Hello, I'm brand new here, and found my way here after purchasing my Kindle Fire last week, and upon receiving it, almost immediately did a Google search for "hacking the Kindle Fire".......just to see what people were doing to this device.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much more they are capable of. I've never owned a tablet of any kind, and I'm one of the half dozen people on the planet that doesn't yet have a smart phone, lol.
That being said, I did a few minor hacks on a couple different cell phones in he past, I just built my first computer, and it actually works, with no problems......so far anyway, lol.
What I'm getting at is.....messing around with a device doesn't intimidate me too much, and I'm not a complete stranger to tinkering with electronics, and I like the challenge, BUT, I'm far from an "expert" or as knowledgeable as a lot of you that post here.
Now, to the point.......
I saw this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1399889
And that utility seems pretty straightforward, and after watching a youtube video on how to use it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwMHIkX20YI&feature=related
I think I will try it......maybe not right away, but in a couple weeks or so.
My Fire is being replaced by Amazon for a screen issue, and a couple other things, but anyway, I already tried just the Go Launcher Ex app, and that made quite a bit of a difference to me. Just getting rid of that stock carousal is worth it. Actually, If I could set a few of those Go wallpapers and make them stick, I'd be content for a little while anyway.
But...as far as rooting it, and please correct me if I'm wrong.....after using that utility, you're pretty much good to go, correct? I mean, as far as the Fire being able to do much more....more apps available, and getting more of a true Android OS out of the Fire etc.
If I follow that video carefully, how much of a risk is there of breaking my device, or anything really going wrong? Am I getting in over my head, or is this pretty simple stuff? I bought the Fire because it's as close to a full fledged tablet as I can afford, and now I'm learning that it can be much more of a tablet than it is, so is it worth the risk?
I'm just trying to get some kind of consensus from you people that know this like the back of your hand, if I may be biting off more than I can chew or??? And, what are the major benefits of rooting that I haven't already seen?
Thanks in advance for any input, and for reading my semi rambling post!
From my experience it has shown more beneficial to learn the command line methods first rather than going straight to a utility like the KFU.
Depending on what you want out of your Kindle Fire experience, it can be troublesome or very easy.
If you want to run a rooted straight stock interface it's slightly more work and you run the risk of Amazon's OTA updates reeking havok on your system, but there are ways around that.
If you want to run a custom rom the process is much easier as all custom roms come pre rooted. And if it's the stock Kindle Fire interface you want, there's a custom rom for that as well.
The biggest thing is installing custom recovery which, as of now, is the only thing you have to do via the command line.
Next would be installing a custom bootloader. The bootloader allows you to use the power button to enter recovery and the most recent version (1.4) allows you to change your bootmode, which will prove very useful in a pinch. Also the new bootloader is flashable via recovery, drastically reducing the possibility of "bricking" your device.
After that, installing and switching between roms is easy with recovery.
There is an immense knowledge base here but it isn't very organized and the search function has a bit to be desired. But if you look around, you'll see most of the same problems are repeated throughout (usually due to lack of experience or user error or both).
The guide posted at this link is a must for any Kindle Fire user so check it out. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23747567
Read through the second and third posts as well.
Good luck
And at the end of the third post Soup mentions above, is a link to a supplemental guide written by Kinfauns that puts all the previous info together to let you root and install roms via commands if you decide to go that route instead of using KFU or a similar utility.
soupmagnet said:
From my experience it has shown more beneficial to learn the command line methods first rather than going straight to a utility like the KFU.
Depending on what you want out of your Kindle Fire experience, it can be troublesome or very easy.
If you want to run a rooted straight stock interface it's slightly more work and you run the risk of Amazon's OTA updates reeking havok on your system, but there are ways around that.
If you want to run a custom rom the process is much easier as all custom roms come pre rooted. And if it's the stock Kindle Fire interface you want, there's a custom rom for that as well.
The biggest thing is installing custom recovery which, as of now, is the only thing you have to do via the command line.
Next would be installing a custom bootloader. The bootloader allows you to use the power button to enter recovery and the most recent version (1.4) allows you to change your bootmode, which will prove very useful in a pinch. Also the new bootloader is flashable via recovery, drastically reducing the possibility of "bricking" your device.
After that, installing and switching between roms is easy with recovery.
There is an immense knowledge base here but it isn't very organized and the search function has a bit to be desired. But if you look around, you'll see most of the same problems are repeated throughout (usually due to lack of experience or user error or both).
The guide posted at this link is a must for any Kindle Fire user so check it out. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23747567
Read through the second and third posts as well.
Good luck
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Click to collapse
Thanks for all that info. Much appreciated. I will read that guide thoroughly, and make a decision. I got my replacement Kindle Fire today, and I just found out you can't remove some of their pre loaded apps. Not the end of the world, but that kind of thing right there is why I will most likely root it.....to have control of the device to do with as I please. I'll see how I feel after I read the guide. Like I said, I like the challenge of stuff like this, and simply making the device more personal. I ended up getting a brand new one for $128, so that makes it even more worth the small risk of turning it into a paperweight. I doubt that would happen, but I'm not taking it lightly either.....I know it can happen.
leswgnr said:
And at the end of the third post Soup mentions above, is a link to a supplemental guide written by Kinfauns that puts all the previous info together to let you root and install roms via commands if you decide to go that route instead of using KFU or a similar utility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And thank you as well.
Is there a downside to using the KFU? It seems like it does everything for you pretty much automatically, but maybe that's just how I see it watching that video, and I'm off track, and missing something, or taking it too lightly.
soulweeper51 said:
And thank you as well.
Is there a downside to using the KFU? It seems like it does everything for you pretty much automatically, but maybe that's just how I see it watching that video, and I'm off track, and missing something, or taking it too lightly.
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Click to collapse
There are many variables that can come into play to make the KFU a bad choice for beginners IMO. For a small majority of users, the KFU works flawlessly. But there are some, for a lot of different reasons, for which it has caused unforeseeable problems, without having the necessary knowledge to fix. And for that reason I suggest you research and learn how everything works beforehand so you will have a strong foundation to troubleshoot any problems that may, and likely will arise.
soulweeper51 said:
Is there a downside to using the KFU? It seems like it does everything for you pretty much automatically, but maybe that's just how I see it watching that video, and I'm off track, and missing something, or taking it too lightly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soupmagnet sums it up well in the prior post. I haven't used KFU but have looked at it to see what it's doing, and seen all the instances where someone needed help after using it. When it works it works great, but if you really want "...to have control of the device to do with as I please ... like the challenge of stuff like this" -- then go for it!! The guides will help you get there.
While it's a lot to learn, it's not as much as it seems and will stand you in good stead for as long as you have the device.
leswgnr said:
Soupmagnet sums it up well in the prior post. I haven't used KFU but have looked at it to see what it's doing, and seen all the instances where someone needed help after using it. When it works it works great, but if you really want "...to have control of the device to do with as I please ... like the challenge of stuff like this" -- then go for it!! The guides will help you get there.
While it's a lot to learn, it's not as much as it seems and will stand you in good stead for as long as you have the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I read through the guide once, and a fair amount went right over my head, lol. But, I'll read it a few times to let it sink in. Like I said, I'm not nearly as smart as a lot of people that post here, when it comes to this kind of thing, but I've attempted a few things like this with success, and I'm fairly brave, as far as taking the risk. It sounds like you really have to not be paying attention to brick this thing.
Hey, there's only one way to learn, right?
soulweeper51 said:
Yeah, I read through the guide once, and a fair amount went right over my head, lol. But, I'll read it a few times to let it sink in. Like I said, I'm not nearly as smart as a lot of people that post here, when it comes to this kind of thing, but I've attempted a few things like this with success, and I'm fairly brave, as far as taking the risk. It sounds like you really have to not be paying attention to brick this thing.
Hey, there's only one way to learn, right?
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Click to collapse
It's very difficult, if not impossible to truly brick this device. The worst thing you can do is kill the bootloader, but even that is not an irrecoverable mistake.
The first post is the most important of the three... you should at least have a good grasp of that one. What part of the guide gave you problems?
kinfauns said:
The first post is the most important of the three... you should at least have a good grasp of that one. What part of the guide gave you problems?
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Click to collapse
Not so much a "problem", as some of it is a little foreign to me.......I guess that's a good way to put it. As much as I want to just use the KFU and cross my fingers, I do want to understand as much of it as I can, so in the event of something going a little south, I hopefully know exactly why.
