yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire TV Original Android Development] nagi_007pk:
Thanks what precautions should I take to make sure it doesn't go beyond the firmware that's preinstalled on it?

I've rooted one firestick before so I know how it works but I'm afraid this efuse system is confusing as hell.

Also this stick has never been opened. Its completely boxed
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 0815hoffi:
Root before 1st initial Setup and Flash

http://www.mediafire.com/file/8pe6v9n3wvqipbx/mantis-6.2.7.1-rooted_r1.zip/file

and magisk 20.4.

READ 1ST POST IN THREAD ABOUT 6.2.8.0
[Fire TV Original Android Development] kakahoho:
nvm, solved
[Fire TV Original Android Development] g96818:
I got a brand new VM139 stick. I did everything and installed 6.2.7.1-rooted and I'm trying to do the initial setup, but it keeps trying to download updates. How can I block that? I never logged in before so usb debugging hasn't been enabled yet. what's the update address to block on the router?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 0815hoffi:
You can try this.

Post in thread 'Fire TV Stick 4K 6.2.8.1 Old UI MOD Port' https://xdaforums.com/t/fire-tv-stick-4k-6-2-8-1-old-ui-mod-port.4298357/post-85345513

Maybe it works with 6.2.7.1, if not reflash 6.2.7.1r.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] g96818:
Nevermind. I see rbox released the latest pre-rooted rom so i flashed that and just let amazon do it's thing.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] darkniterider:
Is there any way to unlock new ones? Mine is VM201.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] smartke12:
Hi, I have a stick with 6.2.8.1 and I can not get it to work since the short is not working.

Could it be that the method with the short does not work with a stick >= 6.2.8.x?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Skel40:
The short is patched after you update to 6.2.8.0 and up. You cannot unlock anymore because the efuse are on those firmwares
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Skel40:
If it's VM190 and above, it's patched
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Skel40:
@k4y0z @Sus_i is there a possibility to inject and create a script to disable the efuse on the patched sticks after shorting ground to CLK when it fails the unlocking script?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] emkorial:
Where do you see the VM Number? Where on the box?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 0815hoffi:
There is a Label at the buttom....

Like this...
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Skel40:
Those sticks are vulnerable until you update it to the latest version which isn't a good idea. Definitely helpful for those that just bought one with the serial lower than 1900 and would want to unlock their 4K
[Fire TV Original Android Development] emkorial:
So people keep saying look for VM below 190...

That VM # is 15946216... So what exactly are we looking for again?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 0815hoffi:
This is not from 4k, its only a example to find the Serial.

Here a patched VM201
[Fire TV Original Android Development] bo0gietrain:
So is the conclusion that any hardware revision with FireTV OS 6.2.8.0 or later installed is unable to be used anymore with this this tool?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 0815hoffi:
Yes, Efuse is burned no more unlocking..
[Fire TV Original Android Development] m1s73r:
I can confirm this is still working as of today - Just went to my local store which had hundreds of Fire TV 4k sticks. All different kinds of serial numbers from VM071 to VM170, VM190, VM202 etc. I just picked up a VM170 and without ever plugging it in, I started to disassemble the device and root it. It worked flawlessly (used a jumper wire to short), then I just booted it, connected it to WiFi, let it run a bunch of updates and that's it. Works perfectly. Thank you so much for this!
[Fire TV Original Android Development] emkorial:
So when you say VM190, you mean VM and then the first three digits after VM?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 0815hoffi:
Yes, must be lower then VM190
[Fire TV Original Android Development] m1s73r:
I've got another question, like I mentioned previously I rooted without updating first, applied Magisk and everything, THEN started the stick and updated all the way to 6.2.8.1 (official OTA). Root is still there, as well as TWRP, but I was wondering if I did blow my e-fuse this way?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] SweenWolf:
you said you rooted your stick first then you updated your stick via OTA, so TWRP was there when the update happened, which prevented the update to TZ causing Netflix and prime to not work.

if you updated the TZ at that point then on next reboot your efuse would have blown.

but TZ wasn't updated so efuse wasn't blown

then you flashed my TZ update zip, which updated TZ and removed the efuse related files.

