[Q] HDX 7 Unlock Bootloader (..before I take the plunge) - Kindle Fire HDX 7" & 8.9" Q&A, Help & Troubleshoot

I have a Fire HDX 7 on 13.3.2.5_user_325001120, Rooted, Safestrap 3.75 with Fire OS on Stock slot and ggow's HDX Nexus 2.0.2 on Slot-1. OTA updates are not disabled but no Wifi networks are added and Wifi is off within Fire OS.
I'm basically looking for clarification on the steps I need to take in order to unlock the Bootloader (for peace of mind and so that I can try out other ROMs freely).
To the best of my understanding I can Unlock with the following instructions:
Downgrade from 13.3.2.5 to 13.3.1.0
Download 13.3.1.0 .bin and script linked by kaeru00
Originally Posted by kaeru00
USE IT AT YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY because rewrite recovery partition.
How to use it.
1. install Towelroot and Supersu using KFHDX Toolkit v 0.94
2. If Disable OTA update , Airplane mode ON and Enable OTA update
3. If Install SafeStrap, uninstall safestrap on App.
4. Put "update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in SAME folder,
5. execute install.bat
6. reboot
7. put update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in internal storage.
8. Downgrade, wait a minute on the update menu, because display update button to take time.
9. disable OTA update.
This batch file works "kindle fire hdx 7" ONLY
This is tested on version 13.3.2.5 and 13.3.2.6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If successful with the above I then proceed with the following to actually unlock:
Originally Posted by ceyo14
complete as follows. tested on HDX 7 (Thor) Rooted 13.3.1.0
get Python 2.7 for windows and install it
get GMPY2 for Python 2.7
open command prompt to your ADB directory:
Code:
adb shell
cat /sys/block/mmcblk0/device/manfid
cat /sys/block/mmcblk0/device/serial
from these 2 results you get your the code we need, insert the last 2 digits of the manfID with your serial
following
like this: mmssssssss
download the attachment on the following post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...2&postcount=46
Then place the file inside the attachement to C:\Python27 should be C:\Python\cuberHDX.py
open command prompt in: C:\Python27
replace "mmssssssss" with yours below:
Code:
python.exe cuberHDX.py 0xmmssssssss
that will put a new 0xmmssssssss.UNLOCK file in the Python27 directory
copy that file to your fastboot directory.
on an ADB prompt type
Code:
adb reboot-bootloader
then on a fastboot prompt type
Code:
fastboot -i 0x1949 devices
fastboot -i 0x1949 flash unlock 0xmmssssssss.unlock
fastboot -i 0x1949 reboot
thats it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All going well, I'm then unlocked and can proceed to install TWRP and ROMs, correct?

---

Yes, but actually you can install TWRP after downgrading to 3.1.0 already.
And it's recommended (i.e. not mandatory) to update to 3.2.3.2 (can be done from TWRP, it's also possible to update the 3.2.3.2 bootloader only). Be sure to re-root if you update to 3.2.3.2! And keep WLAN off/flight mode active at all times. Stock firmwares are available here - ensure you get the correct for your device!
If you haven't done yet, install Minimal ADB and Fastboot, and grab these drivers for the unlock procedure in order to get the HDX recognized.
Then unlock the bootloader to be in the wonderland of HDX ROMs (=TWRP & unlocked bootloader), you can use Nexus, CM11 or CM12 then - read the installation notes and requirements carefully! Additional info for the unlock procedure after installation of the required software can be found here.
Disable OTA in Fire OS, make a backup in TWRP, and copy the backup to your PC before you flash any ROM!

---

Thank alot Cl4ncy.
Having now re-read the instructions I've posted, I'm abit unsure of the rollback process as below:
1. install Towelroot and Supersu using KFHDX Toolkit v 0.94
2. If Disable OTA update , Airplane mode ON and Enable OTA update
3. If Install SafeStrap, uninstall safestrap on App.
4. Put "update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in SAME folder,
5. execute install.bat
6. reboot
7. put update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in internal storage.
8. Downgrade, wait a minute on the update menu, because display update button to take time.
9. disable OTA update.
Steps 4 & 5, am I doing this on the HDX or on PC. Do I need the HDX connected to my PC, and if so what mode should it be in?
Could someone possibly expand the above steps to to be abit more clear?