The Youtube video I watched makes it look so easy, but like I was told, doesn't help with understanding how it all works.
Not to question your capabilities, but what's the rush? You say you've never had a smartphone, so I take it you're unfamiliar with Android devices.
I see so much misinformation floating around about the Fire (you need to root to sideload apps, you need to root to change the stock UI, etc.).
Why don't you fool around with it for a week or two first, get familiar with Android, and see what it's capable of doing, and then root it?
grvthang said:
Not to question your capabilities, but what's the rush? You say you've never had a smartphone, so I take it you're unfamiliar with Android devices.
I see so much misinformation floating around about the Fire (you need to root to sideload apps, you need to root to change the stock UI, etc.).
Why don't you fool around with it for a week or two first, get familiar with Android, and see what it's capable of doing, and then root it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I basically agree with you, as far as not rushing into it. Part of it is my personality......I started looking up what people do to this device as soon as I got it, and it doesn't take long to see how much you can do with it, if you choose.
I hated that carousel right away, so I got Go Launcher Ex, to get rid of that....then I discovered some of the Go wallpapers, and when you set one, it reverts back to the stock one every time it "wakes up" or is powered on, so I found a Youtube video that shows how to set the wallpaper you choose to stay, but it has to be rooted.......and so on and so forth. You get the idea. At the moment I'd be happy just to root it and do that, and then go from there. Like I said, part of it is "I want to do it, just because I can", and it will be more "mine". Maybe that sounds corny, but it's how I feel about it, for the most part. I want to do a few things that I want to do, and then learn more and do more, accordingly, if that makes sense.
That being said, I watched the Youtube video by Nat3mil on using KFU, but from what I can tell, he just goes through downloading the utility, installing the drivers on your computer, and then how to Install Permanent Root with Superuser(option 2)......but what about the other 5 commands?
Like
1 Bootmode menu
3 Install latest TWRP recovery
4 Install latest clockwork recovery
5 Install latest FireFireFire
6 Extras <Requires root>
I guess what I'm asking is....if a person uses KFU, is it best to use all the commands? I guess because the video I watched didn't cover anything other than Install Permanent Root, I'm a little confused.
I hope that made sense, and I'm pretty sure that may seem like a stupid question, but if I don't ask, I won't know.
I'm assuming I can just Install Permanent Root to start with, or like I said, do I go through all the commands?
Go easy on me.
Select install permanent root it should put on fff boot loader and twrp all in one shot clockwork mod recovery isn't needed at that point as for the extras Google market is nice. I say twrp if you want to try any of the new ics roms cwm won't flash them if you do you'll be bricked.
But it might be a little different since I tryed it maybe fff and twrp are seperate installs last time I ran it the first screen I came to after it rebooted was burrito root then it rebooted again I was greeted by the fff bootloader then it booted into twrp where there was a big reboot button so I hit reboot. It then rebooted to the fff bootloader screen then into the kindle os all done rooted new boot loader and recovery
---------- Post added at 12:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 AM ----------
This may differ now the best person to ask is vashypooh himself
---------- Post added at 01:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 AM ----------
Nat3mil is a great guy and he has done very good videos I just noticed on this last one he didn't show you what's going on on the kindle screen I really wish he would have. If you watch the others 6.21 and 6.22 they vary slightly from that of 6.3.
1. Get adb working
2. Check allow installation from unknown sources
3. Make sure that your USB mass storage drivers are still functioning( in an emergency you will need them)
4 never unplug your device until you are darn sure the process is finished.
Read the dialogue that happens in kfu you can see what is being pushed to your kindle
Ask lots of questions if your in doubt
---------- Post added at 01:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:02 AM ----------
Oh and use the most recent version of kfu it has the very latest bootloader which is different from the original more features are added. To access recovery from this one when you see the blue kindle fire logo give the power button a few pushes small words will come up at the bottom of the screen.
-- normal--
Recovery
Change boot mode
The power button toggles you through these options.
If I had to choose of course root first second run twrp third run fff last Google apps/go launcher.
O.k. thanks!
Now that I've read that guide a couple times, and watched the video a couple times, I'm torn between the two. The idea of just letting KFU do everything, and hoping nothing goes south has an appeal, and the manual method is just more tedious, but you learn more in the process, kind of like when I built my first computer recently......I learned a lot, though it would have been easier to just buy one. Damn.....not sure what to do.
