Kindle Hacks » Installing Hack Files

Installing Patch/Hack Files

  1. Relax: it's really not all that difficult.
  2. Figure out which Kindle you are patching: Kindle DX, Kindle 2 US (the original K2), or Kindle 2 Global (a.k.a. "International", now the only K2 Amazon is selling). [How?]
  3. Select the patch file appropriate for your Kindle, normally identified in the file name by "K2" for the original (US) version, "K2i" for the newer global (international) version, and "DX" for the Kindle DX. (In the near future there will be a global DX, which may require a different set of patch files).
  4. Download the applicable patch file to your computer.
  5. If you downloaded a compressed "Zip" file, unzip it, and locate the actual patch file in the unzipped files. The patch file will have a ".bin" file name suffix.
  6. Connect your Kindle to your computer via the supplied USB cable. If prompted, choose to open it in "folder view" or whatever you computer calls it to view it as another disk drive.
  7. Copy the selected .bin patch file to the "root" (top-level) folder (directory) of your Kindle. Remeber to select the file for your Kindle type: just "k2" in the file name for Kindle 2 US, "k2i" for the global/international Kindle 2, or "dx" for the Kindle DX. Do not copy it into one of the folders there; it should show up in the top-level listing of files:
  8. Disconnect your Kindle from the PC. If not already at the Home screen, click the Home button on the Kindle. Then click Menu and select the Settings menu option.
  9. At the "Settings" screen, click the Menu button again. If you've done everything OK so far, then the Update Your Kindle option should be enabled (not grayed out). Select that option, and let the Kindle do its updating and then restart. Once you are back to the home screen, you should be good to go.
  10. If the "update" option was grayed out, or if you got some sort of error during the update process, then most likely you installed an invalid patch file. Go back to the top and make sure you got the right file for your Kindle type and for it's firmware version.