the files the old way using command prompt and you will get it sounds like your drivers are there but utility is useless
If your device isn't recognized it is a driver issue, regardless of whether your computer says they are installed or not.
Scrap your current drivers and start fresh using the tutorial posted here:
http://www.jayceooi.com/2011/12/13/how-to-install-kindle-fire-adb-usb-driver/
Forget about KFU, get Android SDK and set up the drivers yourself. Learn to use fastboot to manually change your bootmode manually through command prompt. It will save you hours of heartache in the future.
Reinstall your (non KFU) drivers and try again.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using xda premium
Thanx soup better said than what I was trying
if you want to test to see if your drivers and adb are correctly installed plug your kindle in to your computer type cd c:\kindleadb then hit enter then type adb devices hit enter mine said adb server out of date. killing...
*dameon started successfully*
list of devices attached
42220600000000001 device
c:\KindleADB>
this is all in command prompt at this point I could paste in commands and root my kindle run this test to verify drivers are correctly installed if you dont see this try again on driver installation.
First time i've ever rooted a kindle and i had the same problem.
To fix this just go to device manager and uninstall the driver and then unplug and replug in your kindle then run the utility.
oh no trouble at all rooting rooted rommed and rockin here took the 6.3 ota this morning with 5 mins I was rooted with fff twrp then went back to 1 of my restore points of cm7 after a backup of 6.3 thanx tho
soupmagnet said:
If your device isn't recognized it is a driver issue, regardless of whether your computer says they are installed or not.
Scrap your current drivers and start fresh using the tutorial posted here:
Forget about KFU, get Android SDK and set up the drivers yourself. Learn to use fastboot to manually change your bootmode manually through command prompt. It will save you hours of heartache in the future.
Reinstall your (non KFU) drivers and try again.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If all newbs do no other work but learn to use fastboot and adb it would save save a lot of grief for them and the ones helping them. jes sayin..
Thepooch said:
if you want to test to see if your drivers and adb are correctly installed plug your kindle in to your computer type cd c:\kindleadb then hit enter then type adb devices hit enter mine said adb server out of date. killing...
*dameon started successfully*
list of devices attached
42220600000000001 device
c:\KindleADB>
this is all in command prompt at this point I could paste in commands and root my kindle run this test to verify drivers are correctly installed if you dont see this try again on driver installation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will only work if the device is booted to a point where it will receive adb commands. Otherwise, use "fastboot devices". Sometimes if you are stuck at the bootloader it helps to shut your device down completely and restart before issuing fastboot commands.
Beyond that, it's a driver issue.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using xda premium
I had that same problem., but then I uninstalled the current drivers for my kindle altogether, and disabled them, then I ran install_drivers .bat again, then it worked.
Kindle Fire running KANG CM9
New developer, working on my own custom rom
My nephew managed to get into TWRP and somehow wiped the entire thing clean. I purposely keep a recovery .zip in there but even that's gone. When the Kindle is turned on it displays the Fire triangle but then the screen goes black and stays like that. I can boot into TWRP but can't use the mount option or adb because my computer, and the three others I've tried, refuses to recognize the Kindle. It shows up in Device Manager as Unknown and I can't manually install the driver. I've tried every combination of booting it with the computer off or on, uninstalling the Unknown driver, everything. Can you kind folks please save my butt? Thanks in advance for your responses.
wiped in TWRP and Windows only displays device as Unkown
Lance Uppercut,
Have you tried starting adb services and going back through the FireFireFire Utility, this has fixed a lot of boot errors that I had in the pass?
Let me know if you need help with starting adb services.
