# Screensaver Hack for Kindle 3



## meempdog

Does anybody know if we can put our own custom screensavers on the Kindle 3? If so how do you do it?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

As for the updates to the K2. . . . .the folks who figure these things out have to (1) have the device in hand so they can see what the software is doing (2) adapt the exsiting 'tweaks' -- or devise whole new ones.

I wouldn't expect to see any alternate sleep picture scripts for a couple of weeks at least.


----------



## castro

Does anyone know if a Screensaver hack has been posted for the Kindle 3?


----------



## stargazer0725

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to mention the screensaver hack...


----------



## Geoffrey

Only reason I haven't asked is mine hasn't arrived yet .... so I thought I'd wait through the weekend and hope that someone was frantically coding the jailbreak and hack.


----------



## Cuechick

Wow, I am a little amazed that Amazon still has not made this an option, esp since the nook does. 
I know they could if they wanted to and to me it might just make an upgrade worth it. I have not even 
updated my K2, cause I so not want to remove my hacks and have no need for folders.


----------



## Jobee87

I dont understand why Kindle hasn't made this a standard thing either. Amazon makes real updates as often as Apple.  
Maybe they want to get it right?


----------



## Tom Diego

Octochick said:


> Wow, I am a little amazed that Amazon still has not made this an option, esp since the nook does.
> I know they could if they wanted to and to me it might just make an upgrade worth it. I have not even
> updated my K2, cause I so not want to remove my hacks and have no need for folders.


If you remove the old hack you can upgrade to 2.5.x and then install the new hacks that NiLuJe developed that will allow updates without removing the hack. This worked great for me for the last three minor 2.5.x updates.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Merged two similar threads. . . .


----------



## NiLuJe

*whistling idly*

I should be getting my Kindle 3 on Monday or Tuesday, so, expect more (hopefully positive ^^) feedback on this next week .


----------



## 911jason

Glad to hear you'll be working on it NiLuJe... your hacks have always worked flawlessly for me. I also like the added features you've implemented, like random screensaver ordering and ability to receive regular updates from Amazon without having to uninstall/install.

Thanks for all that you do for us!


----------



## luvmy4brats

NiLuJe said:


> *whistling idly*
> 
> I should be getting my Kindle 3 on Monday or Tuesday, so, expect more (hopefully positive ^^) feedback on this next week .


You are awesome!


----------



## intinst

Yeah, I would be interested in that for my new K3.


----------



## iamjosie

not that i know much but i did try looking at source files and making folders, didnt work


----------



## NiLuJe

Well, it's Monday, I've got my Kindle, and a bad news...

The update broke our current jailbreak method . I've tried a few things, but I'm not much of a cracker/reverse-engineer specialist, and it didn't work out ;'(.

So, no hacks on the K3 until someone finds a way to jailbreak it...

(For those enclined, more details about my failed jb attempts here)


----------



## Linjeakel

NiLuJe said:


> Well, it's Monday, I've got my Kindle, and a bad news...
> 
> The update broke our current jailbreak method . I've tried a few things, but I'm not much of a cracker/reverse-engineer specialist, and it didn't work out ;'(.
> 
> So, no hacks on the K3 until someone finds a way to jailbreak it...
> 
> (For those enclined, more details about my failed jb attempts here)


Thanks for giving it a go. Hopefully someone will be able to figure it out.

I can't help thinking this was deliberate on Amazon's part. At least the font options will satisfy some of the people who previously used the font hack, though not everyone. I don't understand why they don't offer customisable screensavers as well - they can't be ignorant of how unpopular the default ones are. They haven't even made an attempt to put anything new on. Or maybe this is a prelude to further software updates? Who knows.

Anyway, as I say, thanks for trying NiLuJe We all appreciate your efforts with the previous hacks.


----------



## NiLuJe

It certainly *is* deliberate . It was the same with each new Kindle/some major fw releases .


----------



## Ann in Arlington

One hopes that they will, at some point, release some "apps" that do the same thing. . . . .they've done the word games. . .can fonts and sleep pictures be far behind?


----------



## 911jason

That's a good point Ann... NiLuJe, did you sign up for the Kindle SDK release back when they announced it? Maybe the "legit" front door is the way in?


----------



## NogDog

No worries, NiLuJe. You have about 2-1/2 weeks before I get my K3, so you still have time.


----------



## NiLuJe

Nope, I didn't, since I'm not a java developper .


----------



## Belle2Be

It doesn't make any sense that they don't allow personal screensavers, especially since the Nook does. What are they thinking?


----------



## NogDog

Belle2Be said:


> It doesn't make any sense that they don't allow personal screensavers, especially since the Nook does. What are they thinking?


They were thinking...

_Developer #1:_ Dude, you wanna see if you can come up with a module for adding custom screen-saver images?

_Developer #2:_ Oh, man, that's so boring. Let's do something cool instead.

_Dev #1:_ Like what?

_Dev #2:_ Oh, I don't know...maybe sharing selected text on FaceBook.

_Dev #1:_ Dude! That's awesome! We could send it to Twitter, too.

_Dev #2:_ Totally! That would rock. And how about this: keep track of highlighted text from everyone with the same book, and...ready?...automatically highlight the most popular ones in everybody's copy?

_Dev #1:_ Yeah...wait...why?

_Dev #2:_ 'Cause...it'd be so cool to code, dude!

_Dev #1:_ Oh, yeah. Right! Pass me another Red Bull, would ya?


----------



## meljackson

LOL


----------



## NiLuJe

^ This. ^^


----------



## Laurie

Belle2Be said:


> It doesn't make any sense that they don't allow personal screensavers, especially since the Nook does. What are they thinking?


I agree. I sent them an email, and by the response they sent you'd think they never heard of this issue before. Yeah, right....

Hello,

I am sorry you unsatisfied with the screen savers that come pre-installed with your kindle. I will send your feed back to our business team for review.

Strong customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we're glad you took time to write to us. The Kindle Team will carefully review your suggestions.

Thanks for your interest in Kindle.


----------



## Tom Diego

NogDog said:


> They were thinking...
> 
> _Developer #1:_ Dude, you wanna see if you can come up with a module for adding custom screen-saver images?
> 
> _Developer #2:_ Oh, man, that's so boring. Let's do something cool instead.
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Like what?
> 
> _Dev #2:_ Oh, I don't know...maybe sharing selected text on FaceBook.
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Dude! That's awesome! We could send it to Twitter, too.
> 
> _Dev #2:_ Totally! That would rock. And how about this: keep track of highlighted text from everyone with the same book, and...ready?...automatically highlight the most popular ones in everybody's copy?
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Yeah...wait...why?
> 
> _Dev #2:_ 'Cause...it'd be so cool to code, dude!
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Oh, yeah. Right! Pass me another Red Bull, would ya?


----------



## Pushka

NogDog said:


> They were thinking...
> 
> _Developer #1:_ Dude, you wanna see if you can come up with a module for adding custom screen-saver images?
> 
> _Developer #2:_ Oh, man, that's so boring. Let's do something cool instead.
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Like what?
> 
> _Dev #2:_ Oh, I don't know...maybe sharing selected text on FaceBook.
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Dude! That's awesome! We could send it to Twitter, too.
> 
> _Dev #2:_ Totally! That would rock. And how about this: keep track of highlighted text from everyone with the same book, and...ready?...automatically highlight the most popular ones in everybody's copy?
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Yeah...wait...why?
> 
> _Dev #2:_ 'Cause...it'd be so cool to code, dude!
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Oh, yeah. Right! Pass me another Red Bull, would ya?


That is so true. The world is full of twits who tweet. What are we coming too!


----------



## Belle2Be

NogDog said:


> They were thinking...
> 
> _Developer #1:_ Dude, you wanna see if you can come up with a module for adding custom screen-saver images?
> 
> _Developer #2:_ Oh, man, that's so boring. Let's do something cool instead.
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Like what?
> 
> _Dev #2:_ Oh, I don't know...maybe sharing selected text on FaceBook.
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Dude! That's awesome! We could send it to Twitter, too.
> 
> _Dev #2:_ Totally! That would rock. And how about this: keep track of highlighted text from everyone with the same book, and...ready?...automatically highlight the most popular ones in everybody's copy?
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Yeah...wait...why?
> 
> _Dev #2:_ 'Cause...it'd be so cool to code, dude!
> 
> _Dev #1:_ Oh, yeah. Right! Pass me another Red Bull, would ya?


LOL.


----------



## 911jason

I was really hoping the new post was going to be someone saying they had figured out how to make it work...


----------



## Pushka

911jason said:


>


Double









Me too, with your post. And now someone else is gonna think the same with my post!


----------



## intinst

So I guess no good news yet, huh?


----------



## clarknova

Actually the hacks should be soon. It seems Amazon created a function to run arbitrary code on the kindle, which makes the K3 easier to get into than the K2i.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1098081

So, all it would take to "jailbreak" it (install a new public key) is to run a quick script, and then third-party "updates" could be installed as usual.


----------



## luvmy4brats

clarknova said:


> Actually the hacks should be soon. It seems Amazon created a function to run arbitrary code on the kindle, which makes the K3 easier to get into than the K2i.
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1098081
> 
> So, all it would take to "jailbreak" it (install a new public key) is to run a quick script, and then third-party "updates" could be installed as usual.


I knew you guys would figure it out!!!!!


----------



## Neo

Yaaay!!!! I really love my new K3, but I do miss my Disney hunks  ...


----------



## chilady1

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can't wait.  This will be the only hack I will need to add and with the brains working on this, we won't even have to remove the hack to have new firmware upgrades.  Ain't life grand?  You guys ROCK!


----------



## 911jason

Just read through that thread, I'll definitely be holding off on my letter to Bezos to request support for custom screensavers!


----------



## Geoffrey

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  I chortled in my joy.


----------



## BTackitt

911jason said:


> Just read through that thread, I'll definitely be holding off on my letter to Bezos to request support for custom screensavers!


Please don't wait.. Hacks or not, this should still be a built in feature Jason.


----------



## dimples

My K3 is my very first Kindle so I'm excited to learn more about this hack once it appears  Question though; if I want to use pictures from my pc for the screensaver, how would I get those pictures 'kindle-ready'?


----------



## Pushka

dimples said:


> My K3 is my very first Kindle so I'm excited to learn more about this hack once it appears  Question though; if I want to use pictures from my pc for the screensaver, how would I get those pictures 'kindle-ready'?


By clicking on this link: http://charles-reace.com/kindle_screensaver.php
and uploading your jpg.

Gotta love this forum, and mobile reads of course, where a newbie seems to have found what needs to be done to get the hack. Lots of karma coming his way.


----------



## NogDog

dimples said:


> My K3 is my very first Kindle so I'm excited to learn more about this hack once it appears  Question though; if I want to use pictures from my pc for the screensaver, how would I get those pictures 'kindle-ready'?





Pushka said:


> By clicking on this link: http://charles-reace.com/kindle_screensaver.php
> and uploading your jpg.
> 
> Gotta love this forum, and mobile reads of course, where a newbie seems to have found what needs to be done to get the hack. Lots of karma coming his way.


Or, if you'd like to have more control over the final result (and do more work): http://www.kindleminds.net/2010/08/28/creating-kindle-screen-saver-images-with-gimp/


----------



## Geoffrey

Pushka said:


> By clicking on this link: http://charles-reace.com/kindle_screensaver.php
> and uploading your jpg.
> 
> Gotta love this forum, and mobile reads of course, where a newbie seems to have found what needs to be done to get the hack. Lots of karma coming his way.


And then you go here and share them with us - and steal all of ours while you're at it:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,5659.0.html


----------



## dimples

Ooooh, thank you all so much! I can definitely work with this  Now I only need to learn how to separate myself from my Kindle for a few hours to sort through my pics and get them all ready for my Kindle...


----------



## Belle2Be

I totally don't understand this coding thing, will there be a "Kindle3 screensaver hack for Dummies" at some point?


----------



## NogDog

Belle2Be said:


> I totally don't understand this coding thing, will there be a "Kindle3 screensaver hack for Dummies" at some point?


At some point, when the clever people who put the hack together get it running, there will likely either be an update to this wiki page at mobileread.com, or a new page for the Kindle 3. I'll be adding a page on my KindleMinds.net blog once we have something reasonably solid to work with.


----------



## Belle2Be

NogDog said:


> At some point, when the clever people who put the hack together get it running, there will likely either be an update to this wiki page at mobileread.com, or a new page for the Kindle 3. I'll be adding a page on my KindleMinds.net blog once we have something reasonably solid to work with.


thanks! I'm following you!


----------



## 911jason

Developments overnight were not promising... sounds like the guy who found the loophole might have had a one-off Kindle that accidentally had the development version of the operating system left on it. Not 100% yet, but certainly not positive news.


----------



## Pushka

911jason said:


> Developments overnight were not promising... sounds like the guy who found the loophole might have had a one-off Kindle that accidentally had the development version of the operating system left on it. Not 100% yet, but certainly not positive news.


Yes, so I see. Rather coincidental though that someone clever enough to get into the system, actually had a rogue kindle.


----------



## calypso

Pushka said:


> Yes, so I see. Rather coincidental though that someone clever enough to get into the system, actually had a rogue kindle.


so no kindle screensaver hack yet? and i was kinda hoping that it'll happen just in time for my kindle. lol


----------



## 911jason

calypso said:


> so no kindle screensaver hack yet? and i was kinda hoping that it'll happen just in time for my kindle. lol


Nope... the promising news turned out to be a non-starter as the user who found the security hole apparently had a test version of the software left on his Kindle by the factory. Haven't heard anything further about any headway being made.


----------



## HappyGuy

I know ... K3 has been out what 2, 3 weeks now?  And where are all of those neat apps we were expecting from the coders who got the development kit?


----------



## NogDog

HappyGuy said:


> I know ... K3 has been out what 2, 3 weeks now? And where are all of those neat apps we were expecting from the coders who got the development kit?


However, it is not a given that the Kindle SDK gives access to system functionality such as the screen-saver, so it may not even be possible via an "app".


----------



## Wisteria Clematis

Lol. Over 3,000 of us have read this thread! That may be an indication of how anxiously we're waiting to see if there is any way of exorcising the dead authors   If only Amazon had chosen to go with just their 'tree' logo image....at least that one as a screen saver would have been bearable.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Well..  . . .3000 page views doesn't mean 3000 people. . . .it might mean the same 10 people have looked 300 times each.  

(I admit that I have no interest in alternate sleep pictures but, as a mod, I do look at all these threads to make sure you folks aren't having knife fights or anything. )


----------



## NiLuJe

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Err, sorry. 

So far, unless you're tweaking around your Kindle with a serial-USB cable, no news on a full sfotware-only jailbreak. ;'(. Unless you happen to be crazy lucky and have a Kindle with the factory test suite still intact.


----------



## HappyGuy

FOOD FIGHT!!

Mashed potatoes headed your way, NiLuJe!!


----------



## Linjeakel

Wisteria Clematis said:


> Lol. Over 3,000 of us have read this thread! That may be an indication of how anxiously we're waiting to see if there is any way of exorcising the dead authors  If only Amazon had chosen to go with just their 'tree' logo image....at least that one as a screen saver would have been bearable.


I agree. I could live without using my own screensavers if only I could choose which of the default ones I had - in fact that's all I've used the hack on my DXG for. It doesn't strike me as a particularly difficult thing to implement and it would certainly avoid any worries Amazon might have with regard to copyright problems or customers using images they felt were inappropriate to the Kindle's image. They could decide which images were available and we could choose from those.