If I'm following all this correctly, if I use the KFU, and there is an OTA update, could I potentially have a problem on my hands that could be a PITA, or would I simply lose the root and have to do it again?
Also, it sounds to me like the custom ROM is the way to go, and actually a littler easier???
Hope my assumptions are at least fairly accurate.
Your correct but you will just lose root from an ota and yes custom rooms will solve this as long as your willing to live with some bugs. CM7 is stable but once you learn about the bugs of CM9 its not all that bad.
Thepooch said:
Your correct but you will just lose root from an ota and yes custom rooms will solve this as long as your willing to live with some bugs. CM7 is stable but once you learn about the bugs of CM9 its not all that bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify......if I wait a bit on the custom roms, and just root it for now, and there is an OTA update, I simply lose the root...no other harm done. Just root it again, and back in business, correct?
Just making sure.
Not quite. OTA updates usually cause a lot of problems to rooted devices and if you don't know how to fix them, you may be looking at a lot of headaches. You can disable them for now but no one knows for sure if Amazon will try to get around it. The more we learn, the more they learn as well. Apple has an entire team whose sole purpose is to try to beat the jailbreakers and I think it's only a matter of time before Amazon follows suit. And at the rate some of these noobs keep sending their devices back with problems caused by modifying, I think that time will be a lot sooner than we think. But that's just my opinion.
soupmagnet said:
Not quite. OTA updates usually cause a lot of problems to rooted devices and if you don't know how to fix them, you may be looking at a lot of headaches. You can disable them for now but no one knows for sure if Amazon will try to get around it. The more we learn, the more they learn as well. Apple has an entire team whose sole purpose is to try to beat the jailbreakers and I think it's only a matter of time before Amazon follows suit. And at the rate some of these noobs keep sending their devices back with problems caused by modifying, I think that time will be a lot sooner than we think. But that's just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
That definitely all makes perfect sense. Like I said, I'd like to change a few things, and rooting it would allow the little changes that would make me content for a bit, but it's either just root it, and disable the updates(with fingers crossed they don't get around it for a bit), or go straight to the custom roms, and updates are no longer in the equation......am I on the right page with that?
Also, If I decide to just root it for now, and disable the updates, and Amazon finds a way around it in the not too distant future, how hard is to just go back to the stock device?
Yeah right page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1399072
Hello, I tried to post this in the CM10 thread in the KF2 development forum but it didn't let me.
OK, here goes, I ended up buying two used kindle fire 2's for my young kids on ebay since they were real cheap, anyway, I also rooted them and installed the CM10.1/sgt7 Rom on them and it was all relatively easy to do and painless. So I was really happy with the way things were going and really happy with the way this rom runs on my kids KF2's, then after installing the rom, I realized that they were having wifi issues when I started installing their game apps from the Play Store. I looked at the IP's and they matched each other, so I manually changed them. Everything went back to normal for a few minutes, and wham the wifi issues came back. I decided to look at their MAC addresses and sure enough they are exactly the same.
I looked up the forums and found this problem on a few other devices as well as the first generation KF, but I don't see people with the same problem here. I did do backups of my kids KF2's before I installed the new rom, but I'm hoping someone can help me to change the MAC addresses back to their original MAC addresses because I really don't want their KF2's to go back to the stock rom and neither do my kids. They love my Nexus 7 and like how their new KF2s perform just like my N7, so please help us.
Oh yes, I also tried the MAC spoofing apps on the Play store and they didn't work, not sure why?
Thanks in advance.
texraid said:
Hello, I tried to post this in the CM10 thread in the KF2 development forum but it didn't let me.
OK, here goes, I ended up buying two used kindle fire 2's for my young kids on ebay since they were real cheap, anyway, I also rooted them and installed the CM10.1/sgt7 Rom on them and it was all relatively easy to do and painless. So I was really happy with the way things were going and really happy with the way this rom runs on my kids KF2's, then after installing the rom, I realized that they were having wifi issues when I started installing their game apps from the Play Store. I looked at the IP's and they matched each other, so I manually changed them. Everything went back to normal for a few minutes, and wham the wifi issues came back. I decided to look at their MAC addresses and sure enough they are exactly the same.
