# What is "rooting:?



## Tiffany01 (Dec 29, 2011)

What is rooting?


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## Smcgoey (Jan 6, 2012)

It is like jail breaking on iphone but not as bad all you are doing is being able to access the full android store instead of the tiny one on kindle.
Thanks,
Sean.


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## MicroBeta (Jun 9, 2009)

It means removing the protections and safeguards to allow access to system directories.  This privileged access is called root access or superuser access.  The Android operating system is a version of UNIX and the super user/administrator is the only user with access to all the system directories and files...including the ability to edit system configuration files.

This is a very simplistic explanation.  In the end it gives the user access to everything.  You can do things like remove the apps you don't want or you change the look of the backgrounds/fonts/themes. 

There are some inherent dangers.  Delete the wrong file, change the wrong character in a configuration file and you have a brick...it's almost always fixable but not easily if you don't understand the inner workings of UNIX. 

Additionally, you probably won't get the latest firmware updates and if you do automatically them it will return the superuser permissions back to default and you'll have to root all over again.

However, Kindle Boards staff have previously posted that discussion of how this is accomplished is a violation of the Amazon Kindle User Agreement.  

Mike


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Just to clarify, rooting is against Amazon's Terms of Service and will void your warranty. (At the least. Possibly bricking your device is another consequence. Also rooting removes some functionality as pertains to viewuping Prime videos.) As such, discussions of it which include "how to" or links are not allowed here. Posts that include directions or links to directions will be removed.

Betsy


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## Bob327 (Nov 17, 2011)

I WILL NOT root my Fire...BUT only because I would loose those darn Prime Videos etc...  Those alone (especially the old TV shows and the  Ken Burns documentaries are worth the price of the fire alone ..

Now my Evo 4G smart phone is a horse of another color I rooted it the same day I purchased it 

Bob G


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Just to clarify, rooting is against Amazon's Terms of Service and will void your warranty. (At the least. Possibly bricking your device is another consequence. Also rooting removes some functionality as pertains to viewuping Prime videos.) As such, discussions of it which include "how to" or links are not allowed here. Posts that include directions or links to directions will be removed.


Interesting, but rooting of e-ink Kindles is Ok?


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## MicroBeta (Jun 9, 2009)

The biggest problem with rooting the Fire is the Cloud Player will no longer work.  I'm reading about people who have to unroot to stream from Amazon and root again when they're done.  If you're an Amazon Cloud User this could be a real pain.

Mike


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Bigal-sa said:


> Interesting, but rooting of e-ink Kindles is Ok?


If you are talking about screensaver hacks and font hacks, Amazon has indicated that these do not void a user's warranty and so we allow discussions of how to do those. However, removal of DRM from Kindle books is against the TOS and we do not allow "how to" discussions of that, either.

Thanks,

Betsy


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## scott99 (Dec 30, 2011)

Bob327 said:


> I WILL NOT root my Fire...BUT only because I would loose those darn Prime Videos etc... Those alone (especially the old TV shows and *the Ken Burns documentaries * are worth the price of the fire alone ..
> 
> Now my Evo 4G smart phone is a horse of another color I rooted it the same day I purchased it
> 
> Bob G


Man I was so psyched that I could watch Ken Burns' "Civil War" and "Baseball" pretty much anytime I want, for free. Two of the best documentaries ever made, and since I am so interested about both subjects, I heartily agree.


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