Monday, September 19, 2011

Kinde How To: Help! Something's wrong with my Kindle!

Oh no! Something went wrong with my Kindle! I can't figure out why!
For support go here.  For the most common FAQs go here. For some tips to fixing common problems, keep reading!

Side note: These are problems either I or my Kindle Friends have run into.

Problem: Wireless/3G will not turn on
Solution 1: See if your Kindle's battery is low.  If it is less than 1/4 charged, then it will not allow the wireless/3G to be turned on.  Plug in your Kindle and let it charge for a little bit.

Solution 2: Power down, Power up (ha.. sound familiar?).  It is very very important (I've learned the hard way... ugh..) to turn off your Kindle at least once a week.  To turn off your Kindle, slid the 'hold' bar to the right, wait for the light to flash three times (for K3s) and the screen to go blank.  Wait at least 1 minute, then power back on.

Solution 3: Have you changed your wireless password lately? If so, you'll need to change it on your Kindle as well.  To check the wireless, got to the home page.  Click the 'menu' button.  Scroll down to 'settings' and click on it.  Then you will see a bunch of different settings such as registration, device name, wi-fi/3G and device info.  Scroll down  to wi-fi/3G and click 'manage' (it might say 'view' instead).  Simply change your password settings and go back to the home page.  Then try the wireless again.

Problem: My Kindle is running slow!
Solution 1: Power down, power up! Simply turn off your Kindle, wait 1 minute, then turn it back on.  Giving your Kindle a rest is very important!

Solution 2: Check your Kindle's battery.  Is it getting low? If so, it might be time to charge the battery.  Make sure to plug your Kindle into the wall to get the best charge.  Plugging it into your computer or laptop may charge the battery, but will take longer to charge and your Kindle will not hold the charge as long.

Problem: The web/browser is not working, running slowly or is choppy.
Solution 1: Close the browser. Wait a minute or two.  Then reopen the browser.

Solution 2: Disengage (turn off) your wireless or 3G.  Wait until it is completely off (it will say off next to the battery symbol).  Then re-engage the wireless.  Refresh/re-load the browser.

Solution 3: Give it time.  The browser on a Kindle is only in beta form, meaning the *bugs* and *kinks* are not worked out yet.  Just be patient.  If it still doesn't load, try solution 1 or 2.

Problem: Something went wrong when I updated my Kindle or The update didn't work.
Solution 1: Take a deep breath.  If the update caused a problem with your Kindle, it's an easy fix.  Updates process very slowly, so please be patient.  My Kindle took approximately 25 minutes to update.

Solution 2: Go to troubleshooting your update for a complete list of the common problems.  The problems for one person will be different for another.  Be sure you have selected the correct version of Kindle, yes it does matter (Kindle 3, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, Kindle 1).

If you continue to have problems with any of these issues, make sure to go on Amazon's website and check out their help topics for Kindle.  Many problems are caused by a low battery or by not turning off your Kindle (completely) every so often.  Don't charge your Kindle too often, but you should begin charging it when it reaches the last 10-15% of the battery life.  You don't have to turn off your Kindle every day, just make sure to turn it off at least once every two weeks.

Have a different problem than what I listed? If you have a quick fix or other solutions, please leave a comment or email me with *Kindle Problem and Solution* as the subject.

No comments: