Database Users

[HOW-TO]Unlock the Bootloader on the Nvidia Shield

Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to unlock the bootloader on your Nvidia Shield.
Why Would I want to Unlock my Bootloader?
Unlocking your bootloader allows you to modify all aspects of your device to suite your needs which includes but is not limited to, installing custom Recovery images such as Clockworkmod Recovery or Team Win Recovery Project, installing custom ROM's, custom Kernels, as well as other MOD's and patches.
Will Unlocking my Bootloader Void my Warranty?
Warning: Unlocking your Nvidia Shield's bootloader will void the warranty, please note that even if you re-lock the bootloader the bootloader still show a flag that the device is voided for warranty.
This warning being given please also see this post by JordanKeyes regarding warranty information as it relates to hardware issues or hardware failures.
Unlocking your Bootloader
1. Backup everything on your device that you don't want to loose such any apps (And there respective data), pictures, videos, music, etc. as unlocking your devices bootloader will erase all data on the device. You can fully backup your devices contents without root using ADB's backup command or by using the Holo Backup Tool.
2. Download and install the ADB and Fastboot drivers for your Shield, the drivers can be downloaded here. You can also follow along with wwjoshdew's excellent video tutorial on how to properly install the ADB and Fastboot drivers for your Shield on Windows.
3. Make sure you have ADB and Fastboot setup and installed on your computer. If you haven't already setup and installed ADB and Fastboot a simple ADB and Fastboot installer can be downloaded from here.
4. Fully power off your Shield by long pressing on the Power button until the power menu appears, then select the "Power off" option.
5. Boot your Shield into Fastboot mode using one of the following ways:
5. A. Power on your Shield while simultaneously holding the Power button + Back button + Home button. Release the buttons once the Fastboot bootloader screen appears.
5. B. Run the following ADB command from a command prompt window (USB cable must already be connected from your Shield to your Computer):
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
6.Now that you are at the Fastboot bootloader screen, connect your Shield to your computer using your USB cable. Make sure that your USB cable is plugged into a USB 2.0 port directly connected to your motherboard as sometimes USB 3.0 ports can cause problems and front panel USB connections can be unreliable.
7. Open up a command prompt window (cmd) in the directory where installed ADB and Fastboot to. For example if I installed ADB and Fastboot to a folder on my Desktop which is on my D: drive I would open a command window in "D:\Desktop\Fastboot_ADB".
8. From the command prompt windows enter the following command:
Code:
fastboot devices
If you device is detected and it shows your devices serial number you are ready to move on to the next step. If no device is shown make sure you have the correctly installed the ADB and Fastboot drivers from step number 2.
9. Now that your device is detected by Fastboot the following command is used to unlock your bootloader:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
10. You will now be presented with the bootloader unlock menu. After reading the disclaimer, use the Back button and the Home button to navigate to the "Unlock" option. Once the "Unlock" option has been highlighted use the Shield button to confirm your selection of unlocking your bootloader. It's important to remember that unlocking the bootloader will wipe all your data from the device, and that a flag showing your warranty is void will appear at the bootloader screen.
11. Once your bootloader has finished being unlocked, you will be taken back to the fastboot bootloader screen. From here you can power off your Shield.
Re-locking your Bootloader
To re-lock your bootloader you can following steps 4-8 of the procedure listed above and when you come to step 9 run the following command instead of "fastboot oem unlock":
Code:
fastboot oem lock
The above command will re-lock your Shield's bootloader. Note: As previously mentioned re-locking your Shield's bootloader will not restore your warranty or remove the warranty void flag on your device's bootloader.
Conclusion
Now that you have successfully unlocked the bootloader on your Nvidia Shield you are free to flash custom Recoveries, ROM's, Kernel's, MOD's etc. enjoy :good:.
If you are stuck with the bootloader unlocking procedure I would recommend checking out this great video tutorial by wwjoshdew.

I'm having an issue unlocking the bootloader. I have the drivers and fastboot install successfully as well as adb and fastboot. I run the command "adb reboot bootloader" which reboots my shield into bootloader but when I run "fastboot devices" nothing shows up. USB debugging is enabled.
When the device is booted normally the command "adb devices" picks up the device. It is only in fastboot that adb commands aren't recognized.
I added a picture, any thoughts?
Edit: followed the instructions in the following video and all is dandy now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSisjVwcPbE&hd=1

themichael said:
I'm having an issue unlocking the bootloader. I have the drivers and fastboot install successfully as well as adb and fastboot. I run the command "adb reboot bootloader" which reboots my shield into bootloader but when I run "fastboot devices" nothing shows up. USB debugging is enabled.
When the device is booted normally the command "adb devices" picks up the device. It is only in fastboot that adb commands aren't recognized.
I added a picture, any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in device manager and check if the PC recognizes the shield as an adb device when in fastboot.
For me i have to switch between using fastboot and being able to copy files to it.

fastboot error
chevyowner said:
Look in device manager and check if the PC recognizes the shield as an adb device when in fastboot.
For me i have to switch between using fastboot and being able to copy files to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi i am having issue with dab and fast boot drivers.
When I install the driver as adb I can't fast boot to install the thor.img but once it reboots It reverts or reinstalls a shield driver and causes confusion and blocks when I want to mount.

gogul1 said:
Hi i am having issue with dab and fast boot drivers.
When I install the driver as adb I can't fast boot to install the thor.img but once it reboots It reverts or reinstalls a shield driver and causes confusion and blocks when I want to mount.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nvidia just released a new set of USB drivers in their Tegra for Android Development Pack which you can download from here. I would recommend installing the development pack and the drivers it includes.

ok
I have done it and these are the new drivers I have under device manager.
Still can't mount though, operation not permitted Usb debugging enabled.
here are the two new drivers which let me get as far as the mount command but no further
View attachment 2210144
and here's it telling me no in abd and fastboot
View attachment 2210148

gogul1 said:
I have done it and these are the new drivers I have under device manager.
Still can't mount though, operation not permitted Usb debugging enabled.
here are the two new drivers which let me get as far as the mount command but no further
View attachment 2210144
and here's it telling me no in abd and fastboot
View attachment 2210148
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From that pic you posted the mount command failed because you were not root.

chevyowner said:
From that pic you posted the mount command failed because you were not root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have updated the original post in my manual rooting procedure thread that includes a new insecure boot.img that has a patched adbd binary to allow the insecure boot.img to provide a root shell when booted from.

shimp208 said:
I have updated the original post in my manual rooting procedure thread that includes a new insecure boot.img that has a patched adbd binary to allow the insecure boot.img to provide a root shell when booted from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh??????????
EDIT
Were you trying to answer this post

chevyowner said:
Huh??????????
EDIT
Were you trying to answer this post
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh what I meant chevyowner was since you had responded to that guy's post about him not having a root shell after booting the insecure boot.img I decided to jump in and mention I had updated the original post to include a new updated insecure boot.img that should fix his root shell problem. Sorry for any confusion I caused there buddy!

shimp208 said:
Oh what I meant chevyowner was since you had responded to that guy's post about him not having a root shell after booting the insecure boot.img I decided to jump in and mention I had updated the original post to include a new updated insecure boot.img that should fix his root shell problem. Sorry for any confusion I caused there buddy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem.
I had to change to oil in my car in a parking lot earlier because it was cheaper to change it then it would have been add 3-4 quarts and change it when I got home. My car need 5 quarts of oil. I was not in a a good mood then.

I made two videos on the NVIDIA Shield. Please let me know what you think @shimp208.
How To Unlock the Bootloader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Am5WYRojMs
How To Root the Nvidia Shield: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4-C0CzKoFs

thx. works nice.

wwjoshdew said:
I made two videos on the NVIDIA Shield. Please let me know what you think @shimp208.
How To Unlock the Bootloader: [
How To Root the Nvidia Shield: []
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet thanks

wwjoshdew said:
I made two videos on the NVIDIA Shield. Please let me know what you think @shimp208.
How To Unlock the Bootloader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Am5WYRojMs
How To Root the Nvidia Shield: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4-C0CzKoFs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried another proggie to root and got jammed up.. following the videos josh did had me rooted in minutes. Great job and thanks!

why?
Code:
C:\Users\Thomas>fastboot oem unlock
...
FAILED (command write failed (Unknown error))
finished. total time: 0.582s
I tried it with the Shield RAM tool, but won't work either..

so, i managed to root and install custom recovery without touching the bootloader. the status still reads as locked, but i am free to mod and install custom roms and such. i used towelroot apk. and flashify to flash the recovery image.

mr.dude5660 said:
so, i managed to root and install custom recovery without touching the bootloader. the status still reads as locked, but i am free to mod and install custom roms and such. i used towelroot apk. and flashify to flash the recovery image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you find the towelroot apk? Been searching for over a month with no success.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

BTW, bootloader mode on the tablet:
- Hold "Volume Down" -> Press "Power" and continue to hold "Volume Down" until device boots into bootloader mode.
There is no home or back button to press while the device is off.

Sorry for bump this thread, but i have to.
I want to unlock my bootloader to revert back into KK and then try to do a clean installation of LP. Reading this guide and watching the videos, and also looking into the img downloaded from nvidia, it says i have to install the fastboot drivers. The problem is that i have already installed fastboot and adb drivers since i have some other devices as a Xperia and stuff. For me, there is no Yellow sign as shown in the video, my device is recognized as Portable Device and it already says "Shield Tablet" MTP.
I've tried going into bootloader to see if it prompts any new devices but i got nothing. adb devices show my device, but i'm not sure if i need more.

