[GUIDE] The 5 second bootloop! aka: Don't let your battery die!

Search This thread
By:
Advanced…
kinfauns

kinfauns

Retired Senior Moderator and Retired DC Lead
Jan 5, 2012
1,864
3,543
kiwi247 said:
Help i installed extended firefirefire and my kindle stays on the bootloader it doesn't boot but it does shutdown.

P.S.
i am posting here because i cant post in the dev part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

There are many reasons why the device might not advance the boot process past the bootloader. This is especially true with the extended bootloader if you played around with the partitioning scheme. If you feel that this might be a dead battery issue, try plugging it into your charger and forcing your device to turn off by pressing/holding the power button until the display shuts off. Leave it alone for a while and see if it charges before you turn it back on.

You are only restricted from posting in the development forums. You can always post to the Q&A section and try to find someone who can help you out with that bootloader.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EtagAwesome and Thepooch
D

dhruvil007

Member
Mar 4, 2011
14
0
Hey Great post man !! Thanks! The bootlop thing happened to me twice.. The first time i by mistake dropped it and it booted. The Second time it worked out by your method man thanks!
 
S

shrieden

Member
May 2, 2012
12
1
Auckland
Not sure if this was covered in regard to the factory cable, but I found the cable bundled with my Galaxy S3 did Kindle Fire factory cable duties. Mine was stuck in the bootloop due to the battery completely draining, and the GS3 cable worked a charm.
 
J

jnihil

Member
Sep 12, 2012
23
11
Saved!

kinfauns said:
Symptoms: The Kindle Fire starts booting normally, but then shuts off prematurely or reboots spontaneously before the device completes the startup process. In extreme cases, the bootlogo may not even appear on the display and only the power switch LED lights up before the device shuts off again.

Cause: The battery has been depleted to the point that not enough power gets delivered to the CPU. The CPU detects the low power condition and its safety features power off the device.

Solution: Use the stock 1.8 amp AC charger to recharge the battery. In most cases, this seems to be enough to get power to the CPU and battery that it will begin to charge again.

Devices without FireFireFire 1.4 (or later) will need to upgrade to that version. This bootloader stops the boot process for a low battery condition (less than 3%) and charges the battery to its specified minimum before continuing to boot.

If the device has an earlier version of FFF, use the temporary fastboot mode feature to fastboot flash the new version using fastboot. If the device is using the stock bootloader (white/orange "kindle fire" bootlogo), a factory cable is probably necessary to put the device into fastboot mode.

With the stock bootloader...
Code: 
fastboot -i 0x1949 flash bootloader /path/to/u-boot.bin
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
Note: In both cases above, the "/path/to/u-boot.bin" must be replaced with the actual path to the file's location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Like you say, my forever rebooting Fire was finally able to get enough charge using the stock PSU (previously I was using a USB output), then upgrade to the FFF 1.4a, and reboot back-up again. FYI, it only took 10-15 minutes of charge using the stock PSU to get it to a stage where it was happy to boot.

I owe you a beer mate, thanks. :good:
 
A

ath1337

Member
May 21, 2012
12
6
I had this problem last night when I was trying to charge my kindle with some blackberry AC micro usb charger that was lying around. I then plugged in my gnex charger, booted to TWRP, and let it set for a minute or two (not sure if it was actually charging when it was plugged in in TWRP, but the orange light was on) then booted up to problem with 1% charge.
 
3

3picide

Member
May 3, 2012
13
3
I keep getting this problem with my phone sometimes, too... rather annoying. Glad to know that there is a fix of some sort for it, though! Thanks!
 
A

aegrotatio

Senior Member
Sep 9, 2011
102
7
I have run into these bootloops often, but it's because I have two Kindle Fires and do not use both of them every day.

Before I read this thread, when I got into this situation only the original Kindle Fire power supply would fix the problem. I have the Amazon Basics 2.0 watt charger, the new Kindle Fire HD "Fast" charger, and many others, but only the wall-wart with captive cable that came with the Kindle Fire gets it going. With the other chargers I've even left it alone all day, constantly turning itself on and off, with no real luck. Another thing that works is plugging it directly into my PC.

