Think I bricked my tablet... - Fire Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I was running CM12 just fine, but tried to play around with root; wound up losing root. I went to recovery and sideloaded update-kindle-global-37.5.4.2_user_542168620.bin; looked successful.
Rebooted, black screen, nothing - no logo, no splash, nada. When plugged into my computer I hear it connect& disconnect over and over, with no changes to the screen. Devices & Printers shows MediaTek Preloader USB VCOM (COM3) briefly as its connecting/disconnecting.
I've tried holding Power & Vol Down for 30sec-2min at a time, no change.
Any hope of recovering?

FatalIll said:
I was running CM12 just fine, but tried to play around with root; wound up losing root. I went to recovery and sideloaded update-kindle-global-37.5.4.2_user_542168620.bin; looked successful.
Rebooted, black screen, nothing - no logo, no splash, nada. When plugged into my computer I hear it connect& disconnect over and over, with no changes to the screen. Devices & Printers shows MediaTek Preloader USB VCOM (COM3) briefly as its connecting/disconnecting.
I've tried holding Power & Vol Down for 30sec-2min at a time, no change.
Any hope of recovering?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems you attempted to sideload FireOS 5.1.2. If the device had any version of FireOS above 5.1.4 loaded prior to flashing CM 12.1 you inadvertently created a fatal bootloader conflict. Regardless, if you can not access stock recovery it is not possible to repair the device. Sorry for your loss.

Davey126 said:
Seems you attempted to sideload FireOS 5.1.2. If the device had any version of FireOS above 5.1.4 loaded prior to flashing CM 12.1 you inadvertently created a fatal bootloader conflict. Regardless, if you can not access stock recovery it is not possible to repair the device. Sorry for your loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe I was on 5.3.2 when I put CM on... silly me for trying things while half asleep.
RIP Fire Tablet, we hardly knew ye.
Amazon is sending me a replacement, hopefully pre-5.3.2.1 or whatever the latest is.

Related

Kindle Fire HD 7 (Tate) bricked beyond my wildest dreams!!

Hey all,
I am in quite a conundrum. My Kindle Fire HD 7" tate device is bricked. Let me explain what I have done so far...
1. I first installed TWRP using the standard and I was planning to install CM 11 on it
2. I accidentally deleted the CM 11 rom files while doing a wipe on TWRP
3. Tried side-loading the rom but somehow ADB sideload didn't work and the device was not being recognized and sideload would hang for hang (tried waiting as long as 1 hour)
4. Then I tried to reinstall FireOS using the KFDH System.img Restore tool from the forums here and managed to somehow uninstall TWRP and get it into a infinite logo loop
5. So tried using various methods to reinstall either TWRP or FireOS and after some 3-4 different utilities that I found on the forums here, I finally tried Kindle Fire Utilitiy 0.9.9 to unbrick it. Tried changing the bootmode to recovery (5000) and have managed to brick it for good.
We are now in the present day (after step #5). As soon as I turn on the Kindle, it shows KF orange logo and then switches to Fastboot mode even though the Factory USB cable is not plugged in. Once I plug it in, it goes into infinite loop with screen going off and windows giving me a constant USB plug-in and un-plug sound. The device is being detected as OMAP 4440 (or 4400?) and I am unable to do anything at all. Have I gone to no-man's land? Or can I still salvage the kindle?
Looking for some help... Any help :crying:
You should plug in the fb cable with the Kindle powered off. See if that gives you a stable fb state wherein you can push your files via adb.
Rushead said:
You should plug in the fb cable with the Kindle powered off. See if that gives you a stable fb state wherein you can push your files via adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey when I plug it in to the fb cable it boots up into the orange and white kindle fire logo and goes into fastboot and then starts re-loading in windows. After plugging in, if I shutdown the device by pressing power button for 15 seconds, the re-loading in windows stops but after than adb doesn't recognise the device - says error no device
"reloading in windows"? What do you mean? It should be powered down when you plug it in, then when it boots into fb mode, you're ready to adb.
OMAP 4400 is a hard brick. You flashed KFU and now the bootloader is screwed. You will need to look up how to flash the emmc on here.
KFHD 7" 2012 (TATE) Hard Brick recovery process....
LinearEquation said:
OMAP 4400 is a hard brick. You flashed KFU and now the bootloader is screwed. You will need to look up how to flash the emmc on here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this thread is a little old but, if anyone is looking for how to get there hard bricked kindle fire HD 7" Tate recovered do a search for: TOPIC # t2828906 by overlode
On page 4 of the thread I have posted a procedure.
Bogie