Thanks,
JohninLex
Thanks for your reply
Can you please elaborate on this a bit more? Maybe I'm not understanding correctly but I thought starting adb services wouldn't do anything in this instance since it wouldn't recognize the Kindle as being there at all? For instance, when I run Kindle Fire Utility it shows adb devices as being offline. If I could get the Kindle to show up as anything other than Unknown I'm certain I could just update the driver to an android device and have KFU take it over from there.
wiped in TWRP and Windows only displays device as Unkown
Lance Uppercut,
Did you root your Kindle "adb devices"
and the following commands?
adb shell chmod 777 /data/local/tmp
adb install Burritoroot3.apk
or did you download a file from the market to get root?
if you did it the above way with adb commands from a terminal would be great.
Either way lets set the driver, download the Kindle Fire Utility extract it to your desktop. or take note where you extracted it. Then go to your device manager and right click on the Kindle (unknown device) look for update driver and browse the the Kindle Fire Utility folder double click on the drivers folder and let it update the right driver you need for your OS (XP,Vista, 7 x86 or 64). Once it finds the right driver Open up a command prompt by going to start run and typing cmd and hitting enter. Once that is done download the KindleADB files and place them in the C:\ (drag and drop should be fine here ) go back to your command prompt and do the following commands:
** urname** C:\ " cd KindleADB " then hit enter
and then do " adb devices " it may or may not come back with your device sn but as long as it has started is what we are looking for.
Once that is done go back to your desktop leaving everything open and look through the Kindle Fire Utility until you find a file named Run.bat double click and hit run this will reinstall twrp and allow it to be remount-able. If you need a stock Kindle rom with update 6.2.2 I have a back up I can share with you.
I hope this helps but if it does not let me know and we can go back over the the driver section.
Thanks,
JohninLex
I've attempted installing the driver manually many times like you stated and on different PCs all containing KFU and the modified .ini file in the .android folder and the message I get when I attempt to manually update the driver is "The folder you specified doesn't contain a compatible software driver for your device. If the folder contains a driver, make sure it is designed to work with Windows for x64-based systems." When I first got the message I attempted to do it in an x86 system and the driver would still not install. My inability to get ANY computer to read the kindle as anything other than Unknown is the main issue. Even if I could make it read as the default "kindle" with the exclamation point it would be enough for me to fix it. But if I can't get a driver to load I'm hopeless to fix it in any way.
Use Android composite driver on your PC to get adb working. Once the adb is working, there multiple ways to boot or install a new ROM. I recommend to start doing the following commands:
Fastboot mode.
Try these ADB commands:
fastboot -i 0x1949 oem idme bootmode 4000
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
or
adb shell idme bootmode 4000
adb shell reboot
Ng you have an Android phone, connect to you PC first to see if adb is working using composite ad driver for Windows operating system
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I can't use android composite driver. Every time I attempt to install the driver manually I get the error listed above. No matter what I do I can't get the Kindle to be anything other than Unknown
i had a problem where i could only get the fire symbol screen computer would not recognize. I had to start the kindle fire utility plug my kindle into the computer then turn it off, then have kfu install latest twrp again when it says waiting for device turn device on and it will reinstall that and get you back to the recovery. so maybe you can do the same with obtain stock update. not really sure to the kindle. my computer would recognize kindle fire for a few seconds and thats how i could install new twrp
about drivers:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22342376&postcount=6
if you can't get rid of the drivers:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1430038
nevertheless i would never install the original stock rom cause you loose fff,twrp and root
use one of the prerooted stock roms instead:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22393194&postcount=20
I had this exact same problem and ended up with a bricked kindle for a few weeks. I tried everything on the forum...uninstalling/reinstalling drivers/sdk/etc. At the end of it all I had the drivers installed properly (which was a real pain in the keyster) but my computer still would not recognize my device.
I found 2 posts that finally helped me:
1) in the .android file for adb_usb.ini, you need to add in 0x006 in another line. Also dont forget to add the 3-line code @ [Google.NTx86] and [Google.NTamd64]
Here is a link. This link has just about everything else you need to do to solve this issue.
http://www.kindle-fireforum.com/forum/amazon-kindle-fire-development/1086-adb-issues-solved-how.html
2) manually mount the drive and flash update.zip. For some reason my kindle got locked in fastboot, then when i switched it to normal it would get stuck on the loading animation. If this happens you probably need to flash and start over.