This thread has even better ideas. Thanks!!
 
T

theblazehen

Member
May 23, 2012
8
0
Can't boot

I have tried doing this and when i fastboot flash I got the error message sending 'bootloader' (203 KB)... FAILED (status read failed (Too many links)) .

My kindle wont charge, show in fastboot or display fff logo when i try to switch on.
 
soupmagnet

soupmagnet

Retired Forum Moderator
Jan 7, 2012
3,990
2,587
Austin, TX
Google Pixel 6
theblazehen said:
I have tried doing this and when i fastboot flash I got the error message sending 'bootloader' (203 KB)... FAILED (status read failed (Too many links)) .

My kindle wont charge, show in fastboot or display fff logo when i try to switch on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

It seenms like your bootloader got a bad flash. Bad news but it's fixable. You'll need an Ubuntu LiveUSB and Firekit. BTW, this requires opening the device and performing the "shorting trick" to put the device in USBboot.
 
soupmagnet

soupmagnet

Retired Forum Moderator
Jan 7, 2012
3,990
2,587
Austin, TX
Google Pixel 6
theblazehen said:
thanks . will this work in a virtual machine?

which commands should i run ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, only if the VM is Parallels. I suggest making a LiveUSB unless you are on a Mac, in which case, get Parallels.

Also, It would make life a little easier if you installed SoupKit. It comes with Firekit and there is less chance for user error. Read the Firekit thread for command usage.
 
T

theblazehen

Member
May 23, 2012
8
0
soupmagnet said:
Unfortunately, only if the VM is Parallels. I suggest making a LiveUSB unless you are on a Mac, in which case, get Parallels.

Also, It would make life a little easier if you installed SoupKit. It comes with Firekit and there is less chance for user error. Read the Firekit thread for command usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

That sucks. I will need to get a USB stick then. Any idea why it wont work on others ?
 
abiezer

abiezer

Senior Member
Feb 7, 2009
266
53
Miami
I'm at the point right now where my Kindle will not boot at all. I've tried with the stock charger over night and even with the PC. What I am trying to do is flash the newer bootloader, but it won't even start up. Any advice?
 
O

orso7

Member
Nov 27, 2009
24
0
Having the same problem, kf restarts shows the fff symbol for 2-3 seconds and dies.
The problem is, i have rooted it about a year ago (not my kindle) and i don't know what version of fff its on.
I don't know if the drivers are still correctly installed, and i can't see the device in fastboot or adb.
Oh and I tried charging it with a Ipad charger, did not work.

any advice?

edit: maybe it would be easier to remove the battery and charge it seperately?
 
Last edited:
kinfauns

kinfauns

Retired Senior Moderator and Retired DC Lead
Jan 5, 2012
1,864
3,543
abiezer said:
I'm at the point right now where my Kindle will not boot at all. I've tried with the stock charger over night and even with the PC. What I am trying to do is flash the newer bootloader, but it won't even start up. Any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The Kindle Fire should boot up when power is provided to it through the USB port. If you are connecting it to your computer's USB port or the AC wall charger, but the display won't show the bootlogo, then you've either got a broken bootloader or something worse... You'll probably need firekit (or soupkit) to see if you can upload a temporary bootloader through the USB port and see if it will boot through that. Search for both of those and see below for a link to another guide.

orso7 said:
Having the same problem, kf restarts shows the fff symbol for 2-3 seconds and dies.
The problem is, i have rooted it about a year ago (not my kindle) and i don't know what version of fff its on.
I don't know if the drivers are still correctly installed, and i can't see the device in fastboot or adb.
Oh and I tried charging it with a Ipad charger, did not work.

any advice?

edit: maybe it would be easier to remove the battery and charge it seperately?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Removing the battery is not likely to help you because you'd also need some way to connect that battery to something that can charge it. My fastboot guide should help you identify the bootloader you've currently got installed and provide you with some other reading material as well.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1668159
 