[Q] HELP kindle no OS no recovery/fastboot access

I had my Kindle 5gen, with CM12 and i wanted to install another rom. The problem was that, because of multiple thing, the recovery was set to amazons, lost the boot access and only could enter in recovery to adb or fastboot. The problem got even worst when i installed a Firmware "update-kindle-37.5.2.2_user_522053820" so it could boot as a fire.
Now it doesnt turn on. I connect it to the PC and i can hear it conecting and disconecting. In Device manager i can see it conecting as a Unknown device and then into MT65xx preloader. The thing is that all this happens fast so i cant do anything to stop it and i tried holding the Power bottom and the power and up bottom as well.
I really dont know what to do now. Search everywhere with no luck.
Tried Amazon Fire 5th gen super tool, tried soupkit with cygwin64 and kindle unbrickv01 and nothing...
Im desperated...
Imanol Garbar said:
I had my Kindle 5gen, with CM11 and i wanted to install another rom. The problem was that, because of multiple thing, the recovery was set to amazons, lost the boot access and only could enter in recovery to adb or fastboot. The problem got even worst when i installed a Firmware "update-kindle-37.5.2.2_user_522053820" so it could boot as a fire.
Now it doesnt turn on. I connect it to the PC and i can hear it conecting and disconecting. In Device manager i can see it conecting as a Unknown device and then into MT65xx preloader. The thing is that all this happens fast so i cant do anything to stop it and i tried holding the Power bottom and the power and up bottom as well.
I really dont know what to do now. Search everywhere with no luck.
Tried Amazon Fire 5th gen super tool, tried soupkit with cygwin64 and kindle unbrickv01 and nothing...
Im desperated...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong forum; CM11 is not an option on this device (2015 5th Gen 7" non-HD) .
Davey126 said:
Wrong forum; CM11 is not an option on this device (2015 5th Gen 7" non-HD) .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah my bad, it was CM 12, anyway i had a CM something but now i have nothing.
Hmm, there is some of misinformation it seems... and sadly, not enough research was spent to see what you wanted to achieve it seems...
Fire 5th, cannot have the recovery such as TWRP or CWM installed. If you have 5.0.x you can tether of it, but it can't never be installed.
See Q5: http://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/help/help-thread-question-noob-friendly-t3205441
If the stock Amazon recovery is gone, you have a bricked device.. If you have Amazon recovery, you can go back to stock (stay within the version you had, do not downgrade, or you will brick it), check the link above following Q5, there will be two unbrick methods at the bottom. Select the one based on your version 5.0 vs 5.1 or later.

Oddest Brick Ever - Kindle Fire (Tate)

