[GUIDE] How to Root Your Nook Color

[Cubfan]

OK, I have some Best Buy gift cards... and can't think of anything else I want to spend them on. Looks like I'm going to give this a shot.

 

[daz655321]

Thanks

The current version of dolphin doesn't work with pinch-zoom on stock ROM. I put a link to the next most recent version in a recent thread. Thread is called "multitouch dolphin hd not working."

Not sure about LP.. I've been using adw ex, but don't think I remember hearing about problems with widgets. I know LP won't let you add custom dock icons on stock ROM...

Thanks and I will try the ADW EX as I am sure it is worth the money. Another question though. On the Nook notification bar at the bottom of the screen there is a little Book icon that doesn't seem to do anything now that I am rooted. Is this just a result of being rooted?

 

[Will Shanklin]

Thanks and I will try the ADW EX as I am sure it is worth the money. Another question though. On the Nook notification bar at the bottom of the screen there is a little Book icon that doesn't seem to do anything now that I am rooted. Is this just a result of being rooted?

I think if you're using the B&N launcher, it'll still work, but not 100% sure (Barnes & Noble apps are the last thing I use on here hehe).

OK, I have some Best Buy gift cards... and can't think of anything else I want to spend them on. Looks like I'm going to give this a shot.

If you're looking for an affordable android tablet, and don't need stuff like 3G, GPS, and cameras, you just might be very, very happy with what those cards went towards.

 

[sboeckman]

As soon as i read you sticky i went out and bought an bc. Irooted it following your instrunctions. Everything seemed to go well. I was able to do it in about 30 minutes and have been using the heck out of it for three days. My question is, i am not sure if it worked entirely like it is supposed to. When the nc boots it still has the nc software however in extras i have android market and superuser icons. I have been able to install my own browser. It seems i can do things now i couldn't before but it still feels handy capped by the original barnes and noble e reader software. Certain items i have installed don't show up in extras but i know they're installed because i can access them with advanced task killer.

Sorry for the long message. Thanks for the post! I love my new NC.

 

[Will Shanklin]

As soon as i read you sticky i went out and bought an bc. Irooted it following your instrunctions. Everything seemed to go well. I was able to do it in about 30 minutes and have been using the heck out of it for three days. My question is, i am not sure if it worked entirely like it is supposed to. When the nc boots it still has the nc software however in extras i have android market and superuser icons. I have been able to install my own browser. It seems i can do things now i couldn't before but it still feels handy capped by the original barnes and noble e reader software. Certain items i have installed don't show up in extras but i know they're installed because i can access them with advanced task killer.

Sorry for the long message. Thanks for the post! I love my new NC.

You can install a 3rd party launcher to have easy access to apps + widgets and whatnot. (more detail in tips - apps for nook stickied thread).

If you want to stay with the B&N launcher, a reboot should make newly installed apps show up in Extras.

 

[imtravis]

If you're keeping with the B&N launcher, then you'll need to reboot everytime you install and/or remove apps.. Kind of a pain, but since I've got the apps I want on there, I haven't had to reboot.

 

[chaloney]

If you're keeping with the B&N launcher, then you'll need to reboot everytime you install and/or remove apps.. Kind of a pain, but since I've got the apps I want on there, I haven't had to reboot.

of course, rebooting only takes about a minute and a half. compared to the ten minutes (at least) my blackberry takes (just waiting for the contract to finish...) this seems like no time at all!

 

[seeker1321]

Started the process, and need help. My nook is messed up before I even did the first step. In order to start the root process it says I need to interrupt boot 8 times, tried that and that's where the trouble started. I went to then restart it. The screen flashes yellow, then I get "installing...." picture of nook with green arrow, then it says "A new software update is being installed. This will take a few minutes" yellow bar at the bottom, fills up, then reboots. The process starts all over and keeps repeating. I tried to hold the N button and power button, it asked me if I wanted to do a factory reset, said yes. It went thru the process, but nothing changed. When it reboots it goes right back to the update cycle. Please Help

 

[Will Shanklin]

Started the process, and need help. My nook is messed up before I even did the first step. In order to start the root process it says I need to interrupt boot 8 times, tried that and that's where the trouble started. I went to then restart it. The screen flashes yellow, then I get "installing...." picture of nook with green arrow, then it says "A new software update is being installed. This will take a few minutes" yellow bar at the bottom, fills up, then reboots. The process starts all over and keeps repeating. I tried to hold the N button and power button, it asked me if I wanted to do a factory reset, said yes. It went thru the process, but nothing changed. When it reboots it goes right back to the update cycle. Please Help

That's definitely not normal. I'd follow the directions in the stickied restore nook to stock thread. It'll require burning a nookie froyo sd and then using adb to push stock boot and system partitions. Depending how much of this you're already familiar with, could take some time, but all the info is there for ya.

 

[seeker1321]

wow, , I have spent 3 hours on different forums trying to find a solution to the problem. I installed Nookie on a flash drive and it booted to Froyo, but I could not get the driver to install right, installed the SDK, but the google driver it listed wasn't working, finally I just turned if off, and took the sd card out. Turned it back on and it started it's rebooting cycle all over again, but this time on the 5th time it actually took, and I was able to get it working. Don't know how it started working again, just so glad it is.



Update: after that scare, I was able to finish the rooting process

 

[shaundiesel]

So, after following all the steps in the OP, this doesn't put Froyo on the NC???

