[Q] USB Host for non-techs - Nook Touch General

I just started a wiki here
USB Host mode
I am hoping that you who actually know how to do it would help develop a set of instructions that are simple enough for a literate, adventurous non-tech (like me) to follow.
UPDATE: The wiki now has a complete list of installation instructions. You'll have to hunt through verygreen's thread below for operating instructions till they organized on the wiki.
The wiki and this thread (where noobs like me can post) are based on verygreen's
[WIP] USB Host support (working)
I asked verygreen and ros87 to do the USB Host mode for the Nook Simple Touch. Verygreen announced success within 48 hours. The hack has gotten whipped into shape there with the amazing help of ros87, Renate NST, mali100, and other superb xda people.
The project started at mobileread.com:
Project: E-Paper Tablet (touch-typable!)
Thanks to fellow mobilereaders for support, especially Kumabjorn, poliorcetes, and nealsharmon for donating money for devices.
The wiki is super rough. It assumes a new device in the box and a non-tech user. I started the instructions to show how simple they need to be. I will continue helping with that because it does seem difficult for techs to believe just how lost we can be with this stuff. My goal is to bridge the gap between techs and literate users so that non-programmers who want to type on the NST can. If you are an expert writer of users manuals, maybe you would help, too.
Honestly, I don't know the first thing to do now that my NST is on and registered. For example, I don't even know if I need to:
root the NST first
install adb (which I also don't know about)
or what. I have studied the thread, so I will be familiar with the terms. But I'm completely clueless about actually doing the hack. I managed to unbox my refurbished NST, update its software to 1.1.2 and install a microSD card. The issue is, what exactly should be done now? Please leave your answers in the wiki! Thank you!

I would say the best way to start is from eded333's Minimal Touch http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1346748 . That gives you a nice system with market and a launcher to install and start your texteditor or writing apps.
If I find some time i will create a small update-package that installs all the necessary things for the usb-host mode.

Cool. Will the 1.1.2 NST software update screw any of this up? I have it installed now because it fixed wifi connection issues that affected me.

andrewed said:
Cool. Will the 1.1.2 NST software update screw any of this up? I have it installed now because it fixed wifi connection issues that affected me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.1.2 is fine. You can still use eded333's MinimalTouch to root it and get a launcher.

Awesome. Will dive in, then!

As promised I created a small update package, to install all the necessary files and tools.
It is installable via Clockwork Recovery in the same way as eded333's MinimalTouch, which should be installed first, to get root, a launcher and a working Market.
Requirements:
Software version 1.1 or 1.1.2 (1.1.2 is recommended, as it fixes WLAN issues)
root, a launcher and working market (I recommend using eded333's MinimalTouch)
What it does:
changes the kernel to NST-kernel v0.1 with USB-Host and multitouch support
changes the uRamdisk to a uRamdisk with fixed init (needed for USB Input devices) and adb-usb
installs the busybox and sqlite binaries
adds the permission node for multitouch to /etc/permissions/required_hardware.xml
installs the app UsbMode-1.2 and the NullKbd-1.1 by Renate NST
adds the permission to enable the NullKbd
changes the qwerty.kl and qwerty.kcm.bin to the remapped one by Renate NST
installs the NookColorTools, so you can switch to the NullKbd
DISCLAMER and WARNING:
I'm not responsible for bricked devices, dead SD cards, lost data, fried USB-Devices. Make a backup before you try anything described here!
USB-Host support is still WIP (work in progress), the battery drain is noticeable higher.
this is the first release and only tested by myself, so don't expect it to be bulletproof.
Credits go to:
verygreen, ros87 and everybody who helped with the USB-Host mode,
Renate NST, for all the effort making USB-Host support userfriendly (USB-Mode app, NullKbd, key remapping, testing),
wheilitjohnny and arkusuma for the Multitouch support,
eded333, for his great MinimalTouch,
Download:
usb-host-mt-pack_0.1.zip

Thanks, mali100.
I'd just like to point out that you can switch to the NullKbd just by hitting the Ctrl key and selecting it from the popup IME picker.

