Kindle 2 US, Int'l and Kindle DX Screen Saver Hack

*** DEPRECATED *** Please see Kindle Screen Saver Hack for all 2.x, 3.x & 4.x Kindles instead.

THIS HACK WORKS WITH THE KINDLE 2.3 UPDATE ONLY.

Note: Amazon does not support 3rd party hacks and may void your warranty should anything go wrong. Exercise caution and use at your own risk. Only the user will be responsible for the results (good or bad).

From MobileRead members jyavenard and KWeeks based on work by clarknova

Kindle Screen Saver Hack Discussion Thread

If you would like to mix some of the original Kindle Screen saver images with your own, you can find them at the links below.

Kindle 1 Original Screen Savers forum post
Kindle 2 Original Screen Savers forum post

WARNING: Use at your own risk!  This is an UNOFFICIAL update to allow custom Kindle Screen Savers. 
This file is NOT from Amazon.com and any harm it causes your Kindle will be your own fault.

Software: screensaverhack-0-2.1.tar (updated by KWeeks to include Kindle DX International) 
Also included is a link to some free unzipping software called 7zip.

How to unzip the screensaver .tar file

This section of instructions is for unzipping a ".tar" file on a Windows machine.

1) Download and install 7zip

2) Download screensaverhack-0-2.1.tar

3) Go to where you downloaded the screensaverhack-0-2.1.tar and right click on the file. Choose to unzip it into it's own folder with 7zip called "screensaverhack-0-2.1.tar".

Note: The images below are from a previous version of the script.

4) Go to the new FOLDER "screensaverhack-0.1" (the folder name was not updated to match the .tar file name) and open it, you will see files for all the Kindle versions.

5) Open the new "screensaverhack-0.1" folder and you will see all of the necessary bin files needed to install and unstall the screensaver hack.

Using the Hack to add your custom screensaver images

Make sure that your hidden files are visible since you will have to create your "screen_saver" folder in the hidden "system" directory.

1) Plug your Kindle into your computer.

2) Copy the appropriate file to the root of your Kindle

"update_screensaverhack-install-K2.bin" for K2 U.S.
"update_screensaverhack-install-K2i.bin" for K2 International
"update_screensaverhack-install-dx.bin" for Kindle DX U.S
"update_screensaverhack-install-dxi.bin" for Kindle DX International

The image below is from an older version of the hack but still represents where you should place your file.

3) Change directories to the "system" folder.

4) Create a new folder called "screen_saver"

5) Place any 600x800 GIF, PNG, or JPEG image files into the system\screen_saver folder that you just created.

6) Safely remove (eject) or unplug your Kindle

7) Press the "Menu" button on your Kindle and select "Settings."

8) At the Settings page press "Menu" again and select "Update Your Kindle."

9) When the "update" is done your Kindle will reboot and you are done.

To add more pictures after installing the screensaver hack, you have to download those pictures to "screen_saver", remove your Kindle from your computer, and restart your Kindle from the "settings" screen. The changes won't take effect until you restart your Kindle.

To remove your custom screen savers and restore the originals

1) Plug your Kindle into your computer.

2) Copy the appropriate uninstall file to the root folder of your Kindle.

"update_screensaverhack-uninstall-K2.bin" for K2 U.S.
"update_screensaverhack-uninstall-K2i.bin" for K2 International
"update_screensaverhack-uninstall-dx.bin" for Kindle DX U.S.
"update_screensaverhack-uninstall-dxi.bin" for Kindle DX International

3) Safely remove (eject) or unplug your Kindle

4) Press the "Menu" button on your Kindle2 and select "Settings."

5) At the Settings page press "Menu" again and select "Update Your Kindle."

6) When the "update" is done your Kindle will reboot and you are done!