[GUIDE] [6.3.3] 1st Gen Kindle Drivers, Rooting, Bootloaders & Recovery, and OtterX

[GUIDE] [6.3.3] 1st Gen Kindle Drivers, Rooting, Bootloaders & Recovery, and OtterX
Hello everyone! I am new to working with the Kindle Fire, however, I am by no means new to rooting and tinkering with my devices. Yesterday, I inherited a Kindle Fire with software version 6.3.3 from my brother and I was completely unsure of how to root the device. I am writing this guide because many of the existing guides were unclear and lead me to screw up multiple times. In addition, some claimed to work with the 6.3.3 software version, however, they were designed for an older version of the firmware and would not actually work.
I WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE IF YOU BRICK YOUR DEVICE USING THESE INSTRUCTIONS! FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY AND REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR DATA! YOUR DATA WILL BE WIPED DURING THIS PROCESS. ONLY CONTINUE IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISKS! THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER, FOLLOW EACH STEP! YOU CANNOT SKIP ANY OF THE STEPS!
0. Checking MD5 Hashes
It is very important to check the MD5 hash of every file that you download for this guide. You may use your favorite MD5 checksum utility. Personally, I prefer using this tool created by Microsoft because it is lightweight and extremely fast. Unfortunately, it does take some knowledge of the Command Prompt to use. To begin, download the file and extract it to any folder that you would like. To use the tool, place the file that you are checking within the same folder as the tool. Then, hold shift on your keyboard and right click. Choose the option to open a new Command Prompt window. Then, issue the following commands:
Code:
fciv.exe <exact name of file you are checking>
This will tell you the MD5 checksum of the file that you are checking and you will want to compare it to the value that is listed with the download. Again, you will want to do this for every file that is downloaded for this guide to ensure that you do not damage your device or need to restart the process.
1. Drivers
One problem that I faced while rooting my Kindle Fire was the installation of drivers. Basically, this guide requires you to use unsigned drivers that Windows will refuse to install under normal circumstances. On Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and in the Windows 10 Technical preview, you need to enable Test Mode. Although you can just disable the driver signature verification for one boot, I found this inefficient because I needed to tinker with the drivers multiple times, with each successive installation requiring a reboot of the computer.
To enable Test Mode on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 Technical Preview, you need some experience with the Command Prompt. Open an Administrative Command Prompt by typing "cmd" into the Start menu and right clicking on the Command Prompt icon. From there, choose the option to open the program with Administrative privileges. Then, issue the following commands:
Code:
bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON
Reboot your computer.
Next, you will want to download the KFU utility from this XDA developer thread. We will NOT be using the Kindle Fire Utility for this guide because I was unable to get it working with 6.3.3, instead we will be using the included set of drivers because they worked relatively well with this process. After downloading the latest version of KFU, extract it to a folder on your Desktop. Unplug your Kindle Fire if it is plugged in to your computer or the drivers may not install correctly. You will want to open the "install_drivers.bat" file and follow the prompts. One prompt will ask you if you want to run the unsigned driver, you should choose "Install this driver software anyway!". Please restart your computer before continuing with this guide!
Now, you may plug in your Kindle Fire. Before continuing, please ensure that the installation of applications is allowed on the device by opening the settings drop down, clicking "More", and clicking on "Device". From there, check the box that allows the installation of applications. Next, you will want to navigate to the folder in the "Kindle Fire Utility" called "Tools". From here, hold shift on your keyboard and right click. Then, choose the option to open a Command Prompt window. We are going to test to make sure that the Kindle Fire is recognized by the "adb" program. To do this, we are going to issue the following commands:
Code:
adb kill-server
adb usb
adb devices
If you typed these commands correctly, any old instances of the "adb" server will be destroyed. Then, it will start a new server that will work with USB devices. Finally, it will list the connected devices. If the driver installation has succeeded, you will see the serial number of your Kindle Fire as well as an "Online" status. If you do not see your device or it is not marked as "Online", you may need to repeat the steps for installing the drivers. Do NOT continue until these commands list your device as "Online" because it could theoretically damage the device. If you are unable to get these drivers working, I recommend using the GhostBuster utility to remove old Kindle Fire and Android phone drivers.
2. Rooting the Device
This is where you want to back up anything important on the device!
Since I was unable to find an official root method from the Kindle Fire community for patch 6.3.3, I looked into using other methods. Using SafeRoot was suggested by some people and it worked very well for my Kindle Fire. So, to continue, please download the SafeRoot package from this XDA Developers link. Extract these files to a folder of your choice, preferably somewhere that is easy to access. We are NOT using the Kindle Fire Utility for this step because it simply was not compatible with software version 6.3.3.
Now, run the "install.bat" file and follow ALL of the on-screen instructions. The utility will ask you if you wish to install Busybox on your device. Busybox is a powerful utility that combines many powerful Unix utilities into a single file. You can read more about it here. You will want to choose yes when it asks you if it can install Busybox. After following all of the instructions, you should have a SuperUser application on your device that allows you run root commands!
It is NORMAL for the SafeRoot utility to show a lot of errors towards the end relating to read only files. If there are any other errors, your device may not be rooted!
3. Flashing FFF and the TWRP Recovery (Non-OtterX)
First, you will want to download the FBMode file. This file will allow your device to boot into the Fastboot mode, which allows you to flash new bootloader and recovery images. In addition, you will want to download the FireFireFire bootloader image that we will be flashing to the device. You will also need a custom recovery for this device, which can be found here. If you ignore everything else in this guide, just please remember to MD5 check ALL of these files! This is extremely important because a bad flash could BRICK your device!
Extract each of these files to the "Tools" folder inside of the Kindle Fire Utility folder that we used earlier to install the driver. Again, open a Command Prompt window inside of the Tools folder by holding shift and right clicking, then choosing the option to open a new Command Prompt window. Type these commands EXACTLY to copy the "fbmode" file to the device. This file will put the device in Fastboot mode.
Code:
adb push fbmode /data/local/tmp
adb shell chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/fbmode
adb shell
You will notice that the Command Prompt window looks slightly different because we are now in a shell for the device. This means we are directly issuing commands to the device! Type the following commands exactly to reboot the device in Fastboot mode. Remember, the "exit" command will need to be typed TWICE!
Code:
su
cd /data/local/tmp
./fbmode
exit
exit
adb reboot
If you did everything correctly, you will now be in Fastboot mode! No, you did not brick your Kindle. The device will not boot into the OS until we tell it to so it WILL remain at the Kindle Fire logo indefinitely, even upon rebooting the device. Depending on your operating system, you may need to toy with the driver installation to 'see' the device again.
Test to make sure that the Kindle still responds to commands before continuing by issuing the following command within the same command prompt window that we used previously to copy the "fbmode" file.
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
The kindle should reboot into the Fastboot mode again! If not, please use this post to get the drivers working. In my case, the device responded to the reboot command, however, it did NOT show up when I checked the connected devices by issuing the following command:
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 devices
If all is well and the Kindle rebooted, it is time to flash the bootloader and recovery images! Remember to check the MD5 hash for these files! You WILL need to know the name of your recovery image, it should be named something very similar to "openrecovery-twrp-2.2.2.1-blaze.img".
This is NOT the FireFireFire file, which is named "fff-u-boot_v1.5.bin". DO NOT flash the FireFireFire file to the recovery partition! If you get any errors during this part of the process, DO NOT continue! You may brick your device!
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 flash recovery <REPLACE ME WITH THE NAME OF RECOVERY IMAGE FILE>
Next, we will flash the bootloader image! Issue the following command to the device using the same Command Prompt window that we used to flash the recovery image.
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 flash bootloader fff-u-boot_v1.5.bin
Now, we will take the device out of Fastboot mode and make sure that our flashes were successful! If you got any errors during the flashing process, DO NOT continue! You may brick your device!
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 oem idme bootmode 4000
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
When you reboot, you should get a new Kindle Fire logo that will be White & Blue. Follow the on-screen instructions to enter the Recovery mode and make sure that the Team Win Recovery image boots. If it does, congratulations! You now have a custom recovery and bootloader on your Kindle device!
4. Installing OtterX Bootloader and Recovery Images
Now that you have a custom bootloader and recovery image flashed, you can now experiment with the OtterX project if you wish. Remember that the OtterX project fundamentally alters the device and it may be extremely difficult to revert these changes to the device! OtterX recoveries, boot loaders, and ROMs are not compatible with stock recoveries, boot loaders, and ROMs. If you still wish to use the device as a Kindle, do not proceed!
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's continue! To continue, you will need the OtterX Bootloader and a copy of the TWRP Recovery for OtterX (Fundamentally different than the TWRP recovery from the last step!). Again, REMEMBER TO CHECK THE MD5 CHECKSUMS OF THESE FILES! A corrupted file could brick your device!
To make sure that the wrong recovery and bootloader are not applied, delete the old copies from your Tools folder inside of the Kindle Fire Utility folder. Then, copy over the OtterX versions of the bootloader and recovery images. Again, open a Command Prompt window inside of the Tools folder by holding shift and right clicking, then choosing the option to open a new Command Prompt window. Enter the following commands exactly!
You will need to know the name of your bootloader file. It should be named similarly to "otterx-u-boot_v2.05.bin". Make sure it says OtterX in the name of the file! Power on the device to the Kindle Fire screen and issue the following command on your computer.
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader <Name of OtterX Bootloader File>
Now, reboot the device after the flash has fully completed! You should see a new boot logo, meaning that the flash was successful! Before we continue, we will need to change the partition layout of the device. This will erase all of your files that exist on the device, you should have backed then up a few steps ago! At the bootloader screen, short press the power button to enter the boot menu. Then, use short presses of the power button to navigate to the advanced menu. Then, use a long press to enter that menu. Now, use short presses to navigate down to the "Partition Mode" button and use a long press to enter the submenu. Use short presses to press the navigate down to the Confirm button, and finally use one last long press to start the process.
After this has been completed, reboot the device. Again at the Kindle Fire screen, enter the following command on your computer.
You will need to know the name of your recovery file. It should be named similarly to "otterx-twrp-2.7.1.0-recovery.img". Make sure it says OtterX in the name of the file!
Code:
fastboot flash recovery <Name of Recovery Image>
fastboot oem recovery
After issuing both commands, you should see the TWRP recovery screen again! If you do, congratulations! You have flashed the OtterX recovery and bootloader images to your device,
5. Installing OtterX ROMs
I have found that the easiest way to install ROMs to this device is through a function called "adb sideloading". To begin, you will need an OtterX ROM file. I personally recommend Cyanogenmod because it seems fairly stable on this tablet (with my few hours of experience) and I use it as a daily driver on my Galaxy S3.
To begin, grab a copy of ANY OtterX ROM file. You can download Cyanogenmod ROMs from this website. Next, you will also want to download a Google Apps package for your device. You can get that from this website as well.
From the TWRP recovery menu, select the "Wipe" option and then choose "Factory Reset". Follow the onscreen prompts to reset the files on your device. If you get any errors, mount the partitions shown in the "Mounts" menu on the main screen.
Next, go to the Advanced section and choose "ADB Sideload". You should choose the boxes to wipe both caches. To continue, you will need a more up-to-date version of the adb program. You will want just the SDK tools, not the full Android Studio. You can download those tools from this website. After the tools are installed, open up the SDK manager and choose the "Install x Packages" button at the bottom to update the tools. After this is complete, navigate to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools" on your hard drive. If you are using a 32 bit computer, navigate to "C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools". Copy your ROM image to this folder and rename it something easy to work with, such as "CM11-OtterX-M12.zip".
Now, you will want to slide the bar across on your device that says "Swipe to Sideload", as well as open a new Command Prompt window on your computer. You can do this by holding shift and right clicking "Open New Command Prompt Window". Now, you will want to issue the following command to make sure your computer can see your Kindle device.
Code:
adb devices
Your device serial number should be listed here and it should say "Sideload" next to the name.
Now, you will want to issue the following command:
Code:
adb sideload <Name of ROM File ZIP>
Now, you will need to wait about 5 minutes while your device is flashed with a new ROM. In my case, the ROM stopped flashing at around 47% with an "Unknown Command" error, however, my device finished the flash okay and the ROM booted just fine. As long as your TWRP recovery shows "Success!", the ROM flash was probably okay. If the ROM flash had failed, you would still be able to try the flash again without harming anything.
You can now go back to the main menu and choose to reboot your device. If the flash was successful, you should see a boot logo for whichever ROM you chose to install. Remember, the initial boot can take a long time.
After verifying that the ROM installed correctly, copy the Google Apps package to your device's internal storage. Depending on which ROM you used, the device should show up as an MTP compatible device in Windows when powered on. Then, reboot into the recovery menu and choose "Install". Then, choose the Google Apps package that you copied to the device to install them. Upon rebooting, the device will update roughly 30-50 apps depending on how much bloatware is installed with your ROM. After that is complete, you will have access to the Google Play store and many useful apps.
Congratulations, you just installed an OtterX rom onto your device!

