Kindle paperwhite needs repair

Question

I have a kindle paperwhite and it continues to give me the message that it needs repair.Have tried to reset it but it does not respond. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I searched all over and could not find the solution until I came across a russian site http://kindle.zzweb.ru/paperwhite/repair/. Basicly it sates this:

1. Connect the Kindle Paperwhite to a computer USB-cable.
2. Create an empty file in the root directory DO_FACTORY_RESTORE.
3. Safely disconnect the reader from your computer.
4. Reboot your device by holding the power button.

I did this and my kindle paperwhite did a factory reset and I was able to use it again. I had previously tried to format the drive and place a firmware update on the drive so I do not know if this will remove your books. Please try and back up your books if you can before you do this. Hope this helps others.

Copied from: https://www.reddit.com/r/kindle/comments/2xojx2/how_to_fix_your_paperwhite_if_it_says_your_kindle/

Answer 2

Ok I found a solution for my problem:

My kindle 4 non touch fell down from the table, and I had the screen "your kindle needs repair" and I did as above with DO_RESTORE_FACTORY, after that it was worse I had the reboot loop and the kindle needs repair screen switching.

I had nothing else to lose so I opened the back cover of my kindle, I found the little cable connecting the battery, I disconnected it, the screen of the kindle went blank, and I reconnected it and Hurray the kindle booted to the language selection menu!

Hope it works for anyone needing to repair kindle. Just open the back cover with a screwdriver to the side and if you have a hair dryer use it on the center of the back cover because it is glued over there ( watch some youtube kindle 4 disassembly )

Answer 3

The best way is to contact the Amazon support. If your Kindle is still under warranty they will replace it free of charge. If it is not we might to try help you but you must provide us some extra info like error message or photo of error.

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

I found these instructions in Microsoft Community https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-hardware/i-am-trying-to-locate-root-directory-in-order-to/e8d2b742-3165-4bc0-8f75-26b74b020b8f

It worked for me.

Microsoft: We would suggest contacting the Kindle support for further assistance about the issue. Regards.

Customer: I did. This was the advice

To factory reset your Kindle: 1. Connect the Kindle to a computer via a USB-cable. 2. Create an empty file in the root directory called DO_FACTORY_RESTORE. 3. You will need to remove the extension from the DO_FACTORY_RESTORE file. 4. Click on the “Start” menu. 5. Type “Folder Options” on the Search Bar and select it. 6. Select the “View” tab. 7. Make sure “Hide extensions for known files” is unchecked. 8. Click “Apply”. 9. Eject the device safely (this should be in the taskbar on Windows -right click on an icon and select "Safely Remove Hardware" - then click on it and select the Kindle. 10. Perform a device restart (40s) by pressing and holding the power button for 40 seconds. After you tried a factory reset on the Kindle, we recommend you to observe the device functions for at least 24 hours.