---

316894 said:
Thank alot Cl4ncy.
Having now re-read the instructions I've posted, I'm abit unsure of the rollback process as below:
1. install Towelroot and Supersu using KFHDX Toolkit v 0.94
2. If Disable OTA update , Airplane mode ON and Enable OTA update
3. If Install SafeStrap, uninstall safestrap on App.
4. Put "update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in SAME folder,
5. execute install.bat
6. reboot
7. put update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in internal storage.
8. Downgrade, wait a minute on the update menu, because display update button to take time.
9. disable OTA update.
Steps 4 & 5, am I doing this on the HDX or on PC. Do I need the HDX connected to my PC, and if so what mode should it be in?
Could someone possibly expand the above steps to to be abit more clear?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you downloaded the rollback.zip from that thread un-zip it to a folder on your PC, copy the update.bin into that folder, and execute the install.bat. Your HDX must be connected by USB, USB debugging must be active on the HDX, the install.bat will move (push) some files to the HDX.
Reboot the HDX then, copy the update.bin to your HDX and execute the downgrade.
Again: ensure you have WLAN off/flight mode active as you need OTA to be enabled in Fire OS! You do NOT want to get updated to 4.5.5 by Amazon.

---

Thanks again, that is as I suspected, having now opened the .bat in notepad.
Why is it generally recommended that we update to 3.2.3.2? Can this also be done the old fashioned way through the Fire OS update option or is it easier/safer through TWRP after taking a backup.
After that then I would re-root with Towelroot.

---

316894 said:
Thanks again, that is as I suspected, having now opened the .bat in notepad.
Why is it generally recommended that we update to 3.2.3.2? Can this also be done the old fashioned way through the Fire OS update option or is it easier/safer through TWRP after taking a backup.
After that then I would re-root with Towelroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been some screen issues with Nexus, thus it's recommended to use the 3.2.3.2 bootloader, which can be flashed itself in TWRP - check this thread.
So it's your choice, to update to 3.2.3.2 using the official update in TWRP or Fire OS, or just flash the 3.2.3.2 bootloader in TWRP. If you want to dump Fire OS anyway, just disable OTA in Fire OS via HDX Toolkit, backup Fire OS in TWRP, move it to your PC, update 3.2.3.2 bootloader from the thread mentioned above, unlock it, then flash Nexus, CM11 or CM12.
You can also check for the backup of the original Amazon recovery, should be somewhere on the HDX, after you installed TWRP (AFAIR TWRP creates a backup of the original recovery), and move that recovery backup to your PC as well.

---

Good stuff, this will give me something to do tonight when I get in from work.
I will report back with my results! Cheers. :good:

---

316894 said:
Good stuff, this will give me something to do tonight when I get in from work.
I will report back with my results! Cheers. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more thing:
You should remove the secondary slot with Nexus 2.0.2 before you un-install Safestrap. Otherwise the storage used by that slot could be still in use.

---

Success! 13.3.2.3.2 bootloader, unlocked and now running KitKat 4.4.4
Cheers for the help Cl4ncy. :good:

---

316894 said:
Success! 13.3.2.3.2 bootloader, unlocked and now running KitKat 4.4.4
Cheers for the help Cl4ncy. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great you got it working! Enjoy your "free" HDX.

---

Just to go for sure...
Hi there,
thanks for your great thread, I am in nearly the same position.
I am currently on: Safestrap 3.75, Nexus 2.0.2 from ggow on ROM-Slot-1 and Stock ROM has version: 13.3.2.4_user_324002120 (build on 20.th June, 2014, 23:58 GMT)
Some questions however remain:
How did you uninstall Safestrap? Boot to Stock ROM, start the Safestrap app there and hit uninstall? Or somewhere else?
I just want to go 100% sure before removing my "fallback" software, which Safestrap was until now.
The link in your post does no longer point to cuberHDX, I used this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58864282&postcount=46
I have adb and "KFHDX ToolKit v0.95" running to do things via my PC.
Do I need to use fastboot (it does not list my device yet, but I also have not changed the driver as Cl4ancy suggested)? If it is not needed, I will stick to my working adb.
The things I downloaded right now are:
13.3.2.4_rollback (from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/development/13-3-2-4-rollback-images-t2991015 ), to go back to .3.1.0 .
thor-bootloader-13.3.2.3.2_upgrade.zip (from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/development/twrp-flashable-3-2-3-bootloader-upgrade-t3025504 ), to update 3.1.0 to .3.2.3.2
cuberHDX from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58864282&postcount=46
I have retrieved the needed serials and are nearly ready to go. Just want to double check whether I have misunderstood something.
If not, I think this is the procedure, right:
1. Downgrade to .3.1.0 (how is this done? the zip contains folders, not a binary. The instruction say: 2. Flash the appropriate file for you device . Shall I do this by copying the zip to the device and install it via the still present Safestrap?) Can you please clarify on that?)
1.5 Delete Safestrap? (If this is still possible after downgrading? )
2. Upgrade to .3.2.3.2 by placing the .bin in the root folder ? ( I have no install.bat batch file supplied here).
3. Unlook bootloader as described here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=62253081&postcount=6
4. Flash twrp (as described here ) ?
As you see, I am a bit puzzled about Safestrap... appreciate your help!
Thanks in advance,
syk