History of the issue at hand:
I was running a new rom that was marshmallow based. It was running fine but lost root privileges so I attempted to boot into recovery and install the stable version of SuperSU for the device. I wiped the dalvik and cache and rebooted through TWRP recovery and the system went into a bootloop. Solution: Read XDA forums to find a way to fix the device. Went on ebay and bought a fastboot cable, waited 3 weeks, cable comes in and gets me to fastboot mode, but I am running Windows 10, creating a new problem. Solution: Partition the HDD on my computer and install Windows 7 Professional. This now fixed the driver issue. Plugged in the cable, with the new drivers installed and voila - Fastboot mode.
Seems pretty easy right? Wrong. After trying several utilites, I still cannot seem to get the Kindle to get out of the current situation it is in.
The device was rooted with the 2nd bootloader added over 2 years ago. Every ROM I have ran has been successful. Every time a new ROM was used or tried a backup was done and the device wiped properly before install. I made sure that every ROM was for my specific device (Tate).
Here is what I can do:
If I power on the Kindle, it briefly shows the logo, then the fastboot logo and goes blank
If I power on the Kindle by plugging in the factory cable and quickly entering any command (it is already typed) like "fastboot erase cache" the system will remain in fastboot with the fastboot logo on the screen. My sdk does recognize the device and states it is in fastboot.
From here I have no idea where to go. I can type any command I like, such as erase cache, recovery, system or any multitude of things and the command prompt takes it time to show the device is working on the command. However, the device remains unresponsive and has the same issues when attempting to reboot. When flashing anything the target size of the device remains unchanged at 1006632960 bytes, which seems to tell me that device is receiving the command but not writing anything to the device. This probably also means that anything that is on the device causing it to continuously bootloop or fail is not being erased or properly formatted.
All I have is fastboot and time. Time to scratch my head and wonder if the device is truly and totally bricked. i am under the assumption that if I have a working fastboot that I should be able to at least accomplish something. Even if it means reverting it to bare bones stock and starting the whole process over. I will be happy to answer any questions you all have regarding the system via here or PM.
Please assist this old man and thank you in advance for your time.
Give it a try
While I wasn't in the same weird brick scenario as you. My device would show up on my pc as fastboot and or regular adb. But, I would get no video. The solution which I have no idea why worked was to pop the back cover off. Then disconnect the battery from the mobo. Wait a few seconds. Connect it back to the mobo. After that video showed back up. Then proceeded on my way.
Not sure if what I did will help you. But. Then again I didn't think simply disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it would solve video issues.
You definitely do have a weird brick scenario. Good Luck!

Any help, i may have bricked my fire

Hey everyone
Not sure if anyone can help
I just got some used 5th gen tablets, they were in a storage unit i just purchased. I turned on one of the fire units and it says it was a kids fire, so no real use to me. I hit power to standby and left it in my office, went back to list it and it was updated with new software. The second one, seems like it is stuck in a boot loop, comes on and goes off again. So i looked at the one that updated, said it now updated, had 5.6 on it, so i said maybe i could use it. Did some research, read you can but just android on it.
Well, i read you have to downgrade to 5.3 or older to install android. Not even sure if this is right.
So i followed some youtube genius with software from rootjunky.
I used the adb to flash update-kindle-global-37.5.4.2_user_542168620.bin
Everything was working, installing 100%, then i unplugged and selected 1 from the tablet to reboot.
Needless to say, nothing comes on now, no logo, no nothing, will not respond to recovery mode, down and power.
I just tried taking the back off and unplugging the battery and holding power 20 secs, nothing.
Anyone have any ideas to salvage these, or one of them or are they paperweights haha?
Good news is, the unit had all kinds of stuff in it, i have made my money back already, these were just bonus
Any help would be great, thanks
vetteguy82 said:
Hey everyone
Not sure if anyone can help
