# Screen Saver Hack Summarized



## mikefox (Mar 5, 2009)

Trying to follow the screen saver hack thread is very confusing.  Is there a place with a concise and CORRECT hack procedure?

Also, I read that the K2 update has some kind of verification check-sum procedure, and if it fails, everything is screwed up.  Is this true.  Will the screen saver hack case it to fail?


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## davem2bits (Feb 2, 2009)

mikefox said:


> Trying to follow the screen saver hack thread is very confusing. Is there a place with a concise and CORRECT hack procedure?
> 
> *Search for kindle2_screen_saver_hack-0.3.zip among all the other stuff in the previous post. Unzip and read the README.txt. If the readme doesn't make sense, you should stick with the screensavers you got.*
> 
> ...


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Download the zip file and extract all files
Hook the Kindle up to the computer
move the Update_kindle2_user_screen_savers.bin to the root directory of the Kindle (The same directory that the documents, Audible, music is in...Don't create any folders, just drag it and put it there.)
Unhook the Kindle from the computer
Go to home>menu>settings>Menu>update my Kindle
hook Kindle up to computer
open system file (may be hidden and need to be un-hidden)
create folder called screen_saver
move the files you'd like as screensavers to this file (make sure they're the right size, file type)
unhook Kindle from computer
go to home>menu>settings>menu>restart

voila, you have new screensavers

As for the updates, I just manually updated Bella to 2.0.2.  I ran the Update_kindle2_restore_default_screen_savers.bin, the ran the update, then went through the screensaver process.. It took less than 7 minutes from start to finish.


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## davem2bits (Feb 2, 2009)

Here's the link to the 2.0.2 update.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,5564.msg115840.html#msg115840

Here are the instructions for installing the update. Works for 2.0.2 also.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,4980.msg104201.html#msg104201


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

EDIT--per a later post, special instructions for the Mac should no longer be necessary; will leave these here for later reference just in case.




tlrowley said:


> Special handling for Mac files is no longer necessary. Version 4 of the screensaver hack has been released. This version will create the proper directory, if it does not already exist, and it will remove the thumbs.db or ._ files so that there are no more blank screens.
> 
> Link is here


*Additional instructions for Mac users (hack version 3.0 and previous):*

You will need to enable invisible folders in the Finder in order to install a new screen_saver folder in the Kindle System folder. You may also have other invisible files which install themselves along with every image you put onto the Kindle. So in addition to keeping the instructions for the hack on hand, you may want to keep these handy in a text file that you can cut & paste from.

*To use Terminal to show/hide invisible files, including the System folder--*
Open Terminal (from Utilities under your Applications folder). Cut & paste the either of the following lines (hit Enter after each paste if needed):

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder

To make the command take effect, you may need to restart the Finder. One way to do this is to hold down the Option key, then click and hold on the Finder icon in the Dock. When the contextual menu appears, select Relaunch and the Finder will restart.

If you tire of the dimmed folders and other downsides, just open Terminal and repeat the command, but change TRUE to FALSE, then press Return again. You'll need to relaunch the Finder again, but when you do, everything will be back to normal on your desktop.

*To eliminate extra files from the screen_saver folder*:

Extra files created by the Mac OS when you add your images to the Kindle will cause blank pages to appear in place of your screensavers. After you have installed the screen_saver folder in your Kindle's system folder and added your images, open Terminal from the Utilities folder under Applications on your Mac.

Cut and paste the following command exactly & hit ENTER:

cd /Volumes/Kindle/system/screen_saver

ls -a

You should see a listing of the file images you copied and the sneaky thumbnail data that's causing the blanks. Cut & paste exactly:

rm -i ._*

Hit ENTER again.

This will prompt you to delete those files. Type in YES & hit ENTER once more to delete those files that begin with ._ and you'll be almost done.
Eject your kindle, and reset it either by holding the slider for 15-20 seconds, or by selecting the Reset your Kindle option from the menu under Settings.


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

OMG, you guys are the best! I finally bit the bullet and did it, and it worked perfectly, even with all the extra steps (Mac user here)--and I am by no means tech-savvy. Thank you guys so much!!!


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

*Link to the zip file:* http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=380345#post380345


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Thanks for adding the mac steps..Totally clueless about that.


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

luvmy4brats said:


> Thanks for adding the mac steps..Totally clueless about that.


Special handling for Mac files is no longer necessary. Version 4 of the screensaver hack has been released. This version will create the proper directory, if it does not already exist, and it will remove the thumbs.db or ._ files so that there are no more blank screens.

Link is here


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

tlrowley said:


> Special handling for Mac files is no longer necessary. Version 4 of the screensaver hack has been released. This version will create the proper directory, if it does not already exist, and it will remove the thumbs.db or ._ files so that there are no more blank screens.
> 
> Link is here


SWEET! Thanks for letting us know!


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## ZomZom (Feb 17, 2009)

I can confirm that version 4 on Mac requires no special instructions.  I installed the screensaver hack today for the first time on my K2, using my MacBook Pro, and used the standard instructions.

With some Googling and Photoshop, my Kindle now uses my preferred book cover images for each of the books I've installed.


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