I looked up the forums and found this problem on a few other devices as well as the first generation KF, but I don't see people with the same problem here. I did do backups of my kids KF2's before I installed the new rom, but I'm hoping someone can help me to change the MAC addresses back to their original MAC addresses because I really don't want their KF2's to go back to the stock rom and neither do my kids. They love my Nexus 7 and like how their new KF2s perform just like my N7, so please help us.
Oh yes, I also tried the MAC spoofing apps on the Play store and they didn't work, not sure why?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure this is a kernel issue, and Hashcode just needs to find where the mac address is stored in the idme partition of the mmc. Nobody knows how long, but when I see him, I'll ask him.
fmkilo said:
I'm pretty sure this is a kernel issue, and Hashcode just needs to find where the mac address is stored in the idme partition of the mmc. Nobody knows how long, but when I see him, I'll ask him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK great, thanks for the response. I thought it was a problem with the kernel as other people reported the same thing in other devices. I saw how some people were fixing this same issue on the first generation KF and I thought maybe the same thing can be done with the KF2 but the files that were used were different than whats in my KF2s.
I think I'll just reverse back to the stock Rom on one of the KF2s, till this issue gets fixed or a workaround can be found.
Hey guys, I just grabbed a KF HD 8.9 off ebay for my wife for $225. I tried to convince her to go with a Nexus7, but she wanted the larger screen. Our previous phones were Android, so she'd be familiar with the Fire if the answers to my questions are positive. Here's a few questions I have if someone can please help me out:
1) From what I've seen reading on here, we can root the device and add the Google Play store. Is this correct? Are there any caveats to this (i.e., you must to do X or Y to be able to download apps after adding it)?
2) If I can install a customer launcher for her (I don't know what the current options are, but there was Nova, Launcher Pro, GoLauncher, etc when we had Android devices), would this largely cause the device to actually LOOK like normal Android? I don't see why there would be any issues, but I just want to clarify.
3) It appears (again, from reading on here), that you can sideload apps (I used the "allow unknown sources" box on my phone). Is that correct?
4) Is the HDMI out reliable?
I would install CM10 and call it a day, but it sounds like there are currently audio and HDMI issues on it, and those are two things we'll use a good bit.
I apologize if this is in the wrong forum, but it was the only one I saw devoted to the 8.9" version. These questions may not really matter for the differences in model, but I wanted to be sure I targeted the right audience,
Thanks for any help provided.
I've done much of what you are asking about using the following thread:-http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888
It's a long read, but worth it.
I'm using GoLauncher HD, and have live wallpapers up and running too - it looks just like any other android device.
The caveats are that some apps will not install/update from Google play - but will probably work if sideloaded. Added to that, Amazon will update your tablet and remove all your hard work if they get the chance - the thread provides tools to minimise this threat as well.
PS I've got a Nexus 7 too - much better tablet in all respects except screen size - that's why I got the KF8.9 as well.
Good luck
Thanks for the quick reply. If I remember correctly, you could disable updates on previous Android devices, is this not the case with the KFHD? The software wouldn't be the newest, but data wouldn't be wiped, either.
Amazon are pushing un-notified updates through various channels - you won't know until you suddenly lose root and all your google apps.
Very friendly user facing company NOT !!!
praed0r said:
Amazon are pushing un-notified updates through various channels - you won't know until you suddenly lose root and all your google apps.
Very friendly user facing company NOT !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. In that case, I might just sideload a launcher. Didn't know it was all going to be this much trouble
I have the kindle fire hd 8.9 and it rooted fine and I have a launcher on it which makes it look like a normal android tablet with Google apps. Have had no issues yet with Amazon forcing updates but if it happens it can't be that hard to block it.... some apps in play store won't install due to compatibility issues....but market helper app solves that.. or you can install the apk manually
CyCaboose said:
I have the kindle fire hd 8.9 and it rooted fine and I have a launcher on it which makes it look like a normal android tablet with Google apps. Have had no issues yet with Amazon forcing updates but if it happens it can't be that hard to block it.... some apps in play store won't install due to compatibility issues....but market helper app solves that.. or you can install the apk manually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I doubt my wife would require many apps that are unavailable on Amazon anyways (if any).
I confirm that the HDMI works very well on my TV