We need a new update for 2016
ajwgeek said:
Hello everyone! I am new to working with the Kindle Fire, however, I am by no means new to rooting and tinkering with my devices. Yesterday, I inherited a Kindle Fire with software version 6.3.3 from my brother and I was completely unsure of how to root the device. I am writing this guide because many of the existing guides were unclear and lead me to screw up multiple times. In addition, some claimed to work with the 6.3.3 software version, however, they were designed for an older version of the firmware and would not actually work.
I WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE IF YOU BRICK YOUR DEVICE USING THESE INSTRUCTIONS! FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY AND REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR DATA! YOUR DATA WILL BE WIPED DURING THIS PROCESS. ONLY CONTINUE IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISKS! THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER, FOLLOW EACH STEP! YOU CANNOT SKIP ANY OF THE STEPS!
0. Checking MD5 Hashes
It is very important to check the MD5 hash of every file that you download for this guide. You may use your favorite MD5 checksum utility. Personally, I prefer using this tool created by Microsoft because it is lightweight and extremely fast. Unfortunately, it does take some knowledge of the Command Prompt to use. To begin, download the file and extract it to any folder that you would like. To use the tool, place the file that you are checking within the same folder as the tool. Then, hold shift on your keyboard and right click. Choose the option to open a new Command Prompt window. Then, issue the following commands:
Code:
fciv.exe <exact name of file you are checking>
This will tell you the MD5 checksum of the file that you are checking and you will want to compare it to the value that is listed with the download. Again, you will want to do this for every file that is downloaded for this guide to ensure that you do not damage your device or need to restart the process.
1. Drivers
One problem that I faced while rooting my Kindle Fire was the installation of drivers. Basically, this guide requires you to use unsigned drivers that Windows will refuse to install under normal circumstances. On Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and in the Windows 10 Technical preview, you need to enable Test Mode. Although you can just disable the driver signature verification for one boot, I found this inefficient because I needed to tinker with the drivers multiple times, with each successive installation requiring a reboot of the computer.
To enable Test Mode on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 Technical Preview, you need some experience with the Command Prompt. Open an Administrative Command Prompt by typing "cmd" into the Start menu and right clicking on the Command Prompt icon. From there, choose the option to open the program with Administrative privileges. Then, issue the following commands:
Code:
bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON
Reboot your computer.
Next, you will want to download the KFU utility from this XDA developer thread. We will NOT be using the Kindle Fire Utility for this guide because I was unable to get it working with 6.3.3, instead we will be using the included set of drivers because they worked relatively well with this process. After downloading the latest version of KFU, extract it to a folder on your Desktop. Unplug your Kindle Fire if it is plugged in to your computer or the drivers may not install correctly. You will want to open the "install_drivers.bat" file and follow the prompts. One prompt will ask you if you want to run the unsigned driver, you should choose "Install this driver software anyway!". Please restart your computer before continuing with this guide!
Now, you may plug in your Kindle Fire. Before continuing, please ensure that the installation of applications is allowed on the device by opening the settings drop down, clicking "More", and clicking on "Device". From there, check the box that allows the installation of applications. Next, you will want to navigate to the folder in the "Kindle Fire Utility" called "Tools". From here, hold shift on your keyboard and right click. Then, choose the option to open a Command Prompt window. We are going to test to make sure that the Kindle Fire is recognized by the "adb" program. To do this, we are going to issue the following commands:
Code:
adb kill-server
adb usb
adb devices
If you typed these commands correctly, any old instances of the "adb" server will be destroyed. Then, it will start a new server that will work with USB devices. Finally, it will list the connected devices. If the driver installation has succeeded, you will see the serial number of your Kindle Fire as well as an "Online" status. If you do not see your device or it is not marked as "Online", you may need to repeat the steps for installing the drivers. Do NOT continue until these commands list your device as "Online" because it could theoretically damage the device. If you are unable to get these drivers working, I recommend using the GhostBuster utility to remove old Kindle Fire and Android phone drivers.
2. Rooting the Device
This is where you want to back up anything important on the device!
Since I was unable to find an official root method from the Kindle Fire community for patch 6.3.3, I looked into using other methods. Using SafeRoot was suggested by some people and it worked very well for my Kindle Fire. So, to continue, please download the SafeRoot package from this XDA Developers link. Extract these files to a folder of your choice, preferably somewhere that is easy to access. We are NOT using the Kindle Fire Utility for this step because it simply was not compatible with software version 6.3.3.
Now, run the "install.bat" file and follow ALL of the on-screen instructions. The utility will ask you if you wish to install Busybox on your device. Busybox is a powerful utility that combines many powerful Unix utilities into a single file. You can read more about it here. You will want to choose yes when it asks you if it can install Busybox. After following all of the instructions, you should have a SuperUser application on your device that allows you run root commands!
It is NORMAL for the SafeRoot utility to show a lot of errors towards the end relating to read only files. If there are any other errors, your device may not be rooted!
3. Flashing FFF and the TWRP Recovery (Non-OtterX)
First, you will want to download the FBMode file. This file will allow your device to boot into the Fastboot mode, which allows you to flash new bootloader and recovery images. In addition, you will want to download the FireFireFire bootloader image that we will be flashing to the device. You will also need a custom recovery for this device, which can be found here. If you ignore everything else in this guide, just please remember to MD5 check ALL of these files! This is extremely important because a bad flash could BRICK your device!
Extract each of these files to the "Tools" folder inside of the Kindle Fire Utility folder that we used earlier to install the driver. Again, open a Command Prompt window inside of the Tools folder by holding shift and right clicking, then choosing the option to open a new Command Prompt window. Type these commands EXACTLY to copy the "fbmode" file to the device. This file will put the device in Fastboot mode.
Code:
adb push fbmode /data/local/tmp
adb shell chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/fbmode
adb shell
You will notice that the Command Prompt window looks slightly different because we are now in a shell for the device. This means we are directly issuing commands to the device! Type the following commands exactly to reboot the device in Fastboot mode. Remember, the "exit" command will need to be typed TWICE!
Code:
su
cd /data/local/tmp
./fbmode
exit
exit
adb reboot
If you did everything correctly, you will now be in Fastboot mode! No, you did not brick your Kindle. The device will not boot into the OS until we tell it to so it WILL remain at the Kindle Fire logo indefinitely, even upon rebooting the device. Depending on your operating system, you may need to toy with the driver installation to 'see' the device again.
Test to make sure that the Kindle still responds to commands before continuing by issuing the following command within the same command prompt window that we used previously to copy the "fbmode" file.
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
The kindle should reboot into the Fastboot mode again! If not, please use this post to get the drivers working. In my case, the device responded to the reboot command, however, it did NOT show up when I checked the connected devices by issuing the following command:
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 devices
If all is well and the Kindle rebooted, it is time to flash the bootloader and recovery images! Remember to check the MD5 hash for these files! You WILL need to know the name of your recovery image, it should be named something very similar to "openrecovery-twrp-2.2.2.1-blaze.img".
This is NOT the FireFireFire file, which is named "fff-u-boot_v1.5.bin". DO NOT flash the FireFireFire file to the recovery partition! If you get any errors during this part of the process, DO NOT continue! You may brick your device!
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 flash recovery <REPLACE ME WITH THE NAME OF RECOVERY IMAGE FILE>
Next, we will flash the bootloader image! Issue the following command to the device using the same Command Prompt window that we used to flash the recovery image.
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 flash bootloader fff-u-boot_v1.5.bin
Now, we will take the device out of Fastboot mode and make sure that our flashes were successful! If you got any errors during the flashing process, DO NOT continue! You may brick your device!
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 oem idme bootmode 4000
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
When you reboot, you should get a new Kindle Fire logo that will be White & Blue. Follow the on-screen instructions to enter the Recovery mode and make sure that the Team Win Recovery image boots. If it does, congratulations! You now have a custom recovery and bootloader on your Kindle device!
4. Installing OtterX Bootloader and Recovery Images
Now that you have a custom bootloader and recovery image flashed, you can now experiment with the OtterX project if you wish. Remember that the OtterX project fundamentally alters the device and it may be extremely difficult to revert these changes to the device! OtterX recoveries, boot loaders, and ROMs are not compatible with stock recoveries, boot loaders, and ROMs. If you still wish to use the device as a Kindle, do not proceed!
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's continue! To continue, you will need the OtterX Bootloader and a copy of the TWRP Recovery for OtterX (Fundamentally different than the TWRP recovery from the last step!). Again, REMEMBER TO CHECK THE MD5 CHECKSUMS OF THESE FILES! A corrupted file could brick your device!
To make sure that the wrong recovery and bootloader are not applied, delete the old copies from your Tools folder inside of the Kindle Fire Utility folder. Then, copy over the OtterX versions of the bootloader and recovery images. Again, open a Command Prompt window inside of the Tools folder by holding shift and right clicking, then choosing the option to open a new Command Prompt window. Enter the following commands exactly!
You will need to know the name of your bootloader file. It should be named similarly to "otterx-u-boot_v2.05.bin". Make sure it says OtterX in the name of the file! Power on the device to the Kindle Fire screen and issue the following command on your computer.
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader <Name of OtterX Bootloader File>
Now, reboot the device after the flash has fully completed! You should see a new boot logo, meaning that the flash was successful! Before we continue, we will need to change the partition layout of the device. This will erase all of your files that exist on the device, you should have backed then up a few steps ago! At the bootloader screen, short press the power button to enter the boot menu. Then, use short presses of the power button to navigate to the advanced menu. Then, use a long press to enter that menu. Now, use short presses to navigate down to the "Partition Mode" button and use a long press to enter the submenu. Use short presses to press the navigate down to the Confirm button, and finally use one last long press to start the process.
After this has been completed, reboot the device. Again at the Kindle Fire screen, enter the following command on your computer.
You will need to know the name of your recovery file. It should be named similarly to "otterx-twrp-2.7.1.0-recovery.img". Make sure it says OtterX in the name of the file!
Code:
fastboot flash recovery <Name of Recovery Image>
fastboot oem recovery
After issuing both commands, you should see the TWRP recovery screen again! If you do, congratulations! You have flashed the OtterX recovery and bootloader images to your device,
5. Installing OtterX ROMs
I have found that the easiest way to install ROMs to this device is through a function called "adb sideloading". To begin, you will need an OtterX ROM file. I personally recommend Cyanogenmod because it seems fairly stable on this tablet (with my few hours of experience) and I use it as a daily driver on my Galaxy S3.
To begin, grab a copy of ANY OtterX ROM file. You can download Cyanogenmod ROMs from this website. Next, you will also want to download a Google Apps package for your device. You can get that from this website as well.
From the TWRP recovery menu, select the "Wipe" option and then choose "Factory Reset". Follow the onscreen prompts to reset the files on your device. If you get any errors, mount the partitions shown in the "Mounts" menu on the main screen.
Next, go to the Advanced section and choose "ADB Sideload". You should choose the boxes to wipe both caches. To continue, you will need a more up-to-date version of the adb program. You will want just the SDK tools, not the full Android Studio. You can download those tools from this website. After the tools are installed, open up the SDK manager and choose the "Install x Packages" button at the bottom to update the tools. After this is complete, navigate to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools" on your hard drive. If you are using a 32 bit computer, navigate to "C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools". Copy your ROM image to this folder and rename it something easy to work with, such as "CM11-OtterX-M12.zip".
Now, you will want to slide the bar across on your device that says "Swipe to Sideload", as well as open a new Command Prompt window on your computer. You can do this by holding shift and right clicking "Open New Command Prompt Window". Now, you will want to issue the following command to make sure your computer can see your Kindle device.
Code:
adb devices
Your device serial number should be listed here and it should say "Sideload" next to the name.
Now, you will want to issue the following command:
Code:
adb sideload <Name of ROM File ZIP>
Now, you will need to wait about 5 minutes while your device is flashed with a new ROM. In my case, the ROM stopped flashing at around 47% with an "Unknown Command" error, however, my device finished the flash okay and the ROM booted just fine. As long as your TWRP recovery shows "Success!", the ROM flash was probably okay. If the ROM flash had failed, you would still be able to try the flash again without harming anything.
You can now go back to the main menu and choose to reboot your device. If the flash was successful, you should see a boot logo for whichever ROM you chose to install. Remember, the initial boot can take a long time.
After verifying that the ROM installed correctly, copy the Google Apps package to your device's internal storage. Depending on which ROM you used, the device should show up as an MTP compatible device in Windows when powered on. Then, reboot into the recovery menu and choose "Install". Then, choose the Google Apps package that you copied to the device to install them. Upon rebooting, the device will update roughly 30-50 apps depending on how much bloatware is installed with your ROM. After that is complete, you will have access to the Google Play store and many useful apps.
Congratulations, you just installed an OtterX rom onto your device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We need new links for kindle fire first gen 6.3.4 . these methods available don't work. thank you

