Original "Simple" debricking methods for K5-Touch, K4-Mini, & K3-Keyboard

[knc1]

Originally Posted by gr2mx

Yes. I did extract the files before using them. (giving me : kernel-4.0.1.img, mmcblk0p1.img, mmcblk0p2.img)


Which two kernels are talking about. I used only the one provided in the link of my previous post to flash 'kernel' with fastboot ? Did I miss something ?

The archive containing the kernel was kernel-k4-4.0.1.img.gz, and not kernel-k4-4.0.1.img.tar.gz, and it contained only kernel-4.0.1.img when I extracted it

The site is then missing something - the "other" kernel.

I think your assumption that the "main" kernel is wrong now is the correct assumption. That must be a "diags" kernel at that download site.

@GM: Could you confirm, I don't recognize these things on-sight myself.

[geekmaster]

The file names on the pastebin page are a bit inconsistent, because they were uploaded before there were a bunch of different firmware versions. The linked files are stored at various locations (many not under my control).

I thought that the files in the first block of K4 images were all 4.0.1. Is that not the case? Kernels and images for diags usually are marked as such (either in the compressed filename, or at the page that links to it).

Because of inconsistent file names, you need to be careful not to mix them after downloading. I rename the image files immediately after extracting, to give them a more complete descriptive name.

Could somebody say which image files are missing but needed? Did you look at the gitbrew site linked in the pastebin page AND the "other" K4 images?

P.S. .tar.gz files can be extracted in the kindle with "tar -zxvf", and files that are just .gz (no .tar) can be extracted with gunzip. Both types can be extracted in windows using 7-zip (or other GUI compression package).

Originally Posted by knc1

I think your assumption that the "main" kernel is wrong now is the correct assumption. That must be a "diags" kernel at that download site.

@GM: Could you confirm, I don't recognize these things on-sight myself.

I do not understand -- is the wrong kernel uploaded?

[geekmaster]

I reorganized the pastebin. Links from gitbrew.org have been copied into the pastebin so it is not necessary to browse the gitbrew server. Links have been sorted by firmware versions.

I also added a comment (for the K4 diags images) that diags_kernel 5.0.0 is used with versions 5.0.0 through 5.0.3. The kernel did not change until version 5.0.4.

We are still waiting for SOMEBODY to post a URL for any images that are missing from our collection of URLs.

If there are any links that have incorrect versions labelled, please let me know. If a mirror is provided, try the other download to see if that is correct. Thanks.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by gr2mx

I have a K4NT that is bricked and I was unsuccessful to unbrick it based on this thread and silver 18 guide.

What I was able to do :
- Use MgfTool
- Use FastBoot mode to flash diags and main kernel
- Boot to diags
- Go to usb device mode to copy the mmcblkop1 partition to /mnt/us
- SSH in diags mode by using usb network
- write mmcblk0p1 using dd (seems to be successfull according to the dd output)
- zeroed mmcbll0p3
- set boot target to main with idme

What didn't work :
- seems stuck at the rebooting stage (nothing happens, even after a long time like 10 minutes)


Others info that may help :

- All the images used for flashing and dd are from here, as given in the first post
- I was running 4.1.0 before it was bricked.
- If the ENABLE_DIAGS is present, rebooting it from the diags mode will put it back in diags mode as expected.
- Using MgfTool and trying to boot to diags succeds
- Using MgfTool and trying to boot to main, fails.


My guess :
There is something wrong with my main.
Either there may be something wrong with the mmblck0p1 image or with the kernel (I've tried dowloading them again and redid the process, without improvment). Or there is some incompability because I was in 4.1.0 and try restoring to 4.0.1. I am loss at how to go forward. Any ideas regarding further steps and things to try are warmly appreciated.

I was referencing the above post from this morning.

Originally Posted by geekmaster

I do not understand -- is the wrong kernel uploaded?

The link included in the post shows both main and diag images, but only one kernel.

So I think this poster's problem is a mismatched main kernel - main image.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

I was referencing the above post from this morning.


The link included in the post shows both main and diag images, but only one kernel.

So I think this poster's problem is a mismatched main kernel - main image.

Does the pastebin look okay now? I have too much to do right now, and I could use a second pair of eyes here.

I will be very busy for awhile, so I may not check into MR for a few days (or weeks). We will see. I hope others can help those in need of assistance. I appreciate the assistance that others have been giving, but more may be needed in my absence. Keep up the great work (and keep indexing!).

[gr2mx]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

The file names on the pastebin page are a bit inconsistent, because they were uploaded before there were a bunch of different firmware versions. The linked files are stored at various locations (many not under my control).

I thought that the files in the first block of K4 images were all 4.0.1. Is that not the case? Kernels and images for diags usually are marked as such (either in the compressed filename, or at the page that links to it).