O

orso7

Member
Nov 27, 2009
24
0
kinfauns said:
Removing the battery is not likely to help you because you'd also need some way to connect that battery to something that can charge it. My fastboot guide should help you identify the bootloader you've currently got installed and provide you with some other reading material as well.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1668159
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

thanks for the guide, so my fff has to be v0.9-1.2 (yello triangle with flames)

so according to the guide fastboot should be enabled as long as the bootlogo is shown on the display

i tried the "fastboot getvar product" command but it is just "waiting for device"

fastboot does not "see" the device

edit: according to iFixit its easy to remove the kf battery, i have all kinds of chargers in my little workshop but i see 8 cables comming out of the kf battery (2 white, 3black, 3 red)
are the 3 cells connected parallel or are they used one after another? and the 2 white ones are for measuring the voltage/capacity?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ubeezee
[HOW TO] Unbricking/Restoring your Kindle Fire
Replies
826
Views
372K
sd_shadow
sd_shadow
kinfauns
  • Sticky
[GUIDE] Kindle Fire For Beginners
Replies
295
Views
352K
R
Rickjones427
kinfauns
[GUIDE] Fastboot Mode
Replies
83
Views
242K
J
John877
F
[GUIDE] Use a Microphone with the Kindle Fire
Replies
118
Views
122K
N
nigerlet
I
[Guide] How to restore to pure stock (no root, FFF, etc.) with TWRP
Replies
109
Views
153K
E
Enough2BDangrous

Top Liked Posts

24 Hours All time
  • There are no posts matching your filters.
  • 22
    kinfauns
    kinfauns
    Symptoms: The Kindle Fire starts booting normally, but then shuts off prematurely or reboots spontaneously before the device completes the startup process. In extreme cases, the bootlogo may not even appear on the display and only the power switch LED lights up before the device shuts off again.

    Cause: The battery has been depleted to the point that not enough power gets delivered to the CPU. The CPU detects the low power condition and its safety features power off the device.

    Solution: Use the stock 1.8 amp AC charger to recharge the battery. In most cases, this seems to be enough to get power to the CPU and battery that it will begin to charge again.

    In some rare instances, not even the AC charger will be enough to charge the battery. Why? The Kindle Fire's hardware does not have the ability to charge its battery offline. The device needs to be up and running so the ramdisk can handle the battery charging operation and that requires the CPU to be powered up. If the battery cannot provide enough power to the CPU, it shuts off automatically and the boot process stops or restarts... a classic catch-22.

    Devices without FireFireFire 1.4 (or later) will need to upgrade to that version. This bootloader stops the boot process for a low battery condition (less than 3%) and charges the battery to its specified minimum before continuing to boot.

    If the device has an earlier version of FFF, use the temporary fastboot mode feature to fastboot flash the new version using fastboot. If the device is using the stock bootloader (white/orange "kindle fire" bootlogo), a factory cable is probably necessary to put the device into fastboot mode.

    Although the preferred method of installing this bootloader is through TWRP, it is dangerous in this situation because TWRP could shut down without warning. Because of this potential for a premature TWRP shutdown and a bad flash as a result, fastboot must be used under these circumstances. The device can be powered entirely from the USB port while running the bootloader, so it's much safer in this regard. Be sure to check the MD5 sum of the distribution, extract the contents of the zip archive and find the binary inside the cache directory. Flash this file using fastboot.

    Using an older version of FFF...
    Code: 
    fastboot flash bootloader /path/to/u-boot.bin
fastboot reboot
    With the stock bootloader...
    Code: 
    fastboot -i 0x1949 flash bootloader /path/to/u-boot.bin
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
    Note: In both cases above, the "/path/to/u-boot.bin" must be replaced with the actual path to the file's location.

    After a reboot, the bootloader will automatically stop the boot process and begin charging. The backlight is normally off in battery charging mode to conserve power, but press and hold the power button for a few seconds and a battery charging notification will appear on the display.