----------



## Laurie

I think we seriously need to bombard Amazon with emails about this issue. I have sent emails, but I find that sending anything with the word "screensaver" in it will automatically be given a computer generated response. But when I sent an email to the effect of "please get these ugly faces off my Kindle" I got an actual response from a real live human being. I mentioned before about a group of people starting an email campaign, and I got some snide and sarcastic comments in return. But I think doing _something_ is more likely to get results. It's better than just waiting to see what happens. 
I suppose Amazon could be using the screensavers as a weird form of marketing. I bought a cover just so I wouldn't have to see those ugly things when my Kindle is sitting on my desk at work or sitting on a table at home. I usually take it out of the cover to read - but I just couldn't stand seeing those pictures anymore. They ruin an otherwise beautiful piece of equipment.


----------



## heragn

Neo said:


> Yaaay!!!! I really love my new K3, but I do miss my Disney hunks ...


I've been looking all over for those! Could you post them for me?


----------



## Neo

heragn said:


> I've been looking all over for those! Could you post them for me?


Of course, you can find them here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,6508.25.html

Sorry, not posting them directly because I just didn't save all of them, only those I liked, but you should find them all in that thread - along with other really nice ones 

I would love to see your avatar as a Screen Saver too, so cute!!!


----------



## unknown2cherubim

*sets thread to notify.*


----------



## raider

So, apparently someone on YouTube (evidently from Japan) has figured out how to do custom screensavers. What is most frustrating of all however is that this person has not left any sort of description as to how they actually did it.

They could have gotten lucky and just got one of those test versions or it could be a fake of some sort, but hey - there is hope.

P.S. Just created an account to post this, but I've been following this thread for a while - keep up the good work!
P.P.S. Sent and email to Amazon asking to implement custom screensavers. Everyone should do the same - the more the better.

best,
*raider*


----------



## Pushka

Looks legit to me - too many different screensavers happening.  Will post this link on mobile reads....
Nice catch!


----------



## Laurie

So there's hope for us afterall.....


----------



## Pushka

Can you give details of the Youtube location raider?  That might help the clever ones on mobile reads work something out.

Dont worry, sorted it out.


----------



## raider

here's the exact link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUizqALBf7g
Other than that I have no other information about that video....i've been looking for this type of content all day today...best I could find is just the video. 
All I can say about it is that it was posted today and the user who posted it (but you can figure that out by going to the video link too)

Edit: it might be a good idea to watch the comments section of that video for a couple of days. I posted a question a couple hours ago, maybe the author will respond!


----------



## Pushka

Oooh, this is the uploaders website:
http://hondamarlboro.blog112.fc2.com/

I can see lots of stuff about the K3, but too much katakana for me. Think we are getting closer thanks to your find raider. Have posted all these links on mobilereads now and waitiiiiing....


----------



## raider

If you go to that users profile name, he lists a website: http://hondamarlboro.blog112.fc2.com/

(of course it's in Japanese)

but if you go through google translate, it gets you a choppy english version of his blog. One of his entries appears to be about the Kindle.... reading atm.


----------



## RobertK

Man I want this.


----------



## Fmstrat

raider said:


> If you go to that users profile name, he lists a website: http://hondamarlboro.blog112.fc2.com/
> 
> (of course it's in Japanese)
> 
> but if you go through google translate, it gets you a choppy english version of his blog. One of his entries appears to be about the Kindle.... reading atm.


Looks like it's a shell hack through a serial connection using a Mac:

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.ytsuboi.org/wp/archives/1848&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://hondamarlboro.blog112.fc2.com/%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DsdL%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26prmd%3Div&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhgUxiojERFYiZCIt83YHIpZq_Y8Xw


----------



## Tiersten

raider said:


> If you go to that users profile name, he lists a website: http://hondamarlboro.blog112.fc2.com/
> 
> (of course it's in Japanese)
> 
> but if you go through google translate, it gets you a choppy english version of his blog. One of his entries appears to be about the Kindle.... reading atm.


Its a known method of getting root access but it isn't practical because you need to have the special adapter PCB that fits into the bottom cover hole and a USB serial dongle that works with 1.8V as well. That will rule out nearly all owners of Kindle 3s.


----------



## Pushka

Dammit, it seems our hopes are already dashed, again.


----------



## raider

Bugger. I was getting all giddy

Edit: Well, actually it is a step in the right direction - at least someone has access to the inner workings of K3, maybe they'll find a way to jailbreak it from the inside (or something like that).


----------



## Pushka

Hondamarlboro (the one who has the hacked k3 on youtube) has been 'flushed out'  and posted on the Mobile Reads forums that his hack is 'not' for the average user. <grumble grumble>


----------



## raider

Yeah...oh well at least its something, maybe some people will be able to find some vulnerabilities once inside, and allow us regular folk to change screensavers too.

It's kind of a bummer though...I mean Amazon should have included this feature from the start, kind of silly for them not to. But hey, at least you get to chose your own books right...


----------



## theChrisMarsh

You can get rid of the screensaver all together ...
In the search box type


> ;debugOn <enter>
> ~disableScreensaver <enter>


to reenable the screensaver ...


> ;debugOn <enter>
> ~resumeScreensaver <enter>


----------



## StaceyHH

Seriously? that would make me happy. I'm scared to try it though. Ha! (I'd rather have NO screensaver than those creepy dead people.)


----------



## Linjeakel

No offense to theChrisMarsh but as that's his/her first post here, can anyone else confirm that instruction for disabling the screensaver? Does it just get rid of the pics or does it also stop the Kindle from locking? In other words, do you still need to move the slider to lock/unlock, even though the sleep pics don't display? Like StaceyHH I'd prefer not to try it till someone I'm sure knows about this sort of thing can confirm it.


----------



## RobertK

Linjeakel said:


> No offense to theChrisMarsh but as that's his/her first post here, can anyone else confirm that instruction for disabling the screensaver? Does it just get rid of the pics or does it also stop the Kindle from locking? In other words, do you still need to move the slider to lock/unlock, even though the sleep pics don't display? Like StaceyHH I'd prefer not to try it till someone I'm sure knows about this sort of thing can confirm it.


Being his first post gave me some pause, too. However, some Googletective work makes it seem like he's right. See this thread for some info. I don't know the details of how it would work, but it seems simple enough.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

As usual: modify the "registry" (for lack of a better word) of your Kindle *at your own risk*.

It may seem simple enough, but if you screw it up, you've probably voided your warranty. Be VERY SURE before you go down that road. . . . . .

I have no intention to make changes in either case, but I am not clear whether the "edit" suggested above is designed to not let the K go to sleep at all, or to let the K sleep with a blank screen. . . . . .


----------



## Linjeakel

RobertK said:


> Being his first post gave me some pause, too. However, some Googletective work makes it seem like he's right. See this thread for some info. I don't know the details of how it would work, but it seems simple enough.


You say it seems simple enough, but there's a lot more to it than just those simple instructions - you have to prepare the K3 first for it to be able to recognise what you're asking it to do. What they're talking about is way above my level of expertise - I think I'll give it a miss. Much as I dislike those dead authors, I'm not quite _that_ desperate!


----------



## Fmstrat

theChrisMarsh said:


> You can get rid of the screensaver all together ...
> In the search box type
> to reenable the screensaver ...


This does not actually work for me. While the commands run, it actually appears to disable sleep altogether. I believe it's a debug command for when testers didn't want the machine to go to sleep. It basically made the power button do nothing for me, and left 3G on constantly if wireless was turned on.

Thanks,
Ben


----------



## Fmstrat

Linjeakel said:


> You say it seems simple enough, but there's a lot more to it than just those simple instructions - you have to prepare the K3 first for it to be able to recognise what you're asking it to do. What they're talking about is way above my level of expertise - I think I'll give it a miss. Much as I dislike those dead authors, I'm not quite _that_ desperate!


Actually, it's just a matter of typing ";debugOn" and pressing enter in the search field, and then you can use "~help" to see the commands like "~disableScreensaver". You just use the search field to send the commands. The whole netcat thing is just for getting access from a computer.


----------



## Asnofg4l

I am all new to this but correct me if I am wrong.
Would it not be possible to use the Kindle Dev Kit to make an app that would be used to change the Kindle's ScreenSaver?


----------



## tpipher

Just tried it and it worked, but all it does is not allow the power to shut off. Just for everyone's info.


----------



## NogDog

Asnofg4l said:


> I am all new to this but correct me if I am wrong.
> Would it not be possible to use the Kindle Dev Kit to make an app that would be used to change the Kindle's ScreenSaver?


Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what areas of the Kindle file system the KDK gives access to. (I don't know, but it is not necessarily a given that it would.)


----------



## mlewis78

The only screensaver that I really can't stand is Hercules with the snake-like thing.  When that comes up, I wake the kindle and put to sleep again to change it.  The dead authors are OK.


----------



## Asnofg4l

NogDog said:


> Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what areas of the Kindle file system the KDK gives access to. (I don't know, but it is not necessarily a given that it would.)


Well let's say the KDK gives us access to the files we want. What level of difficulty would we be facing to make a program that allows the common user to change the screensavers either through upload of personal images or through a dedicated server?


----------



## NogDog

Asnofg4l said:


> Well let's say the KDK gives us access to the files we want. What level of difficulty would we be facing to make a program that allows the common user to change the screensavers either through upload of personal images or through a dedicated server?


Since Amazon, in their infinite wisdom, did not choose me to be one of the "blessed" to receive a copy of the KDK, I really have no idea. (And whether I would have any idea had they given me a copy is highly debatable.  ) I would think that if one of the smart people who have developed the Kindle 2 hack got together with a decent Java programmer (if s/he is not already one) would not have that much trouble.


----------



## NiLuJe

*whistles idly*

I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


----------



## Avid Reader

Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!

Can you lead me to the MR thread??  (What does MR stand for?)


----------



## NiLuJe

Here you go: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004

(MR stands for MobileRead, and when referring to KindleBoards on MR, I usually use 'KB' ).


----------



## Asnofg4l

Great Job NiLuJe u saved me from making a fool out of myself trying to use the KDK to make an app that would help change those dammed screensavers.
Now to hope that it works.


----------



## Avid Reader

Thank you so much!  I've downloaded the files and I'm going to try it as soon as I get home from work!  (Bless you!  I was distressed when I thought I might be stuck with Amazon's installed screensavers.)


----------



## Pushka

NiLuJe said:


> *whistles idly*
> 
> I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


You came through again NiLuJe. You rock. Again

Turns off the iPad and runs off to her real computer........


----------



## NogDog

Thanks, NiLuJe. I've uploaded the two new Zip files to my blog, available in this article. Here are direct links to the two files:

jailbreak 0.2.N
screensaver 0.11.N


----------



## Pushka

And the hacks work with the Amazon update 3.0.2 so happy dance here.


----------



## Neo

Yaaaayyyy!!!!! Thank you NiLuJe, you are the best!!!!! Soon, my Disney hunks shall be back  

Before I go ahead with this though, I did want to double check that I should be using the files finishing with "K3g" - I have a K3 US 3G+wifi? I assume that the I assume that the files ending with "K3gb" are for the UK Kindles but I'd rather make sure...

Grateful for any help on this, can't wait to install these


----------



## 911jason

Yes Neo, that's correct. K3G is for K3 US 3G+WiFi, K3W is for K3 US WiFi and K3GB is for K3 UK


----------



## Neo

Thank you so much for your quick reply 911Jason, really appreciate it - along with all the screen savers you have posted, I use a mix of Disney hunks and the moody superheroes you posted a while ago  !


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Friendly reminder for those who might have just happened upon this thread:

The modifications discussed here are* NOT* supported by Amazon. Many folks have used similar procedures successfully on previous versions of the Kindle with no ill effects. *But* you should perform the "hack" _ only_ if you are comfortable with file manipulation and realize that you do so at your own risk.

Members here are willing to assist and answer questions, of course.


----------



## chilady1

I didn't check in all day and look what happened - I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!  Screensavers are back, thank you!  NiLuJe you are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Off to download right now!  Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.  I don't need the font hack any longer but I certainly need the screensaver hack.  Jason, I am heading over to the photo gallery right after to get some of those GREAT screensavers you make.


----------



## luvmy4brats

NiLuJe said:


> *whistles idly*
> 
> I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


You are awesome!

<blowing big, sloppy, wet kisses in your direction!!!>

THANK YOU!!!


----------



## 911jason

I have also started a thread for anyone who wants to use their book covers as screensavers...

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36791.0.html


----------



## NiLuJe

Also, since I've never seen a DXG, this is news to me: That screen is truly awesome. Custom SS look gorgeous .


----------



## Tamster

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!


----------



## Laurie

NiLuJe said:


> *whistles idly*
> 
> I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


You are my hero!!!


----------



## kimbertay

NiLuJe said:


> *whistles idly*
> 
> I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


You have my vote for Hero of the Year! Thank you, thank you!!

I just did mine and love being able to customize again!!!!


----------



## Laurie

I'm torn... the screensaver hack won't work with the newest update available - and apparently I need that update to resolve the slow page turn problem I've been having. Any chance the hack will be fixed for the updat too? Soon?


----------



## Pushka

Laurie said:


> I'm torn... the screensaver hack won't work with the newest update available - and apparently I need that update to resolve the slow page turn problem I've been having. Any chance the hack will be fixed for the updat too? Soon?


Yes it does, I posted that earlier. I did the 3.0.2 update first, then the screensaver hack; luvmy4brats did the hack first, and then did the Amazon update. Both ways work fine.



Pushka said:


> And the hacks work with the Amazon update 3.0.2 so happy dance here.


----------



## Laurie

Pushka said:


> Yes it does, I posted that earlier. I did the 3.0.2 update first, then the screensaver hack; luvmy4brats did the hack first, and then did the Amazon update. Both ways work fine.


THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I must've mis-read the post earlier. I thought it said it didn't work with 3.0.2.


----------



## luvmy4brats

Laurie said:


> I'm torn... the screensaver hack won't work with the newest update available - and apparently I need that update to resolve the slow page turn problem I've been having. Any chance the hack will be fixed for the updat too? Soon?


Sure it does. I put the Screen Saver hack on and then saw there was a 3.0.2 update. I put the update on AFTER I did the SS hack and it worked fine. I didn't need to uninstall anything.


----------



## Laurie

luvmy4brats said:


> Sure it does. I put the Screen Saver hack on and then saw there was a 3.0.2 update. I put the update on AFTER I did the SS hack and it worked fine. I didn't need to uninstall anything.


I think it's awesome we can update without un-installing the hack first. Life is good! And I love our resident hacker!!


----------



## KimberlyinMN

WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This was all I was missing with my K3 (well, and waiting for my custom Decal Girl skin). 

Thank you!!!!!


----------



## Belle2Be

NiLuJe said:


> *whistles idly*
> 
> I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


Sorry I"m everywhere, I posted on the mobilereads as well, but what/where is the directory? and how do I load the jailbreak into it? (I already downloaded and unzipped)


----------



## NogDog

Belle2Be said:


> Sorry I"m everywhere, I posted on the mobilereads as well, but what/where is the directory? and how do I load the jailbreak into it? (I already downloaded and unzipped)


http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.5.x_Kindles

Hopefully that clears things up for you. If not, ask again.


----------



## Belle2Be

NogDog said:


> http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.5.x_Kindles
> 
> Hopefully that clears things up for you. If not, ask again.


Sweet very helpful! Is there a way to test and see if the screensaver works other than sitting and waiting for it to start?nevermind I'm a dope. 
And is it supposed to take a long time for my Kindle to restart?


