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First, turn the power switch to the "off" position. Open the back cover of your Kindle and remove the battery. Wait one minute before you put the battery back in place. Put the back cover of your Kindle back on, and turn the power switch to the "on" position. In order to get the battery out of the Kindle, use your fingernails, or a small, pointy object like a pen. Do not use scissors or a knife, which could potentially damage the battery. Make sure when you return the back cover of your Kindle that it locks into place. You should hear a "snap" sound when it is secure. First, hold the power switch for 20 seconds. Slide the power switch and hold it in place for 20 to 30 seconds before releasing it. Doing so tells your device to reboot, instead of merely shutting down. The reboot screen (an all black, or clear screen) should appear as soon as you release the power switch. The Kindle will reboot within a minute or two. Be patient and give your device ample time to finish its reset. After your Kindle is done rebooting, it will automatically turn back on. If the Kindle does not turn back on within ten minutes, turn on the power switch manually. There is some possibility that the Kindle will freeze as it reboots. This may be the case if your Kindle stays frozen on the reboot screen for more than ten minutes. If the device freezes during the reboot or does not respond to the reset at all, plug the charger in and allow your Kindle to charge for 30 minutes or more. Make sure that your Kindle has enough time to complete a full charge. If you take the Kindle off of the charger too early, you may have to repeat the previous steps again. After you finish charging the Kindle, slide the power switch and hold it down for another 20 seconds. The reboot screen should appear again. Give the device a minute or two to reboot before checking it again. This should complete the reset. Scroll through pages of a book selection using the arrow tabs on the side of your Kindle. Press the buttons at the bottom of your Kindle to see if they function correctly. Turn off and on your Kindle to see whether it is turning on/off properly. Continue to play around and experiment with your Kindle until you are sure that it is now working. If it is not, you may want to repeat the previous steps again, or move onto a hard reset.
Soft reset your Kindle First Generation. Reset your Kindle Second Generation and/or later. Give your Kindle time to reboot. Charge your Kindle. Hold the power switch down again. Check the functions of your Kindle.