    Note: Currently, neither FFF 1.4 nor 1.4a will display a bootlogo before entering battery charging mode, so the device may appear to be bricked. Press and hold the power button for a few seconds to display the battery charging notice. In addition, these versions will only enter battery charging mode when hooked up to USB power and not the AC wall charger. The developer is aware of both situations and has indicated that he intends to implement fixes for these issues.

    Credits
    pokey9000 - For providing information about the Kindle Fire hardware
    SBlood86 - For sharing his experiences and initial ideas for a fix
    Hashcode - For fixing/implementing battery charging on the bootloader​
    View
    2
    N
    nonvocatus@gmail.com
    Trying out new FFF battery feature

    Half an hour ago I let my power run out trying to read the last few pages of a book. I finished the book but it cost me my battery. I had no idea about the USB recharging issue and only have USB cable handy (non-US). So the device powered itself off. After that it would boot as far as the unlock screen, freeze and die despite the USB connection.

    Anyway I just used KFU to flash the latest FireFireFire (there's a small window while it's going through the boot loop where KFU has access). After installing, the device rebooted. Screen briefly said something along the lines of "FireFireFire, battery too low, charging" then the device seemed to once again switch itself off.

    On closer inspection there is a faint (very faint) orange light coming from the power button. Not as bright as the normal charging light but I'll leave it over night and see if it's healed in the morning.

    This is all a bit retarded thanks Amazon...


    Edit - I left it for about 10 minutes and it just successfully booted up. YAY. Now it's charging in what I assume is full power mode with a bright orange light.
    View
    2
    kinfauns
    kinfauns
    kiwi247 said:
    Help i installed extended firefirefire and my kindle stays on the bootloader it doesn't boot but it does shutdown.

    P.S.
    i am posting here because i cant post in the dev part.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    There are many reasons why the device might not advance the boot process past the bootloader. This is especially true with the extended bootloader if you played around with the partitioning scheme. If you feel that this might be a dead battery issue, try plugging it into your charger and forcing your device to turn off by pressing/holding the power button until the display shuts off. Leave it alone for a while and see if it charges before you turn it back on.

    You are only restricted from posting in the development forums. You can always post to the Q&A section and try to find someone who can help you out with that bootloader.
    View
    1
    G
    Giraffe195
    Kindle Fire Restarts on its own

    A long while back, I rooted the kindle fire using the kindle fire utility .95. It worked fine for months. Then today, the device suddenly restarted and went into the "press power button to for recovery" page with the yellow triangle.
    I can get it to go into the system for about 10 seconds but then it just restarts. To get in, I use the kindle fire utility and put it into normal boot mode. It goes in fine but then it restarts. I do have access to fastboot and i can get in. Battery power is near full so that wasn't the problem.
    Anyways, after trying everything I found in the internet, i found the best solution was to use this thread:
    [GUIDE] Kindle Fire For Beginners
    Assuming you're already in fastboot mode, go down to post number 3 and start at step number 6. I got the u-boot.bin from this page Amazon Update
    (you have to extract it). The twrp file I got from the kindle fire utility page.
    The last step I did was step number 7 which was to reboot. Once I rebooted, it went into twrp recovery but said it couldn't access the memory or something of the sort. Then it did some sort of update and sort of took a long time to update. Then it restarted, paused for around 30+ seconds on the flashing kindle fire logo,and now its perfect.

    Tip: To get into fastboot mode, the exact steps I took were:
    1. Shut down Kindle completely.
    2. From the kindle fire utility, select 1 and then select 1 again. It should come as waiting for device. After that plug in the kindle and let it do its things. Once the kindle fire logo pops up, keep on spamming 2 in the kindle fire utility to select fastboot mode till it lets you get in. You have to do it before it starts to shut down again.
    After that, the fastboot things should be working and you can do the rest of the stuff starting from number 6.

    I hope this helps some one.
    View
    1
    Thepooch
    Thepooch
    Hit Kinfauns thanks button it works just as well as a beer ;)
    View

New posts