----------



## mgalosi

A joyous day indeed, my friends. Goodbye, Ms. Dickinson


----------



## Belle2Be

Ok I think I did everything right, I dragged and dropped a bunch of images, and its restarting now, but the "Update Kindle" option is greyed out now since I put in the SS hack, is that normal?
Editted- I see that the greyed out means I did something wrong, but I'm not sure where. I used the K3G jailbreak and screensaver hack, the jailbreak failed as it was supposed to, and the screensaver passed and rebooted. If I installed the wrong one, would it still work? And how do I know which one to uninstall if the one I thought I installed was the K3g but can't be because the Update is greyed out?


----------



## Pushka

If you used the wrong one, then it does nothing so you dont need to uninstall.  If you have done the ss one, and used the update button, then you are done!


----------



## Belle2Be

Pushka said:


> If you used the wrong one, then it does nothing so you dont need to uninstall. If you have done the ss one, and used the update button, then you are done!


Well, how did it work and still be the wrong one?


----------



## NogDog

After you install the hack and do the "Update", when you add/remove image files from the screensaver image directory, you just need to do a "Restart", not an "Update".


----------



## Belle2Be

NogDog said:


> After you install the hack and do the "Update", when you add/remove image files from the screensaver image directory, you just need to do a "Restart", not an "Update".


I did, but the Update is still Greyed out.


----------



## manou

Thank you, thank you, thank you - it's brilliant and really easy to install, even for a noob like me


----------



## Pushka

Ok, lets just check.

You installed the hack, you were able to update your kindle, but it wasnt successful (supposed to happen)

You then installed the Screensaver hack, you were again able to update your kindle, and it was successful.

You then installed your own screensavers, and then all you need to do is restart (not update)


----------



## mlewis78

I installed the jailbreak and the screensaver hack.  I haven't decided whether or not to install the Helvetica 2.  The default sans serif is pretty good as it is.

I'm glad to have Hercules with the big snake off of my K3.  The authors were starting to grow on me, but the K2 custom screensavers I have are just better.


----------



## history_lover

How do I remove the jailbreak and hacks if I need to in the future? Just worried about the warranty.

Ah, just noticed the downloads have uninstall files - is it as easy as putting them on Kindle and running them?


----------



## mishymac

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU....... 

You've made my new K3 *perfect* for me now......I can see my fav family photos when I wake up my K3 instead of those authors!

THANK YOU


----------



## grizedale

...and I can have the cover of the book I am currently reading, thank you.


----------



## history_lover

Well, I kept all of Kindle's non-author images on mine because I do actually like those. But I replaced the dead authors with my dead ancestors, lol. One of my hobbies is genealogy and I have a ton of old photos of my ancestors dating back to about the 1860s so I picked out the coolest ones to put on my screensaver.

I also added some Leonardo Da Vinci sketches and Pillars of the Earth illustrations. I wanted to add some of my favorite book covers but the ratio is never right - does it display with margins when that is the case?


----------



## luvmy4brats

history_lover said:


> How do I remove the jailbreak and hacks if I need to in the future? Just worried about the warranty.
> 
> Ah, just noticed the downloads have uninstall files - is it as easy as putting them on Kindle and running them?


Amazon has stated that while they dont support the hacks, using them wont void your warranty. 
And yes, the uninstall is as simple as the install.


----------



## history_lover

Mad Ethel Vane said:


> Amazon has stated that while they dont support the hacks, using them wont void your warranty.
> And yes, the uninstall is as simple as the install.


Thanks!


----------



## NiLuJe

@mlewis78: The Font hack isn't ready yet, anyway .


----------



## iamjosie

sweet!! finally i can haz my lol catz as screensavers. 
Thanks thanks thanks


----------



## Basilius

For those of you who might be a bit new to hacking your kindle, I have a tip. Particularly useful if you have a habit of losing track of downloaded files over time.

When you're copying the jailbreak or hack install files, also copy the uninstalls onto your Kindle so you don't lose them. I create an "uninstalls" folder under documents and put them in there. Then there's no worries about version mismatches if the hacks are updated by the time you feel the need to uninstall. Just copy the uninstall file from its folder to the Kindle's root and do the uninstall.


----------



## NogDog

Belle2Be said:


> I did, but the Update is still Greyed out.


OK, I'm confused. Did you or did you not successfully install the jailbreak hack and then the screensaver hack? If not, then we need to address that first, and figure out if you used the correct install.bin files for your device, or any other problems.

If you did install them successfully, then there is no reason to use the "Update" option any more (until you add some other hack), so it does not matter if it is grayed out. When you add image files to the screensaver folder, you do a "Restart" in order to load your images, *not* an "Update Your Kindle".

Hope that helps?


----------



## Steph H

Basilius said:


> For those of you who might be a bit new to hacking your kindle, I have a tip. Particularly useful if you have a habit of losing track of downloaded files over time.
> 
> When you're copying the jailbreak or hack install files, also copy the uninstalls onto your Kindle so you don't lose them. I create an "uninstalls" folder under documents and put them in there. Then there's no worries about version mismatches if the hacks are updated by the time you feel the need to uninstall. Just copy the uninstall file from its folder to the Kindle's root and do the uninstall.


Exactly what I was going to post -- this is what I do.


----------



## Steph H

NiLuJe said:


> *whistles idly*
> 
> I updated the MR thread with a Jailbreak & SS Hack that works on a K3 . (USBNet/Fonts to come later).


Ah, NiLuJe - you rock!

*scurries to get her K3 to do the hacking...*


----------



## Ariadne

Yahoooooo!!!!!!  Thanks so much.. 
It worked perfectly and the process was even easier than before, I think!
And it's amazing that we don't even have to uninstall the hack to get updates!!! NiLuJe you outdid yourself .
Now my Kindle is really mine again. And the pictures look beautiful with the new screen.
Thanks also to all the creative people who providep so many beautiful pictures.


----------



## Dangerosa

NiLuJe - I knew you could do it! Might sound funny, but being able to use my own screensavers makes me love my Kindle about a million times more than I already do. Thank you for all your hard work on this! You rock.


----------



## Tom Diego

Pushka said:


> Yes it does, I posted that earlier. I did the 3.0.2 update first, then the screensaver hack; luvmy4brats did the hack first, and then did the Amazon update. Both ways work fine.


Not sure why, but I wasn't so lucky. I did the hack first then updated to 3.02. The original screen savers were back when my K3G restarted. I'm not sure if I have to uninstall and re-install or just re-install.


----------



## luvmy4brats

Tom, Did you put your own screensavers in the Screensaver folder?


----------



## Alice Y. Yeh

I've been stalking this thread for a while now, waiting for directions. NiLuJe, you rock!


----------



## Tom Diego

Mad Ethel Vane said:


> Tom, Did you put your own screensavers in the Screensaver folder?


Yup. I did this hack on both my k2 and my wife's K2. If you don't put any screen savers into the /linkss/screensavers folder you end up with a blank screen. I ended up just copying the install.bin file to the root directory of the Kindle again and rebooting. My custom screen savers are back again.


----------



## CAR

Thanks so much NiLuJe !!  Great job  

Chuck


----------



## RobertK

Thanks so much for this. I <3 you.

BTW, does anyone know of links to some Kindle screensaver sites? I know I saw an awesome one linked on this forum, but I cannot for the life of me find it. Google has failed me.


----------



## luvmy4brats

We have a bunch right here on KindleBoards.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/board,10.0.html


----------



## NiLuJe

@Tom: Not since a whole bunch of version. If you leave the screensaver dir empty, the hack will abort, and you'll get the default screensavers . That may explain the confusion if you removed the default custom screensaver & installed the 3.0.2 update without rebooting/restarting the framework in between .


----------



## RobertK

Mad Ethel Vane said:


> We have a bunch right here on KindleBoards.
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/board,10.0.html


Thanks!


----------



## phlazm

New to the Kindle hack thing, heck new to Kindle.  To the point, I installed the hack but I want to keep some of the Amazon screensavers.  Right now I only see the custom screensavers, is there a way I can use some of the original Amazon shots AND my own?  I don't even know where to locate the original screensavers.

Thanks.  And awesome work on the hack!


----------



## chutieu

original screensavers are in folder linkss -> backups of your kindle


----------



## Thies

Think I did it all correct (first the jailbreak and than the "update_*_install.bin"-update) but I still have the original screensavers instead of my own. 
I had to copy the linkss/screensavers folder to the kindle myself, as it was not created by the hack automatically. 
Did the restart, but still the original screensavers....
Somebody knows what I'm doing wrong


----------



## fairy_dreams

Does anyone know if we have to uninstall the screensaver hack in order to receive new Amazon updates?


----------



## luvmy4brats

fairy_dreams said:


> Does anyone know if we have to uninstall the screensaver hack in order to receive new Amazon updates?


No you don't. It works just fine without uninstalling.


----------



## luvmy4brats

Thies said:


> Think I did it all correct (first the jailbreak and than the "update_*_install.bin"-update) but I still have the original screensavers instead of my own.
> I had to copy the linkss/screensavers folder to the kindle myself, as it was not created by the hack automatically.
> Did the restart, but still the original screensavers....
> Somebody knows what I'm doing wrong


It sounds like you didn't install the SS hack update properly. It would have created the folder if it was successful.


----------



## StaceyHH

Fantastic! Kisses all 'round, I'm so happy.


----------



## DailyLunatic

Somebody help me here. What does this mean?



> "If you want to make the order in which your screensavers will appear more or less random, create a blank "random" file in the linkss/ folder (right alongside the auto file)"


Huh?  What should I name the random file? What extension should I use? What should I create it with, Notepad?

Really, Really want the SS Hack, but not going to touch it till I understand what I need to do. Don't want to brick anything and I'm really fuzzy on the whole blank file thing that seems assumed to be thought understood.

Sterling
92.5% Pure


----------



## NiLuJe

Err, it's just a file named "random" (without the quotes, of course), I say blank because it can be completely empty, we don't care for it's contents . No file extension.

(ie.
touch random
on a *nix system)

On Windows you'd better copy/paste & rename one of the other blank files to avoid stupid Windows adding a .txt or something like that .


----------



## NogDog

DailyLunatic said:


> Somebody help me here. What does this mean?
> 
> Huh?  What should I name the random file? What extension should I use? What should I create it with, Notepad?
> 
> Really, Really want the SS Hack, but not going to touch it till I understand what I need to do. Don't want to brick anything and I'm really fuzzy on the whole blank file thing that seems assumed to be thought understood.
> 
> Sterling
> 92.5% Pure


It just means to create a file named "random" there. It can simply be an empty file (probably doesn't actually get read at all, so doesn't really matter). In Windows, just right-click in "empty space" on the file explorer window, select the "New" option, and in the sub-menu select the "text file" option. Then rename it to "random", deleting the ".txt" suffix and clicking the OK button when asked if you really want to change the file type. (Or you can just to the same thing on your desktop, then drag-and-drop it onto the Kindle.)


----------



## DailyLunatic

NiLuJe said:


> Err, it's just a file named "random" (without the quotes, of course), I say blank because it can be completely empty, we don't care for it's contents . No file extension.
> 
> On Windows you'd better copy/paste & rename one of the other blank files to avoid stupid Windows adding a .txt or something like that .


Thanx. I've been burned often enough trying to set up or move things on the internet cause the defaults, or settings were wrong when I saved it, that I guess I'm a bit gunshy when someone asks me to create a file from scratch on a system I know nothing about.

Thank you again for the help, and the efforts you have made getting this to us.

Sterling
92.5% Pure


----------



## rogerinnyc

NiLuJe --
Thank you ever so much! After your first reports of not having succeeded, I didn't dare hope that you would come through with the ss hack, let alone this quickly.
It works, it's great and, as someone else said, I now feel like I "own" my Kindle 3 again.
Are you working on adding back the font hacks too? They're less necessary with the K3 and the new software, but I wouldn't mind getting Georgia back!
Regardless, thank you, thank you, thank you!


----------



## Thies

Luvmy4brats said:


> It sounds like you didn't install the SS hack update properly. It would have created the folder if it was successful.


Well I did it all over again (step by step according: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles ).
But I still only see the old screensavers... .


----------



## Cloysterpete

NiLuJe - You are a legend, rock on!. I like how the first few days you were working on this you were like, oh guys I don't think I'm going to be able to do a hack this time as Amazon have changed this and that, it lowered everyone expectations in-case you couldn't pull it off this time, I had just resigned myself to those crappy images (they would have been bearable if they were like screensavers on normal mobiles etc) they WHAM I log on and there's a hack, I thought the first person who posted it was full of crap to start with lol.

Took me four attempts to get it working right though, first I was confused by the hack saying unsuccessful all the time, then I got it working but only the images saying the hack had worked, then I put the images in the wrong folder, then I put them in the right folder but still couldn't get it going because I had forgot to restart the Kindle. I got there in the end though!.


----------



## thetonyclifton

I feel so much better and not as conservative


----------



## NiLuJe

@rogerinnyc: I'm working on the full hack right now, should be ready in a few days. In the meantime, if you only need to change the reader font, check this: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99355 

@Thies: Are you sure the update process in itself didn't fail?

Like I said in the font tweak thread, I'm pretty sure official custom screensavers support is ready, just not enabled by Amazon yet... So, for those of you who don't want to hack your Kindles, there's still hope .


----------



## thetonyclifton

NiLuJe said:


> @rogerinnyc: I'm working on the full hack right now, should be ready in a few days. In the meantime, if you only need to change the reader font, check this: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99355
> 
> @Thies: Are you sure the update process in itself didn't fail?
> 
> Like I said in the font tweak thread, I'm pretty sure official custom screensavers support is ready, just not enabled by Amazon yet... So, for those of you who don't want to hack your Kindles, there's still hope .


What will happen if amazon do implement custom screensavers can we restore to default firmware again? how?


----------



## NiLuJe

Just uninstall the hack .


----------



## thetonyclifton

NiLuJe said:


> Just uninstall the hack .


Is it the same process except using the uninstall .bin instead?


----------



## NogDog

thetonyclifton said:


> Is it the same process except using the uninstall .bin instead?


Yes, but do the uninstall for the screensaver (and any other hacks) _before _uninstalling the jailbreak (though you probably won't really _have_ to uninstall the jailbreak).


----------



## calypso

it totally works! thanks Niluje! (i hope i didnt butcher your nick. )


----------



## BruceS

There appears to be a slight error in the instructions posted on http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles#How_to_install_the_Jailbreak_Hack

One of the steps says "5) Place your 600x800 (824x1200 if you have a DX) image files (png or jpeg) into the "linkss/screensaver" folder.".

The actual directory created by the hack is "linkss/screensavers".

I discovered the error because I was not sure whether the hack actually created the directory and I created the one described in step 5) and copied my pictures to it before running the hack.

After the K3 completed booting, I was surprised when the only screen shown was NiLuje's Welcome screen.

I reconnected the K3 via USB and found the other directory. After moving my pictures to that one and restarting the K3 again, all my pictures showed up.

I just mentioned this, because it might be the reason some people are getting confused.


----------



## harpangel36

Could someone be so kind as to post easy instructions on how to make our screensavers  show in random order? I saw it somewhere but can't find it, now.Thanks


----------



## 911jason

In the linkss folder you'll see a blank file called autoreboot, click on that file, then right-click on it and choose copy. Click in the open area of the folder so that no files are selected and then right-click and choose Paste. It should put a copy of the autoreboot file there. Now right-click that file and choose RENAME and make the new name RANDOM. Then eject your Kindle. Go to the Home screen, press Menu, choose Settings, then press Menu again and choose Restart.