 

[imtravis]

So, after following all the steps in the OP, this doesn't put Froyo on the NC???

No, this just roots your NC.. to do Froyo, you'll need to find one of the other postings that have it..

 

[naillady_1#AC]

This was my first Root attempt of any Android based device. (Former Blackberry OS Hybrid Junkie!) The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The rooting went flawlessly! Thanks so much for you time and effort. I love my NEW Nook Color Tablet/Reader!

 

[MarkMcCoskey]

I picked up the NC yesterday. Today I ran Nookie from the SD and decided it was not good enough. So I auto-rooted it and greatly prefer it. Thanks Will for the instructions.

 

[naillady_1#AC]

Has anyone figured out if it's possible to sync your Gmail calendar with the Nook Color? Also is it possible to add Adobe Flash Player 10.1? Not sure if it's possible...it seems to have me stumped! Otherwise I'm loving rooted NC!

 

[b0ricua]

Pre-rooting steps:

The first recommended step to take is to install the 1.01 official Nook software update (if your Nook is still on version 1.0 - see above for determining version). The following steps will get the update on your device before rooting:

DON'T PUT THE SD CARD IN YOUR NOOKCOLOR YET.


-Get the update
- On a computer, download the sideload_update.zip from the BN web site.


Nook screen while re-flashing
-Restore the /system directory to factory default
-To wipe the system partition on the NC you need to force your reboot counter to hit 8:
-The easiest way to reset your Nook to factory defaults is to power off the nook, and then interrupt the boot process by holding down the power button*EIGHT TIMES*(interrupt the device from booting up 8x)

Note: IMPORTANT: Make sure the battery is charged enough to make it through the procedure, or do this with the device plugged in. If power is lost while it's flashing the ROM, the device could be permanently disabled.

** Note that the above 8x interrupt procedure will also be your
method of restoring to factory defaults AT ANY TIME, should anything ever goes wrong **

Install the update

Register the newly-restored NC (connect to wifi, register with B&N)

Reboot

Plug in the USB cord

With the NC mounted as a USB drive on your desktop, copy the sideload_update.zip to the root of the nooks internal storage drive. (Since you don't have an uSD card in the NC at this point, you can't accidentally copy it there.

Turn off the NC (power off)

Turn it on

Press the power button for a moment to cause the NC to go to sleep.
Wait. The system will install the new update. It will look JUST like the image above*again.

** IF THIS STILL DOES NOT WORK (after having copied sideload_update.zip to the root of the nook's internal storage drive):
Install Adobe Digital Editions on your PC and activate your account;
Connect your NC to the computer while ADE is open;
ADE detects the nook and asks to activate it. Do so;
Disconnect your NC and wait about 1 minute. It will automagically reboot and patch itself. **

Are most NC's sold with 1.01 software version now? And if so is this pre-rooting section necessary if it's up to date?

Also, some of this guide references to check out the image but am not seeing some of the images, am I missing something?

 

[Will Shanklin]

Are most NC's sold with 1.01 software version now? And if so is this pre-rooting section necessary if it's up to date?

Also, some of this guide references to check out the image but am not seeing some of the images, am I missing something?

New NC's are indeed shipping with 1.0.1 now, so you're right: most people will already be on the latest firmware . . . but that's not to say someone couldn't have their nook for a month and then decide to root. I've heard of non-rooted nooks never receiving the OTA, so there could still be plenty of these on 1.0.

Yeah, sloppy editing on my part with the image references - thanks for the tip. Just tweaked it.

 

[Tom S.]

NC still not found on PC. I've run through all of the installation instrustions including the below:

"* If you're getting a "device not found" error when running adb, download and unzip this file, open install.exe, and follow the on-screen prompts (this will install drivers so your computer will recognize the nook)."

I just see a few entries under "Disk Drives" under "Device Manager"
"B&N Ebook Disk USB Device"
There are 2 of these.
Under my computer there are 2 removable disks.

I've gone through the steps of downloading the SDK, etc. I just don't get the entry for "Nook" that is supposed to show up under Device Manager with a device unknown error. I've also added the driver that's mentioned.

Any ideas? I've gone through the nookdevs.com link too.

 

[Will Shanklin]

NC still not found on PC. I've run through all of the installation instrustions including the below:

"* If you're getting a "device not found" error when running adb, download and unzip this file, open install.exe, and follow the on-screen prompts (this will install drivers so your computer will recognize the nook)."

I just see a few entries under "Disk Drives" under "Device Manager"
"B&N Ebook Disk USB Device"
There are 2 of these.
Under my computer there are 2 removable disks.

I've gone through the steps of downloading the SDK, etc. I just don't get the entry for "Nook" that is supposed to show up under Device Manager with a device unknown error. I've also added the driver that's mentioned.

Any ideas? I've gone through the nookdevs.com link too.

A surprising number of people with this problem simply reboot their nook and/or computer once or twice and then adb picks up the nook. Could be more than that, but worth a try if you haven't yet.

 

[b0ricua]

What ROM is put on the NC after successfully rooting using this guide? Eclair 2.1?

And I noticed in the other Nookie Froyo thread for the SD card that you don't have to be rooted to be able to run that, considering you use this root method and want Froyo, would you still be able to take advantage of all the root goodness by having it loaded on the SD card?