Because of inconsistent file names, you need to be careful not to mix them after downloading. I rename the image files immediately after extracting, to give them a more complete descriptive name.

Could somebody say which image files are missing but needed? Did you look at the gitbrew site linked in the pastebin page AND the "other" K4 images?

P.S. .tar.gz files can be extracted in the kindle with "tar -zxvf", and files that are just .gz (no .tar) can be extracted with gunzip. Both types can be extracted in windows using 7-zip (or other GUI compression package).


I do not understand -- is the wrong kernel uploaded?

I did try both the gitbrew and the mediafire files. Same results, impossible to boot to main.

The pastebin is *much* clearer now. Thanks

[geekmaster]

Can you boot to main using MfgTool? Perhaps the bootmode var is incorrect...

Others have had success using these images, I think... There was once a bad kernel uploaded. Does it say "Linux" somewhere in the first 32 bytes (use a hex dump or hex editor)?

[geekmaster]

Pastebin linked in first post now contains K3 forensic images. Thanks dasmoover!

[rynax]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

...

You can download a 5.1.0 diags kernel and partition. For main, it is easier to downgrade to 5.0.0, then install whatever firmware upgrades you want. Beware that if you have wireless on, amazon may push an OTA upgrade to your device.

Hi, where can I find the 5.1.0 diags kernel?
I want to try that with a 5.1 diags partition image to see if that could kick the device into diags mode.

Had a look of the U-Boot version on the device, it's
2009.08-lab126 (Nov 10 2011 - 00:14:55),
My friend's K5 has 5.0.0 system and it's older U-Boot:
2009.08-lab126 (Nov 03 2011 - 11:56:58)
The pcbsn and serialno seems to be ok via fastboot.

//====

Another question, I read this in the thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=169645
"If you boot to fastboot mode, you can use yifanlu's kindle fastboot tool to flash the main partition with a copy of mmcblk0p1."
It's kind of conflict from what I've read in this thread, what we've told that we can't use fastboot to flash the Partition 1 (mmcblk0p1).
So can we? Is there a modified version from Yifan Lu?
If this is possible, I'd like to try this before thinking of debrick this via serial.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by rynax

Hi, where can I find the 5.1.0 diags kernel?
I want to try that with a 5.1 diags partition image to see if that could kick the device into diags mode. It does not appear that 5.1.0 diags with ssh has been posted yet. If somebody has a link, please provide it. Thanks.

Had a look of the U-Boot version on the device, it's
2009.08-lab126 (Nov 10 2011 - 00:14:55),
My friend's K5 has 5.0.0 system and it's older U-Boot:
2009.08-lab126 (Nov 03 2011 - 11:56:58)
The pcbsn and serialno seems to be ok via fastboot.

//====

Another question, I read this in the thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=169645
"If you boot to fastboot mode, you can use yifanlu's kindle fastboot tool to flash the main partition with a copy of mmcblk0p1."
It's kind of conflict from what I've read in this thread, what we've told that we can't use fastboot to flash the Partition 1 (mmcblk0p1).
So can we? Is there a modified version from Yifan Lu?
If this is possible, I'd like to try this before thinking of debrick this via serial.

The partition images can be found by viewing the pastebin page in the "forensics" link of the first post in this "simple debricking" sticky thread. It appears that diags 5.1.0 links are missing. If anybody has links to 5.1.0 diags kernel and diags partition please let me know so I can add them to the pastebin page. Thanks.

That statement about fastboot is obsolete and incorrect. The "select boot" thread was created before we understood the fastboot limitation that does not allow flashing mmcblk0p1 using it. The later "simple debricking" sticky thread shows the correct way to flash mmcblk0p1 using the "dd" command from diags SSH.

The post at your link has been corrected to remove the incorrect information and refer to the "simple debricking" thread for details.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention so that it could be clarified. It is good to remove obsolete information that has been discovered to be incorrect.

[Aleyst]

Originally Posted by gr2mx

I did try both the gitbrew and the mediafire files. Same results, impossible to boot to main.

The pastebin is *much* clearer now. Thanks

Further investigation leads to my issue appearing to be the same as this person's issue, it doesn't seem that they resolved it either.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Aleyst

Further investigation leads to my issue appearing to be the same as this person's issue, it doesn't seem that they resolved it either.

Is your bootmode var set to main? Did you try booting to main with MfgTool?

[Aleyst]

Not sure how to check the first, and I did try with the tool and nothing happens.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Aleyst

Not sure how to check the first, and I did try with the tool and nothing happens.

Although the kindle fastboot firmware returns a success status when flashing mmcblk0p1, it actually quits early and the entire image does not get flashed. That is why you need to do it with SSH (dd command). How did you flash it? Did your images decompress with no errors?

[kirokko]

Maybe I missed something but is there fastboot tool for linux? Or should I use Windows?