----------



## unknown2cherubim

total newb here. I'm just working up my nerve.  It sounds a lot more complicated than it probably is.  We can't use our own jpegs though, right?  We have to use "converted" files.  I know the screensaver thread has many gorgeous ones.


----------



## luvmy4brats

You can use your own, but if they're not sized correctly they might not look right. They also look better if they're converted to black & white before you add them to the Kindle.


----------



## NogDog

unknown2cherubim said:


> total newb here. I'm just working up my nerve. It sounds a lot more complicated than it probably is. We can't use our own jpegs though, right? We have to use "converted" files. I know the screensaver thread has many gorgeous ones.


You can use any image file (not sure if all formats, but PNG, GIF, and JPEG for sure). Nothing "special" has to be done, but for best results you want it to be the same dimensions as the screen (600 pixels by 800 pixels for the 6" screens). Since it is only going to display it in shades of gray, you can minimize file size by saving it as a gray-scale image instead of full color, but that is not required.

Creating screen-saver images with The GIMP

My screen-saver generator page (upload an image and get a rescaled, cropped, gray-scale version)


----------



## unknown2cherubim

NogDog said:


> You can use any image file (not sure if all formats, but PNG, GIF, and JPEG for sure). Nothing "special" has to be done, but for best results you want it to be the same dimensions as the screen (600 pixels by 800 pixels for the 6" screens). Since it is only going to display it in shades of gray, you can minimize file size by saving it as a gray-scale image instead of full color, but that is not required.
> 
> Creating screen-saver images with The GIMP
> 
> My screen-saver generator page (upload an image and get a rescaled, cropped, gray-scale version)


Okay, cool! I'm handy enough with Paint Shop Pro to crop, resize and convert to grayscale. Maybe I could do this ...


----------



## pidgeon92

unknown2cherubim said:


> We can't use our own jpegs though, right?


Sure you can. You want to make sure you make them 600x800 pixels.


----------



## droopydog33

NiLuJe
New to Kindle all together and you made this so easy. Thanks so much!


----------



## NiLuJe

@BruceS: Ouch. Nice catch!  Fixed, thanks!

Re image format: I'd recommend converting your images to grayscale PNG/GIF (and even dithering down to a 16 colors palette manually beforehand [But *don't* save it indexed, save it grayscale]), because we've had weird results with JPG files... (If your images looks completely weird (inverted, solarized...), that's why .


----------



## kevinpars

NogDog - thanks for posting the link to your wonderful tool.  It makes creating screensavers a breeze!  Very helpful.


----------



## KindleGirl

kevinpars said:


> NogDog - thanks for posting the link to your wonderful tool. It makes creating screensavers a breeze! Very helpful.


^^What he said! Can't thank you enough for making this so easy! Now I don't have to bug anyone to convert my book covers to screen savers! Love it!


----------



## northofdivision

Just saw the screensaver by "TheTonyClifton" (is it banksy?)...HOly wow wow wow. where can i find that screensaver. its amazing. that over emily dickinson any day. Update: The screensaver hack is PHENOMENAL!!! Thank you, NiLuje!!!


----------



## Laurie

northofdivision said:


> all of this seems way too complicated for my simple mind. but then i just saw the screensaver by "TheTonyClifton" (is it banksy?)...HOly wow wow wow. where can i find that screensaver. its amazing. that over emily dickinson any day. still seems too complicated. how long does this screensaver hack take?


Even if you're nervous, slow, and cautious it shouldn't take any more than 5 or 10 minutes. I was hesitant for a long time too, but it's actually pretty easy. Just take your time and follow the steps in order and you shouldn't have any problem. I printed a copy of the instructions to have in front of me while I did it.


----------



## kevinpars

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but is there a practical limit to the number of images that can be used as screensavers?  It seemed like the Kindle 1 was limited to about 20 (different software and a different hack) and I wondered if there was a recommendation here.


----------



## intinst

kevinpars said:


> Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but is there a practical limit to the number of images that can be used as screensavers? It seemed like the Kindle 1 was limited to about 20 (different software and a different hack) and I wondered if there was a recommendation here.


I have fifty or more on my K1. No problems.


----------



## DailyLunatic

NiLuJe said:


> @rogerinnyc: I'm working on the full hack right now, should be ready in a few days. In the meantime, if you only need to change the reader font, check this: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99355
> 
> @Thies: Are you sure the update process in itself didn't fail?
> 
> Like I said in the font tweak thread, I'm pretty sure official custom screensavers support is ready, just not enabled by Amazon yet... So, for those of you who don't want to hack your Kindles, there's still hope .


Woot, woot! Yeah Baby. Thats what I'm talking about.

Sterling
92.5% Pure


----------



## Steph H

kevinpars said:


> Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but is there a practical limit to the number of images that can be used as screensavers? It seemed like the Kindle 1 was limited to about 20 (different software and a different hack) and I wondered if there was a recommendation here.


I have about 115 on my K3...


----------



## Boone-scully

I have installed the screensaver hack and have been reading in this forum to try and get my custom screensavers to switch just like the original ones did. And for the life of me I can't figure it out. I did the whole random folder that someone posted on here. How do I get them to switch everytime I turn it on?


----------



## paxxus

Boone-scully said:


> I have installed the screensaver hack and have been reading in this forum to try and get my custom screensavers to switch just like the original ones did. And for the life of me I can't figure it out. I did the whole random folder that someone posted on here. How do I get them to switch everytime I turn it on?


It's not a random folder you create but a file called "random", the instructions explains it.


----------



## northofdivision

Boone-scully...I hear that. had the same confusion (file not folder):
"copying and renaming the existing "autoreboot" blank file, for example) " I just did that and it worked. copied the autoreboot into the root file then retitled it "random". worked great....

Just did up the hack. Worked seemlessly. Amazing stuff...NiLuJe, you deserve some free sushi from all of us. Keep up the good work! Putting together some favourite quotes and will use some of the backdrops in the community screensaver gallery, superimpose them, and post em back.


----------



## Boone-scully

I meant file. I did the copy, paste, rename and still not getting them to switch. I have the "random" file in the linkss folder under all the other files in there. Is that were it's supposed to be?


----------



## NogDog

Boone-scully said:


> I meant file. I did the copy, paste, rename and still not getting them to switch. I have the "random" file in the linkss folder under all the other files in there. Is that were it's supposed to be?


Even without the "random" file, you should still be cycling through each image, just sequentially instead of randomly. If you are seeing the same image over and over, my suspicion is that you need to do a "Restart" in order to apply the additional images you copied into the screensavers folder. (Make sure it's a "Restart", _not_ a "Reset to Factory Settings"!).


----------



## 911jason

Boone-scully said:


> I meant file. I did the copy, paste, rename and still not getting them to switch. I have the "random" file in the linkss folder under all the other files in there. Is that were it's supposed to be?





NogDog said:


> Even without the "random" file, you should still be cycling through each image, just sequentially instead of randomly. If you are seeing the same image over and over, my suspicion is that you need to do a "Restart" in order to apply the additional images you copied into the screensavers folder. (Make sure it's a "Restart", _not_ a "Reset to Factory Settings"!).


NogDog is right, if you still see the "random" file in the linkss folder, then you haven't done a full restart yet.

Also for those using the random feature, NiLuJe has posted a new version of the hack that does random better... I'm not sure what the problem with it was before, but you can get it here:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004


----------



## sarch99

I've been perfectly happy just browsing Kindle Boards as a guest.......until today.  I registered just so I could say a huge thank you to NiLuJe!  The hack went off without a hitch, and I now have lovely new screen savers.  NiLuJe, you rock!


----------



## northofdivision

small problem i noticed: I have the latest screensaver hack and when checking if it goes random i saw it went to two different screensavers (i put up six just to try it out)...but i notice that when i put it to sleep and wake it up, it always only goes to two of the screensavers and not the other four. any insights as to why?


----------



## 911jason

Which version did you install? He posted two versions today, the first was 0.12.N and there was apparently a small bug in that one, so he immediately posted a fix with 0.13.N... make sure you used that one.


----------



## NiLuJe

@911jason: The random file won't budge. It's a permanent trigger file, not a state file that gets removed once the randomizing is done . (Meaning it'll re-randomize each time you restart, and not just one time).

@northofdivision: If you're using the buggy v0.12.N, that may be becasue some of them contain spaces. I fixed that a couple of hours after the v0.12.N release. If you're sure you're running v0.13.N, please post the filenames of your screensavers .


----------



## 911jason

NiLuJe said:


> @911jason: The random file won't budge. It's a permanent trigger file, not a state file that gets removed once the randomizing is done . (Meaning it'll re-randomize each time you restart, and not just one time).


Really?! I could have sworn it was deleted on mine after the restart. Hmmm.... will have to look again! =)


----------



## NiLuJe

@911jason: Nope 



Code:


grep -r random .

./linkss/bin/linkss:if [ -f ${LINKSS_BASEDIR}/random ] ; then
./linkss/bin/linkss:    msg "start of screensavers randomizing" I
./linkss/bin/linkss:    # Loop through all our sorted custom screensavers, and rename them in order (order that's now random, courtesy of coreutils' sort),
./linkss/bin/linkss:        # Check if it's really an int, to see if this is the first randomizer round...
./linkss/bin/linkss:    msg "end of screensavers randomizing" I

Not a rm in sight ^^


----------



## dawnflight1984

NiLuJe said:


> @911jason: The random file won't budge. It's a permanent trigger file, not a state file that gets removed once the randomizing is done . (Meaning it'll re-randomize each time you restart, and not just one time).
> 
> @northofdivision: If you're using the buggy v0.12.N, that may be becasue some of them contain spaces. I fixed that a couple of hours after the v0.12.N release. If you're sure you're running v0.13.N, please post the filenames of your screensavers .


Is there any way to tell which version we have downloaded after we have installed the hack into our K3? I have installed the hack, so far it worked well, but I could have sworn I installed the v0.12.N...


----------



## NiLuJe

Check the linkss/info.txt file


----------



## harpangel36

I installed the SS hack for my K3 yesterday and it worked beautifully. I did not install any random files. Which item do I download to install the random SS on my k3?


----------



## NogDog

harpangel36 said:


> I installed the SS hack for my K3 yesterday and it worked beautifully. I did not install any random files. Which item do I download to install the random SS on my k3?


There is no real need to add the random file, unless you do not like the default sequence in which it displays your screensaver images and instead want to make it random. If so, you just need to create/copy an empty file name "random" into the "linkss" folder. (Actually, it doesn't matter if there is anything in the file or not, just that it is named "random".)


----------



## harpangel36

Oh thank you. I thought something new came out today with a better way to randomize the pics


----------



## NogDog

harpangel36 said:


> Oh thank you. I thought something new came out today with a better way to randomize the pics


Without the random file, they get displayed in file name order (however the operating system chooses to sort them). If you add the random file, they are essentially renamed in a random order wherever it is they get copied to in the guts of the system, thus giving you a truly random order. Some people actually like the default method, purposely naming their files in such a way as to control the sequence. It's a "to each his/her own" thing. I'm in the "I don't care what order" camp, myself.


----------



## northofdivision

@northofdivision: If you're using the buggy v0.12.N, that may be becasue some of them contain spaces. I fixed that a couple of hours after the v0.12.N release. If you're sure you're running v0.13.N, please post the filenames of your screensavers Wink.

Thanks for the help. I installed v0.13.N and the two screensavers which worked are titled "MST3K" and "books1"....the four which don't work are "compugirl," "9revolt," "NYCstreet" and "propaganda01"...all six of these i pulled from the kindle community gallery. Once again for those that didn't see my previous post. the two are coming up as screensavers in sequence (seemingly random as they're not next to one another in the file) and the other four are not coming up as screensavers. whats also strange is that four files are .png and two are .jpg and one of each work. *shrug* mystery...

***UPDATE: solved. 911jason's suggestion worked. just restarted it and it loaded the files fine. now its randomly using all six photos. sweet. time to put another 50 on now. thanks 911jason


----------



## 911jason

harpangel36 said:


> Oh thank you. I thought something new came out today with a better way to randomize the pics


There were changes made to the hack today that was supposed to improve the random functionality (I think)... they are posted over on Mobileread. Maybe NiLuJe can enlighten us on what exactly was changed. It may not be significant enough to warrant going through the hack process again if you aren't that comfortable doing so.


----------



## NiLuJe

Yep, it's now really random ;p.

The previous implementation used a dirty workaround (because of the nature of the embedded Kindle system, and the overhead involved with some other possible workarounds) involving using the length the the filename as a seed for trying to come up with a random number. That meant that at best, it wasn't much random, and at worst, especially if you had a lot of sequential files with same length filenames, it wasn't doing much at all .


----------



## Mauvaise

Great work, *NiLuJe*! I installed both the jailbreak and the screen-saver hack and it's working beautifully.

I have one quick question on the random feature: after I've created the "random" file (I can do this by copying the "reboot" file and renaming, "random", correct?) do I put the "random" file in the main linkss folder with the "auto" and "autoreboot" files, or do I put it in the Screensavers folder?

Thank you!


----------



## Boone-scully

Does one screensaver hack have to be uninstalled to udate to the next hack?


----------



## northofdivision

looks like we don't have to uninstall ever for screensaver updates, fortunately (from wiki):

"First of all, no need to touch the jailbreak again. You already installed it the first time you installed hacks. Just forget about it now .

Next, no need to run the update_*_uninstall.bin update, ever. (except in some very specific cases, like if you're updating from another screen saver hack [in which case you should use the original uninstaller for your hack, and not the one found here]).

Then, you can apply the latest update_*_install.bin update.

After that, to make sure everything's in order, do a full Restart of your Kindle, and you'll be good to go.

Basically, just do a full install of the hack like described here, and then restart your Kindle (Menu > Settings > Menu > Restart). "


----------



## Boone-scully

I have tried the uninstall for the version I have now, as well as the update. After the restart it says that the update failed. I'm not sure what I need to do now......


----------



## northofdivision

Boone-scully said:


> I have tried the uninstall for the version I have now, as well as the update. After the restart it says that the update failed. I'm not sure what I need to do now......


you're talking about the screensaver hack not the initial jailbreak failing? (as you read in the instructions that the jailbreak will say the update failed but actually didn't) can you uninstall both and start from scratch with the instructions?
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles#How_to_install_the_Jailbreak_Hack

walk us through the steps you took and at what point it went wrong and i'm sure one of us could figure it out what's gone wrong.


----------



## Cindy416

How many of you are concerned about voiding your warranties if you install the screensaver hack?  I had it on my K2, and loved having my own screensavers. That said, my K2 didn't have a Square Trade warranty, and I missed the deadline to get an Amazon warranty, as my Kindle was a gift and I didn't know the ins and outs of warranties for it.  

With my K3, of course, it's still under Amazon's warranty. (Not sure how long the one that comes with the K3 lasts. Anyone?) I also have a ST warranty now. If something were to happen and I could remove the ss hack and jailbreak before having to send the K3 in, all would be well. What if the K3 either froze in an 'on' position or wouldn't turn on. If I had to send it in that way and Amazon revived it, they'd know that the jailbreak and hack were on.  (Can the jailbreak be undone?)

I'm not a natural pessimist, but I know that I want my warranties to be in effect should I need them.  (If Amazon's CS weren't so great, there might not be a problem, but since they have been known to replace problematic Kindles, the hacks could make a difference.)

Thanks!


----------



## Boone-scully

I tried uninstalling the screensaver hack. It says once the jailbreak is installed it doesn't have to be touched. I am just trying to replace my version 0.11.N screensaver hack, with the newest one.