Here is that process.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22433402&postcount=4
hope this helps and good luck
Help me save my kindle fire
I used KFU to install TWRP and up to CM9. But after that i restore to rom stock 6.2.
But after kindle start the error sorry loop in screen . I can not access to kindle.
process.android.acore force close
We try to connect and re install TWRP but not successfull. when i connect kindle to my pc (XP and window 7) it only recognize kindle as disk driver (athough i try to uninstall and setup manual driver )..
Help me urgent.
Thanks alot
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22342376&postcount=6
mhb1509 said:
I had this exact same problem and ended up with a bricked kindle for a few weeks. I tried everything on the forum...uninstalling/reinstalling drivers/sdk/etc. At the end of it all I had the drivers installed properly (which was a real pain in the keyster) but my computer still would not recognize my device.
I found 2 posts that finally helped me:
1) in the .android file for adb_usb.ini, you need to add in 0x006 in another line. Also dont forget to add the 3-line code @ [Google.NTx86] and [Google.NTamd64]
Here is a link. This link has just about everything else you need to do to solve this issue.
http://www.kindle-fireforum.com/forum/amazon-kindle-fire-development/1086-adb-issues-solved-how.html
2) manually mount the drive and flash update.zip. For some reason my kindle got locked in fastboot, then when i switched it to normal it would get stuck on the loading animation. If this happens you probably need to flash and start over.
Here is that process.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22433402&postcount=4
hope this helps and good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This comment gave a ton of hope since I have tried everything that has been mentioned already except for adding 0x006 but sadly it did not work. There's absolutely nothing I can do to get out of the Unknown state. I've never had my ass kicked this hard by a piece of hardware. I surrender.
maybe this as a last resort:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1430038
b63 said:
maybe this as a last resort:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1430038
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was reading through that earlier and it was a little too intimidating. I'm just going to sit here and cry for a couple of minutes.
Kindle still recognize as disk driver
I try to do something but adb not working (device not found because it recognize as normal disk driver). My pc use window xp professional.
How can i solve this
My kindle still recognize as normal disk driver
I try to test on some computers (xp, win7) but unfortunately, my kindle still recognize as normal usb only. (not adb device).
So i don know how to fix this problem
Please help me, or give me a hint
xp is a good choice - you don't have to care about the uac (user acces control)
have you checked according to my post #12 above ?
to shorten things up i could take a look with teamviewer if you like
just gimme a pm ...
Have you added the second vendor and the second set of USB command lines in your google/extras folder? If not add those turn off the kindle then turn it back on do "fastboot devices" then put the update.zip in your platform-tools folder then push the update to your kindle to be flashed by twrp. The command for that would be "advt push update.zip /sdcard/update.zip" you can have the kindle already in twrp by this point. Also when all is over you will have to reroot and reinstall fff and twrp. If you need help send me a message.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
Hard reset on main-board KF
My KF is frozen. I try to do hard reset by hold pw button 20s, but not effected.
So i've just open back-slide my KF, and see KF main-board.
Have hard reset trick on this main-board.
Help me please.
The main reasons to root the kindle is to gain access to the Google Android Market and or flash a Rom. The the act of rooting the stock software is very near obsolete in most cases. For one reason or another this appears to be an arduous task for the kindle, the computer, the utility and for the inexperienced user. There`s a better way, not a new way but far less talked about. My hope is to create a better safety net for the average user. A few simple steps and you`re well on the way. The process involves getting drivers installed correctly, putting a custom recovery in place as well as a bootloader, managing your first backup and installing a modified stock Rom with root. It`s a good idea to first understand some basic things about what your device will need to make all this possible. I do not believe it could be anymore clearly laid out for you than FSM Kinfauns wrote here [GUIDE] Kindle Fire For Beginners. If you`re new to rooting or just to the Kindle Fire this is a must see.
