[8.9" Kindle Fire HD Android Development] MeowDude:
DISCLAIMER: I'm as always, not responsible for any bricks, damages to your device, or any other "bad" effect this guide may or may not have on your device. Also doing this voids your warranty. ALSO... please read the "common mistakes" section at the bottom of the post. Good luck!

Checked/Updated: November 18th, 2017, all the links check out, I've logged into my old MEGA account to keep them alive. Cheers everyone :D

NOTE* VERY IMPORTANT! Don't bother installing this without installing android! Why? Every time you reboot with the stock OS, it erases the recovery. At least on 8.5.1. After installing the recovery, IMMEDIATELY power off your device, boot into recovery manually, and install android. Never, I repeat NEVER use fire flash to reboot into recovery, it will soft brick your device, which you need a computer to fix.

NOTE2* I did not create any of these files, I simply put them all in one place and kept them in my mega drive (I never use it so the links should be good for a while

It's rooting time guys!

iroot.apk : https://mega.nz/#!0Z0AFB7b!LgIwouIzy6IYPFEVpKdL7fkWTWdEKJX-gV00mwXXYrE

So, now that you have iroot downloaded, go ahead and install it. Now open it and you should see your device (KFJWI) at the top, and a big button in the center. Tap it, and it will begin rooting your device. (Don't interrupt it!). When it's finished, reboot your kindle, and you should now be rooted! You'll find an app called "King User" in your device apps, it just manages root (like Super SU) and is needed to use root. Now for TWRP!

So here's the VERY STRAIGHT-FORWARD tutorial for people who's kindle fire 8.9s are on Fire OS 8.5.1 and want TWRP and Maybe even Cyanogenmod/Android running on their kindle. Anyway, let's start with fire flash, you've probably heard of this before, but all I'm really doing here is summarizing other guides and my personal experience for others to utilize (no matter what skill level)

1) Anyway, download FireFlash11 apk (it's trustworthy, worked no problem for me)

DOWNLOAD HERE: https://mega.nz/#!MIM1hbQJ!4hCcH3o3w7ZdrQylcMG0Gt-F0Kju_w_IHs8q0Pe44ng

2) Now download ALL these files. (I know one says "freedom-boot-8.4.6" It will work on 8.5.1!)

ES File Explorer (Download from app store, if unable to, download through MEGA and install from silk): https://mega.nz/#!hR1EzbiR!RSEy0wiVBadAaWDF3SGnd5CQAMcaUo8aDQlIvqEGF6U

freedom-boot-8.4.6: https://mega.nz/#!tRlDxYwK!tje6Mfa08YBTYubLvHPtn_kpakc6woBJfUpM70RTsV4

u-boot-prod-8.1.4: https://mega.nz/#!BV0V2TiS!39szFTM57OV9Pby_R88t-xeAL9nu5ouwgXv96NmfsSk

TWRP 2.6.0.0: https://mega.nz/#!ABUiAbrI!IManKhn6prbjBCyThY_33uw7wftvqxpqXXqzDx3qSGA

(TWRP because of stability and ease of use, CWM and newer builds of TWRP are available around the community but 2.6.x.x should work fine for most pre-6.0 roms)

stack: https://mega.nz/#!oBtSDIZL!WnsanHgEieY7JzeOJPRC2XnQOkrN3O7ZyDZU01-Z_eA

3) I know those links looked the same, there different, now bear with me here, here comes the TWRP install.

so, First, make sure you've downloaded and installed ES File Explorer (if through silk, open the downloads tab and install it through there) and open it. now, if you haven't already, make sure you move all the files you downloaded to your kindle. now if you moved them straight to your kindle, then they should be on the sd card, if you downloaded these through silk, they'll be in the downloads folder in your sd card. tap and install fireflash11.apk . now open it, and give it root access. you should be greeted with a somewhat complicated looking wall of text and checkboxes.

!IMPORTANT!

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*So, let me now guide you through this app, first of all, there should be red print informing you that you're not on the 8.1.4 bootloader or something like that, so click on the checkbox. above it (the one that says "install kfhd8uboot-prod-8.1.4.img or something like that)

*Now go down, and you'll see some text that says "Boot Partition Image (boot.img) and a box under it that says "NOT FLASHED" tap it. it should bring up a file manager-like list. scroll down until you see your already downloaded "kfhd8freedom-boot-8.4.6.img" , and tap/select it. (I know it says 8.4.6, IT WORKS ON 8.5.1!).

now go slightly under it and check "apply stack override".

*Next, Go under that to find a line that says "Recover Partition Image (Recovery.img), and slightly under it a box that says "NOT FLASHED" tap that, and again, you'll be greeted with a list-like file manager. scroll down until you see "kfhd8-twrp-2.6.0.0.img" and tap/select it. last part! go slightly under that and tap the check box next to "disable auto recovery update".

*Now that you have all you options in order, verify that you have them in order, and correctly selected (refer back if needed) and scroll down until you see at the bottom, a box that will install/flash all these things, it will say something like "Execute Flash Script" tap it, and your all set. if you want to boot into recovery, go right under that box to find another box that says "reboot into recovery" click it, and wait a sec, your screen will black out, and you will first see the normal kindle fire logo, then a blue one, then some glitchy looking stuff, then it should show a TeamWin logo, and go into recovery.