I just got some used 5th gen tablets, they were in a storage unit i just purchased. I turned on one of the fire units and it says it was a kids fire, so no real use to me. I hit power to standby and left it in my office, went back to list it and it was updated with new software. The second one, seems like it is stuck in a boot loop, comes on and goes off again. So i looked at the one that updated, said it now updated, had 5.6 on it, so i said maybe i could use it. Did some research, read you can but just android on it.
Well, i read you have to downgrade to 5.3 or older to install android. Not even sure if this is right.
So i followed some youtube genius with software from rootjunky.
I used the adb to flash update-kindle-global-37.5.4.2_user_542168620.bin
Everything was working, installing 100%, then i unplugged and selected 1 from the tablet to reboot.
Needless to say, nothing comes on now, no logo, no nothing, will not respond to recovery mode, down and power.
I just tried taking the back off and unplugging the battery and holding power 20 secs, nothing.
Anyone have any ideas to salvage these, or one of them or are they paperweights haha?
Good news is, the unit had all kinds of stuff in it, i have made my money back already, these were just bonus
Any help would be great, thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Permanently bricked; can't downgrade below 5.4. Sell it for parts or take it to the target range.
Thanks
Thanks for the reply
Ok, so the one that will not turn on at all , well technically it must be on when i plug it into my pc, it does chime, and then a few seconds later it chimes again. Like it is turning itself on and off, but because you can not see anything on the screen, you can not tell.
What about the second one? It turns on and you see amazon, but then it turns itself off. It does let you go to fastboot and recovery in the corner of the screen using the buttons. However, all you see is that, recovery only says recovery, does not go into the recovery menu.
Any ideas if the second one is recoverable?
Thanks
vetteguy82 said:
Thanks for the reply
Ok, so the one that will not turn on at all , well technically it must be on when i plug it into my pc, it does chime, and then a few seconds later it chimes again. Like it is turning itself on and off, but because you can not see anything on the screen, you can not tell.
What about the second one? It turns on and you see amazon, but then it turns itself off. It does let you go to fastboot and recovery in the corner of the screen using the buttons. However, all you see is that, recovery only says recovery, does not go into the recovery menu.
Any ideas if the second one is recoverable?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can not access the stock recovery menu there is no known method for recovering these devices with one exception: early build devices (bootloader version 5.00 & 5.01) can boot a twrp image from fastboot. If that works you'll be able to install a custom ROM (two choices) assuming nothing else is wrong with the hardware.
fastboot boot <twrp.img>
thanks
I must be doing something wrong again, i download the twrp.imga dn saved it in the fast boot adb folder. I put the kindle in fastboot mode, and plugged into pc, driver installed, from folder i went in to command prompt. in command prompt i added fastboot twrp.img and hit enter command prompt shows all the command prompts and definitions.
Is there something else i should do?
Thanks
Davey126 said:
If you can not access the stock recovery menu there is no known method for recovering these devices with one exception: early build devices (bootloader version 5.00 & 5.01) can boot a twrp image from fastboot. If that works you'll be able to install a custom ROM (two choices) assuming nothing else is wrong with the hardware.
fastboot boot <twrp.img>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vetteguy82 said:
I must be doing something wrong again, i download the twrp.imga dn saved it in the fast boot adb folder. I put the kindle in fastboot mode, and plugged into pc, driver installed, from folder i went in to command prompt. in command prompt i added fastboot twrp.img and hit enter command prompt shows all the command prompts and definitions.
Is there something else i should do?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to install this tool on the host PC. Make note of the installation folder as you will need to execute the fastboot command from there. You'll also need to copy any necessary files (eg: twrp image) to that folder unless versed in referencing other folders from the command prompt.
Keep in mind it is highly unlikely your looping device will be able to boot twrp. Only the earliest models had this vulnerability which Amazon quickly plugged.