---

You are in a slightly better situation, you can use the rollback images.
The downgrade is done by following the instructions in the rollback image thread. Basically you backup your current stock slot, delete secondary slots (if you created any) so the space isn't in use, copy the rollback image to the HDX, access Safestrap and flash the rollback image to the stock slot - Safestrap (like TWRP) flashes .zip files directly to the required partition(s). Then do a factory reset (i.e. wipe - do NOT go into advanced wipe! DO NOT wipe System!!). Keep WLAN off/flight mode active, so you won't get updated by Amazon! Follow the instructions 100% correctly! Copy the 3.1.0 stock update to the HDX, then update Fire OS.
Un-installation of Safestrap is simple: Just open the Safestrap app and select "Uninstall Recovery". But following the downgrade procedure incl. the factory reset, Safestrap will be gone anyway, so no need to worry about its removal (note that this applies to the usage of the rollback Image procedure only!).
After the downgrade to 3.1.0 and the removal of Safestrap you can install TWRP, then backup your Fire OS in TWRP and move the backup to your PC (if the HDX is powered off, you can access TWRP this way: press and hold Volume up, then press and hold the Power botton, release both buttons when the grey Kindle logo appears on Screen.
TWRP Installation can be done via ADB (recommended) or apps like e.g. Flashify. If you haven't installed ADB already, see the link below. The TWRP.bin must be in the root of your HDX, i.e. if you open the HDX in a file explorer, don't open any other directory, just paste it right there.
Then flash the 3.2.3.2 bootloader from the link you mentioned, it's a .zip file to be flashed in TWRP (the install.bat is required for 3.2.5 and 3.2.6 only, you have 3.2.4 and don't need it anyway).
You can unlock the bootloader then, but you should install Minimal ADB and Fastboot and grab these Drivers. You also need to install the software mentioned here (i.e Python 2.7 and GMPY2 for Python 2.7).

---

Hi Cl4ncy,
all worked well so far, less hassle than feared.
As expected, I could not uninstall Safestrap after I applied the rollback (since the app was gone).
I flashed original stock rom 3.1.0 ( from here, just in case anyone also needs these files reading this thread), and upgraded the bootloader to 3.2.3 (but can't really check whether this worked, or is there any possibility to check that?).
I already prepared the unlock file beforehand, but the final step is still missing: unlocking the bootloader.
I can set my device into fastboot mode with adb, but fastboot on my PC can't find my device (adb, in contrast, found it..), and the driver linked here can't be downloaded because the board is over capacity.
I hope the driver solves my problem soon.
Do you have an other location to download the file?
And in the meantime: Why do I need to unlock the bootloader? The installation of the old Nexus 2.0.2 ROM seemed to work without that via Safetrap (or it just did not say that it unlocked the bootloader?)
What are the benefits of doing that?
Thanks again,
syk

---

I uploaded the drivers here.
Unlocking the bootloader is required for e.g. CM12 - Nexus or CM11 for Safestrap v4 either require to update to 4.5.2, root, and install Safestrap v4, or an unlocked bootloader. TWRP also enables far better recovery options, so TWRP & unlocked bootloader open the wonderland of HDX ROMs for you.

---

Thanks a lot, the drivers worked. I am now trying out the latest SlimROM already. Seems to be the most stable Lollipop ROM as of now...

---

So I am in the process of attempting to unlock my bootloader and basically following the steps done by sykarian as we were in similar boats(my original situation described here) and I have a few questions.
So far I have used the rollback image and updated using the 3.1.0 stock firmware without any problems. According to the posts in this thread, my next steps would be to uninstall safestrap, install TWRP, and flash the 3.2.3 bootloader. My issue is uninstalling safestrap. As far as I can tell, it's already gone as I can no longer boot into recovery and there is no safestrap app present. I see sykarian mentioning a similar issue but it's not exactly clear what he did from that point.
Am I ok to just go ahead and install TWRP at this point or is there something specific I need to do to ensure safestrap is removed? Also, I notice in the TWRP thread, it says to ensure that I am running stock firmware 3.2.3.2 before installation but that is not mentioned anywhere in the posts here. Is it ok to install it on the 3.1.0 firmware I am currently running? I do see in the first reply in this thread Cl4ncy says TWRP can be installed after rollback to 3.1.0 but I just want to make sure that also applies to my situation and not just the OP.
If anyone could clear this up for me I'd really appreciate it

