📱 Fixing a Kindle Fire tablet stuck at the boot screen
By goz
Back in 2015 I bought a Kindle Fire 7" tablet to play around with. Since then, it’s been sitting around, not getting charged. Apparently, that’s a bad thing because after I charged it the device would get stuck on the Kindle logo. Booting into the recovery menu wouldn’t fix it, but, after digging around on the internet, I found out what to do.
THESE DIRECTIONS WILL WIPE OUT EVERYTHING ON THE DEVICE!!
Download the firmware
You’ll need the firmware for your tablet. Amazon maintains a page that has all of the software updates for their devices. If you are like me and have no idea what tablet you have, go look at your orders and find it.
Get minimal ADB and Fastboot
I did this on a Windows machine, and the kind folks over at XDA Developers has a nice little download that will get you set up with the adb tools.
Install the tools and then let the program open. For other operating systems, you’ll need to see about how to get it set up with adb.
Plug our device into the computer and boot into recovery
Start up the device holding down the volume down key and the power key. After 10-30 seconds you’ll see the recovery menu. Using the volume keys, navigate to Apply Update with adb and hit the power button to select.
Sideload that firmware baby!
In the Minimal ADB and Fastboot window, type adb devices to see if your device shows up. If it doesn’t, try a different USB cable.
To load the firmware, use the command:
adb sideload D:\Downloads\update-kindle-Fire_7_LC_5th_Gen-37.6.2.6_user_626549020.bin
Use the full path to the .bin file. Easiest way to do this is to type adb sideload into the window, and then open File Explorer. Navigate to the .bin file and drag it to the Minimal ADB and Fastboot window. Drop it there and the full path will appear.
Press enter to start the process. It may take 10-15+ minutes. Once complete, reboot the device. Hopefully it will start up like new and you’ll be in business!