Drivers
Well I`m sorry the first part is difficult at least for some users it requires getting drivers in order. I`m not going to go into great detail on this it`s very well highlighted in the second post of the above thread. Some things that may help installation.
Avoid using 3.0 USB ports users have had trouble with them not reacting well to fastboot causing serious problems.
Make sure your using the proper cable.
Run the Install_driver bat file first. Any errors during this may indicate the need for a manual installation. Windows XP requires manual installation.
Plug in the Kindle. Watch to see if windows shows installation of drivers and which one. Windows 7 usually shows a popup balloon of the driver it`s installing, click on it to view progress and type.
Open device manager. In device manager you should see "Android phone" click to view driver it should read "Android Composite ADB Interface".
If it reads "Android ADB Interface" more work is needed.
Right click then select update driver.
Click "browse my computer for driver software", and point it to the kindle drivers. On my Windows 7 machine, for instance, it's C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\Desktop\Kindle_Fire_Util ity_v0.9.6\Kindle Fire Utility\drivers\kindle.
Include subfolders and click next. Disregard any warnings update driver software anyway, preferably it will then read "Android Composite ADB Interface".
For manual installation here`s a very good tutorial. How to install Kindle Fire adb USB driver?
Driver flex testThere`s a way to test the driver before ever attempting to send anything to your device. The Kindle Fire driver is in and of itself multifaceted and Windows has only met with the first half of it. A mild introduction to the second half could very well prevent Windows from being confused when you need it function correctly for the technical part of this process. I would consider this "the lesser of two evils" with the only risk being stuck in fastboot. This far less under weighs actually physically breaking something if it were to fail.
Plug your kindle in.
Unlock the screen.
Tap disconnect at the bottom of the screen to stop the USB file transfer application if it auto launches.
Open device manager.
Launch Kindle Fire Utility.
Confirm driver indicates "Android Composite ADB Interface" in device manager and Kindle Fire Utility indicates ADB Status: Online / Boot Status: 4000.
In KFU select # 1 Bootmode Menu then select # 2 Fastboot <4002> the Kindle will be told to reboot in fastboot mode. Setting bootmodes with KFU takes a bit be patient.
Check device manager see that the driver reads "Android ADB Interface" without errors such as an exclamation point or a question mark.
Powering the device off and back on again while attached can prompt new hardware found for updating driver on XP and proper installation of the driver in Windows 7.
If it does have an error or Windows does not recognize the device you must once again right click then select update driver to make it read "Android ADB Interface".
Press any key to continue
If it says ADB status offline Boot Status: Unknown disregard and select # 1 Normal <4000> this will tell the Kindle to reboot in Normal mode.
After booted press any key to continue.
Press 0 to recheck device status.
Confirm driver indicates "Android Composite ADB Interface" in device manager and Kindle Fire Utility indicates ADB Status: Online / Boot Status: 4000. This completes the driver flex test. If you get stuck in fastboot don`t panic there`s no damage, just an altered bootmode. Keep working with your drivers, powering the device off and back on again while attached seems to work pretty well.
Device preparation
Start with a fully charged battery.
This step is very important under settings/device turn on allow installation of applications from unknown sources.
Plug your kindle in.
Unlock the screen.
Tap disconnect at the bottom of the screen to stop the USB file transfer application if it auto launches.
Status verification
Open device manager.
Launch Kindle Fire Utility.
Confirm driver indicates "Android Composite ADB Interface" in device manager and Kindle Fire Utility indicates ADB Status: Online / Boot Status: 4000.
TWRP installation
Select # 3 Install Latest TWRP Recovery. The Kindle will be told to reboot in fastboot mode. If all goes smooth it will reboot, in the terminal it will download the recovery, send it, write it. Then return your kindle to normal bootmode.