ataraxioss said:
We need new links for kindle fire first gen 6.3.4 . these methods available don't work. thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, this still works with 6.3.4
Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 06:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 PM ----------
there is one link to goo.im which is down
With the Fall of Goo.im I will be posting Mirrors OtterX files here:
Otter X Twrp and Bootloader Mirrors
Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk

I've just tried it
Still not working on my kindle fire. sounds to be rooted but can't install twrp.
i was hoping to flash it with Miui 7.
thank you for your precious time, i wish the old links in kindle fire utility could still work.

ataraxioss said:
Still not working on my kindle fire. sounds to be rooted but can't install twrp.
i was hoping to flash it with Miui 7.
thank you for your precious time, i wish the old links in kindle fire utility could still work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you verify root? try root checker
Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk

reply
sd_shadow said:
did you verify root? try root checker
Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
once it is frozen on "trying to disable knox.." nothing goes right after that. the kindle fire does not reboot and i guess supersu is not updating either.
Ps: i have rooted and installed twrp many times before, then i did a factory reset on the kindle fire.

ataraxioss said:
once it is frozen on "trying to disable knox.." nothing goes right after that. the kindle fire does not reboot and i guess supersu is not updating either.
Ps: i have rooted and installed twrp many times before, then i did a factory reset on the kindle fire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset doesn't unroot, just reinstall supersu app
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

So I got up to this point.
Test to make sure that the Kindle still responds to commands before continuing by issuing the following command within the same command prompt window that we used previously to copy the "fbmode" file.
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
The kindle should reboot into the Fastboot mode again! If not, please use this post to get the drivers working. In my case, the device responded to the reboot command, however, it did NOT show up when I checked the connected devices by issuing the following command:
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 devices
If all is well and the Kindle rebooted, it is time to flash the bootloader and recovery images! Remember to check the MD5 hash for these files! You WILL need to know the name of your recovery image, it should be named something very similar to "openrecovery-twrp-2.2.2.1-blaze.img". "
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The kindle won't restart. When I plug it into my computer I get the error "The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it." The kindle is stuck on the start up screen where it says "Kindle Fire." Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know nothing about any of this stuff so I am stumped from here on out.
Also nothing is showing up in device manager that is related to the Kindle.

thealy1234 said:
So I got up to this point.
Test to make sure that the Kindle still responds to commands before continuing by issuing the following command within the same command prompt window that we used previously to copy the "fbmode" file.
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
The kindle should reboot into the Fastboot mode again! If not, please use this post to get the drivers working. In my case, the device responded to the reboot command, however, it did NOT show up when I checked the connected devices by issuing the following command:
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 devices
If all is well and the Kindle rebooted, it is time to flash the bootloader and recovery images! Remember to check the MD5 hash for these files! You WILL need to know the name of your recovery image, it should be named something very similar to "openrecovery-twrp-2.2.2.1-blaze.img". "
The kindle won't restart. When I plug it into my computer I get the error "The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it." The kindle is stuck on the start up screen where it says "Kindle Fire." Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know nothing about any of this stuff so I am stumped from here on out.
Also nothing is showing up in device manager that is related to the Kindle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try a different USB port or cable
Sent from my Motorola XT1060 using XDA Labs

sd_shadow said:
try a different USB port or cable
Sent from my Motorola XT1060 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was the problem. Turns out this doesn't work when the kindle is plugged into a USB 3.0 port.
That being solved, I now have a different problem. I get the following error when I try and push the recovery image onto my kindle after I added the Otterbox bootloader file: "target reported max download size of 402653184 bytes error: cannot load 'recovery.img': No error."
(I renamed the file to recovery.img on the advice of someone else)
Also note that I had to get the otter recovery image from a different source than what was listed in the guide, for the provided link was broken.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks

thealy1234 said:
This was the problem. Turns out this doesn't work when the kindle is plugged into a USB 3.0 port.
That being solved, I now have a different problem. I get the following error when I try and push the recovery image onto my kindle after I added the Otterbox bootloader file: "target reported max download size of 402653184 bytes error: cannot load 'recovery.img': No error."
(I renamed the file to recovery.img on the advice of someone else)
Also note that I had to get the otter recovery image from a different source than what was listed in the guide, for the provided link was broken.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[6.3.4][6.3.3] Flashing FFF and TWRP without Fastboot Cable with Video
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

sd_shadow said:
[6.3.4][6.3.3] Flashing FFF and TWRP without Fastboot Cable with Video
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have followed that guide to the T and I still get that error. It worked just fine when I was installed the TWRP recovery.
For some reason when I am trying to install the otterx twrp version, I am getting that error returned to me.

thealy1234 said:
I have followed that guide to the T and I still get that error. It worked just fine when I was installed the TWRP recovery.
For some reason when I am trying to install the otterx twrp version, I am getting that error returned to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try OtterX bootloader and OtterX twrp from my post
OtterX files here:
Otter X Twrp and Bootloader Mirrors
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

The 2.8.5.0 file that you provide worked. One more step closer...
I appreciate the help.
---------- Post added at 10:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 PM ----------
I just can't win today.
Now I am stuck because TWRP cannot mount /data for some reason...

thealy1234 said:
The 2.8.5.0 file that you provide worked. One more step closer...
I appreciate the help.
---------- Post added at 10:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 PM ----------
I just can't win today.
Now I am stuck because TWRP cannot mount /data for some reason...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mount data is ify with OtterX, try adb push with OtterX twrp 2.7.1.0
---------- Post added at 01:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:10 AM ----------
Started a Thread [How To] Fix OtterX Install Errors, Partition sizes, Unable to Mount System... with some possible fixes for those having issues since converting to OtterX, with pushing files, failure to mount system errors when installing Lollipop Roms...