Your efuse is not blown.

[EDIT]

forget what i told you, I have no idea if your TZ was updated or not, i assumed it wasn't updated because your prime wasn't working, other devs will help you further, wolf out.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] 3941:
I just got my first Fire TV Stick 4k, and it's a VM081. I guess I'm lucky?

Can I update this thing without worrying about being able to unlock it later?

EDIT: Apparently I can't.... Got that from a bit of reading this thread. This section is a bit of a mess, though. Could use some useful stickies.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] m1s73r:
I got a VM170 and did not update. Would not even plug it in because you never know what it does. I just opened it straight away and went to rooting. Worked for me. Furthermore, if you start it the problem is that you need to connect it to a working WiFi otherwise it won't let you finish the setup. Updating before doesn't make sense anyways. Just root it and then you can update and finish setup.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] unfrozencaveman:
Glad I rooted mine already, guess Jeff Bozos needs to keep you from rooting your own devices so he can afford another trip to the moon.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] griff14:
I've got a vanilla Firestick 4K from 2019 with VM1493 in the serial. Only thing I did to it was sideload some emulators and roms. Never rooted, which I was interested in doing now to add more controller options. But it looks like I'm too late to the game and my stick is fully updated with 6.2.8.1. I was trying the short for hours before realizing that the jig was up and read more of this thread :p Doh! Doesn't boot at all when shorted. Guess we're our of luck until a new solution comes out that can somehow deal with the efuse situation. Let the patience game begin!
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
I'm a newbie. I've read for the past 3 hours and I'm just as lost as when I first started.

I have a 4K stick that I bought 2 years ago. It worked perfectly for 2 years. A couple days ago, I sideloaded an app. The next day, the only thing I see on my TV is the initial white FireStick logo. After about 10 seconds I see a bigger FireStick logo with an occasional orange glow going through it. I've left it for 12 hours and the orange glow through the FireStick logo continues.

I've tried the back + right select button the remote, but that doesn't do anything.

I've tried hooking up the OTG cable with my keyboard and trying the ctrl + alt +menu + prtscrn + i with numerous tries and key length presses.

I followed instructions online to get Twrp installed. But I was never successful with the shorting procedure. After reading most of this thread and finding post # 1517 "

The only way to root the device is to get a device that has:

A - Not been patched

B - Not been upgraded to 6.2.8.0"

I never enabled ADB and I don't think I turned off automatic updates from Amazon. So I assume I received the 6.2.8.0 update. Is it fair to assume my attempts at shorting my Stick will not work at this time ?

Any other suggestions to get my Stick working ? I don't need root or anything fancy. I just want to be able to use my Stick for regular usage.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] griff14:
What app(s) did you sideload? Sideloading apps shouldn't lead to any disruptions of the boot process. I used Downloader and ES File Explorer to sideload Kodi, Retroarch, M64Plus FZ, and PSPSSPP. I've connected a USB OTG hub and attached a USB flash drive full of ROMs and a N64 USB controller adapter. Everything still works.

I tried the shorting process to get root access but eventually learned that my e-fuse is blown since I was too late and the OTA automatic updates had me up to date with 6.8.2.1. It's the 6.8.2.0 update that blew the e-fuse so we're out of luck until a new exploit is found. My stick still works even though I successfully shorted the resistor and got several failed boots. Everything is back to normal.

I have however experienced "no input" issues with the Firestick for some time, prior to the shorting attempts. It was always solved by unplugging the power to the Firestick and plugging it back in, forcing a reboot. It was happening so often that I ended up connecting the USB power to the TV so it would only power on at the same time as the TV. That solved the problem, but I've read that leaving your firestick connected to a USB port on your TV comes with risks. It doesn't quite sound like the same problem, but in any case, maybe you can at least try a different USB cable, a different power adapter (output = 5V 1A), and try disconnecting the OTG adapter to see if it makes any difference.

Good luck!
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
I sideloaded something called cinemahd. I had no problems running it that day, but the next day my FireStick would not get past the Firestick logo with the orange light.

I've tried different usb cords, plugs, tv's, monitors, etc... The FireStick just won't boot past the second logo.

All I want to do is reinstall the OS from scratch and I was hoping the information in this forum would let me do it. But I think this forum only talks about installing TWRP. I haven't given up on trying the shorting. I just don't know if I'm doing it wrong or if my Firestick is at 6.8.20 or higher. I used my Firestick in stock mode, so I don't think I turned off automatic OTA updates.

If I do get TWRP miraculously installed, do you know what Zip files I should install to get the OS reloaded ?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
I'm still confused as to which register I have to short. Please see picture and advise which # is the correct register ? Also, when touching the register, do I touch the silver shiny part or something else ? (I read in an earlier post don't touch the "shield" ?) I will be using a wire to touch the register and the other end of the wire will be touching the metal frame as showing in the diagram ?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
The third and the fourth one...

Yeah, one of the silver shiny sides...

but it must be one of the sides from #3 and #4 that are showing (or pointing) together (i.e. the side from #4 next to #5 is GND and it doesn't make any sense to short that side with GND... same for the side of #3 next to #2).

(y)

Anyways, you're very late to try this, your stick is most likely brom patched!
[Fire TV Original Android Development] griff14:
It is sounding like your stick got bricked somehow :S Did you somehow fold the corner of the frame and/or try shorting any of the other resistors like 5 & 6? I don't know enough about the hardware to say what that could have done, but like Sus_i said, you should be working with 3 & 4.

This is how I was able to tell if the short is working or not:

When you run the first script:

./bootrom-step.sh

Waiting for bootroom

Then plug in the Firestick 4k via USB...

If you see "RuntimeError: ERROR: Serial protocol mismatch, expected 0001 got 0000" that means your short is no good and you need to try again (unplug Firestick, reposition short, restart script, plug back in)

If you plug it in and the script just hangs at "Waiting for bootrom" without any further messages, it means the short was successful but the boot has been blocked due to the blown e-fuse. That's how you can tell if your stick is on 6.8.2.0 or 6.8.2.1. If that's the case, then unfortunately you can't install TWRP at this point or go any further. You might be out of luck and have to get a new Firestick, unless you can find some other recovery method... according to this article, the Android recovery mode is accessed with Alt + Print Screen + i but I just tried it and couldn't get it to work:

How to unbrick by entering Recovery Mode and Factory Reset the Amazon Fire TV

If you've managed to brick your Fire TV or for whatever reason are unable to get to the settings menu to perform a factory reset, here is how to enter recovery mode without fully booting into the Fire TV's operating system.

www.aftvnews.com
[Fire TV Original Android Development] SweenWolf:
I have a few questions for you,

Do you have ADB debugging enabled?

If yes and if you sideloaded app, have you used Launcher manager?

If yes and yes, connect your stick to your pc via usb and let it boot.

Enter adb devices

If it says unauthorized (and you have used Launcher Manager) i can share my keys with you so that you can unbrick your stick.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
Thank you for the reply.

I'm not sure what you mean by "...it must be one of the sides from #3 and #4 that are showing (or pointing) together ..." My eyes are not very good. To me, everything in #4 looks like one piece of metal. Maybe my eyes are bad but based on your post, I'm assuming there is a left and right side of the shiny surface in #4 and I should short the right side of the shiny surface to the metal frame (or I could short the left side of #3 to the frame) ?

When shorting with the foil or wire, do they heat up to indicate the shorting is occurring ?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
Thank you for the reply.

Yes, I bent the frame so I could see and access the shorting points better. I didn't try to short 5 or 6 on purpose. But when I was trying to wedge the foil in there, it's possible it made contact with those points .

If I do short correctly and the e-fuse is blown, does the foil or wire heat up ? I think once I felt some heat so quickly removed the foil as I didn't know if I was going to fry the board.

