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One of my Kindle Paperwhite's recently came up with "Your Kindle needs repair" with a Repair Code 2.

Amazon instantly sent out a new device, no questions asked (bit odd). Which is great, but they wouldn't tell me what repair code 2 meant and Google only shows other people having the same issue but no underlying cause.

Has anyone figured out what this code means?

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  • I attempted an update as well. My kindle died. They will not answer as to why this occurred. I had to buy a new one. They took my old one back just to fix and resell. I am sure they know and we are forced as consumers to buy a new one. Rip off Amazon. Sales were down so they fix that.
    – user6275
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 15:00

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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Yes, see the discussion on:

http://www.reddit.com/r/kindle/comments/2xojx2/how_to_fix_your_paperwhite_if_it_says_your_kindle/

It is happening IMHO due to Over The Air (pushed) software updates failing, either due to bugs in the new release or the update process not behaving. The biggest issue is that Amazon won't admit it and if your unit is out of warranty they want to sell you a new one instead of telling you the simple method of doing a factory reset, i.e. adding a DO_FACTORY_RESTORE file to your root directory! This is utter fraud by Amazon and I spent hours on calls to Amazon trying to get my unit fixed/replaced to no avail. The biggest conspiracy is why this simply fix seems to be widely discussed on Chinese and Russian web site but not on any english sites (hence my propencity to add the magic file name in posts on this topic).

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    Right now, this doesn't really answer the question, which is what the code means. You also don't really explain why it happens, other than to say it is happening "IMHO" due to "other the air" (I think you meant "over the air") updates. If you can provide some evidence about the cause or can explain what the error actually means, this might be an acceptable answer after you remove the fraud allegations. Otherwise, it is, at best a comment and not an answer.
    – elixenide
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 13:24
  • How would you put that file there when it doesn't show up as a USB device?
    – Nick
    Commented May 13, 2015 at 19:39
  • I was told by Amazon Call Centre staff that the code meant that I had a hardware fault, one operator even insisted it meant the battery was dead. The only real evidence that I have that it was due to the software update is based on:
    – PissedOffKindleUser
    Commented May 14, 2015 at 6:36
  • ... (1) I could see system files had been changed on my device a few days before it locked up, (2) the device had not been dropped or damaged in any way(3) my device locked up just as I noticed the main menu had new items (a "G" I think for a group or FaceBook like function) and I was investigating the new features. Sorry I also fixed my typo before I saw your post.
    – PissedOffKindleUser
    Commented May 14, 2015 at 6:44
  • Also the reset worked and it was not a h/w fault. I believe that Repair Code 2 just means that the unit failed to boot. Getting the file to root directory was not that easy as the USB connection was only being established for about 5 secs each time I booted my Kindle - it died as the Repair Code 2 screen is displayed. You need to just create the dummy file on your computer (e.g. inside Windows Explorer, right click->New->Text File then rename the file to DO_FACTORY_RESTORE. Then copy (Control C) the file to the paste buffer and paste it into top level directory of your Kindle.
    – PissedOffKindleUser
    Commented May 14, 2015 at 6:50
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I just performed the fix for the message on a Kindle Paper White "Kindle needs repair". Amazon help told my wife that the kindle could not be fixed and she needed to order a new unit. They did offer a discount on the replacement but it was not much. I thought it could not hurt to try a few things on the old Kindle since it could not make it any worse after all Amazon had declared it deceased. I found the DO_FACTORY_RESTORE fix and it took me a few tries but it did work. Here is the process that worked for me.

  1. Create a blank file in Notepad titled DO_FACTORY_RESTORE
  2. Remove the .txt extension from the file you created in File Explorer
  3. Copy the file so that in the next step you can paste it into the Kindle. You need to copy it first because you only have about 5 seconds to paste it into the Kindle.
  4. Connect the Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  5. Do a reset with the Kindle connected by holding down on the power button till the Kindle restarts. The Kindle should come up in File Explorer and this will give you the opportunity to paste the DO_FACTORY_RESTORE file into the Kindle. Just paste it to the root directory do not put it into any of the file folders. This may take a few tries since you only have a small amount of time to perform the paste.
  6. Restart the Kindle by Holding down the power button till it resets. The kindle will do a factory restore and once done will prompt you through the normal Kindle factory fresh registration. You will lose anything that was stored on the Kindle but it will be working again.
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