After your help + plenty of head scratching I finally managed to install everything 100%.
Biggest hangup was before I realized this process wouldn't work on a USB 3.0 port....

I'm having an issue with being able to actually install drivers on my computer with Windows 10. I attempted to follow the guide but I am getting denied on an error with "bcdedit -set TESTSINGING ON".
"An error has occurred setting the element data. The value is protected by Secure Boot policy and cannot be modified or deleted."
Any advice for a workaround on installing the drivers?

[Beginners Guide] Unlock & Custom ROM your TF300

I have been asked to port my "Beginners Guide" from the TF700 forum for the TF300. Since both tablets are very similar, that was not too hard to do
If I have missed to update a link specific for the TF300, do let me know please.
And the standard disclaimer: I am not responsible if you misunderstand instructions I give here, if my instructions are wrong, if you forget to charge the battery and the tablet dies halfway through a flash or if your house goes up in flames. YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK
These instructions assume that you are on the latest Asus bootloader: 10.6.1.27.5
To determine which bootloader you currently have:
From an "Off" state, boot the tablet with Volume Down and Power into the bootloader menu. Read the small script in the upper left. You'll see
US_epad-10.6.1.27.5-20130801" or similar.
US or WW, JP, CN is your SKU or region
10.6.1.27.5 is your bootloader version
20130801 is the build date (and immaterial in most cases).
First things first:
Backup everything on your tablet you care about to an external microSD or your PC. Don't worry about your apps. You can always install them from the Play Store.
This is just common sense. It is not inherently risky to flash custom ROMs. But something can wrong at any time and you have to be careful. If you are, this is a safe procedure.
Basically the process of flashing a custom ROM on the TF300 involves three steps:
1) Unlock the bootloader using Asus' Unlock tool
2) Install a custom recovery on the tablet
3) Flash a custom ROM of your choice using said custom recovery​
Unlocking the bootloader
Your tablet should be fully charged at this point!
Make sure "USB debugging" is checked in Settings > Developer Options (if you don't see it, go to About Tablet and tap 7 times on Build Number)
Go to Asus website: https://www.asus.com/support/Download/28/1/0/9/8BmzkQ4yoz5WzBrW/32/
Choose "Android" for OS and look for the "Utilities" on the resulting page.
Download the Asus Unlock Tool v7 (not v8! It says v7 is for ICS but it'll work fine on JB - see below)
The tool downloads as a .rar file which is an archive you have to decompress. 7zip is a free and very good Windows tool that will do it for you
On your tablet, in Settings > Security check "Unknown Sources"
Copy the .apk you extracted from the .rar archive to your tablet.
Find the apk in your tablet's file browser, tap it and let it install
Open the app and follow the instructions. You will loose your warranty as soon as you click "I agree".
Update 2/15: Google added another wrinkle: It now checks even sideloaded apps and refuses to install them if they are considered not secure. The Unlock tool seems to fail their test. v8 does not install at all anymore. v7 will install if you allow "less secure apps" in your Google account settings. On the web - not your Google account on the tablet
July 2015: And another wrinkel... It seems to be pretty consistent now that the Unlock Tool hangs on the Google account password step. I suspect something changed on the Google side. It probably doesn't allow the tool to check/compare the password anymore. There have been quite a few security changes lately and the unlock tool never gets updated so I suspect that Google now is blocking access by the tool to it's servers.
The work-around is easy enough: Delete the Google account from the tablet (Settings > Accounts), then run the tool again. If that doesn't do it, do a factory reset from Settings, reboot and during the initial setup establish a WiFi connection but skip the google account setup, then run the tool
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This can be a 5 Minute operation that goes without a hitch or a very frustrating experience with lots of error messages. There is no definite rhyme or reason for this. For some people it works like a charm, for others it works after 15, 25 or 55 attempts, for some never.... This problem is widely discussed on several forums. Google it if you hit that roadblock.
To check if you are unlocked, boot the tablet and read the tiny script. It should say:
The device is unlocked.
Installing a custom recovery on your tablet
I highly recommend you choose TWRP as your custom recovery. If you want CWM, you are on your own.
To push TWRP to your tablet you need to set up "Fastboot" between your tablet and your PC. Fastboot is a protocol that enables you low level access to your tablet.
Practice/Background
Power down your tablet and disconnect it from the dock
Push and hold the Volume Down key (left side of the rocker) and the Power key until you feel the tablet vibrate twice. Let go when you see the tiny script. Read it and it tells you that your tablet is now in fastboot mode and you will see three icons (I assume again you are on a JB 4.2 bootloader. In older bootloaders you had 4 icons and had to select the USB icon to get into fastboot mode):
RCK - (which should be flashing) is your recovery (the stock recovery at this point, but once TWRP is installed this is one way to get into it)
Android - is your system, selecting it boots you back to into your ROM.
Wipe Data - stay away! Especially with custom software installed never, ever use this option!
To toggle between the three icons use Volume Down, to select one use Volume Up. Try it but do not push Volume Up when the 'Wipe data' icon is flashing!​
Installing ADB and fastboot plus the necessary drivers
For a working ADB/fastboot connection from PC to tablet you need:
a) Asus device drivers – if you connect the tablet to your PC and it's recognized as a portable device you should be ok. If not, download the Asus Sync Utility from their support/downloads site and install it to get the drivers, then uninstall the program from your PC if you don't want it. The drivers will stay.
b) Fastboot and ADB drivers which will be installed if you run the tool below.
Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10:
Download and run this cool little tool [TOOL] [WINDOWS] ADB, Fastboot and Drivers - 15 seconds ADB Installer v1.1 - xda-developers (don't forget to hit the Thanks button)
The tool installs the adb and fastboot.exe to a folder on your C:\ drive (look for adb) and the corresponding drivers. Takes about 15 seconds.
On Windows 8 and 10 you need to turn off the driver verification feature. Here's a great video on how to do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afrvSGiMAtk
Or - even better - here's a quick command line toggle to achieve the same (thank you @Jack_Hardin):
Jack_Hardin said:
If you're running W10, you can disable Device Driver Signing without following the procedure in the linked video, but by (more simply) right-clicking on the Start button, selecting Command Prompt (Admin) and then typing:
Code:
BCDEDIT /set nointegritychecks ON
Doing the same with OFF at the end of the string, as easy to guess as it looks, will reenable them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jack_Hardin said:
Win XP (and all other Win versions if the above does not work for some reason)
I recommend the "ADB Install Tool" mentioned above or the 'Minimal ADB Fastboot Tool': [TOOL]Minimal ADB and Fastboot [7-18-13] - xda-developers
Either works fine.
If you need the drivers, get them here and install manually in Device Manager:[ADB/FB/APX Driver] Universal Naked Driver 0.72 (We dont need no stinking HTC Sync) - xda-developers
Win7 and Win8 users seem to have the best luck wth the drivers sbdags provided here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2646279
It's fine if you want to use his Recovery Install Tool from that thread. But I highly recommend you familiarize yourself with basic fastboot commands! There are lots of tuturials all over the web.
Linux:Check out this site https://code.google.com/p/adb-fastboot-install/
iOS:[GUIDE] Set up ADB and Fastboot on a Mac easily (With Screenshots!) - xda-developers or:
http://htc-one.wonderhowto.com/how-...-mac-os-x-send-commands-your-htc-one-0151178/
The fun begins
Fastboot does not play well with USB 3.0, so use a USB 2.0 port for this. And no hubs and such....
Boot the tablet into fastboot mode and connect it to your computer via the original USB cable
In Windows Explorer navigate to the folder that contains your adb.exe and fastboot.exe
Win 7/8: Shift + right click and select "Open command window here".
For Win XP click here
select 'Run' from the Start menu, type
Code:
cmd
and hit Enter. In the resulting command prompt type
Code:
cd C:\adb\ [I](or whatever the path to your fastboot folder is..)[/I]
In the command window on your PC type:
Code:
fastboot devices
If that command returns a string of numbers and letters, you are good as gold.
Click me: View attachment 3070087
If it returns: "No devices found", fastboot is not working - yet - and you have to troubleshoot.
Getting the correct drivers working can be the hardest part of this exercise. If your computer does not "see" the tablet in fastboot, try to uninstall the existing driver (if any) in Device Manager and manually install the drivers I linked to above. And if Windows does not cooperate at all, PM me and I can hook you up with a Puppy Linux live CD with fastboot/adb set up already.
Let's assume everything is good:
On your computer go here: https://dl.twrp.me/tf300t/
Download the latest version of TWRP.
FYI ONLY: If, for whatever reason, you want to format your data partition:
Formatting /data starting with TWRP 2.7.x and later takes a lot longer than in previous versions (up to 90 minutes). LET IT FINISH. DO NOT INTERRUPT THE FORMATTING.
Rename the file to twrp.blob and place it into the same directory as your fastboot.exe. Note: More recent versions of TWRP download with an .img extension. Leave the extensions as is, rename the first part to watever is easy to type
Again check the connection with
Code:
fastboot devices
If you get the connection, in the command window type:
Code:
fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob
or
Code:
fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.img
This will flash the recovery to the recovery partition
If it is successful type:
Code:
fastboot reboot
and let the tablet boot up normally.
You may get a dialog in TWRP offering to root the stock rom. You can accept or cancel it - doesn't matter. I assume you are going to install a custom rom and they are rooted anyway.
Create a nandroid
Your almost there! You are now on the stock ROM with a custom recovery installed.
Power the tablet down and boot into the bootloader menu with Volume Down and Power buttons.
With RCK flashing, push Volume Up and you should boot into TWRP. Familiarize yourself with the many options of the touch based interface without executing anything yet. TWRP is very user friendly. You basically cannot do anything of consequence "by accident", so don't be shy.
To create your Nandroid (a full system backup) touch "Backup", leave the default selection as they are and swipe the button to create a nandroid of your current system.
This is a very healthy habit to develop: You always want to have a nandroid of your last working system squared away so that you can do a simple restore if you flash something that does not work, or something goes wrong during a flash. With a working recovery and a good nandroid you are minutes away from a working system if you soft brick your tablet.
Hint:
It's a good idea to have at least one good nandroid on external media. Sooner or later you will format your data partition and if you're like me, you may forget to backup your nandroids in the heat of the moment..
Installing a custom ROM
From here on out it's as easy as downloading the installation file of your custom ROM, booting into TWRP, choosing "Install" and navigating to the zip of the ROM you want to flash.
If you see a "signed" in the zip file name (best_rom_ever_signed.zip), make sure you check "verify zip signature" under the "Install" menu. Some devs sign their ROM zips - a better way to ensure file integrity than md5 sum.
Whatever you decide to flash: READ THE OP of the corresponding thread and make sure you have the correct bootloader and the required recovery installed! I can't stress this enough! If you are not sure, DO NOT FLASH!
Look for the ROMs in the Development section of the XDA forum for this tablet: http://forum.xda-developers.com/transformer-tf300t/development
It is mandatory to do a Factory Wipe in TWRP before installing a custom ROM or going from one ROM base to another (a so called clean install).
If you choose 'Wipe' in TWRP, all you have to do is swipe the button - 'Factory Wipe' is the default selection under the 'Wipe' menu. You will loose your apps, but it will not wipe your /data/media/ folder where your files, pictures, etc live.
If you do this right before flashing the custom ROM, make sure you have the zip file of your custom ROM on your microSD - not on your internal SD where it may get wiped....
Once you installed a custom recovery NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES - AND I REPEAT: NEVER! - use the 'Wipe Data' option from the bootloader menu or the "Factory Reset" option in Settings > Backup&Restore.
In your custom recovery you have the option to wipe, backup and restore every partition on your tablet selectively or collectively. Any wiping, any backup and any restore of the system, data, recovery or boot partitions MUST be done in your recovery (or in fastboot)!
You can safely use Titanium Backup or Asus Backup for apps and settings, but that's it. For everything else use your recovery.
FREE ADVICE
There are alternative methods to flash a recovery to your device using apps like GooManager (currently not supported anyway), TWRP Manager or Flashify from the Play Store which do it right from your tablet. These apps "save you the trouble" of getting ADB and fastboot set up and working on your PC. These methods still exist and they do work - mostly - and if you have root. But I would not recommend them.
If you are not willing to invest the time to learn the basics about ADB and fastboot (google "adb fastboot xda tutorial") and install the necessary drivers on your PC, you should not be flashing anything to your tablet!
GET ADB AND FASTBOOT WORKING!
Sooner or later you will do something stupid (I have done it and so will you) and ADB/fastboot may save your bacon IF you had it working when you didn't really need it.
Hit the 'Thanks' button and rate the thread 5 stars if this helped you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Save it for later

