Amazon Kindle How-To Series: HELP! My Kindle 2 is Frozen!

One thing about electronic devices - they know how to put us in a panic every once in a while! The new Amazon Kindle 2 is no different - it sometimes seems to get possessed by one of those demons in the books stored deep inside it's memory. While the Kindle 2 is a very well designed and durable device, it is subject to strange behavior. The worst of these behaviors is when the Kindle 2 freezes-up. The pages don't turn, the screen saver won't turn-off no matter how many times you "Slide and release the power switch to wake".

There are a few things you can do to "unfreeze" your Kindle 2, but the best cure is a bit of prevention. First, let's get to the "unfreezing". In the Kindle 1 you have a few options to unfreeze your device:

A. Use the keyboard reset - hold down the ALT and SHIFT keys then press the "R" button.

B. Manually reset by remove the back cover and insert a paper clip (GENTLY) into the "Reset" hole to reset and unfreeze the Kindle.

C. Remove the battery (with the unit unplugged), turn on the power button to discharge the power in the Kindle, then reinstall the battery.

Unfortunately the new Kindle 2 does not have a keyboard reset, there is no manual reset using a paper clip, and the battery cannot be accessed. So you have one option left for unfreezing your Kindle 2. That is resetting the device using the Power button.

Before doing this it's a good idea to make sure your Kindle 2 is completely charged. Even if it is "frozen" it should still charge - that is the charging indicator should light when the charger is connected. If the charging indicator does not light-up check your plug and if that's OK contact Amazon Kindle support.

Once you are satisfied that your Kindle 2 is charged it's time to reset. To do this -

1. Remove your Kindle 2 from the charger.

2. Slide the power switch to the right and hold it there.

3. SLOWLY count to 15 (the switch has to be held in-place for at least 15 seconds).

4. Release the switch.

5. What will happen? At first NOTHING so don't panic.

6. After about 5 to 10 seconds the Kindle 2 will flash on and off several times.

7. The Amazon logo will appear along with a progress bar showing the Kindle is restarting.

8. Next the Hope page will load with the ebooks, audio books, and other media you've loaded onto your Kindle.

That's it! You should be back in business ready to read another book.

A few things to remember:

If you only hold the Power button to the right for five to 10 seconds you'll just turn the unit OFF. You have to hold the power button to the right for at least 15 seconds.

If the process above does not work - contact the Amazon Kindle support team. They are very helpful and may be able to do some other trouble-shooting on your device.

Now - how do you prevent your Kindle 2 from freezing in the first place?

Well, unlike the Kindle 1, the Kindle 2 does not like to be completely turned off and on. The unit goes into a screensaver power-down mode when not in use consuming very little power. Try leaving the unit on continually and take advantage of the power-down feature. This seems to prevent freeze-ups for many owners. Ok, ok, if you're flying please turn off your Kindle and wait until you get above 10,000 feet before turning on approved electronic devices. And please disable the wireless feature Kindle while flying!

One other thing you can do to prevent Kindle 2 freeze-ups is to make sure your battery doesn't fall below about 15% to 20% charged. The device seems to work better when the charge is above 20%. You don't have to charge your Kindle 2 everyday - in fact that is NOT recommended unless you need it. Just watch the power indicator and give your Kindle 2 a charge when the battery level falls below 20%.

OK - by now we trust you are back to enjoying your favorite ebook or audio book. Congratulations! You've learned how-to unfreeze your Kindle 2 and prevent future freeze-ups from happening.