Renate NST said:
I'd just like to point out that you can switch to the NullKbd just by hitting the Ctrl key and selecting it from the popup IME picker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice easter-egg didn't noticed this before. Thanks

Ok, I will have to get a card reader. In the meantime, I'm getting a grip on the instructions by reading through the fine print. It led me to the noogie/backup process.
It says I need a class 6 microSD card. but I got a class 2 as per verygreen's instructions for the hack itself. Do I definitely also need a class 6 card just for the backup, or can I use my class 2 card?
Now that the hack is finally in reach, I want to do it right.

andrewed said:
Ok, I will have to get a card reader. In the meantime, I'm getting a grip on the instructions by reading through the fine print. It led me to the noogie/backup process.
It says I need a class 6 microSD card. but I got a class 2 as per verygreen's instructions for the hack itself. Do I definitely also need a class 6 card just for the backup, or can I use my class 2 card?
Now that the hack is finally in reach, I want to do it right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using a 4G class 2 micro SD card for NOOGIE and it's fine.

where to?
Hi where to put content of META-INF? (dont wanna root again...)

mrWax said:
Hi where to put content of META-INF?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The META-INF folder contains the insallation script and the interpreter for the script, they are used by CWM to install the package and not copied to the nook.
(dont wanna root again...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you mean that your device isn't rooted, and you don't want to, then I have to tell you that root is needed to switch between usb-host mode and peripheral-mode, so root is mandatory.
If you mean your device is already rooted and you don't want to redo it, then don't worry, this package doesn't contain files that root the nook.

I had already rooted my nook another way...now what?
Friends,
I rooted my Nook using the instructions here (SalsichaNooter):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O05Y7C9a4eU
I didn't use the Clockwork method. I don't know how to revert and go back to your original instructions. I tried downloading usb-host-mt_pack-0.1.zip and installing the apps only but that didn't work.
Any suggestions on how I should go about the process without Clockwork? Or should I follow these directions to install clockwork even though I'm already rooted with SalsichaNooter?
I really would like to get a keyboard working on my Nook and feel like I'm so close.

nealsharmon said:
I didn't use the Clockwork method. I don't know how to revert and go back to your original instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to revert anything, a device rooted with salsichanooter works fine.
I tried downloading usb-host-mt_pack-0.1.zip and installing the apps only but that didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because you also need another kernel and uramdisk and some configuration, that gets done by the updatepackage.
Any suggestions on how I should go about the process without Clockwork? Or should I follow these directions to install clockwork even though I'm already rooted with SalsichaNooter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This update-package can only be installed with the Clockwork-mod recovery. You don't have to install CWM on the Nook, just write it to a sdcard (like you did with the salsichanooter image), copy the updatepackage onto the sdcard, put the card into the nook and reboot. The Nook then boots into Clockworkmod Recovery, then you got to "install zip from sdcard", choose the usb-host-package, click yes and wait, eject the sd card, and click reboot.

thank you
Thanks for your input. I will try the process you suggested.

It worked!
mali100 said:
You don't have to revert anything, a device rooted with salsichanooter works fine.
That's because you also need another kernel and uramdisk and some configuration, that gets done by the updatepackage.
This update-package can only be installed with the Clockwork-mod recovery. You don't have to install CWM on the Nook, just write it to a sdcard (like you did with the salsichanooter image), copy the updatepackage onto the sdcard, put the card into the nook and reboot. The Nook then boots into Clockworkmod Recovery, then you got to "install zip from sdcard", choose the usb-host-package, click yes and wait, eject the sd card, and click reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I followed your instructions and it worked. Thank you very much.

Still Not working
I'm very new at this.
I have followed the above directions and patched with usb-host-mt-pack_0.1 successfully but my two USB keyboards are still not working.
I originally rooted my nook using TouchNooter 2.1.31.
I am using an OTG cable and am getting the solid green light after turning off current and selecting Host.
When i plug either keyboard (or bluetooth dongle for that matter) State changes from a_idle to a_host.
Other results:
Keyboard: none
all fields below that are blank.
Any suggestions on how i should proceed? Could this just be a matter of the keyboards not being compatible? What are the recommended keyboards?
Many thanks!

When you are having trouble, try a wall-powered hub (at least as a test).
I have seen where it switches to a_host but it's not really connected.
The "View USB" button is helpful and will show VID/PID.
If for some screwy reason you have a keyboard that is non-standard,
a lack of a black dot will indicate no driver is loaded.

Renate NST said:
When you are having trouble, try a wall-powered hub (at least as a test).
I have seen where it switches to a_host but it's not really connected.
The "View USB" button is helpful and will show VID/PID.
If for some screwy reason you have a keyboard that is non-standard,
a lack of a black dot will indicate no driver is loaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, Renate. That worked great. My Bluetooth is working and I'm using my apple wireless keyboard to word process. My arrow keys don't work so I have to do some touching or backspacing to edit in google documents.
I have a chronic case of CVS (eye condition). This is really gonna help me. Do you recommend a stand with space at the bottom for the cord?
Thank you so much!

