Amazon just recently released version 6.2.1 of the software for its best-selling Kindle Fire. The update brings with it nice additions like Wi-Fi passwords and improved scrolling. The update was rather minor, but it also did pack something many Kindle Fire users didn’t expect–a software patch that rendered all previously known methods of rooting the Amazon tablet impossible.

Developers on RootzWiki quickly went to work, and after a night of coding, jcase and a few other developers came up with a solution: BurritoRoot. The coders have released BurritoRoot as an opensource software under the terms of the GPL. It is a root exploit intended to gain root privileges on the Kindle Fire running firmware version 6.2.1. According to the developers, the software may not work on firmware version 6.0, so if you want to root your Kindle Fire, you may need to update to newer firmware.

Though future official updates for the Kindle Fire may break this (again), BurritoRoot addresses the current need of Kindle Fire users.

Requirements

Excited to get this root tool on your Kindle Fire? You’ll need a few things before you continue:

• Download ADB and install it on your computer. You can install ADB along with the Android Software Development Kit (SDK). See the instructions here.
• Download the Superuser package and extract its contents to your computer. Get the ZIP file here.
• Download BurritoRoot (kindleroot.apk) from here and save it to your computer.
• A file explorer or file manager app installed on your Kindle Fire. Any from the Android Market will do.

Step-by-Step Guide for Rooting

If you’ve got everything ready, you may proceed to installing BurritoRoot:

1. Make sure to allow installation of applications from unknown sources by going to Notifications > More > Device > Allow Installation of Applications.
2. Mount your Kindle Fire to your computer as a disk drive.
3. Copy BurritoRoot (kindleroot.apk) on the SD card.
4. Eject your Kindle Fire.
5. Using your file manager app on your Kindle Fire, navigate to wherever you saved the BurritoRoot APK.
6. Install the BurritoRoot app.
7. Run the app after installing.
8. Tap the Root button in the app.
9. If you’ve got the Superuser package contents extracted on your computer, copy the two extracted files into the ADB folder.
10. Plug in your Kindle Fire to your computer.
11. Open a command prompt on your computer and issue the following ADB commands one at a time:
adb root
adb remount
adb push su /system/xbin/su
adb shell chown 0.0 /system/xbin/su
adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su
adb install superuser.apk
adb reboot

12. Once your Kindle Fire reboots, you should have full root access.

Unfortunately, rooting your Kindle Fire may prevent you from using Amazon’s integrated services. This means that if your Kindle Fire is rooted, you will be unable to download a book or a song from Amazon. But, you can temporarily unroot your Kindle Fire using BurritoRoot, especially in cases where you need to access Amazon’s integrated services. Just fire up the BurritoRoot app, tap the Unroot button, and you should now be able to access Amazon services as if your Kindle Fire weren’t rooted.

Related posts:

1. How to Update Your Kindle Fire Software to Version 6.2.1 Without Losing Root
2. How to Root the Amazon Kindle Fire
3. Install Google Apps and the Android Market on Your Rooted Kindle Fire