Support

This page contains some information to help people involved in the project support the devices, etc. Here are the topics we currently need to support

  • Changing the account a Kindle is registered to
  • Downloading content to additional devices, or when commissioning a device
  • Copying content over a USB connection
  • Making a device more secure

Changing the account a Kindle is registered to

There are various reasons why we may want or need to either configure or change which account a specific Kindle us registered to; for instance if we want to move a device from one school to another; or if we want to provide additional devices for a school.

Before a Kindle can be registered, it needs to be deregistered from the old account (assuming that account isn’t the same one as the one we want to use).

We need the account’s registered email address and the associated password in order to register the device to that account.

Here are instructions on how to deregister/register on a Kindle 4 device: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200496580#register

and for the Kindle Keyboard the instructions are here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_kin_200776700_reg?nodeId=200487820#reg

There is also information on how to register a Kindle in the Kindle User’s Guide that should be already available on the device you are using.

Downloading previously ordered content to a Kindle

Content ordered from the Kindle store can be used on up to 5 devices provided the devices are registered to the same Amazon account. This content needs to be downloaded or copied onto the device. Amazon provide several ways to obtain the content. These include:

  • Sending it from the Amazon web site (more useful for administrators of various devices)
  • Retrieving it from the ‘archived items’ on the device (more useful and practical for end users and people in the field)

In both cases the device must already be registered with the appropriate accounts (which we used when the content was purchased).

To send material from the Amazon site you need to be logged in with the relevant account details, therefore you need to know the password of the account. In comparison, once a device has been registered (for which the password is needed), you no longer need to use the password. So it’s easier for people in the field to download archived content than login and send material from the Amazon web site.

 Restarting a grumpy Kindle

Kindles sometimes refuse to respond. In our experience this often happens when using a basic solar panel to recharge the device where the power from the solar panel may fluctuate and possibly confuse the software related to the power and recharging on the device. To restart all the devices we’re currently using (the Kindle Keyboard, the Kindle 4, Kindle 5, Kindle Touch, Kindle Paperwhite – in effect the non ‘Kindle-Fire’ devices) are restarted using a similar technique, which is:

  •  Press and hold the power switch for at least 20 seconds, sometimes at least 30 seconds is needed to initiate the process.
  • Try to turn the Kindle on again using the power switch.

Essentially we repeat the above technique until the Kindle screen updates to indicate the Kindle is restarting. The restart takes less than a minute typically and the device should then be functional and responsive again. Nothing should be lost, that is, the content and other information should still be present on the device. Therefore a restart is a safe operation which we can try without worrying about causing significant problems.

Copying content over a USB connection

Sometimes we want to copy content from a computer directly to a Kindle device. The most practical way is to use a USB cable to connect the Kindle to the computer. On the computer the Kindle should appear as USB storage – another disk drive. eBooks and other documents supported by Kindles should be copied into the ‘documents’ folder. You should expect to see various existing files in the documents folder.

The following link provides comprehensive information on connecting Kindles to computers, copying files, file formats, etc. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200493090 (for the Kindle Keyboard) and http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_1-3?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200727700&qid=1367486658&sr=1-3 (for the Kindle 4 and Kindle 5). The information is very similar in both guides so either should be sufficient to enable you to perform the tasks.

Making a device more secure

We can set a password on the device, which would need to be entered correctly by any one who wants to use the Kindle device. Adding and requiring a password makes the process of using the device a little more time-consuming or frustrating, but may add a small level of additional protection.

Administrators can set a policy for devices to prevent devices from being deregistered, etc.