I think the "Alt + PrintScreen + i" is for the FireTV (not Fire stick) ? The FireStick keys are " Ctrl + Alt + Menu + PrintScreen + i " Which didn't work for me as my FireStick doesn't boot up far enough to recognize my keyboard.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
Thank you for the reply.

I don't think I enabled ADB debugging. When I ran "adb devices" I got a message saying "unauthorized"

I've never installed Launcher manager. So I'm out of luck for now :(
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
Is it possible to update the OP to let everyone know that if their stock OS is at 6.8.2.0 or higher, this method will not work ? There are multiple websites that link to this thread for unbricking the FireStick 4k, but no where in the OP does it say this method won't work if the OS is 6.8.2.0 or higher.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] SweenWolf:
There's a pad below cap 4 and 5 which you have to ground, if you "short" that pad to ground then it will not cause any heat, maybe you shoeted something else, and this stick does NOT heats up that easily.

If your short is successful then it will only result in your stick not booting up (will show nothing), remove the short and power and your stick will start bootlooping again

About you saying you haven't enabled ADB debugging (you have enabled it) that's why it saying unauthorized, otherwise it would have returned nothing.

What else have you done to the stick.

There are two reasons i know which could have cause this issue

1. You tried to install an app (sideloaded) which caused the stick to not boot because that app is crashing in loop. (One major example is Google Play Services, NOT TALKING ABOUT MAGISK)

2. You tried to disable apps, and used a script / app to debloat the stick or to replace the launcher, and you somehow managed to disable 3 of the launchers on this stick (maybe you also has disabled the system itself)
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
Yeah, one of the sides between #3 and #4 :)

But as i said, you're very late, your stick is probably brom patched...

You may put the stick in a drawer and wait, developing needs time and if you're lucky there will be an update of the OP.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
Thank you for the reply.

I'm a little confused by "shorting" and "grounding". Not sure what this means "There's a pad below cap 4 and 5 which you have to ground, if you "short" that pad to ground then it will not cause any heat" So I have to ground the pad below 4 & 5 ie: touch the pad with one end of the wire and touch the other end of the wire to the frame ? I thought I was supposed to touch 1 end of the wire to the right shiny side of 4 and touch the other side of the wire to the frame ?

I have used my FireStick 4k for 2 years without installing any new software. Then a few weeks ago, I figured I'd install / sideload cinemahd. It worked fine that day, but the next day is when the fireStick would not boot past the logo screen. I also had to update my downloader app program before sideloading cinemahd. But these are the only 2 changes I made before my problem started.

In the past, I never used any scripts or apps to debloat as I was perfectly happy with my stock Firestick 4k.

It's been 2 years since I've manually made any changes to my Firestick, so I must have turned on ADB debugging when I initially purchased the stick. Since it's enabled, is there away for me to get into it ? I don't recall connecting any computers to the stick for ADB, so I don't have any authorized devices.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] matthewilloughby:
Hello all does anyone know how to root a Logic L61 phone?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] sylvestor2013:
Thank you for the reply. I did try the shorting again. The shorting was successful, but I was still seeing "Waiting for bootrom" So now I know the e-fuse is blown :(

I guess this Firestick goes into a drawer until a new exploit is found.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sleukhar:
Hello guys, can I unlock my firestick vm190 with fire6. 2.8.1?

Thanks a lot, I know the answer is in the topic, but the topic is very too big I'm sorry

Thanks so much amigos

Good weekend
[Fire TV Original Android Development] griff14:
Hello, unfortunately you're blocked in two ways that can't be bypassed at this point. The 6.2.8.0 update blew your e-fuse which blocks the shorting exploit, and the V19* sticks had disabled BROMs right out of the box. There's no way to root a vanilla stick in that state at this time.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sleukhar:
Thanks buddy!
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Giuseppe 1971:
Hello, I'm happily using a 4K with fw 6.2.7.6 installed, thanks to the OP. Since few days, if I open Prime Video app, I receive a message that asks me to update and the code error 8056. Of course, since I've the updates blocked, the updating is not possible and the app doesn't open.