Mine

sbdags said:
@stamatis could we sticky this please.
Brilliant post Bernd :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can we make that happen here to @stamatis
Thx Josh

Nice one Bernd! :good::good:

boot sequence
Hi,
Is normal to see three TUX and some phrases at the power on ?
Can I hide it ?
tnkx
Nicola

You mean the penguins?
That's normal I'd you're running a Rom that uses _that's preinit scripts. You can't hide them - why would you?

thank you SO much
I love you!
Wow, I've never had so much trouble rooting a device before! And days ago, I rooted my T700 without any problems. So, I guess I should have expected the hubby's TF300T to be problematic! Recoveries didn't work, I tried multiple ones. Eventually, I had a recovery that didn't recognize any partitions. I used fastboot to erase them all and put the stock ROM back on--wouldn't boot up. This thread was an immense help! I've moved the other recoveries and ROMs into my non-working folder!
Thanks again!
Lynne

Awesome
What a well written guide! I have a decent understanding of fastboot and adb (although minimal experience), and I perfectly understood every step.
My advice to all newbies like me.... Read stuff ALL of the way through (and understand it), BEFORE stepping off in it.

ok im a bit lost... i have rooted both Nexus 7s, nook hd and hd+, a tf101, and a few tv boxes.. so im not sure why this is hanging up... im trying to root and install the TWRP recovery on a tf300... followed the instructions and even have the char string that means... every thing should be good to go.... have checked that the twrp is in the dir of adb... but when i try to push the twrp.blob to the tf300, it just give me.. this error..
c:\adb>fastboot devices
015d14febf64041b fastboot
c:\adb>fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob
sending 'recovery' (6800 KB)...
FAILED (command write failed (Invalid argument))
finished. total time: 0.002s
so.. at this point i not sure what else to trouble shoot... the tablet is in fastboot mode.. adb sees the tablet.. at least that is what the char string confirms.... so any help would be very much appreciated.. just a bit lost on this...
chris

scuzzo said:
ok im a bit lost... i have rooted both Nexus 7s, nook hd and hd+, a tf101, and a few tv boxes.. so im not sure why this is hanging up... im trying to root and install the TWRP recovery on a tf300... followed the instructions and even have the char string that means... every thing should be good to go.... have checked that the twrp is in the dir of adb... but when i try to push the twrp.blob to the tf300, it just give me.. this error..
c:\adb>fastboot devices
015d14febf64041b fastboot
c:\adb>fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob
sending 'recovery' (6800 KB)...
FAILED (command write failed (Invalid argument))
finished. total time: 0.002s
so.. at this point i not sure what else to trouble shoot... the tablet is in fastboot mode.. adb sees the tablet.. at least that is what the char string confirms.... so any help would be very much appreciated.. just a bit lost on this...
chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader is unlocked yes ?
What is your bootloader version ?
Try a different USB port ?
Thx Josh

lj50036 said:
The bootloader is unlocked yes ?
What is your bootloader version ?
Try a different USB port ?
Thx Josh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello,
bootloader is unlocked or at least it says it is at the boot screen.. "your device is unlocked"..
real time... just swapped ports... its says it pushed the recovery.... so... will continue along this path.... and see how it goes.... i think its good to go... just as you suggested... port swap... cool... i bought this just so i could root it and put the kit kat kis rom on it.... thanks for your help and big ups to OP.... great guide ...
thanks again.!

Nice guide!
I've been wanting to put a custom rom on my transformer for a long time. This guide worked like a charm.
The only problem I had was when I tried to flash TWRP recovery, but switching USB port fixed that problem.
I flashed the latest CM12.1 nightly and it works fine.
Many thanks!

Help please, I'm stuck!
I'm trying to flash recovery,
after typing:
fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob
I got this on tablet screen:
"Starting Fastboot USB download protocol"
for about 25-30 already and nothing happens, any ideas?
thanks

You won't see anything on the tablet screen, but what does the command window say?
Go back, read the guide again, it's all in there....
Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

berndblb said:
You won't see anything on the tablet screen, but what does the command window say?
The command window didn't say anything, just blinking cursor after my command line
Go back, read the guide again, it's all in there....
Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mishka79 said:
I'm trying to flash recovery,
after typing:
fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob
I got this on tablet screen:
"Starting Fastboot USB download protocol"
for about 25-30 already and nothing happens, any ideas?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
After writing the question, I've restarted my tablet and did all the steps again.
The second time everything worked as it should. :good:
thanks for your great guide

Really great guide
Amazing guide thanks for the help

Thank you for this good tutorial but I have one question.
I'm a newbie here, here is my dilemma: I've flashed CM android 5.1.1 successfully from stock 4.2. (Thanks for this detailed tutorial), but I lost my root privileges, now I can't use my root apps. How do I apply root to this ROM? My device is an ASUS TF300T. I've tried Kingo Root and King Root but no success.
I would really appreciate your help and inputs.
Cheers!

