It is going to be a long post, kindly bear with me.
The Specs:
Device: Kindle Voyage (Bought in 2014 November)
Firmware: The one before the latest 5.9.4 (5.9.3? or 5.9.2.0.1)
USB Cable: Came with JBL portable speakers
Wall Charger: ①Apple Adapter ②OnePlus 3 Dash Adapter
PC: Windows 10 64bit
Some Introductory Words:
I am a frequent user of my Kindle, reading an average of about 20 books per year. I charge it as per no particular rule, plugging it in whenever the battery level drops to half or below. I usually charge it to 80-100%.
I haven't used Linux and I don't dabble in the lingo like the wizards over here do. I have only used fastboot to the extent of rooting my phone (using idiot-proof instructions, still with much difficulty). However, I am willing to learn :)
I would like to avoid prying my Kindle open at all costs.
How it happened:
1. After using it heavily one day, I got the "Battery Level Critical" warning as an 'OK dialog box'.
2. I kept using it since I was out at the time and the battery icon still showed about 5-10% battery.
3. Upon reaching home, I plugged it in only to notice that the orange LED was flashing. That's odd, I mused.
4. I thought that a simple restart shall fix the thingy. That's when the dreadful "Repair Needed" screen reared its ugly head. (See the attachment)
5. I thought another restart might do the trick. And it did! At least then.
6. First thing I did was to copy all the files from the USB storage on to my PC. (I didn't know about the advanced backup method then.)
7. Then I charged it to 100% overnight.
8. I used it normally for a couple of days.
9. Yet when I plugged it in again, the LED was flashing. I restarted it, only to have bricked my Kindle.
Troubleshooting I've done yet:
1. Now when I plug it in (PC/wall), the LED either flashes or doesn't light up at all.
2. When plugged into the PC, it used to show a removable drive (transparent icon), which when clicked showed the error "Please insert a disc into the USB drive F:/".
3. When I restarted whilst connected to PC, I was hoping to see USB storage for a while during the screen flashing stage, but I didn't. It just disappeared and reappeared again, with the accompanying ting. The flashing of the LED stops, and resumes when I disconnect and reconnect the Kindle.
4. Then I came across posts that mentioned fastboot etc. and that I needed libusb drivers for it to work. So I downloaded "Zadig - The Automated Driver Installer (Version 2.3 [Build 701])". I proceeded to replace the driver with this tool, only to have my Kindle not show up at all in "This PC" or "Disk Management". However, it does show up in the "Device Manager".
5. Now I don't really know how to use fastboot, but still, I tried the fastboot.exe; and it just says "<waiting for device>". I guess this is because my Kindle is not in the recovery mode.
6. I also tried using the "KindleSelectBoot" or "MfgTool.exe". All of the four ABCD sections are greyed out, and I can't do anything with it. Plus, when I go to Options>Configuration>USB Ports, the tool crashes.
7. I came across "RUNME.sh", "data.tar.gz" etc. but have no idea how to use them.
I have a hunch that the 5.9.4 update has something to do with this calamity.
Also, I think there's no problem with the Kindle battery, but just the software (maybe kernel level)
Any help would be highly appreciated! _/\_
The Specs:
Device: Kindle Voyage (Bought in 2014 November)
Firmware: The one before the latest 5.9.4 (5.9.3? or 5.9.2.0.1)
USB Cable: Came with JBL portable speakers
Wall Charger: ①Apple Adapter ②OnePlus 3 Dash Adapter
PC: Windows 10 64bit
Some Introductory Words:
I am a frequent user of my Kindle, reading an average of about 20 books per year. I charge it as per no particular rule, plugging it in whenever the battery level drops to half or below. I usually charge it to 80-100%.
I haven't used Linux and I don't dabble in the lingo like the wizards over here do. I have only used fastboot to the extent of rooting my phone (using idiot-proof instructions, still with much difficulty). However, I am willing to learn :)
I would like to avoid prying my Kindle open at all costs.
How it happened:
1. After using it heavily one day, I got the "Battery Level Critical" warning as an 'OK dialog box'.
2. I kept using it since I was out at the time and the battery icon still showed about 5-10% battery.
3. Upon reaching home, I plugged it in only to notice that the orange LED was flashing. That's odd, I mused.
4. I thought that a simple restart shall fix the thingy. That's when the dreadful "Repair Needed" screen reared its ugly head. (See the attachment)
5. I thought another restart might do the trick. And it did! At least then.
6. First thing I did was to copy all the files from the USB storage on to my PC. (I didn't know about the advanced backup method then.)
7. Then I charged it to 100% overnight.
8. I used it normally for a couple of days.
9. Yet when I plugged it in again, the LED was flashing. I restarted it, only to have bricked my Kindle.
Troubleshooting I've done yet:
1. Now when I plug it in (PC/wall), the LED either flashes or doesn't light up at all.
2. When plugged into the PC, it used to show a removable drive (transparent icon), which when clicked showed the error "Please insert a disc into the USB drive F:/".
3. When I restarted whilst connected to PC, I was hoping to see USB storage for a while during the screen flashing stage, but I didn't. It just disappeared and reappeared again, with the accompanying ting. The flashing of the LED stops, and resumes when I disconnect and reconnect the Kindle.
4. Then I came across posts that mentioned fastboot etc. and that I needed libusb drivers for it to work. So I downloaded "Zadig - The Automated Driver Installer (Version 2.3 [Build 701])". I proceeded to replace the driver with this tool, only to have my Kindle not show up at all in "This PC" or "Disk Management". However, it does show up in the "Device Manager".
5. Now I don't really know how to use fastboot, but still, I tried the fastboot.exe; and it just says "<waiting for device>". I guess this is because my Kindle is not in the recovery mode.
6. I also tried using the "KindleSelectBoot" or "MfgTool.exe". All of the four ABCD sections are greyed out, and I can't do anything with it. Plus, when I go to Options>Configuration>USB Ports, the tool crashes.
7. I came across "RUNME.sh", "data.tar.gz" etc. but have no idea how to use them.
I have a hunch that the 5.9.4 update has something to do with this calamity.
Also, I think there's no problem with the Kindle battery, but just the software (maybe kernel level)
Any help would be highly appreciated! _/\_