----------



## vermontcathy

I could be wrong, but I think the option to reset to factory defaults might remove the hacks. So if you had a problem and wanted warranty support, this would work, right?

Also I thought that someone posted a message from CS saying that it wouldn't void the warranty, but if hacks cause you to have problems with your kindle, CS isn't going to help you with that.


----------



## Cindy416

vermontcathy said:


> I could be wrong, but I think the option to reset to factory defaults might remove the hacks. So if you had a problem and wanted warranty support, this would work, right?
> 
> Also I thought that someone posted a message from CS saying that it wouldn't void the warranty, but if hacks cause you to have problems with your kindle, CS isn't going to help you with that.


Interesting. I thought with my K2 that I had to remove the hack before restoring to factory defaults. I'll have to try to find what CS said about hacks. Thanks a lot. I really want my beautiful screensaver hacks back.


----------



## luvmy4brats

Amazon has stated that installing the hacks will not void your warranty. They just won't support the hacks (in other words, they're not going to tell you how to install/uninstall them and if the hacks brick your Kindle (which hasn't happened yet) they won't replace it)

At worst, they'll ask you to remove the hacks if you have a problem so that they can troubleshoot it.

Off to find the quoted post from them...


----------



## luvmy4brats

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-com-Customer-Service/forum/Fx2EGRL42MHF15D/Tx1XWROEYYNYZUA/12/ref=cm_cd_et_md_pl?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdMsgNo=283&asin=B00154JDAI&store=fiona-hardware&cdSort=oldest&cdMsgID=Mx2HTAOBPKHJ0P8#Mx2HTAOBPKHJ0P8



> Good Evening. This is the Official Amazon.com Customer Service post for 3/02/2009
> 
> Charging your Kindle battery
> With Kindle 2's battery you don't need to fully drain the battery before recharging, or wait until the battery is fully charged to start using it again. The Lithium-ion battery is optimized in such a way that incomplete charging won't affect the battery life. For example, if you drain the battery halfway two days in a row while fully charging both times at night, this would only count as one charge cycle. Leaving Kindle in extreme temperatures, like in your car, will have the most negative impact on the overall life of your battery.
> 
> Leaving wireless turned on or sustained use of the wireless functions will cause the battery to drain faster. If you would like to turn the wireless off, select menu from the home screen. Use the five-way controller to select "Wireless Off". Also, downloading a large number of books at once will cause the device to index new content. If you have recently transferred or downloaded a large number of books it is recommended that you leave the device turned on and connected to the charger overnight.
> 
> As with any other aspect of Kindle, if you think that your device is not performing as it should, please have detailed notes of your usage and the battery life experienced and contact customer support:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/kindle-help.html
> 
> *Custom Screen Savers
> Amazon.com Customer Service does not support or provide instructions for adding custom images to your Kindle to be used as screen savers. However, should you choose to do this on your own it will not void your warranty.*
> 
> Loss or Theft
> If you Kindle is lost or stolen, you can always deregister the device from the Manage Your Kindle page (http://www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle) so that no orders can be placed on your account from Kindle. At your own discretion, you can enter your contact information in the Personal Information section on the device Settings menu. The standard warranty and the extended warranty do not cover against loss or theft.


----------



## Wisteria Clematis

Heather, you are amazing! No one else could have come up with that info from Amazon that quickly. Good job


----------



## NiLuJe

@Mauvaise: Yep, in the linkss folder, alongside auto .

@Boone-scully: If you're updating from the same hack (ie. mine), you don't need to uninstall it before, just install the new one on top, it handles upgrades just fine (keeping your screensavers intact).

Now, if an update failed, that's *before* the updater does a restart. If that's the case, check the error number that'll appear in the lower left corner. If you did a "Restart" with a custom binfile on your Kindle, *DON'T*. At best, it'll fail... You can only install custom hacks via the "Update Your Kindle" link, never, ever, *ever*, restart your Kindle with a custom binfile!


----------



## NiLuJe

Reset to factory defaults *won't* remove the Hacks.

Also, if you bother Kindle CS while the hacks are installed, it'll be obvious to them that they're installed, because my hacks output their status to the system logs during boot/shutdown.


----------



## Cindy416

Luvmy4brats said:


> Amazon has stated that installing the hacks will not void your warranty. They just won't support the hacks (in other words, they're not going to tell you how to install/uninstall them and if the hacks brick your Kindle (which hasn't happened yet) they won't replace it)
> 
> At worst, they'll ask you to remove the hacks if you have a problem so that they can troubleshoot it.
> 
> Off to find the quoted post from them...


Thanks, Heather! As I said, it wasn't really a problem with my K2, since no warranties were in place by the time I had a ss hack.

I can see why they'd comment about not helping people with ss problems. You'd think they'd get the message that we really want our own screensavers. It's not exactly rocket science in this day and age. Since I absolutely love my Kindle, I'm not going to complain about Amazon, though, as their CS is purported to be unparalleled. I've only needed it with my Amazon cover with light, but not with either Kindle.

Thanks again, Heather. Hope your cold is better today. You're still my hero for having accomplished the transition of your Oberon from a beautiful cover to an Oberon with a light!


----------



## Ann in Arlington

combining this with the existing thread re: "screensaver" hacks


----------



## Boone-scully

Ok, thanks NiLuJe! I finally got it to work, but I have noticed that two pictures I put into the folder aren't showing. Can I post them and see if they can be converted? I thought I saw a thread where pictures were being posted?


----------



## NiLuJe

@Boone-scully: Just to make sure: You did restart your Kindle (or use the autoreboot feature) after putting your custom screensavers? The list of files to show is only loaded once during boot, so you can't add screensavers and hope they'll how up without restarting the framework first . Because usually, corrupt files tend to be shown as a blank screen intsead of being skipped (I may be completely wrong on that count though, I've never really tried that ).


----------



## Pushka

Cindy416 said:


> How many of you are concerned about voiding your warranties if you install the screensaver hack? I had it on my K2, and loved having my own screensavers.


In the Amazon forum, under the title Bye Bye Screensavers, I posted a direct link to the Amazon Customer Service post, which stated that doing the hacks *does not void* your warranty for kindle repair/replacement. Amazon's search engine is pretty bad but will try to find the link to it.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Pushka said:


> In the Amazon forum, under the title Bye Bye Screensavers, I posted a direct link to the Amazon Customer Service post, which stated that doing the hacks *does not void* your warranty for kindle repair/replacement. Amazon's search engine is pretty bad but will try to find the link to it.


Heather already posted it. . . . .on page 9 of this thread, reply#220. . . .


----------



## Pushka

Ah, the perils of replying to a post too early in the thread.  
Except I thought I had got to the end.   Never mind!


----------



## Boone-scully

@ NiLuJe - Yes I restarted after i added the images into the screensaver folder. All the others i put in there are showing up just fine, it's just the two that aren't coming through. I'm also not getting a blank spot, it's like they are just being skipped all together. I went back to double check that they were in the folder, and they are, just being ignored, it seems.


----------



## jlee745

I feel like a big dummy. I have followed the directions for the Screensaver Hack to the best of my abilities. I downloaded the 0.13.N
then i extracted it and then I dragged the update for the K3g to the kindle directory. Then I safely unplugged and done the update kindle process but during the process I get a message saying the update was unsuccesfull. I even restarted the kindle b4 plugging back into computer. Then the only folders I have under the kindle is the same ones as b4 .active & audible & documents & music. I do not see the linkss/screensavers folder. Could someone please tell me what I am doing wrong b4 i pull my hair out. It drives me bonkers when I can't figure something out.


----------



## Mauvaise

jlee745 said:


> I feel like a big dummy. I have followed the directions for the Screensaver Hack to the best of my abilities. I downloaded the 0.13.N
> then i extracted it and then I dragged the update for the K3g to the kindle directory. Then I safely unplugged and done the update kindle process but during the process I get a message saying the update was unsuccesfull. I even restarted the kindle b4 plugging back into computer. Then the only folders I have under the kindle is the same ones as b4 .active & audible & documents & music. I do not see the linkss/screensavers folder. Could someone please tell me what I am doing wrong b4 i pull my hair out. It drives me bonkers when I can't figure something out.


Have you run the jailbreak "update" before trying to install the screensaver hack? It is my understanding that the screensaver hack will not (and can not) work without first installing/updating your kindle with the jailbreak.


----------



## jlee745

That fixed it. 
Thanks for the help!


----------



## emclinux

I have been reading this and want to add something to the warranty.  If you look at the date of the amazon post (Mar. 2, 2009) and the content of the post Amazon was referring to the Kindle 2.  While the Kindle 2 and 3 are similar to us they are apple and oranges as far as support and warranties go.  I know this first hand as I work in support and have to explain this to customers all the time.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

emclinux said:


> I have been reading this and want to add something to the warranty. If you look at the date of the amazon post (Mar. 2, 2009) and the content of the post Amazon was referring to the Kindle 2. While the Kindle 2 and 3 are similar to us they are apple and oranges as far as support and warranties go. I know this first hand as I work in support and have to explain this to customers all the time.


As always, any modifications are at your own risk and you should be sure you're comfortable with the file manipulation required before starting the process. And, be aware that if you really mess things up. . . Amazon is not likely to have any sympathy and _may_ not honor the warranty. I have no reason to suppose they wouldn't based on previous statements, but I also don't think they'd be required to.

The above quoted post provides, I think, a reasonable caveat. . . . .Amazon has obviously altered the operating system since they first posted that policy -- a K2 with 2.5.x or a K3 now require "jailbreaking" to even get the hacks on.

But they also haven't come out and said "you do this, your warranty is voided".

On balance, I think it's more likely than not that the warranty would still be honored -- especially if your issue is not related to the software. But we can't be sure, I think.


----------



## Pushka

I think Amazons position is a reasonable one. They don't support the hack, don't provide it and therefore won't be in a position to assist of something goes wrong. But they will support if it is a hardware issue. They never ask if the kindle has been hacked before sending a replacement if a switch breaks etc.


----------



## NiLuJe

@Boone-scully: Huh. What's the filename/format/size of the the missing ones?


----------



## Boone-scully

@NiLuJe: they are jpg's, and the file sizes are big but when I tried to fix them they looked like shi...er, crap. They are photographs of my daughters.


----------



## babyd

emclinux said:


> I have been reading this and want to add something to the warranty. If you look at the date of the amazon post (Mar. 2, 2009) and the content of the post Amazon was referring to the Kindle 2. While the Kindle 2 and 3 are similar to us they are apple and oranges as far as support and warranties go. I know this first hand as I work in support and have to explain this to customers all the time.


Looks like bad news......I emailed them to ask if it would void the warranty or they would still honor the warranty as they did with the kindle 2 screensaver hack,........ the reply I got directed me to the terms and conditions section about the software on the Kindle, so they clearly implied that it would void the warranty as you are messing around with the software........looks like I won't be able to do it now  Stuck with the uglies, at least till my first year is up, so sad.


----------



## Granvillen

I had a problem with my K2, which had the screen saver and Font hacks.  I told them I had the hacks on the one I was returning and they told me no problem.  I did not have to remove anything.  That did not void my warranty.


----------



## northofdivision

babyd said:


> Looks like bad news......I emailed them to ask if it would void the warranty or they would still honor the warranty as they did with the kindle 2 screensaver hack,........ the reply I got directed me to the terms and conditions section about the software on the Kindle, so they clearly implied that it would void the warranty as you are messing around with the software........looks like I won't be able to do it now  Stuck with the uglies, at least till my first year is up, so sad.


sorry to hear. i say leave the uglies and take the chance. its worth going without the warranty just to say goodbye to scary emily dickinson screensaver alone (still get nightmares imagining it popping up)... 










compliments of "thetonyclifton" Great saver...


----------



## babyd

Granvillen said:


> I had a problem with my K2, which had the screen saver and Font hacks. I told them I had the hacks on the one I was returning and they told me no problem. I did not have to remove anything. That did not void my warranty.


trouble is they did say it would not void the warranty on the K2 but it seems they are not yet going to do so on the K3. I was very clearly directed to the terms about the software meddling, indicating that it will void it for now. Maybe if enough people email to ask they may say its okay as they did with the k2, but for now, it seems it will void it.........


----------



## babyd

northofdivision said:


> sorry to hear. i say leave the uglies and take the chance. its worth going without the warranty just to say goodbye to scary emily dickinson screensaver alone (still get nightmares imagining it popping up)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> compliments of "thetonyclifton" Great saver...


LOL yep that Emily one is a killer, it has caused me a few jumps when Ive opened my cover rofl....

I want to do it, but guess I will wait till nearer the end of my warranty, or they change their mind, its only 3 weeks in at the moment......as I said before, maybe if enough email about the warranty position they will turn around and say it doesn't like they did with k2.......


----------



## Whidbeyislandgirl

Will we need to remove the hack to get software updates like we had to do on the K2?

Sorry if this has already been answered, I tried to go through all of the messages to see but got distracted and decided to just ask!

Looking forward to no more dead authors!


----------



## KimberlyinMN

Whidbeyislandgirl said:


> Will we need to remove the hack to get software updates like we had to do on the K2?


Nope! Updates will still work.


----------



## NiLuJe

@Boone-scully: Yep, given how the reader handles non resized jpg covers (meaning: badly ), that's most likely why they're skipped .


----------



## Whidbeyislandgirl

KimberlyinMN said:


> Nope! Updates will still work.


Cool! Thought that was the case but I wanted to confirm....


----------



## CAR

babyd said:


> LOL yep that Emily one is a killer, it has caused me a few jumps when Ive opened my cover rofl....
> 
> I want to do it, but guess I will wait till nearer the end of my warranty, or they change their mind, its only 3 weeks in at the moment......as I said before, maybe if enough email about the warranty position they will turn around and say it doesn't like they did with k2.......


They are doing a lot of things different this time around, like sending out refurbished K3 before 30 days.


----------



## Basket lady

Ok, just spend an hour installing the jailbreak hack and the screensaver hack, tried it out and it worked!  Thanks 
Now I need to ask a stupid question.  I only put a couple screensavers on to see if it worked.  It looks like from the directions that once I add more screensavers to my file I have to add a "blank reboot file".  I see it on the screen shot.  I don't know how to do this...I am not just making a new folder (like the button at the top gives me the option to do).  How do I make a blank reboot file?  Where do I do it?  
Probably a really simple answer, but I don't want to mess anything up at this point.

Thanks


----------



## Basket lady

One more, probably silly question.  Is there any way to scroll through the screensavers that are on your Kindle without sliding the power button on and off, on and off, .....


----------



## NogDog

Basket lady said:


> Ok, just spend an hour installing the jailbreak hack and the screensaver hack, tried it out and it worked! Thanks
> Now I need to ask a stupid question. I only put a couple screensavers on to see if it worked. It looks like from the directions that once I add more screensavers to my file I have to add a "blank reboot file". I see it on the screen shot. I don't know how to do this...I am not just making a new folder (like the button at the top gives me the option to do). How do I make a blank reboot file? Where do I do it?
> Probably a really simple answer, but I don't want to mess anything up at this point.
> 
> Thanks


The way I do it (on Windows 7) is open up the linkss folder, right-click in the main window (where the files and sub-folders are displayed) in an empty area, so that no file or folder is selected. That pops up a menu, where I select the "New" option, then in the resulting sub-menu I select "Text Document". It then creates a new file with the name selected so that I can type in a new name. I then change it to "reboot", making sure to also overwrite the ".txt" suffix so that the new name has no suffix at all. When I hit Enter, I then click "Yes" on the pop-up that appears asking if I want to change the file type.



