Kindle Fire tablets are high tech tablets capable of browsing the web, displaying videos and pictures, running apps, and generally giving you access to any and all sorts of media and files.
That is, they can do all of this stuff if they're working properly. A glitch-prone Kindle Fire can be a serious annoyance, but a reset can restore its functionality.
If you plan on parting with your Fire, a factory reset is the best way to ensure the tablet is wiped clean of all your proprietary information and files.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Kindle Fire (From $109.99 at Amazon)
How to factory reset your Kindle Fire (1st and 2nd generation)
1. Navigate to your Settings, represented by the gear icon.
2. Tap "More…" and then "Device."
3. Tap "Reset to Factory Defaults" and then "Erase everything."
How to factory reset your Kindle Fire (3rd generation or later)
1. Go to your Settings and then "Device Options."
2. Then select "Reset to Factory Defaults," and finally "Reset."
If your Kindle Fire is turned off, or won't turn on, you can also reset it another way.
1. While your Kindle Fire is powered down, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time until a system recovery screen appears.
$149.99 from Amazon
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Steven John
Freelance Writer
Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com. If you want to hard reset your Amazon Fire Tablet, you may choose two different options – either performing a hard reset from the Settings app, or by using the device’s buttons. Both methods are fairly straightforward and may wipe your data in a few minutes. That said, you may experience a problem: your Amazon Fire Tablet won’t turn on. Sometimes it doesn’t react to the power button at all, while other times it starts booting, but freezes or turns off afterward. This article will explain what to do if you want to factory reset a device that doesn’t turn on. If your Amazon Fire doesn’t turn on at all, chances are you have a hardware issue. Sometimes it can be a glitch in the system, but still, it should at least start the booting process. If the device doesn’t turn on at all when you press the Power button, not even displaying the ‘Amazon’ logo, then it may be an aforementioned hardware issue. There are a few things that you can try out. When there’s an issue with the power adapter, the device won’t be able to charge. After some time, your Amazon Fire will drain out all its reserve battery and won’t be able to power up at all. The best way to try this out is to test the adapter with another device. Since the Amazon Fire uses the same cord as a majority of other Android smartphones, tablets, and Amazon devices, you can try out the adapter with any device that has a compatible port. If that other device charges, it means everything is okay, and the problem lies elsewhere. On the other hand, simply replacing the charger should be enough.First Step – Locate the Cause of the Issue
Check the Charger
Check the Power Outlet
On some occasions, the power outlet that you use for your charger may stop working. The outlet doesn’t function when the fuse goes off or something happens that prevents electricity traveling to the outlet to form a circuit.
Maybe you haven’t noticed that your Amazon Fire hasn’t charged. To check the power outlet simply plug in another electrical device. If it doesn’t work, try plugging your Amazon Fire to another outlet.
It Could Be the Battery
When a battery malfunctions, the device won’t be able to turn on. Unfortunately, there’s no way to check this unless you have another Amazon Fire with a functional battery.
Even if you do, you’d have to know how to disassemble the device and switch the batteries. However, this is the best way to check if the battery is causing an issue and if you have to get a new one.
If the Amazon Fire was off for a long time, there’s a possibility that the battery may be completely dead. There are methods you may use to try and bring it back to life, but the best way is to leave it to the experts.
Take It to the Repair Service
Most of the time, there isn’t an easy way to fix a Amazon Fire that refuses to turn on. The problem could be a malfunctioning motherboard, the charger port, battery, and sometimes even a system glitch.
It wouldn’t be smart to open the device and try to deal with the hardware on your own. Unless you’re a tech-savvy expert, you’ll only cause more issues.
The safest way is to take the Amazon Fire to a repair service. The tech experts will be able to determine the cause and explain how to move forward with repairing the device.
Second Step – Hard Reset Using Power and Volume Buttons
If the cause is a system issue, then you should be able to charge the device and briefly turn it on, until the system refuses to start and freezes or shuts down. This is the favorable option as you’ll be able to access the system recovery screen using the buttons on your Amazon Fire.
When you determine the cause of the issue, whether it’s hardware or software, you can hard reset your device by following these steps:
- Simultaneously hold the Power button and the Volume Up button on your device until it turns on.
- Let the Volume Up button go when the Amazon sign appears, but keep holding the Power button down. You should see the system recovery screen menu.
- Press the Volume Up/Down menu to navigate the options in the menu.
- Go to the wipe data/factory reset option.
- Hit the Power button.
- Confirm the command by pressing Yes – delete all user data on the following screen.
- Watch as the device initiates the factory reset.
Once the hard reset is finished, it will return your device to the initial settings. All the glitches in the system and other software issues should be wiped out and you can start all over again.
Factory Reset Doesn’t Solve Hardware Issues
Note that a factory reset won’t solve your hardware issues. You can wipe out all your data but it won’t be able to fix the malfunctioning motherboard, processor, or battery.
So, before you erase all data from your Amazon Fire (some that may be lost forever if you didn’t back it up), make sure that the problem is in the system.
Do you have a hardware problem or did you manage to factory reset your device? Share your experiences in dealing with the issue in the comments section below.