Amazon Fire 7 - Loops Amazon logo - can get to amazon recovery/fastboot - can I fix?

Hi Guys
A friend has given me a table he "bricked" a few months ago. Its a fire 7. I got it to run an old Lineage ROM back in 2017. I think it was on 5.1.1 when I got it.
He tried to flash a different ROM using flashfire and it failed, he says it gave an error about storage space - I am assuming he didn't wipe first.
Now the tablet wont boot. It powers on, shows the amazon splash then reboots, over & over.
I can get to the Amazon recovery holding the vol down button and from there into fastboot - can I recover this unit? I'm wondering if I can use adb to go from fastboot to TWRP then flash a new ROM and it will boot again?
I know a bit but not much about adb etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
EDIT: While messing about I have tried the info in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/orig-development/twrp-recovery-t3242548
I can push the TWRP to the device with fastboot but it fails to boot it with error: (remote: unknown command)
I assume this means its on the locked 5.1.X bootloader and not 5.0.X
Any other options to flash a new bootable ROM to it from the Amazon recovery/fastboot?
Thanks.
cardyology said:
Hi Guys
A friend has given me a table he "bricked" a few months ago. Its a fire 7. I got it to run an old Lineage ROM back in 2017. I think it was on 5.1.1 when I got it.
He tried to flash a different ROM using flashfire and it failed, he says it gave an error about storage space - I am assuming he didn't wipe first.
Now the tablet wont boot. It powers on, shows the amazon splash then reboots, over & over.
I can get to the Amazon recovery holding the vol down button and from there into fastboot - can I recover this unit? I'm wondering if I can use adb to go from fastboot to TWRP then flash a new ROM and it will boot again?
I know a bit but not much about adb etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
EDIT: While messing about I have tried the info in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/orig-development/twrp-recovery-t3242548
I can push the TWRP to the device with fastboot but it fails to boot it with error: (remote: unknown command)
I assume this means its on the locked 5.1.X bootloader and not 5.0.X
Any other options to flash a new bootable ROM to it from the Amazon recovery/fastboot?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll need to reload FireOS and start over as if it were a new device. If you're certain of the bootloader build reinstall FireOS 5.3.1 to avoid a potential hard brick. You'll then need to root with KingRoot, migrate to SuperSU, find a working build of FlashFire and hope the same thing doesn't happen again. All while making sure the device doesn't take an OTA update from Amazon. In short, a royal PiTA.
Note: there is an evolving hardware hack that may prove easier once it is a bit more mature. Involves cracking open the case (very easy) and shunting a point on the mainboard to ground. At present the exploit needs to run from a Linux based host but I suspect a Windows varient will soon be available. You'll find several threads discussing current progress.
The easiest way to fix this now is to follow the instructions in this thread here. This is the second method mentioned in the above post. This will reinstall the bootloader files and give you a 5.01 bootloader, defeating anti-rollback protection in the process. Afterwards you can load TWRP from fastboot.
As you probably have a 5.1.1 preloader now you should not need to open the case to enter download mode, holding down the left volume button when plugging in the USB cable should be enough.
Davey126 said:
You'll need to reload FireOS and start over as if it were a new device. If you're certain of the bootloader build reinstall FireOS 5.3.1 to avoid a potential hard brick. You'll then need to root with KingRoot, migrate to SuperSU, find a working build of FlashFire and hope the same thing doesn't happen again. All while making sure the device doesn't take an OTA update from Amazon. In short, a royal PiTA.
Note: there is an evolving hardware hack that may prove easier once it is a bit more mature. Involves cracking open the case (very easy) and shunting a point on the mainboard to ground. At present the exploit needs to run from a Linux based host but I suspect a Windows varient will soon be available. You'll find several threads discussing current progress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this - I read the hardware hack but also the option to reload fire OS & considered this to be the best option but like a ****, I flashed the tablet with Fire 5.1.2 - I now have an unbootable device. Black screen.
Anything I can do from this point?
MontysEvilTwin said:
The easiest way to fix this now is to follow the instructions in this thread here. This is the second method mentioned in the above post. This will reinstall the bootloader files and give you a 5.01 bootloader, defeating anti-rollback protection in the process. Afterwards you can load TWRP from fastboot.
As you probably have a 5.1.1 preloader now you should not need to open the case to enter download mode, holding down the left volume button when plugging in the USB cable should be enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned above, I tried to use the Amazon bootloader to flash FireOS back to the device and start again with it - I flashed 5.1.2 like an idiot and the tablet is now "dead" - I cant seem to even power it on.
Would the method described here recover the brick I now have? : )
Thanks again for the replies guys ! I think I can do the hardware hack if it will help - nothing to lose at this stage really.
cardyology said:
Thank you for this - I read the hardware hack but also the option to reload fire OS & considered this to be the best option but like a ****, I flashed the tablet with Fire 5.1.2 - I now have an unbootable device. Black screen.
Anything I can do from this point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your device is recoverable - and you may not even have to crack the case. This is the thread you'll want to follow. Still no Windows support but the process as fairly easy once you get past the prerequisites.
cardyology said:
As mentioned above, I tried to use the Amazon bootloader to flash FireOS back to the device and start again with it - I flashed 5.1.2 like an idiot and the tablet is now "dead" - I cant seem to even power it on.
Would the method described here recover the brick I now have? : )
Thanks again for the replies guys ! I think I can do the hardware hack if it will help - nothing to lose at this stage really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The hack I was talking about has evolved a bit now: see here. This will reset anti-rollback protection so should unbrick the tablet. You won't even have to open the case: start with the tablet off and hold down the left volume button and plug in the USB cable as described in the post. You will end up with TWRP installed on the device and fully unlocked fastboot.
MontysEvilTwin said:
The hack I was talking about has evolved a bit now: see here. This will reset anti-rollback protection so should unbrick the tablet. You won't even have to open the case: start with the tablet off and hold down the left volume button and plug in the USB cable as described in the post. You will end up with TWRP installed on the device and fully unlocked fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, I will give that a try now.
Thanks.

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