I've cleaned cached and data of the app but I still cannot open it. Any suggestion?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
Enable updates!? ;)
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Giuseppe 1971:
But if I enable the updates, will the firmware of Fire TV stick be updated too? I want to avoid this, I want to remain on the fw 6.2.7.6 because I want the passthrough audio working.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
Yes, ofc it will...

Take a look here in the fireTV forums, skel uploaded somewhere in one of his threads an update of the prime video app.

Maybe here?

https://xdaforums.com/t/fire-tv-stick-4k-6-2-8-1-old-ui-mod-tz-fix-accessibility-fota-patch.4298357/
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
Is there a problem with passthrough?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Giuseppe 1971:
Thanks for the reply, I'll check the link you posted even though I did it this morning and it only refers to the fw 6.2.8.1.

Starting from the fw 6.2.7.7 the stick doesn't process any longer the DTS audio and since I also use it with Kodi for watching movies I've on the NAS, I'm trying to avoid any fw update
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
You're right, sry, the updated apk was in this thread here:

https://xdaforums.com/t/prime-video-fire-tv-apk.4315163/
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Giuseppe 1971:
Thanks a lot Sus_i, I just installed the linked app and it works again!!!!!
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
my fire tv 4k updated itself to latest version.. will this bootloader unlock and root method still work?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Skel40:
If it updated to the latest version by OTA the unlock no longer works. You blew the efuse.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Neolo:
Hi, I've received 4K version with FW 6.2.7.7 Stock, and S/N G4N07****0F0P

I've blocked updates on router upon first start and bypassed Update Failed sceen with voice over menu.

Can I root it?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
****! I didn't know! this **** updated by itself without warning... what a shame...
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
man it'

it's a shame there is no warning on the first post of this thread; guess it has not been updated for a while...

I have read some latest comments and I now see it's not possible to root 6.2.8.1 (latest firmware)... :(

I don't know what I will do with my firestick 4k now... this is a piece of junk .. even more after the update .. probably the ****tiest android device I have ever bought (I had Chinese tv sticks before that and they worked better than this piece of junk as they were all rooted).
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
I guess we all know what amaz. can do via OTA updates and it was always advised to disable updates (even in the OP), valid from the first fireTV ever, till now... If you want to root it sometime, disable or block updates. Amaz. simply fix every vulnerable, that's only a matter of time.

So you may use the stick... or put it in a drawer instead and wait for an update of the OP. You know, developing needs time... :)
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
the issue is I didn't update... the stick updated by itself....
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Neolo:
What's the problem of using it without root? Nobody cancelled sideloading yet.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
yeah thank god sideloading is still possible.

how can I block my firetv from auto update again without root?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Neolo:
Go to your router and set static DNS to 127.0.0.1 for:

d1s31zyz7dcc2d.cloudfront.net

amzdigital-a.akamaihd.net

amzdigitaldownloads.edgesuite.net

softwareupdates.amazon.com

updates.amazon.com

Make sure your router DHCP gives out it's own IP as DNS server.

Also Stick wont update without USB power adapter.

So is stock FW 6.2.7.7 rootable? I can't find answer in here.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
what do you mean by that? how can you power the device without the usb power adapter?
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Neolo:
Stick USB into TV USB port, not wall outlet and it will not update.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] yeahman45:
ah ok didn't know that :(
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
If the serial is low, yes.

If the serial contains VM190 or higher, most likely no, but it doesn't harm anything if you try it nonetheless.
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Neolo:
How do you know serial is higher or not? It's a bunch of randoms G4N07****0F0P
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
The serial should start with G070.... Never saw a serial like yours.

Anyways, I would just try it out...
[Fire TV Original Android Development] nomobytes:
Full image to 6281/4054 for those who are keeping track-

https://d1s31zyz7dcc2d.cloudfront.net/d532a03ab695aa8e202ac929ae48517f/update-kindle-mantis-NS6281_user_4054_0005940172420.bin
[Fire TV Original Android Development] Sus_i:
Additional note:

;)