Basket lady said:


> One more, probably silly question. Is there any way to scroll through the screensavers that are on your Kindle without sliding the power button on and off, on and off, .....


Not that I know of, at least not directly. There is an undocumented way to set up a sort of image slide-show on the Kindle, but it would require setting up another directory with separate copies (or maybe shortcuts?) of each of the images in question.


----------



## bordercollielady

Not sure what  I did  wrong.  I installed the  jailbreak (kindle-jailbreak-0.3.N) on my  Kindle 3  3g-wi  (US)  and then  the screensaver hack  (kindle-ss-0.14.N)  - and  moved some jpg files under  linkss/screensavers- did a reset  and the only screensaver  I  see is  the one that the hack  added -  which says  "The  ScreenSavers Hack has been successfully installed".. I have put the Kindle to sleep  and  woken it up - but it didn't change.  I also added  the "random" file.. which didn't help.  What did I  forget?

I  just  put it to sleep again  and woke it up - and its working. Not sure what happened  early.  Never mind.. hah!


----------



## Basket lady

Help!  I installed the jailbreak and screensaver hack yesterday and since having done so, my Kindle has completely frozen up on the beautifule new screensaver and won't turn back on.  Yesterday I held the slider over for a long time and it finally reset.  Today, nothing!  Is there another way to get it turned on?  Has anyone else had this experience only after installing these hacks?


----------



## StaceyHH

Only once. I accidentally popped a photo in the folder that was really huge. Like over a MP. Try to keep your image file sizes small (100k or so,) or it will lock up your Kindle.


----------



## Basket lady

After reading the boards to try to figure out what to do, I found somewhere to plug it back into the charger, so I did and let it charge for 15 minutes and tried to turn it on again and it opened..whew!. But, yesterday it had almost a 75% charge and today it was drained.  No wifi on either.  Do the hacks drain the the battery or did it take that much to install them and restart the k3 yesterday and I didn't notice?  I have been on the original charge since getting this 2nd Kindle on Sept. 7 and as I said, until yesterday was still at 75% charge.


----------



## NogDog

Basket lady said:


> After reading the boards to try to figure out what to do, I found somewhere to plug it back into the charger, so I did and let it charge for 15 minutes and tried to turn it on again and it opened..whew!. But, yesterday it had almost a 75% charge and today it was drained. No wifi on either. Do the hacks drain the the battery or did it take that much to install them and restart the k3 yesterday and I didn't notice? I have been on the original charge since getting this 2nd Kindle on Sept. 7 and as I said, until yesterday was still at 75% charge.


It might be a book that is failing to index. This is a notorious battery drainer on the Kindles (it apparently goes into an endless loop as it keeps trying to index the book). To find out, go to the home screen, type in a gibberish string of characters like "dalwijfshdaxx", then select the "search my items" option. When the search completes, if it lists any items as not being searched, open up that list to see which books could not be searched. Delete them from your Kindle, then if you still want to read them, load them again, give them a hour or two to be indexed, and then re-check to see if they're still not being indexed.

PS: The reboots and restarts almost certainly take up more battery than just reading a book, but the hacks shouldn't be draining anything once installed.


----------



## Basket lady

THanks, NogDog, I checked and do not have any indexing.  My battery has been charging for about 5 hours and is now fully charged once again.  I will keep an eye on it and see if it drains quickly again.  Just seemed awfully coincidental that it happened the same day that I did the two hacks and put on new screensavers.


----------



## NogDog

Basket lady said:


> THanks, NogDog, I checked and do not have any indexing. My battery has been charging for about 5 hours and is now fully charged once again. I will keep an eye on it and see if it drains quickly again. Just seemed awfully coincidental that it happened the same day that I did the two hacks and put on new screensavers.


Sometimes battery indicators can be a bit unclear on devices like the Kindle. Depending on design, quality control, and software issues, it might only be vaguely accurate. I've seen some where it always seems to go from 3/4 full to 1/4 full in the same time it went from full to 3/4, so keep an eye on it, and you may decide that when it gets to 3/4, it's time to recharge. In fact, from what I understand about the type of battery the Kindle uses, there is no real benefit to letting it drain before recharging, so there's no reason to plug it in on your nightstand or whatever when you're done reading for the day.


----------



## akz28

I have a brand new Kindle 3 - wifi+3g model. When I turned it on for the first time last week, there was a kindle update that was downloaded and automatically installed. 

In the "Settings" it shows that I am now at version 3.0.1

Installing the jailbreak does not work for me. I copy the file into the root of the kindle, eject the kindle and bring up the menu. There is no option to "update kindle"

When doing a hard reset, it does try to apply the update when the kindle boots, but I get an Update 3 Error and have to press "r" to resume the boot. Once it is up and running, I see that the kindle has erased the jailbreak file. 

I tried it twice, same thing both times. 

Has anyone with a brand new kindle 3g+wifi and the same software version as mine get it to work? 

If not, guess I have to wait for a new Jailbreak version?


----------



## NiLuJe

As always, grayed out "Update Your Kindle" link == wrong binfile for your Kindle model. (In your specific case, I'd put my money on 3G US vs. 3G UK. Check your S/N).

And next time, please read the install instructions before trying something funny, like restarting your Kindle with a custom .bin. NEVER reboot your Kindle with a custom .bin. EVER .


----------



## akz28

No....its not that its grayed out.  Its not there at all.


----------



## Cloysterpete

Basket lady said:


> After reading the boards to try to figure out what to do, I found somewhere to plug it back into the charger, so I did and let it charge for 15 minutes and tried to turn it on again and it opened..whew!. But, yesterday it had almost a 75% charge and today it was drained. No wifi on either. Do the hacks drain the the battery or did it take that much to install them and restart the k3 yesterday and I didn't notice? I have been on the original charge since getting this 2nd Kindle on Sept. 7 and as I said, until yesterday was still at 75% charge.


Exact same thing, my battery has drained from full to 25%, in a day since putting on the screensaver hack, just came on here to see if anyone had the same probleb .

I left it on 50% when I went to sleep, woke up, went to work came back and looked and it's 25%. How can it lose 25% just sitting on screensaver all day without been used?.


----------



## NiLuJe

@akz28: "there" being where exactly? We're talking about the Menu inside the *Settings* page, not on the Home screen (or anywehere else).

@Cloysterpete: The only time the hacks will change anything to the normal system battery drain is during the install process (and boot process if you're using the random feature), and UsbPlugOut. So my guess would be something else's wrong (Indexing loop? Indexing cache refresh during the suspend? Whispernet on?). Also, I wouldn't necessarily trust the battery indicator.


----------



## Cloysterpete

NiLuJe said:


> @akz28: "there" being where exactly? We're talking about the Menu inside the *Settings* page, not on the Home screen (or anywehere else).
> 
> @Cloysterpete: The only time the hacks will change anything to the normal system battery drain is during the install process (and boot process if you're using the random feature), and UsbPlugOut. So my guess would be something else's wrong (Indexing loop? Indexing cache refresh during the suspend? Whispernet on?). Also, I wouldn't necessarily trust the battery indicator.


Cheers dude, I didn't think it made any sense that user places screensavers would draw more power to activate than Amazons, it's still only a greyscale image anyway.

I think something has happened to the battery indicator (there's nothing indexing) since I didn't charge until the battery was totally empty, I will charge on first battery message this time and see if it can last for a couple of weeks like it did before.


----------



## NiLuJe

Yeah, try not to let the battery drop below 20%, LiPo batteries doesn't like that much. And note that you can also keep the Kindle plugged for a while after the LED switch to green, the battery's usually not completely charged when the LED switch to green.


----------



## akz28

NiLuJe, 

My bad. I was hitting the menu button on the home screen. Yes, I feel silly. 

All is well now. Thanks for your help.


----------



## Cloysterpete

Aargh, now my Kindle is emptying while on screensaver, in ten hours I didn't touch it and it drained by nearly 1/4. Could should kind-soul please point me towards the screensaver and hack removal instructions for the K3 3G UK model, I'm going to call CS about this damn battery but I don't want them checking my Kindle and seeing I've been fiddling about with it


----------



## StaceyHH

The uninstaller is in your same .zip files you originally downloaded. Back it out in reverse order from how it went in. SS hack first, then jailbreak.


----------



## linda~lou

I'm a little late to the party.  I just now found this thread and am thrilled to say I have my own screen-savers back and my beloved Georgia font.  

NiLuJe, you are my hero!  I bow to your awesomeness.


----------



## 911jason

Are you happy with the Georgia font? Are you using a K3 or K2? Seems like most people that tried Georgia over on MobileRead weren't happy with it at all on the K3.


----------



## linda~lou

911jason said:


> Are you happy with the Georgia font? Are you using a K3 or K2? Seems like most people that tried Georgia over on MobileRead weren't happy with it at all on the K3.


Jason, after I wrote that I ended up going back and reinstalling the Fontin font. I have a K3 and I think I may have downloaded the zip file for the Georgia that was for K2. I fly by the seat of my pants when I'm doing this stuff, half the time I don't know what the heck I am doing, thankfully my Kindle seems to handle it all very well.

Anyway, the Fontin was a font listed for the K3 and seemed very close to Georgia and so far I'm liking it a lot!!!


----------



## 911jason

That's good to know Linda... I loved Georgia 2 on my K2 but there seem to be an inordinate number of people having problems with the font hack on the K3 (over on the MR forum) and I really like the default K3 sans-serif font, so I hadn't bothered playing with the font hack on my K3 yet. And I was a font-hack evangelist for the K2! =)

Maybe I'll give Fontin a try.


----------



## linda~lou

Jason, can you link me the MR posts about the font issue.  I tried to find it and couldn't.  So far, I haven't had any problems but I only downloaded it Friday.  What kind of issues are people having?


----------



## Pushka

I have done these hacks so many times but yes, I had repeated issues installing the droid font. The original hack was fine, but I wanted to get to droid, but I think I tried all up maybe six times to get it right and some scary stuff happened to the kindle in between. I had to reset to factory default a couple of times (it was a brand new kindle so no major drama) but before I could do that I had to copy the original fonts from another kindle into the new one as there was no text showing! And all these horrible lines.  And blank pages.


----------



## copperclad

Good work NiLuJe 

Screensaver Hack for K3 works great! , thank you for the links and all the help , well done 

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles

this link spelled it out , so even i could follow


----------



## 911jason

linda~lou said:


> Jason, can you link me the MR posts about the font issue. I tried to find it and couldn't. So far, I haven't had any problems but I only downloaded it Friday. What kind of issues are people having?


http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004

It's 21 pages, and I finally unsubscribed from the thread because it's a combined thread for the screensaver/font/usb hacks. Most of the recent chatter was USB related and I didn't care about that but was getting notifications of new posts every few minutes.


----------



## linda~lou

off to read, thanks Jason!!!


----------



## Pushka

911jason said:


> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004
> 
> It's 21 pages, and I finally unsubscribed from the thread because it's a combined thread for the screensaver/font/usb hacks. Most of the recent chatter was USB related and I didn't care about that but was getting notifications of new posts every few minutes.


I wasn't subscribed but yes, the last few pages are getting off topic now. Never mind, mission accomplished. But I am thinking of uninstalling the font hack.

Good to see you coming into the screensaver thread I started on Amazon hey Jason! It always surprises me that even long term kindle owners know nothing about screensaver option. Some very happy campers now! And lots more members coming here to check your stuff out.


----------



## NiLuJe

Just updated the SS hack to 0.15.N, which doesn't really change anything except being a tiny bit smarter when choosing the screen size. Hopefully I didn't break kDX support .

Also tried a crazy stunt with the fonts Hack that resulted in my trusty old K2i having to show me the nice "Please stop messing with me and reset to factory default NOW!" screen... .
But I still can't reproduce any of the K3 issues, and I don't even think what I tried to do would have changed a thing anyway . The only moderately similar issues I had were with the framework itself, and with a vanilla Kindle :/.


----------



## Pushka

NiLuJe said:


> Just updated the SS hack to 0.15.N, which doesn't really change anything except being a tiny bit smarter when choosing the screen size. Hopefully I didn't break kDX support .
> 
> Also tried a crazy stunt with the fonts Hack that resulted in my trusty old K2i having to show me the nice "Please stop messing with me and reset to factory default NOW!" screen... .
> But I still can't reproduce any of the K3 issues, and I don't even think what I tried to do would have changed a thing anyway . The only moderately similar issues I had were with the framework itself, and with a vanilla Kindle :/.


Mine was a vanilla kindle that got messed up. It is ok now but only because I copied the original fonts back into the fonts folder.


----------



## NiLuJe

By vanilla, I do mean 'vanilla', as in 'unhacked', not just 'brand new' .

But theses issues still don't make much sense to me. Daffy4u had issues with the Fontin set, they work flawlessly for me, you had issues with Droid Sans, it's part of the default set, which works flawlessy here too... :S

The only slightly similar issue I had was when switching fonts in the [Aa] menu like crazy, after a while it failed to open some fonts (And here comes the nice "Can't open this book" popup, that's still as bugged as on the K2, ie. you can only make it go away with the Return key, not the 5-way click...). Ironically enough, it failed to open the *default* fonts... -_-". And then just worked fine 10 minutes later without even restarting the framework. >_<".


----------



## Cindy416

I've read so many threads and posts about the screensaver hacks that I'm having trouble finding the answer to my question, so here goes. (I apologize for asking.)  Are several of you having difficulty with your Kindle 3s after installing the jailbreak and the hack? I really want to get rid of the dead authors, but my Kindle is working beautifully, and I don't want to cause it to misbehave.

Thanks a lot!


----------



## copperclad

Hi Cindy
this step by step over at MR made it very easy , and it has been flawless , here is the link
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles


----------



## Cindy416

copperclad said:


> Hi Cindy
> this step by step over at MR made it very easy , and it has been flawless , here is the link
> http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles


Thanks. (I was looking for the link again.) I'm more curious about whether the hack has caused problems like screen freezing, trouble turning on the K3, etc. Someone, somewhere on the KB, said that he/she had not had any problems until the ss hack was put on. That's what I'm looking for....assurance that it isn't causing a perfect K3 to have problems. I had the hacks on my K2, and loved them. (I don't have problems with the installation. Just don't want the results to be problematic because of the jailbreak or hack. I know that our hackers are really good at what they do, so there's probably no problem to be anticipated.)


----------



## Pushka

Hi Cindy. I had no issues at all with the screensaver hack at all. Just do it!  You'll love it. The fonts - I had issues but they were all fixable just frustrating. And i am the type who likes to have a final answer so i kept trying and trying to get the droid font happening.  It worked flawlessly on one of my kindles, and never got it to work on the other. Weird that it would do that and which why NiLUJe is unable to replicate.  There must be very slight differences in some kindles to produce this randomness  But all good in the end. Just do the screensaver hack and leave it at that and all will be good.


----------



## Elk

Cindy,

I have had zeros issues with jailbreak and the screensaver hack - even with lots of screensavers.

The hack is straightforward and easy as well.

If you happen to have problems you can always uninstall them.


----------



## Cindy416

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm a true techie and nerd, so the mechanics of it all don't present a problem. Can't wait to lose Emily Dickinson.  shudder.....


----------



## ScotDiddle

Thank You, NiLuJe.

I installed the Kindle beta 3.0.2 upgrade for my new Kindle 3G before installing the V 0.3.N jailbreak and V 0.15.N screen saver. Worked perfectly. No problems, just custom screen saver images... If any of you are leary of trying the install of the jailbreak or the ss, I say go for it. The link ( http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004 ) mentioned earlier in this thread are clear to understand and easy to follow. I am a happy camper. Thanks again.