If nothing happens after 3 or 4 minutes and it just sits there <waiting for device> simply hold down the power button while connected till it turns off then turn it back on again. This could even take a few times always wait the 3 or 4 minutes in between.
Bootloader installation
Hopefully now the risky part is over and you`re booted back to the stock OS of the kindle.
Swipe to unlock the screen.
Do not disconnect the USB file transfer application. If it fails to auto launch touch upper left of screen, tap USB is connected select to copy files to/from your computer. This will show the contents of your sdcard on your computer.
Download bootloader only from here [bootloader][05-26] FFF 1.4A bugfixes + new look + recovery boot [.zip file size]. All files to be flashed in recovery must be in zip form. DO NOT EXTRACT. Do not use the bin file from KFU it`s not intended for flashing in recovery and will break the bootloader.
Drag and drop fff-u-boot_ v1.4a.zip on to your sdcard but do not place it inside of a folder.
Then disconnect the file transfer application when finished transferring.
In KFU select # 1 Bootmode Menu then select # 3 recovery <5001> this will tell your kindle to enter recovery.
In TWRP select install then locate fff-u-boot_ v1.4a.zip tap on it and flash it, leave the boxes unchecked.
When finished hit the home button upper right to return to TWRP home screen.
Select reboot.
Select system if prompted.
First backup and flashing rooted stock
After reboot Swipe to unlock screen.
Do not disconnect the file transfer application.If it fails to auto launch touch upper left of screen, tap USB is connected select to copy files to/from your computer.
Drag and drop this Rom zip onto your sdcard [ROM] 14 Jun Gr9 (6.3.1) - MoDaCo Custom ROM for the Kindle Fire. Use the standard version not the altrom but do not put it inside of any folder. I`m not trying to highlight just one developers work but this is needed for this method.
Disconnect the file transfer application after the transfer has finished.
Unplug kindle from pc.
Power the kindle off , then back on again. When you see the white Kindle blue Fire logo quickly depress the power button a few times till you get a boot menu select --Recovery--.
In recovery select backup the default selections are fine, swipe to backup. This backup you will later rename noroot631 without spaces. Adding spaces will cause it to fail if you need to restore it.
When finished hit the home button upper right.
Select install.
Tap on GR9 Modaco zip and flash it. Do not enable force MD5 check or zip file verification or it will fail.
When done select reboot.
Select system if prompted.
Final result
When the Kindle reboots it will have root and have the Google Android Market in your applications.Take note that this is the only Rom that you flash without doing the proper wipes. To increase your safety net it is recommended to perform an MD5 check on fff-u-boot_ v1.4a.zip and Gr9 (6.3.1) - MoDaCo Custom ROM for the Kindle Fire using this application WinMD5Free. You may ask" Why so many steps?" or "Why not flash everything at once?" This is to insure everything works throughout the process and prevent mishaps. The entire point of this thread to avoid having to use a factory cable or firekit to rescue your device because something went wrong. I hope that some of my tips and tricks will make your rooting experience safer and easier. Good luck and have fun.
How to flash another Rom
1. Transfer Rom zip and matching gapps zip to sdcard.
2. Enter recovery.
3. Create a backup.
4. Wipe factory reset.
5. Wipe cache.
6. Wipe dalvik.
7. Wipe system.( unless same Rom, same system, same developer)
8. Flash Rom zip.
9. Flash gapps zip.
10. Select reboot, then system if prompted.
11. Enjoy!
A very special thanks for all they continue to teach me and coaxing me to strive for more.
Kinfauns for Kindle Fire For Beginners
Soupmagnet for All the fun
Thanks to Vashypooh for Kindle Fire Utility
Thanks to Paulobrien for Gr9 (6.3.1) - MoDaCo Custom ROM for the Kindle Fire
reserved
Your welcome.
Got up to the "Open adb_usb.ini with notepad.", but the file was not there. Did I forget something?