Stand? I love mine. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1661902
You can use either a desk stand or the little bendy tripod.
The arrow keys should work, but they get rotated when in landscape mode.
There is a mod to make them not rotate.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30260821&highlight=keyinputqueue#post30260821

Related

TouchNooter 1.6.24 for 1.1

which uRamdisk to Replace into touchnooter-1.6.24 to make it work on 1.1 is not clear (there are 2 of them).
The answer is ONLY /nooter/boot/uRamdisk (don't touch the one in the root)
with this configuration (and the framework.jar) i got it to work on the first boot, no need to make the 3 boots sequence.
concluding (starting from an 1.1 virgin system):
download touchnooter-1-6-24.zip
extract touchnooter-1-6-24.img
download one of those uRamdisk
download framework.jar
replace ONLY /nooter/boot/uRamdisk in touchnooter-1-6-24.img
replace framework.jar in touchnooter-1-6-24.img
write touchnooter-1-6-24.img on the SD
just 1 boot as usual to the android welcome page,
then remove the SD,
reboot,
double skip as usual
NookColorTools - disable and re-enable non market apps (uncheck and check it again),
Youtube (error 401),
Gmail
and finally...
Market (install at least 1 application with this version, search doesn't work)
now (after you have installed 1 app) eventually replace Vending.apk with this to enable search
i also putted this inside my touchnooter, the 2 .jar into the framework directory and the apk into the app but this shouldn't be necessary...
this is how it worked for me, enjoy
Since i don't have enough posts for development forum, i will post this here, may be someone can move it to the right place, i'm not used to spam, but this 10 posts rule seems to encourage new users to spam 10 posts around...
move it here if you can
I think what you are addressing is exactly apeine's problem:
changed both uramdisk ... Booted with SD in and it either locks up or goes to regular nook (on 12 tries, 10 lock ups and 2 going to regular nook)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incidentally, how long did it take to boot and work on the first try? With 1.0.1 firmware I rooted three nooks and left it for over 30 minutes on the first one without success. Then on the other two I was impatient and gave it two boots. So I never let 1.1.0 go on that long before rebooting since I assumed it was going nowhere.
Kralik said:
I think what you are addressing is exactly apeine's problem:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, that's why i wrote this, i cannot reply in the development section because i have too few posts on the forum
Kralik said:
Incidentally, how long did it take to boot and work on the first try? With 1.0.1 firmware I rooted three nooks and left it for over 30 minutes on the first one without success. Then on the other two I was impatient and gave it two boots. So I never let 1.1.0 go on that long before rebooting since I assumed it was going nowhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case it took slightly longer than a normal boot, no freeze at all, just about 1-2 minute on "Rooted Forever", then some time, may be 1-2 minutes on the nook dots screen with the dots moving (they never froze) and then the android guy page, no more than 4-5 minutes globally.
Anyway when i used touchnooter on 1.0.1 the first time, i had to reboot 2 times as you reported, same problem, more or less, may be the freezing at boot is something which happens, but not regularly
thank you for the description!
so if i understood correctly, there's no drawback with this method, everything works as it was before upgrade to 1.1.0, including the Market?
what about the installed apps, especially the non-free ones? (I've purchased OrientationControl)
can I simply download it from Market again, or should I backup the APK file and copy it back after upgrade/root?
glezmen said:
thank you for the description!
so if i understood correctly, there's no drawback with this method, everything works as it was before upgrade to 1.1.0, including the Market?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, my nook behave exactly as with 1.0.1
glezmen said:
what about the installed apps, especially the non-free ones? (I've purchased OrientationControl)
can I simply download it from Market again, or should I backup the APK file and copy it back after upgrade/root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea, never bought an app, just free ones, but to keep an .apk backup is always a safe choice
about orientation... i remember Orientation Switch and this (just in case someone wanted rotation for free)
glezmen said:
what about the installed apps, especially the non-free ones? (I've purchased OrientationControl)
can I simply download it from Market again, or should I backup the APK file and copy it back after upgrade/root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can re-install purchased apps from Market whenever you want.
Celebom said:
about orientation... i remember Orientation Switch and this (just in case someone wanted rotation for free)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the hint, I will have a look on it (especially if i can't download the app again for free )
btw 1 EUR was not a big pain (I tried ADW launcher and rotation before, but it was not really convenient)
As long as you have market working with your prior GMail account, you should have no problem redownloading both your free and paid apps.
Thanks. Worked like a charm.
I first installed Astro File Manager, which is the second one in the list under the "Productivity" -> "Top Free". This allows me to install Vending.apk (Market where the search function works), and then follow it with Titanium Backup.
Using Titanium Backup re-installed all the apps from my previous backup, plus installed the XorZone's NookTouchTools for 1.1 (jars are different from 1.0.1).
I'm not sure what the significant difference is between the firmwares, but I understanding that the screen refresh is a bit quicker, and that the battery report is more accurate (previously batt reading would fluctuate when first turned on).
As for the firmware upgrade.... my STR just did not want to download the upgrade, even though I set the screensaver to 1 hour. There could be several reason why this didn't work, such that I don't live in US, or the process of rooting had modified something (even thought I factory reset it).
In the end I just connected it using USB, and loaded it into the root directory of the my STR (a simply file copy in Windows XP). Then the upgrade started a minute after the copy.
Thanks for your guide! I've just finished rooting my 1.1 Nook Simple Touch firmware
Remember everybody :
ONLY REPLACE URAMDISK IN NOOTER/BOOT/ (OF TOUCHNOOTER .IMG FILE)
uRamdisk mirror?
Hello, guess I shouldn't have started without all the downloads but I assumed they would be somewhere? any alternative downloads for uRamdisk_rooted because all the links are broken.
Thanks
I want to root my nook simple touch - what works TODAY?
Hi all.
I find this thread interesting and helpful. I have noted that a lot of the information here, on nook developers, or in two articles I read (one in lifehacker.com and the other in Que Publishing) all contain help that includes links to files that are either not there or I can't find.
Can someone point me to a current simple solution that will allow me to root my nook and toggle between the original home screen and the better Android one?
Thanks in advance!
Halfhoff said:
Hi all.
I find this thread interesting and helpful. I have noted that a lot of the information here, on nook developers, or in two articles I read (one in lifehacker.com and the other in Que Publishing) all contain help that includes links to files that are either not there or I can't find.
Can someone point me to a current simple solution that will allow me to root my nook and toggle between the original home screen and the better Android one?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ButtonSaviour should have been installed with the Root, so just look for a transparent(translucent?) arrow button thing on the right screen, near the middle. It might be hard to hit it. The Home button on that will be like hitting the Home button on a normal Android device, and when you press the Quick Nav button, the home on that will lead to the B&N home unless you used Xor's mods to change what it leads to.
broken link..........
+1
All the links that I find on the internet for the uRamdisk_rooted file appear broken also...
Markey1979 said:
All the links that I find on the internet for the uRamdisk_rooted file appear broken also...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
uRamdisk, rooted, adb wireless, fixed init, 1.1 and 1.1.2
http://code.google.com/p/nst-recovery/downloads/detail?name=uRamdisk_wireless_adb_init_1.1_1.1.2.zip
uRamdisk, rooted, adb usb, fixed init, 1.1 and 1.1.2
http://code.google.com/p/nst-recovery/downloads/detail?name=uRamdisk_usb_adb_init_1.1_1.1.2.zip