Scot L. Diddle, Richmond VA


----------



## AmonRa

Hello,

I installed the screen saver hack, and it worked fine. But then I started noticing some weird behavior of my kindle: sometimes it would not wake when i slid the power button. It did it often enough that I decided to uninstall the hack, so I did a factory reset. The factory images are back, but they don't rotate periodically as they used to. Also the wake problem persists.

I am considering contacting Amazon, but wanted to ask if the hack perhaps leaves some residues behind that stay there even after the factory reset?


----------



## 911jason

The hack was more than likely not the culprit. There have been scattered reports of random slowdowns and hiccups with the K3. You're better off upgrading the firmware if you haven't already, the current version is 3.0.2 and 3.0.3 is available in beta.

As for rotating images, they don't rotate during a single sleep session. They should only change when you wake your Kindle and then put it back to sleep.


----------



## AmonRa

Hm... I am pretty sure the screensavers rotated during each sleep session. I think I remember looking at it and one picture was fading out an another came on. I only had my kindle for about a week before I installed the hack, so I might be mistaken, but I think they rotated...


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Jason is right. . . .once a picture is there it stays until you wake it up.  If you want to go through the pictures you have to wake -- sleep -- wake -- sleep -- etc. There's no automatic switching with or without the hack.


----------



## karen927

StaceyHH said:


> Only once. I accidentally popped a photo in the folder that was really huge. Like over a MP. Try to keep your image file sizes small (100k or so,) or it will lock up your Kindle.


How do you get the file size under 100k without changing the 600x800 picture size?


----------



## NogDog

karen927 said:


> How do you get the file size under 100k without changing the 600x800 picture size?


It can depend on the file type, but generally if you convert it to a grayscale image, it requires less storage space than a "true color" image (even if it happens to use all shades of gray, it's still storing them as RGB values). If you save it as a PNG image (which is what I normally use now) there may be an option provided for how much compression should be used when saving it, and you should use the highest compression level (after all, speed is not important, file size is).


----------



## pidgeon92

Lowering the resolution will also significantly reduce the picture size.... Not sure what the specs are on the Kindle screen, but for any pics I post on the internet I never have the image resolution higher than 72 pixels/inch.


----------



## karen927

I did it!  I did it!  I did it!!!!  

It worked perfectly and I've never done anything like this before.  Easy clear instructions. Now it really is "my" Kindle!

Thank you!


----------



## 911jason

Congrats Karen!



karen927 said:


> How do you get the file size under 100k without changing the 600x800 picture size?


I have about 100 screen saver images on my Kindle at the moment, and I'd guess more than half are larger than 100k. Never had a problem with a screen saver image locking up my Kindle.


----------



## Elk

I also have had no problems with larger screensaver files.


----------



## emalvick

pidgeon92 said:


> Lowering the resolution will also significantly reduce the picture size.... Not sure what the specs are on the Kindle screen, but for any pics I post on the internet I never have the image resolution higher than 72 pixels/inch.


This means nothing in terms of a Kindle or monitor as 600 x 800 pixels is the same no matter what. You can even test it out by saving an image with 72ppi or 300ppi (keeping the pixel resolution fixed at 600 x 800). The image should be the same either way. That ppi number ends up just being metadata that is used almost nowhere (although photoshop will use it if you are fixing the physical size at something like 4 in. x 8 in. and adjust the pixels to match that ppi).

As it is, given the size of the Kindle 3 screen and its resolution the actual pixel density is 167 ppi, which again won't really matter since the screen will always be 600 x 800 pixels.


----------



## karen927

I noticed that my screensavers are almost transparent.  For instance, if I turn my kindle off on a written page I can almost see the text.  If I go to my home page and turn it off I can see a hint of the line along the top of the page.  I never noticed this with the old Amazon screensavers (but I didn't really look too closely).

All my pictures are formatted 600x800, grayscale and compressed to under 100k (jpg).  Do you think the compression is the problem? What else should I do to correct it?

Thanks!


----------



## 911jason

What you're describing sounds like the normal ghosting effect that is an attribute of e-Ink displays. They can get rid of it by "flashing" the screen a bit more in between page turns and when you put it to sleep or wake it up. Unfortunately, that would take a toll on battery life, which is why I think they have not made it a priority. If you have a problem seeing the remnants of the screen saver on the page of a book, you can press ALT+G to refresh your screen. This doesn't work (obviously) when the device is asleep, so it won't help with your screen savers.


----------



## pidgeon92

emalvick said:


> This means nothing in terms of a Kindle or monitor as 600 x 800 pixels is the same no matter what. You can even test it out by saving an image with 72ppi or 300ppi (keeping the pixel resolution fixed at 600 x 800). The image should be the same either way. That ppi number ends up just being metadata that is used almost nowhere (although photoshop will use it if you are fixing the physical size at something like 4 in. x 8 in. and adjust the pixels to match that ppi).
> 
> As it is, given the size of the Kindle 3 screen and its resolution the actual pixel density is 167 ppi, which again won't really matter since the screen will always be 600 x 800 pixels.


I wondered about this.... Thanks for the ppi information, it's helpful.


----------



## pidgeon92

karen927 said:


> I noticed that my screensavers are almost transparent.


The ghosting is normal, but assuming you are talking about screensavers you added yourself, you might wish to adjust the contrast on the original images to make them darker.


----------



## karen927

pidgeon92 said:


> The ghosting is normal, but assuming you are talking about screensavers you added yourself, you might wish to adjust the contrast on the original images to make them darker.


Thank you! I'll try that.


----------



## 911jason

911jason said:


> I have about 100 screen saver images on my Kindle at the moment, and I'd guess more than half are larger than 100k. Never had a problem with a screen saver image locking up my Kindle.


I just checked, I currently have 205 screen saver images on my Kindle, totaling 20.5 mb (averages exactly 100kb each!), 95 of the images are 100kb or larger. The largest image is 195kb.


----------



## dimples

Quick question; until now I have been hesitant or maybe afraid to use the screensaver hack. Still, I keep coming back here... Now I think I'm ready to try, lol, but while I was in limbo I installed the 3.0.3 sw update on my Kindle. I've read a post somewhere that says it's no longer possible to use the screensaver hack in this software version. Can anyone confirm this? I'd hate to mess things up...


----------



## NogDog

dimples said:


> Quick question; until now I have been hesitant or maybe afraid to use the screensaver hack. Still, I keep coming back here... Now I think I'm ready to try, lol, but while I was in limbo I installed the 3.0.3 sw update on my Kindle. I've read a post somewhere that says it's no longer possible to use the screensaver hack in this software version. Can anyone confirm this? I'd hate to mess things up...


I have the 3.0.3 firmware version and the screen-saver hack running okay on mine. I installed the SS hack at an earlier firmware level, and the upgrade to 3.0.3 worked just fine; so a far as I know they're compatible with each other.


----------



## Trophywife007

NogDog said:


> I have the 3.0.3 firmware version and the screen-saver hack running okay on mine. I installed the SS hack at an earlier firmware level, and the upgrade to 3.0.3 worked just fine; so a far as I know they're compatible with each other.


I thought I had heard that if you didn't already have the screensaver hack installed before 3.03 was downloaded, the hack wouldn't work? Maybe they already worked around this though?


----------



## 911jason

Someone here posted that the guys on Mobileread had found a workaround the same day.


----------



## dimples

Thank you all... must have missed that post. Will go and try to install the hack later today then. Fingers crossed!


----------



## NiLuJe

Yep, jb & ss work fine on 3.0.3 now .

Note that on a K3 the ghosting on screensavers should be a bit less visible than on the K2, because it does a flash to white before showing the image .

And, yeah, the file *size* probably has zero impact, the image *resolution*, on the other hand, will at least cause your Kindle to crunch numbers a bit longer before actually showing the image if it's greater than the screen resolution.


----------



## dimples

Woo Hoo! I did it and it went smoothly  Found myself a bunch of great screen savers right here on the board so I installed some of them, along with a few of the original ones. Really love this.


----------



## 911jason

dimples said:


> Woo Hoo! I did it and it went smoothly  Found myself a bunch of great screen savers right here on the board so I installed some of them, along with a few of the original ones. Really love this.


Yay! Good job and I bet you're glad you went through with it now! See my sig for links to lots more screen saver images. =)


----------



## dimples

911jason said:


> Yay! Good job and I bet you're glad you went through with it now! See my sig for links to lots more screen saver images. =)


Most certainly am  I've seen your site, some great stuff up there! Next time I'm changing the screen savers I'm definitely putting some of yours up


----------



## nanakindle

Ok, I am having a real hard time trying to get the screensaver hack to work.  I have a 3.0.1 Kindle with a serial number starting with B006.  I have installed the screensaver hack sucessfully, but for some reason when my kindle goes to sleep I get the screensaver tree and boy reading a book.  What am I doing wrong.  Please help.


----------



## NogDog

nanakindle said:


> Ok, I am having a real hard time trying to get the screensaver hack to work. I have a 3.0.1 Kindle with a serial number starting with B006. I have installed the screensaver hack sucessfully, but for some reason when my kindle goes to sleep I get the screensaver tree and boy reading a book. What am I doing wrong. Please help.


Did you load your desired screen-saver images into the "linkss/screensavers" folder? If so, did you then restart you Kindle to apply the new images? (Either Home -> Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Restart, or use the "reboot" file method discussed in the documentation.


----------



## cyclefreaksix

Could somebody define "root directory" for me and tell me where to find it?? Thanks in advance for your help!!


----------



## pidgeon92

Root directory is the topmost directory on any device. Like the c:/ drive on a PC. So.... you connect your Kindle to your PC, double-click on the device to open it, and you are in the root directory.


----------



## cyclefreaksix

pidgeon92 said:


> Root directory is the topmost directory on any device. Like the c:/ drive on a PC. So.... you connect your Kindle to your PC, double-click on the device to open it, and you are in the root directory.


Got it working! Thanks!!


----------



## NiLuJe

The hack has been updated to v0.17.N.

Just a bunch of tiny fixes all around, to help avoid potential weird issues .

Available here, as usual.


----------



## lovesangelrn

hmm.....I updated the SS hack to v0.17 and while it works fine, I couldn't get the autoreboot to work (I've used this on previous versions without incident).  I'm on a Mac, I copied the "autoreboot" file, and renamed it to "reboot" and left it in the linkss folder......but I had to do a manual restart to get the new screen savers to take (never restarted on it's own...and I wanted several minutes)


----------



## NiLuJe

@lovesangelrn: I may very well have broken something in there, I only checked the fonts autoreboot, I'll check that, thanks .

EDIT: Ooops. Yep, damn typo. Didn't catch it because it works when you have the fonts hack installed. Will fix that in the next release, thanks! .


----------



## NiLuJe

Here we go. Update released . (Along with a fonts hack update, too).


----------



## mcostas

tag for interest


----------



## unknown2cherubim

Yay!  I finally did it and it worked like a charm.  Thank you, thank you, thank you -- especially to NiLuJe.  Now I need to find more pix to add.


----------



## 911jason

There are a few thousand on my Photobucket site... see the link in my sig.


----------



## unknown2cherubim

911jason said:


> There are a few thousand on my Photobucket site... see the link in my sig.


Abstracts ... yes! Bless you. Very, very nice. I can see I need look no further.


----------



## unknown2cherubim

So has anyone had trouble with books not indexing once they've installed the hacks? 

I've deleted a book twice now because it was showing up as unindexed after several hours.  This was not happening before I installed the hack to the best of my knowledge.


----------



## Cindy416

unknown2cherubim said:


> So has anyone had trouble with books not indexing once they've installed the hacks?
> 
> I've deleted a book twice now because it was showing up as unindexed after several hours. This was not happening before I installed the hack to the best of my knowledge.


I have the hack on my K3, and have noticed no problem at all with indexing. (I suppose there's a possibility that I might not notice an indexing problem, but I would like to think that I would be able to tell.) I have tried typing some characters in the search box, and have not seen any uuindexed books.


----------



## Gisaco

First, thank you to NiLuJe for the files ... I have a new Kindle 3G and used the jailbreak and ss hack files to add some of 911 Jason's images as well as a few of my own to my Kindle.  

It was a scary undertaking, but seeing all the positive comments and successful installs, I decided to give it a go.  The Wiki page with screen shots was especially helpful.  

Thanks so much!  

GiSaCo


----------



## may2700

printed the wiki instructions and followed them step by step with my BRAND NEW kindle 3 3g wifi that i got for christmas. easy to follow and simple to do (aprox 4.5 minutes cause i went slow to be sure i did it right) simple and easy and now i have 50 new screensaver images. I LOVE IT! now to start creating some in Photoshop.


----------



## Jeremiah.L.Burns

NiLuJe said:


> Here you go: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004
> 
> (MR stands for MobileRead, and when referring to KindleBoards on MR, I usually use 'KB' ).


I used the hack, worked a treat. I then joined the board simply so I could say thank you!

I've asked Amazon if there is an official feature coming soon, but as of yet have had no reply.

I'm reading "The Lord of the Rings" at the moment, and have a beautiful map of Middle-earth as my screensaver. Makes it much easier as a reference to quickly put the Kindle to sleep, check the map, and turn it back on to continue reading rather than skip to the end of the book for the right map.

Thanks again!


----------



## Elk

Clever use of a screensaver.


----------



## Jeremiah.L.Burns

Having a little confusion with the updating of screensaver images.  The guide says to put a blank 'reboot' file in the linkss folder.  I've done so, and it seems to work, but I can't tell what forces the reboot, as it doesn't happen straight away, and so I get impatient and try things like unplugging it, sleeping it a few times, etc.

Is it simply impatience?  Or is there another step I'm unknowingly doing which is forcing the reboot?


EDIT:  Never mind!  Figured it out.  Unplugging sorts it after about 20 seconds.  Patience is a virtue, or so my wife keeps saying.


----------



## laserbear

I successfully installed the JB and SS hacks - I added my own screen savers in the linkss/screensavers folder. But after restarting the Kindle it only shows one of my screensavers. It is not cycling them though at all - it just freezes on my first one. If I turn the Kindle off and then back off and turn the screensaver on then another screensaver will come up but it still won't cycle. They just stay on one screen saver.
I would appreciate any help! The version of the SS hack is 0.18.N and I know I have installed the right SS bin but I am out of ideas...


----------



## NogDog

laserbear said:


> I successfully installed the JB and SS hacks - I added my own screen savers in the linkss/screensavers folder. But after restarting the Kindle it only shows one of my screensavers. It is not cycling them though at all - it just freezes on my first one. If I turn the Kindle off and then back off and turn the screensaver on then another screensaver will come up but it still won't cycle. They just stay on one screen saver.
> I would appreciate any help! The version of the SS hack is 0.18.N and I know I have installed the right SS bin but I am out of ideas...


I don't think I've ever heard of that happening. If it were me, I might first try adding or deleting a screen-saver image in the image directory, then doing the restart and see if that makes any difference. If not, then I would try uninstalling and reinstalling the SS hack (just leave the JB hack as is). If that doesn't help, then hope that someone smart like NiLuJe stops by and replies to this.


----------



## StaceyHH

Your screensavers don't cycle. Technically they're not "screensavers" either. They are sleep displays. So you only get one when you put the Kindle to sleep. When you turn it on and back to sleep again, you'll get another. But it won't change displays while in sleep mode.