NOTE: If you don't flash your device with android, the stock Amazon os will erase the recovery, so NEVER REBOOT INTO RECOVERY USING FIREFLASH! Only right after you install/re-install recovery.

Now you have to download a custom firmware file for your kindle. They com in .zip format, and are all over the 8.9 HD android development forum (which is where this thread is!). Download two, one that you want, and one as a backup just in case things go bad! (make sure the backup one is a lower android version and is stable, such as CM11).

4) Now, to install these:

first off, open ES file explorer, go to the tool section (located to the left of the screen) and open it

enable root explorer (a window should pop up choose to allow it to use root)

Next, create a folder on your sd card named "0" just the zero! no quotations, no space, or a period, just ZERO!

Then, move the ROM and gapps from the download folder in your sd card to the new folder named "0" (that should be on your sd card!)

!IMPORTANT!

MAKE SURE TO CHARGE YOUR DEVICE TO AT LEAST 70% BEFORE MOVING FORWARD

(This is just in case you end up needing to fix or unbrick your kindle fire, the more battery life you have, the more time you have to fix things)

!IMPORTANT!

(Question: why are we doing this? TWRP and nonstock (nonamazon os roms) create a subfolder in your sd card labeled "0", which will be used from here on out (or until you go back to amazon os)

Now, boot into TWRP, power down your device RIGHT AFTER installing/re-installing TWRP through fire flash. Now, with your kindle powered off, push the power button for 3 seconds, release it, and hold volume up until it boots into recovery.

*Make a backup of your ROM, should be in the "Backup" section of TWRP.

*Now go back to the main screen select "Wipe"

*Go to "Wipe Data and Factory Reset"

*Now select "wipe" (its a tab you pull, kind of like the gingerbread or iOS6 lockscreen)

*Now go back (don't reboot your device just yet!)

*Now select "Install" on the main menu (It might say "Zip Install" based on your version of TWRP)

*Now select your ROM (if it's not in the scroll menu, check the right side of the screen! )

*Now click "Install" or "Flash" (again, depends on version of TWRP)

*It may show errors, (like: failed to mount dev/boot0/blah blah blah)ignore them, it only matters if it finishes and says FAILED in all red.

*When it's done tap "Reboot Device"

(You forgot to move your rom/gapps and/or you're stuck with a device with no firmware? help with this question and more at the bottom of the page!)

*DONE!!!! remember, all roms/gapps/zips get flashed like this, including the google ones, but only wipe your device when installing A NEW ROM! not gapps, just go straight to installing them.

Okay, common mistakes:

1. Trying to boot into recovery and getting a badi: bad boot image magic error, then trying to use fire flash or an app like it to boot into recovery. THIS WILL BRICK YOUR KINDLE. It'll red screen, then dump you into fast boot.

2. Using kindle fire 7 in images. Please don't make this mistake. needless to say, THIS WILL BRICK YOU DEVICE.

3.Using non-kindle fire 8.9 roms. You'd be surprised, I had a friend try to flash a ROM for the original kindle fire onto his HD 7 (Tate) kindle fire, so don't flash it unless it specifically says: "for kindle fire 8.9". THIS MISTAKE WILL SERIOUSLY BRICK YOU! Obviously.

*disclaimer: I did not make any of these files, the majority of the credit goes the Hashcode and the wonderful devs on the kindle fire community!

Common questions, with helpful answers!

Q: I forgot to make a backup and I can't find the ROM files I downloaded! what do I do!!!

A: Okay, no big deal! lets do this! in recovery open the install menu (big button that says install) now to the left is all the folders in the sd card (the "0" folder in it anyways) select "Up A Level" now, scroll around until you find a folder named "data" (should be third from the top) next, scroll down until you find a folder named "media" open it. congrats! This is where the actual sd card is! (And if you look you'll find the folder named "0")! now just navigate to the downloads folder (or an incorrectly named "0" folder/wherever you put it) select it, and install!

Q: Where did my recovery go?

A: you either deleted it or rebooted into Stock Amazon OS 8.5.1+ after installing this. Just reinstall it using fire flash, and reflash CM or Omni or whatever you use.

Q: What does Badi: Bad boot image (or similar) mean? And why does it happen every time I try to boot into recovery?

A: It means Amazon erased your rec

4. My kindle fire won't stop booting over and over again! Why? Soft brick. No big deal, flash a different custom ROM (preferably of a lower android version like 4.4.x or lower) and see if that helps. If it is still doing this update TWRPovery at boot, this error is SPECIFFICALY because of Amazon OS doing this. reflash recovery, and remember, ONLY boot into recovery manually, never use fire flash to do it.

Q: Dangit! I forgot to download a ROM for my kindle! Now I'm stuck with a firmware-less kindle fire! What do I do?

A: You will need to boot into TWRP, and tap Mount, now mount internal SD and connect it to a computer, and move a rom to it.