ANDROIDYER said:
I'm a newbie here, here is my dilemma: I've flashed CM android 5.1.1 successfully from stock 4.2. (Thanks for this detailed tutorial), but I lost my root privileges, now I can't use my root apps. How do I apply root to this ROM? My device is an ASUS TF300T. I've tried Kingo Root and King Root but no success.
I would really appreciate your help and inputs.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not used CM in quite a while but I think you have to enable root in Developer Options. I think it is not enabled by default.
If hat does not work you can go to Chainfire's website and download the flashable SuperSU and just flash it in recovery

Thanks and a couple of notes on TF300T
Thanks so much for the great guide. My 300TF was nearly bricked due to slowness and freeze-ups. I'd stopped using it. The process worked and am now running KatKiss. Couple of problems and their solutions for anyone who may have the 300TF:
-When trying to "Unlock Bootloader" I kept getting to "enter Google password" but when I did so (correctly) it was not accepted. The solution was to do another factory reset and NOT install google services. Didn't ask for password after that.
-Used fastboot command line to install "twrp.blob" but nothing happened and it timed out. I had to take out other usb connect programs first (in my case "easy-tether" and my LG phone connect app.) After that everything went as per your guide.
Thanks again
Geneg

[Root] Zenfone 2 Official Android 6.0 Root + Xposed and Downgrade

**WARNING** You need to have background knowledge of adb, fastboot, twrp, sideload.. before you can go on with this thread.
1. All credits go to @shakalaca. If you like his work, please make him a small donation for encouragement.
2. This is a systemless root. Yet you need to unlook Lollipop before upgrading to Marshmallow.
3. Flashing the attached SuperSU file modifies stock boot.img. In case you receive an OTA file later, do
**REMEMBER to FLASH BACK TO STOCK Android 6.0 BOOT.IMG** to unroot before upgrading to official Android 6.0.
Root:
1. Unlock your device in Lollipop, then upgrade to Android 6.0
2. Once you are in Android 6.0, fire the following command to boot twrp. <twrp.img> is the twrp recovery file. This TWRP is recommended.
HTML:
adb reboot-bootloader
fastboot boot <twrp.img>
3. adb sideload the attached SuperSu file in twrp. /OR install the SuperSU in twrp if you saved it in device storage.
4. reboot system. You will see a warning screen saying "Your device has failed Verification". Ignored it and wait for the reboot.
5. Done
Unroot:
Just flash back stock boot.img
Xposed:
1.Flash the attached Xposed file from twrp.
2.use Material Design Xposed Installer: Download Xposed Installer here
Downgrade to Lollipop:
In case you need to downgrade to Lollipop, follow the instructions with care. Do it at your risk.
Refer to Asus Zentalk Forum and grab the required files from there.
HTML:
fastboot flash token bom-token.bin
fastboot flash ifwi ifwi_ann_a0-mofd_v1-ze551ml.bin
fastboot flash fastboot droidboot.img
fastboot flash splashscreen splashscreen_ze551ml.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
Now you are back in Lollipop. You can flash back stock recovery(.184 recommended), wipe the device(cache/userdata/system) and then sideload back stock LP or MM as you wish. OR, you can flash custom recovery/boot/system.img start from here.
Good luck!

It worked!Thank you master!I bow now....

I just need root on 6.0.1. Is this going to achieve that?

MikeyLee said:
I just need root on 6.0.1. Is this going to achieve that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to op it will
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

It does work, but YMMV, my phone is one of the few that works completely with the beta software. But before running fastboot cmd in adb. Use adb reboot recovery, then fastboot cmd. Phone will reboot twice after sideload of SU.

pokey006 said:
It does work, but YMMV, my phone is one of the few that works completely with the beta software. But before running fastboot cmd in adb. Use adb reboot recovery, then fastboot cmd. Phone will reboot twice after sideload of SU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Brother would you like be so patient and provide us with detailed toturial for less advanced users?

samcjtsai said:
1. All credits go to @shakalaca and I just try to recap his threads posted in Taiwan Asus Zentalk forum. Although this is reported working in the forum but, as usual, do it at your risk and I won't be able to answer your questions.
2. Android 6.0 is still not unlocked. Device will be locked once you upgrade to 6.0
3. You can downgrade to Lollipop and unlock again.
4. The following SuperSU file contains a modified boot.img. In case you receive an OTA file later, do
**REMEMBER to FLASH BACK TO STOCK Android 6.0 BOOT.IMG** before upgrading to official Android 6.0.
Root:
1. Make sure your zenfone 2 is unlocked before upgrading to Android 6.0 from Lollipop.
2. Once you are in Android 6.0, fire the following command to boot twrp. <twrp.img> is the twrp recovery file. Version 2.8.7.7 is recommended.
HTML:
fastboot boot <twrp.img>
3. adb sideload the attached SuperSu file in twrp.
4. reboot system. You will see a warning screen saying "Your device has failed Verification". Ignored it and wait for the reboot.
5. Done
Xposed:
1.Flash the attached Xposed file from twrp.
2.use Material Design Xposed Installer: link
Downgrade to Lollipop:
Refer to this and get the files from the links. Note the first commnad line is the revised one by @shakalaca and it should work.
HTML:
fastboot flash token bom-token.bin
fastboot flash ifwi ifwi_ann_a0-mofd_v1-ze551ml.bin
fastboot flash fastboot droidboot.img
fastboot flash splashscreen splashscreen_ze551ml.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works like a charm !! Thanks !!

kamyk70 said:
Hi Brother would you like be so patient and provide us with detailed toturial for less advanced users?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming that everyone knows how to use adb and its commands
1: Well first make sure adb and drivers are on your pc.
2: Plug phone in make sure USB debugging is on
3: In adb cmd window type "adb devices" to make sure phone is recognized, if so proceed
4: type "adb reboot recovery" phone should boot into recovery with android robot on screen
5: Then type "fastboot boot <twrp.img>" twrp.img is whatever your file is named
6: phone will boot into recovery, go to adb sideload in recovery
7: type "adb sideload <SU.zip>" or whatever you have it named
8: After it's done loading reboot from recovery, it will reboot twice and the screen will say as per OP
9: After phone optimizes...enjoy root.
This is for advanced users

when update to 6.0. bootloader unlocked again ! how can i flash twrp ?

pokey006 said:
Assuming that everyone knows how to use adb and its commands
1: Well first make sure adb and drivers are on your pc.
2: Plug phone in make sure USB debugging is on
3: In adb cmd window type "adb devices" to make sure phone is recognized, if so proceed
4: type "adb reboot recovery" phone should boot into recovery with android robot on screen
5: Then type "fastboot boot <twrp.img>" twrp.img is whatever your file is named
6: phone will boot into recovery, go to adb sideload in recovery
7: type "adb sideload <SU.zip>" or whatever you have it named
8: After it's done loading reboot from recovery, it will reboot twice and the screen will say as per OP
9: After phone optimizes...enjoy root.
This is for advanced users
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To that to work does WE need to have bootloader UNLOCKED ? just really confused atm.

Vouga said:
To that to work does WE need to have bootloader UNLOCKED ? just really confused atm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it does not

Vouga said:
To that to work does WE need to have bootloader UNLOCKED ? just really confused atm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's using whats called "tethered TWRP". It's basically running twrp on your phone from your computer instead of actually installing it (which would require unlocking).
Sent from my ASUS_Z00A using Tapatalk

kenbo111 said:
He's using whats called "tethered TWRP". It's basically running twrp on your phone from your computer instead of actually installing it (which would require unlocking).
Sent from my ASUS_Z00A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You for explaining that to me, appreciated!

To downgrade to Lollipop, is it possible to just use AsusFlashToolInstaller and flash raw firmware? Any harms by doing that?
Thank you in advance.

euthic said:
To downgrade to Lollipop, is it possible to just use AsusFlashToolInstaller and flash raw firmware? Any harms by doing that?
Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to adb sideload all LP .184 images first then use Asus FlashTool to flash RAW Firmware.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA-Developers mobile app

root works perfect along with systemless xposed, but i still cant pass safenet check..(super su disabled, and also xposed) so no AP.. is that normal ?

pokey006 said:
Assuming that everyone knows how to use adb and its commands
1: Well first make sure adb and drivers are on your pc.
2: Plug phone in make sure USB debugging is on
3: In adb cmd window type "adb devices" to make sure phone is recognized, if so proceed
4: type "adb reboot recovery" phone should boot into recovery with android robot on screen
5: Then type "fastboot boot <twrp.img>" twrp.img is whatever your file is named
6: phone will boot into recovery, go to adb sideload in recovery
7: type "adb sideload <SU.zip>" or whatever you have it named
8: After it's done loading reboot from recovery, it will reboot twice and the screen will say as per OP
9: After phone optimizes...enjoy root.
This is for advanced users
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I'm doing something wrong but my phone isn't recognised when trying to flash twrp from the dead bot before recovery? Just says waiting for device. Already checked device manager as well

ponhei9502 said:
Maybe I'm doing something wrong but my phone isn't recognised when trying to flash twrp from the dead bot before recovery? Just says waiting for device. Already checked device manager as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess your ZF2 is not unlocked in LP first, so that you can't see twrp booting. Since you are in Android 6.0 now, try to downgrade to LP, Unlock it, upgrade to 6.0 and then root.

samcjtsai said:
**WARNING** You need to have background knowledge of adb, fastboot, twrp, sideload.. before you can go on with this thread.
1. All credits go to @shakalaca and I just recap his threads posted in Taiwan Asus Zentalk forum. Although this is reported working in the forum, as usual, do it at your risk and I won't be able to answer your questions.
2. Android 6.0 is still not unlocked. Device will be locked once you upgrade to 6.0
3. You can downgrade to Lollipop and unlock again.
4. The following SuperSU file contains a modified boot.img. In case you receive an OTA file later, do
**REMEMBER to FLASH BACK TO STOCK Android 6.0 BOOT.IMG** before upgrading to official Android 6.0.
Root:
1. Make sure your zenfone 2 is unlocked before upgrading to Android 6.0 from Lollipop.
2. Once you are in Android 6.0, fire the following command to boot twrp. <twrp.img> is the twrp recovery file. Version 2.8.7.7 is recommended.
HTML:
fastboot boot <twrp.img>
3. adb sideload the attached SuperSu file in twrp.
4. reboot system. You will see a warning screen saying "Your device has failed Verification". Ignored it and wait for the reboot.
5. Done
Xposed:
1.Flash the attached Xposed file from twrp.
2.use Material Design Xposed Installer: link
Downgrade to Lollipop:
Refer to this and get the files from the links. Note the first commnad line is the revised one by @shakalaca and it should work.
HTML:
fastboot flash token bom-token.bin
fastboot flash ifwi ifwi_ann_a0-mofd_v1-ze551ml.bin
fastboot flash fastboot droidboot.img
fastboot flash splashscreen splashscreen_ze551ml.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where are these files again? They aren't in the zip

thanks, works great, was able to downgrade to lollipop with no problem what so ever. Install twrp, gain root again, and rockin custom roms...