---

muunkin said:
So I am in the process of attempting to unlock my bootloader and basically following the steps done by sykarian as we were in similar boats(my original situation described here) and I have a few questions.
So far I have used the rollback image and updated using the 3.1.0 stock firmware without any problems. According to the posts in this thread, my next steps would be to uninstall safestrap, install TWRP, and flash the 3.2.3 bootloader. My issue is uninstalling safestrap. As far as I can tell, it's already gone as I can no longer boot into recovery and there is no safestrap app present. I see sykarian mentioning a similar issue but it's not exactly clear what he did from that point.
Am I ok to just go ahead and install TWRP at this point or is there something specific I need to do to ensure safestrap is removed? Also, I notice in the TWRP thread, it says to ensure that I am running stock firmware 3.2.3.2 before installation but that is not mentioned anywhere in the posts here. Is it ok to install it on the 3.1.0 firmware I am currently running? I do see in the first reply in this thread Cl4ncy says TWRP can be installed after rollback to 3.1.0 but I just want to make sure that also applies to my situation and not just the OP.
If anyone could clear this up for me I'd really appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed Safestrap will be gone after the usage of the rollback image, and the 3.1.0 stock firmware along with the factory reset during the whole downgrade procedure, so no need to worry about Safestrap anymore. It's important to note the difference between using the downgrade images available for 3.2.4, and the different procedure for 3.2.5/3.2.6!
The requirements for TWRP are firmwares 3.1.0 to 3.2.3.2 IIRC, at least 3.2.3.2 or below - 3.2.3.2 is just recommended due to some graphic glitches with Nexus. You can flash the 3.2.3.2 bootloader upgrade (or even upgrade Fire OS 3.2.3.2) via TWRP without any problems (updated Fire OS would just require to re-root).

---

Cl4ncy said:
Indeed Safestrap will be gone after the usage of the rollback image, and the 3.1.0 stock firmware along with the factory reset during the whole downgrade procedure, so no need to worry about Safestrap anymore. It's important to note the difference between using the downgrade images available for 3.2.4, and the different procedure for 3.2.5/3.2.6!
The requirements for TWRP are firmwares 3.1.0 to 3.2.3.2 IIRC, at least 3.2.3.2 or below - 3.2.3.2 is just recommended due to some graphic glitches with Nexus. You can flash the 3.2.3.2 bootloader upgrade (or even upgrade Fire OS 3.2.3.2) via TWRP without any problems (updated Fire OS would just require to re-root).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. So I completed all that, got my unlock code good to go and put my kindle into fastboot mode no problem. Now I see that in order to get fastboot on my pc to find my device I need use to drivers linked in this thread. I downloaded those but I'm not sure exactly what to do with them. Looks like this is my last hurdle here. Really appreciate all the help
Edit: Just noticed one of the links in this thread is to a post explaining how to use them haha. Reading through that now.
---------- Post added at 09:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:56 PM ----------
Ok after following the instructions from that post I get an error that says "The third party INF does not contain digital signature information" and it won't install the drivers. I don't see any option to bypass the warning. I am on windows 10 if that makes a difference.

---

muunkin said:
Thanks for the quick reply. So I completed all that, got my unlock code good to go and put my kindle into fastboot mode no problem. Now I see that in order to get fastboot on my pc to find my device I need use to drivers linked in this thread. I downloaded those but I'm not sure exactly what to do with them. Looks like this is my last hurdle here. Really appreciate all the help
Edit: Just noticed one of the links in this thread is to a post explaining how to use them haha. Reading through that now.
---------- Post added at 09:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:56 PM ----------
Ok after following the instructions from that post I get an error that says "The third party INF does not contain digital signature information" and it won't install the drivers. I don't see any option to bypass the warning. I am on windows 10 if that makes a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you use Win 10 x64? Unfortunately the installation of unsigned drivers in 64 bit Windows is a pain in the ass. It'd help if you'd access to a 32 bit system, preferable Win 7. Win 10 also seems to have signed driver enforcement active if secure boot is enabled, disabling secure boot helps on 32 bit Win 10.

---

Cl4ncy said:
Do you use Win 10 x64? Unfortunately the installation of unsigned drivers in 64 bit Windows is a pain in the ass. It'd help if you'd access to a 32 bit system, preferable Win 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem! Already figured it out with a quick google search. Looks I'm unlocked and ready to go!
Really appreciate your help and quick responses man. Cheers.