----------



## NogDog

StaceyHH said:


> Your screensavers don't cycle. Technically they're not "screensavers" either. They are sleep displays. So you only get one when you put the Kindle to sleep. When you turn it on and back to sleep again, you'll get another. But it won't change displays while in sleep mode.


My reply above was based on reading that as saying that the same image was being displayed each time you turned off the Kindle. But if you were, in fact, expecting the images to cycle from one to another while in sleep mode, then Stacey is correct: that will not happen. Sorry if I added to any confusion.


----------



## ClamBuster

hi, i have joined this site with the sole purpose of making this hack work...

i have followed the instructions for the jailbreak and the screensaver hack 4 times now, but STILL the default screensavers show up! its driving me mad...

can somebody please please help me


----------



## NogDog

ClamBuster said:


> hi, i have joined this site with the sole purpose of making this hack work...
> 
> i have followed the instructions for the jailbreak and the screensaver hack 4 times now, but STILL the default screensavers show up! its driving me mad...
> 
> can somebody please please help me


Are you putting your desired new images in the screensaver directory and then restarting the Kindle so that they take effect (or using the "reboot" file option for the quick restart)? (Figured I'd start with the obvious first.  )

If that is not the issue, which type of Kindle are you using and what version of the Kindle firmware are you running?


----------



## ClamBuster

thanks for the hand of friendship nogdog... im not gonna leave you alone now until i get this working

ok, to start i have a Kindle 3 and i live in britain so have a uk version... i have, on every occasion, put the 600x800 jpeg or .png files in the 'screensavers' folder. also on every occasion i have then updated the Kindle, then restarted it... all to be left with nothing but the regular factory set screensavers from amazon

i have followed the instruction meticulously to the nth degree on every occasion all to be left with no success...

the absolute only thing i can think of is that i am installing the incorect version of the jailbreak, or the ss hack... but still, im 99% sure im not


----------



## ff2

Press Home, then Press MENU.  At the bottom right should be the version number.

If it is the 3.1 firmware, you would need the newest jailbreak - there are now two versions and both work.  You do need the version for either the wifi or or 3g.  Then you need the screensaver hack.  But if something created a screensaver folder, it should have worked.  Then the pictures go in the linkss/screensaver folder.


----------



## Cindy416

ClamBuster said:


> thanks for the hand of friendship nogdog... im not gonna leave you alone now until i get this working
> 
> ok, to start i have a Kindle 3 and i live in britain so have a uk version... i have, on every occasion, put the 600x800 jpeg or .png files in the 'screensavers' folder. also on every occasion i have then updated the Kindle, then restarted it... all to be left with nothing but the regular factory set screensavers from amazon
> 
> i have followed the instruction meticulously to the nth degree on every occasion all to be left with no success...
> 
> the absolute only thing i can think of is that i am installing the incorect version of the jailbreak, or the ss hack... but still, im 99% sure im not


When you put the hack in your root directory, did you notice the availability of "Update my Kindle" (or something similar) in your settings? If it happened to be greyed out, you didn't insert the correct version. (You probably know that already, but it never hurts to at least ask.


----------



## ClamBuster

Cindy416 said:


> When you put the hack in your root directory, did you notice the availability of "Update my Kindle" (or something similar) in your settings? If it happened to be greyed out, you didn't insert the correct version. (You probably know that already, but it never hurts to at least ask.


nah, every time the 'update my kindle' was available...

i have a uk wi-fi only kindle 3... the jailbreak i use is the '0.4.N_k3w' and the ss hack i use is the '0.19.N_k3w'

now i presume the 'w' in 'k3w' is for wi-fi only... indicating i am using the correct versions


----------



## NogDog

Try using the v0.6.N version of the jail-break, which is compatible with the latest firmware version (3.1), either by going to this mobileread forum page: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004, or just download directly with this link: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67586&d=1298993577. I believe version 19 is still the latest/greatest for the SS hack.


----------



## ClamBuster

NogDog said:


> Try using the v0.6.N version of the jail-break, which is compatible with the latest firmware version (3.1), either by going to this mobileread forum page: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004, or just download directly with this link: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67586&d=1298993577. I believe version 19 is still the latest/greatest for the SS hack.


i did notice 'other' intruction sites refer to 0.6... so far its the only variation on my previous attempts

i'll give it a try when i get home from work and let you know


----------



## ClamBuster

i now have my own screensavers... it was the fact i was using 0.4, rather than 0.6

i think what confused me was the fact that a lot of instruction pages use screengrabs that show 0.4... and that is what i was going with

one last question... if i now want to add say another couple of images, is it as easy as dragging and dropping into the 'screensavers' file, the 'restarting' the Kindle?


----------



## ff2

Yup.  Once the screensaver hack is installed, you may add or remove images by going to that appropriate folder and doing so.  But, as you noted, you do have to restart the kindle.


----------



## CAR

Thanks so much NiLuJe !!  I was one of the ones that updated 3.1 without removing my Screen Saver hack, always living on the edge hehe    So all I did was update my hack to 0.6N, then because I wanted the latest SS hack, I uninstalled 0.14N. Then installed 0.19N.
Worked great, no problems at all


----------



## ClamBuster

thanks for the help nogdog... really appreciated

also, thanks to the guy/gal that answered my last question

i now have my very own personalised Kindle... lovely


----------



## Neo

Just wanted to make sure: installing the 0.6v of the Jailbreak now creates a new folder in your root directory (previous versions were "invisible" in the Kindle root directory, all one saw was the linkss folder)? Is that right/normal?


----------



## joangolfing

I have the 3.1 update and I haven't updated to the newest hack. My screensavers seems to work.
Why would I need to install it?


----------



## ff2

joangolfing:

It probably has been discussed in this thread but...

While the screensaver hack still works, 3.1 generally disabled being able to remove the hack and the jailbreak.  So some people were concerned that at some future time, the old hack/jailbreak MIGHT cause problems with the "next" Amazon firmware upgrade.  So they wanted to remove the hacks, allow 3.1 and then install the newer hacks.  

I believe that the newest jailbreak does allow one to remove the older stuff and then reinstall the hacks.  A somewhat convoluted process but possible.


----------



## NiLuJe

@Neo: Yep, that's completely normal (And only happens on Kindle 3 devices, you won't see it on a K2i for example).

@joangolfing: To expand on what FF2 said, just update your jailbreak, that's the only thing that the 3.1 update broke.


----------



## Neo

Thank you NiLuJe, as ever - both for your answer, and for making all these hacks possible in a safe way


----------



## RickB3

followed the steps here and got everything working flawlessly. 

One question tho: is there a way to modify the screensaver timeout? I'd like the device to go longer between sleep mode activation. Searches bring up a few references to some *nix type stuff and files for the K2. 

-Rick
-Kindle 3 US WiFi Only, ver 3.1


----------



## NiLuJe

@RickB3: Not in a safe, user-configurable way, no. (But, technically, yes, we can, I just pulled the plug on the Hack because it was potentially brick-happy).


----------



## RickB3

thanks. I'll just have to wait it out. 

that there is no user control for this, even in the debug menu, perplexes me greatly, even more than the lack of OEM screen saver image control.


----------



## ff2

RickB3 said:


> thanks. I'll just have to wait it out.
> 
> that there is no user control for this, even in the debug menu, perplexes me greatly, even more than the lack of OEM screen saver image control.


As you may know, there is a debug hack to turn the screensaver completely off (and another for back on) - that way it never goes to sleep - maybe not a good idea for the battery.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Actually, it doesn't really use any more power maintainng a page of text than it does a sleep picture. Of course, you'd not want to leave wireless on. And there might be a tiny trickle because the buttons are still active when not in sleep mode, so it's got to monitor for button presses. But I really think the difference in battery drain would be insignificant.

But I still wouldn't bother with such a thing for myself. I don't very often have it go to sleep on it's own and, if it does, well, it's because I wasn't really paying attention to it, so that's o.k. I can see where such a function would be useful if you need to keep a page open for reference while you do something else. . . . . .it's just not something _I_ need.


----------



## ff2

Yes, I could have used a NON-sleep period when I used my k3 for a complicated recipe.  It would have been nice to not have to keep entering a password to wake it back up - nevermind the wet, messy hands!


----------



## Cindy416

ff2 said:


> Yes, I could have used a NON-sleep period when I used my k3 for a complicated recipe. It would have been nice to not have to keep entering a password to wake it back up - nevermind the wet, messy hands!


That's one of the things that I love about my Kindle app for iPad. I can set my iPad to not shut off automatically, allowing me to keep my recipe open. I have an under-the-cabinet cookbook holder that hangs from a partially open cabinet. (The holder's weight helps to secure it.) I put my iPad in the holder, just as I would do with a cookbook. With the shut-off option turned off, I don't have to touch my iPad when I'm using a cookbook or recipe that I have on my iPad.


----------



## NiLuJe

Actually, the noscreensaver thingy *does* drain the battery, because it prevents the Kindle from enterng the sleep state, in which the Kindle consumes a lot less power.


----------



## Cindy416

I feel a bit dumb asking this since I've successfully installed the jailbreak and ss hack on my Kindle 3 before the 3.1 update.  I uninstalled the jailbreak and hack before manually upgrading to 3.1. I'm still looking at the dead authors because I am not sure where to find the ss hack v0.19... I've searched, but haven't come up with the actual link. Would someone please point me to the file? I love my own screensavers and really want them back. Thanks.  (I have ss hack v0.15N in my download folder, but nothing newer.)


----------



## Neo

You can find them all at this link, Cindy416:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004

And it seems the SS hack is now at version 0.20!!!!

Hope this helps


----------



## Cindy416

Thanks a lot!


----------



## ValeriGail

Ok, I am finally breaking down and doing this today.... BUT I am totally lost with all the new stuff.  Is there a place where I can find step by step directions?  Which files do I need to do the screensaver hack?  Just the jailbreak and the screensaver hack?  Please please please help!  I kept putting this off cause I was afraid I'd screw it up, but I'm so tired of not having my lovely screensavers anymore!


----------



## Cindy416

ValeriGail said:


> Ok, I am finally breaking down and doing this today.... BUT I am totally lost with all the new stuff. Is there a place where I can find step by step directions? Which files do I need to do the screensaver hack? Just the jailbreak and the screensaver hack? Please please please help! I kept putting this off cause I was afraid I'd screw it up, but I'm so tired of not having my lovely screensavers anymore!


Neo posted this for me last week. You'll want the jailbreak file that is v0.6.N.zip and the ss hack that is 0.20.N.zip. Scroll down below where you see the photo of the Kindle 3. There is an Install section, with a spoiler tab for the jailbreak and for the ss hack, as well as for some other options. The directions are found when you click on the Spoiler button. Follow them step-by-step. Those directions will tell you which hack you need (wifi only, 3g, British, etc.) The .zip files are right below the spoiler section, in a box labeled "attached files."

Read through the spoiler sections, download the proper .zip files (saving them to your desktop or somewhere easy to find), and then double-click to unzip each file. There, you'll find the correct version of the hacks that you need for your specific version of the Kindle 3.

Give it a shot, and let us know if you still need help. (Remember to eject your Kindle each time you've moved a hack file to your root directory of your Kindle...the directory where you'll see folders listed.)


----------



## Vegas_Asian

so i will have to jail break to uninstall my screensavers?


----------



## Vegas_Asian

nevermind I figured it out. I finally got my screensaver on my kindle and realized there is a typo...grr... but here is the picture I edited and added my contact info to. its by one of my favorite artists on Deviantart: justflyakite


----------



## sylviebi

oooh personal screen savers! awesome. I'll have to try that once I get my kindle and get used to it.


----------



## SheilaJ

OK, I have a brand new K3 and thought it would be a great idea to do the screensaver hack and put on some pictures that I liked, however the update failed and now I don't seem to have ANY screensavers since the kindle reboot.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I have a Kindle 3 wifi. and used the k3w. install.bin.

Help!

I did not install the jailbreak hack first, did I need to do this?


----------



## ff2

Yes, you need to install the jailbreak hack.  You might want to UNinstall the screensaver hack, install the jailbreak and then reinstall the screensaver.  Good luck - it is not that hard.


----------



## SheilaJ

ff2 said:


> Yes, you need to install the jailbreak hack. You might want to UNinstall the screensaver hack, install the jailbreak and then reinstall the screensaver. Good luck - it is not that hard.


I did as you suggested and it is working fine now. I do have a couple more questions though. Does the picture never change until you flip the switch and then the next picture shows. I guess I thought that after a certain number of minutes the next picture would appear.

Also do I have to do anything special to add more pictures. (I only have 3 at the moment) I didn't quite understand about the empty reboot file. Is that something I create or what? Thanks for the help.


----------



## ff2

The screensavers only show up when the kindle of powered off.  And they appear in the exact same order unless you use the RANDOM option (which I have not explored).  And from what I've read the Random option only randomizing when you actually fully RESTART - not just allowing it to sleep or momentarily throwing the switch.  That's why I never bothered.

You can add more pictures to the proper folder but in order for them to show you need to RESTART using the menu if possible.


----------



## kahoolawe

I've installed the hack... jailbreak and sc... all is well.
I appreciate everyone for taking the time!!!
My question is this. What happens next time Kindle updates it's OS?
I have 3.1 now... I'm just concerned that what if my kindle starts auto-updating in the future. Any possible issues?


----------



## JennJill Designs

How do the jailbreak and screensaver hacks affect the product warranty on the Kindle 3? Will using a hack void my warranty? I hate the standard screensavers but don't want to void my warranty.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

JennJill Designs said:


> How do the jailbreak and screensaver hacks affect the product warranty on the Kindle 3? Will using a hack void my warranty? I hate the standard screensavers but don't want to void my warranty.


Technically, yes, installing unauthorized 3rd party updates -- which is what the programs are that allow alternate screensavers -- will void your warranty.

In practice, if your Kindle fails for some reason other than the software is screwed up -- a screen goes bad or the buttons fail or something -- Amazon hasn't really enforced that.

Which is not to say they won't ever.

But they do like having happy Kindle owners buying lots of Kindle books so they tend to be very generous in their replacement policy -- going above and beyond what is stated as required.


----------



## JennJill Designs

Ann, thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind.


----------



## NogDog

I am guessing -- but have no evidence either way -- that they would probably be less happy with anyone who installs the screen-saver hack on one of the "special offers" Kindles which include advertising in the built-in screen-savers as part of the reason those Kindles have a reduced price, as compared to installing it on any other Kindles.


----------



## Cindy416

Do I need to uninstall the screensaver hack for my Kindle 3 before I ready it for resale? I'm planning to restore my Kindle 3 to factory defaults and then deregister it, but wasn't sure about the hack. (I have noticed that my Kindle 3 has updated automatically a couple of times lately with the hack in place.) Thanks!


----------



## Linjeakel

Yes, you really should uninstall any hacks before selling the Kindle - the new owner may not want them on and may not know how to remove them. Setting to factory defaults won't remove the hacks so you must do it yourself. Remove the Jailbreaker one last - you won't be able to remove any of the others once that's gone.


----------



## Cindy416

Linjeakel said:


> Yes, you really should uninstall any hacks before selling the Kindle - the new owner may not want them on and may not know how to remove them. Setting to factory defaults won't remove the hacks so you must do it yourself. Remove the Jailbreaker one last - you won't be able to remove any of the others once that's gone.


I was able to easily uninstall the hacks, and resetting to factory defaults actually de-registered my Kindle, all in one fell swoop. Now, my K3 is as good as new, and will be going to a new home today (as will my Oberon and my lighted Amazon cover). I'll be really glad to have a cover on my new Kindle Touch, but at least I have a small Borsa Bella bag that it can be kept in.


----------