---------- Post added 12th October 2012 at 12:09 AM ---------- Previous post was 11th October 2012 at 11:53 PM ----------
Got up to the "Open adb_usb.ini with notepad.", but the file was not there. Did I forget something?
adb_usb.ini needs to be located in your .android folder if its not copy paste it from Kindle_Fire_Utility_v0.9.6\Kindle Fire Utility\drivers\kindle to .android and plug your device in. Make sure that 0x1949 is written in if its written in twice or not written in the device will appear offline.
Thepooch said:
adb_usb.ini needs to be located in your .android folder if its not copy paste it from Kindle_Fire_Utility_v0.9.6\Kindle Fire Utility\drivers\kindle to .android and plug your device in. Make sure that 0x1949 is written in if its written in twice or not written in the device will appear offline.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did the trick. Ty sir
No problem.
abd Server offline and offline and offline......
Hello
I have a very neus Kindle Fire. Unfortunately I can not make it to rooten it.
For two days I build drivers back and forth. Always unsuccessful. The adb server is offline. Can it be that the device is too new? The device connects normal with win7. All attempts failed to use the modified drivers. It was only when I entered in my driver hardware ID from the Kindle (USB \ VID_1949 & PID_000A & REV_0216
USB \ VID_1949 & PID_000A) I was able to install the driver. Then stood in Device Manager under Android Phone ADB interface. Unfortunately the Kindle but then disappears completely from the workplace. But brings no good, the adb server is offline. Weis someone whether to run the adb server must also, not even when the kindle is connected? In Task Manager starts at least the adb exe.. Comes in the shell, but the message is written if I have adb properly etc.
I hope anyone have any advice.
Greetings and thanks
kindle-user said:
Hello
I have a very neus Kindle Fire. Unfortunately I can not make it to rooten it.
For two days I build drivers back and forth. Always unsuccessful. The adb server is offline. Can it be that the device is too new? The device connects normal with win7. All attempts failed to use the modified drivers. It was only when I entered in my driver hardware ID from the Kindle (USB \ VID_1949 & PID_000A & REV_0216
USB \ VID_1949 & PID_000A) I was able to install the driver. Then stood in Device Manager under Android Phone ADB interface. Unfortunately the Kindle but then disappears completely from the workplace. But brings no good, the adb server is offline. Weis someone whether to run the adb server must also, not even when the kindle is connected? In Task Manager starts at least the adb exe.. Comes in the shell, but the message is written if I have adb properly etc.
I hope anyone have any advice.
Greetings and thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very important...what software version is your KF running?
soupmagnet said:
Very important...what software version is your KF running?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hallo
My systemversion is 10.2.1_user_2030020
Don't do anything to your device until you read this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1928866
Hallo
Thank you for your Info. I will send it back to amazon. With original software do not like it.
best regards
soupmagnet said:
Don't do anything to your device until you read this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1928866
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bump
KFU ERRO
Well, I did exactly as in the procedure, but when I install TWRP, the KFU informed the log below:
***********************************************
* Recovery Installer *
***********************************************
***********************************************
* WARNING *
***********************************************
Make sure to read each screen carefully!
Make sure to follow instructions given to you!
twrp.img has been found.
***********************************************
* NOTICE *
***********************************************
Installing TWRP...
If we get stuck here for awhile, power the kindle on and off a few times.
You should also check device manager for "kindle" If so, rerun the driver
installer that came packaged with KFU.
***********************************************
* Activating Fastboot (4002) *
***********************************************
3440 KB/s (510876 bytes in 0.145s)
The kindle has been told to reboot in Fastboot Mode.
Cannot open input file recovery\twrp.img
error: cannot load 'recovery\twrp.img'
***********************************************
* READ ME *
***********************************************
If we get stuck here a long time, check the ADB drivers in windows.
Fastboot uses a different device than ADB, so make sure it is installed as an
ADB device. If you see "kindle" in device manager, you need to install the
drivers. You can also try running install_drivers.bat in the drivers folder.