[2017] Root Kindle Fire HD 6 4th gen tutorial

Hi,
This is my first post here but I have gotten so much help I wanted to give back. I have been working on rooting my Kindle fire HD 6 over the last couple days and after searching multiple tutorials I have successfully rooted with these steps.
To begin:
1. You MUST backup any data on your device before starting this process
2. Download all the files from here and Fire OS 5.4.0.0 here
3. Get your downgrade here
3. Follow the instructions below (modified from user @marathonjon reply here https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-hd/general/how-to-upgrade-to-lollipop-root-gapps-t3163950/page54)
Here we go for the install:
1. Enable ADB on your device and set up ADB on your computer
2. Download 4.5.3 firmware (you should already have it from the download above)
3. Connect device to computer and run "adb reboot recovery" (assuming you have adb enabled on your tablet)
4. Use volume keys and power button to navigate to "Apply update from ADB"
5. From computer type "adb sideload update-kindle-20.4.5.3_user_453011120.bin" (the files need to be added to the same folder your terminal is currently running or you can specify the file path)
6. From tablet select "wipe data/factory reset" (this is why we did the backup earlier)
7. From tablet select "reboot system"
8. Complete setup (do not connect to a wifi network yet, this is very important!)
9. Disable OTA updates ( adb shell ; pm block com.amazon.dcp or "Debloater"), I used the above jmz Kindle fire tools to disable the OTA, just sideload it and you are good to go.
10. Sideload Kingroot & let it root (this can take a while, just let it go)
11. Flash openrecovery-twrp-2.8.6.0-ariel.img TWRP image via Flashify (backup stock recovery first, again very important!!) (you will need to sideload the included Flashify APK)
12. Download all files above and place them in the Download directory of your kindle
13. Boot into TWRP, flash 4.5.3_twrp_recovery_full_ariel_string.zip. (use adb reboot recovery for this)
14. Do factory reset using the default TWRP wipe settings
15. Flash FireOS 5.4.0.0 (rename *bin to *zip so that TWRP can recognize it)
16. Flash 5.5.2_1534_stock_recovery_uboot.zip, this will put the required 5.3.1 bootloader back(PLEASE MAKE SURE TO DO THIS STEP!!)
17. DO NOT REBOOT YET! If you do you will probably lose root!
18. Flash Supersu.zip (included in the download
19. Clear cache/dalvik in TWRP
20. Reboot to recovery: adb reboot recovery. This will be stock recovery now because TWRP doesn’t boot with 5.x bootloaders.
21. Reboot to FireOS (could take ~15 minutes, it might seem like it is stuck in a boot loop but it will go)
The above instructions served me well, as with all posts on this site PLEASE USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! And post any questions below

I just followed your tutorial and it worked for me... Amazon has FireOS 5.4.0.1 for the update file now and it still worked following your steps. Thank you!

Could I keep root without updating to 5.4?
---------- Post added at 06:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 AM ----------
Also Kingroot fails. Was the exploit is uses patched?

Bricked Device(unbricked it with DoLooper tutorial) improvising,Step 9 says sideload JMZ Tools how do you do that without connection? only way i can think is es explorer which you have to have connection to install

Any news on this? Thinking of attempting

I attempted this to downgrade from rooted 5.12 to 4.53 so that I could install twrp and get to the latest load.
I am stuck on step 8. After I flashed 4.5.3 and wiped, I attempted to sideload kingroot and the jmz utility but they did not install. I imagined that it failed because they are from unknown sources and that setting is disabled once 4.5.3 is loaded. So I rebooted with wifi off, attempted to adb reboot recovery, and I got to a recovery menu with 2 options, none of which are adb sideload.
How can I proceed? If I enable wifi to download kingroot, it will attempt to update, correct?
EDIT - I enabled wifi to download kingroot apk since I can't sideload it, and surely enough an update to 4.5.5 downloaded. Damn.
RE-EDIT--I just caught my initial mistake. I used the command adb sideload for kingroot and jmz instead of adb install. Another damn. I am downloading kingroot and rooting while the update to 4.5.5 awaits installation, which I won't do.

It boot me into kids edition...?

jcarcinogen said:
I just followed your tutorial and it worked for me... Amazon has FireOS 5.4.0.1 for the update file now and it still worked following your steps. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear! I have had a blast with a rooted kindle, including installing google and using root required apps.

demoncamber said:
Any news on this? Thinking of attempting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked great for me, considering that that the tablet cost me $60 brand new I took the risk. It is up to you whether this is something that you want.

I have a kindle fire hd 7 4th gen, running 5.6.0.1. Will this work for me?

Will this work for my hd 7 4th gen running fire os 5.6.0.1?
@marathonjon
@RobbotCC
@jcarcinogen
Please I really want to get root to install a android rom or cyanagen mod.

RobbotCC said:
Hi,
This is my first post here but I have gotten so much help I wanted to give back. I have been working on rooting my Kindle fire HD 6 over the last couple days and after searching multiple tutorials I have successfully rooted with these steps.
To begin:
1. You MUST backup any data on your device before starting this process
2. Download all the files from here and Fire OS 5.4.0.0 here
3. Get your downgrade here
3. Follow the instructions below (modified from user @marathonjon reply here https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-hd/general/how-to-upgrade-to-lollipop-root-gapps-t3163950/page54)
Here we go for the install:
1. Enable ADB on your device and set up ADB on your computer
2. Download 4.5.3 firmware (you should already have it from the download above)
3. Connect device to computer and run "adb reboot recovery" (assuming you have adb enabled on your tablet)
4. Use volume keys and power button to navigate to "Apply update from ADB"
5. From computer type "adb sideload update-kindle-20.4.5.3_user_453011120.bin" (the files need to be added to the same folder your terminal is currently running or you can specify the file path)
6. From tablet select "wipe data/factory reset" (this is why we did the backup earlier)
7. From tablet select "reboot system"
8. Complete setup (do not connect to a wifi network yet, this is very important!)
9. Disable OTA updates ( adb shell ; pm block com.amazon.dcp or "Debloater"), I used the above jmz Kindle fire tools to disable the OTA, just sideload it and you are good to go.
10. Sideload Kingroot & let it root (this can take a while, just let it go)
11. Flash openrecovery-twrp-2.8.6.0-ariel.img TWRP image via Flashify (backup stock recovery first, again very important!!) (you will need to sideload the included Flashify APK)
12. Download all files above and place them in the Download directory of your kindle
13. Boot into TWRP, flash 4.5.3_twrp_recovery_full_ariel_string.zip. (use adb reboot recovery for this)
14. Do factory reset using the default TWRP wipe settings
15. Flash FireOS 5.4.0.0 (rename *bin to *zip so that TWRP can recognize it)
16. Flash 5.5.2_1534_stock_recovery_uboot.zip, this will put the required 5.3.1 bootloader back(PLEASE MAKE SURE TO DO THIS STEP!!)
17. DO NOT REBOOT YET! If you do you will probably lose root!
18. Flash Supersu.zip (included in the download
19. Clear cache/dalvik in TWRP
20. Reboot to recovery: adb reboot recovery. This will be stock recovery now because TWRP doesn’t boot with 5.x bootloaders.
21. Reboot to FireOS (could take ~15 minutes, it might seem like it is stuck in a boot loop but it will go)
The above instructions served me well, as with all posts on this site PLEASE USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! And post any questions below
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Does this work on the Fire OS 5.6.0.1 that was sent out this year?

Provided said:
I have a kindle fire hd 7 4th gen, running 5.6.0.1. Will this work for me?
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IDK, it has been awhile since I ran this and I have not stayed up to date on the latest firmware. As always you can try it at your own risk and post any questions here. I will do my best to answer.
I do not recommend trying this if you rely on the tablet for anything, things can go wrong and you could lose everything including the tablet.
Have Fun!

On step 15, does it have to be 5.4.0.0? I'm having trouble finding a download for it since the link in OP leads to 5.6.0.1
edit: found a link (https://forum.xda-developers.com/hd8-hd10/general/fire-hd-8-2017-downgrade-to-5-4-0-0-5-6-t3719639) but it's for FIre HD 8. Will that work or does it need to be specifically for the HD 6?
edit2: nevermind, didn't look hard enough, found it here https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-hd/general/fire-hd-rom-links-t3173102

liebherk said:
On step 15, does it have to be 5.4.0.0? I'm having trouble finding a download for it since the link in OP leads to 5.6.0.1
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Yes, that is the latest version that is still root-able I believe.

Still works with update 5.6.1.0
Still works thanks alot!

Yup, worked for me as well. Thanks @RobbotCC from another CMH kindle newbie

Stuck on step #13
My KF HD 6 gen 4 shows it is running OS 4.5.3. I can boot into TWRP. ADB sees my device. I need to add ".\adb" before ADB commands.
The problem I'm having is that I cannot flash the TWRP 4.5.3 recovery. When I have the TWRP launcher showing and type " .\adb reboot recovery" the system reboots right into the TWRP launcher. When I power off then on, it boots right into the Fire OS. I never see the system recovery screen, so I can't flash the recovery zip file.
Help? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

LeoDaQ said:
My KF HD 6 gen 4 shows it is running OS 4.5.3. I can boot into TWRP. ADB sees my device. I need to add ".\adb" before ADB commands.
The problem I'm having is that I cannot flash the TWRP 4.5.3 recovery. When I have the TWRP launcher showing and type " .\adb reboot recovery" the system reboots right into the TWRP launcher. When I power off then on, it boots right into the Fire OS. I never see the system recovery screen, so I can't flash the recovery zip file.
Help? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
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Flash the recovery file using twrp?
The whole process worked for me on my kf hd 7 Ariel now I have rooted 5.6.1.0.

Provided said:
Flash the recovery file using twrp?
The whole process worked for me on my kf hd 7 Ariel now I have rooted 5.6.1.0.
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did you use the same files in the first thread? for hd 7 ? or should we download specific downgrade file?