Do NOT unplug the kindle if we are stuck here, leave it plugged in and on.
Do NOT touch the kindle at all if we are stuck.
Setting Normal Bootmode.
Please wait...
< waiting for device >
... OKAY [ 0.198s]
finished. total time: 0.198s
rebooting...
finished. total time: 0.002s
***********************************************
* All Done! *
***********************************************
That's all folks. TWRP has been installed.
Please tap reboot on the kindle.
Press any key to continue . . .
_______________________________________________________________________
OBS:
In KFU shows the device status ONLINE.
I'm using Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit.
I figured it was giving error downloading the file, so I consulted the log and I downloaded manually, I created a folder "twrp.img" inside the folder "recovery" and threw the file "openrecovery-2.2.2.1-twrp-blaze" inside, but kept giving the same error.
The KF just restarts and nothing happens and does not install TWRP.
The version of my KF is 6.3.1.
Does anyone have a solution? Thankful!
PS: Sorry for the English, I'm using Google Translator!
Up!
Thank you your the best Thepooch
svartes said:
Well, I did exactly as in the procedure, but when I install TWRP, the KFU informed the log below:
***********************************************
* Recovery Installer *
***********************************************
***********************************************
* WARNING *
***********************************************
Make sure to read each screen carefully!
Make sure to follow instructions given to you!
twrp.img has been found.
***********************************************
* NOTICE *
***********************************************
Installing TWRP...
If we get stuck here for awhile, power the kindle on and off a few times.
You should also check device manager for "kindle" If so, rerun the driver
installer that came packaged with KFU.
***********************************************
* Activating Fastboot (4002) *
***********************************************
3440 KB/s (510876 bytes in 0.145s)
The kindle has been told to reboot in Fastboot Mode.
Cannot open input file recovery\twrp.img
error: cannot load 'recovery\twrp.img'
***********************************************
* READ ME *
***********************************************
If we get stuck here a long time, check the ADB drivers in windows.
Fastboot uses a different device than ADB, so make sure it is installed as an
ADB device. If you see "kindle" in device manager, you need to install the
drivers. You can also try running install_drivers.bat in the drivers folder.
Do NOT unplug the kindle if we are stuck here, leave it plugged in and on.
Do NOT touch the kindle at all if we are stuck.
Setting Normal Bootmode.
Please wait...
< waiting for device >
... OKAY [ 0.198s]
finished. total time: 0.198s
rebooting...
finished. total time: 0.002s
***********************************************
* All Done! *
***********************************************
That's all folks. TWRP has been installed.
Please tap reboot on the kindle.
Press any key to continue . . .
_______________________________________________________________________
OBS:
In KFU shows the device status ONLINE.
I'm using Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit.
I figured it was giving error downloading the file, so I consulted the log and I downloaded manually, I created a folder "twrp.img" inside the folder "recovery" and threw the file "openrecovery-2.2.2.1-twrp-blaze" inside, but kept giving the same error.
The KF just restarts and nothing happens and does not install TWRP.
The version of my KF is 6.3.1.
Does anyone have a solution? Thankful!
PS: Sorry for the English, I'm using Google Translator!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue, I had to rename the recovery file name to twrp.img then it worked perfectly. Also delete the file you created for twrp in the recovery directory in the kfu package and just replace the copy of twrp (if the is one there) in the recovery folder with the one you downloaded and renamed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
everything is set but when i open the KFU 0.9.9 it look like this.
failed to copy 'files\fbmode' to '/data/local/fbmode': Permission denied
This is a great guide that goes into more detail than most of them which helps a lot for troubleshooting.
Unfortunately, the /data file system on my fire is read only, so copying the files to root it is not possible. I'm using KFU 0.9.9 and the kindle is running 6.3.2. Compter is windows 7 64-bit. What do I need to do to get permission to write to the kindle's filesystem? See the screenshots below.
Thanks for the guide
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using xda app-developers app