A few questions to the NST, just got mine!

Hello,
I'm new to the Nook Simple Touch and received it today. It's awesome so far!
1. Could someone tell me how I install CWM with it, is there a guide? I can't find any guide on the development section on xda, sorry.
2. Also, what is the best method to root my NST? Touch Nooter or Minimal Touch or another one?
3. Is there a stock ROM somewhere? I would want it, if I want to set my Nook back to the default settings and wipe everything if I'll mess it up somehow.
4. Can I update to the latest version 1.1.2 if I want to
+ root it
+ install CWM
+ install the multitouch function from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1563645
Is everything of this working with 1.1.2 or do I need 1.1.0?
5. And my last question is, what's the difference betwen N2E and NST in the development thread? (I know, NST = Nook Simple Touch, but what is N2E? I thought it's also the Nook Simple Touch)
I'm really, really sorry for those questions, but I'd be very happy if someone could answer them. I don't want to make something wrong with my beloved NST.
Thanks in advance!
Greetings,
Draygon
Welcome to the community!
Before you do anything, you're going to want to backup your Nook. Each Nook contains information specific to that Nook, such as the MAC address, serial number, etc., so this backup will be what will restore you to a stock out-of-the-box Nook. Just make sure you have an external card reader to write noogie.img to the SD card.
CWM is here, but there's no real reason to install it to the device itself. It's easier to install it to an SD card and just put that in when you need it. There's no custom ROMS yet, and it's better to use the backup you made earlier (hopefully).
Also, for rooting and installing multi-touch, I made a mini quick-start guide here.
For the most part, we haven't noticed much difference between rooting 1.1.0 vs. 1.1.2. And N2E stands for Nook Second Edition (this Nook came first).
Enjoy your Nook!
Hello Googie, Thanks a lot for your answer, they helped me a lot!
For sure I'll do the backup at frst.
Am I able to use N2E from the development forum on the NST? (like touchnooter?)
So, it's safe to update to 1.1.2 and root it? Because I have seen a few people on this forum complaning about bugs with a rooted 1.1.2, which aren't there with a rooted 1.1.0, such as that the search function is not working in the play stote with a rooted 1.1.2.
Would you recommend touch nooter or minimal touch?
Draygon said:
Am I able to use N2E from the development forum on the NST? (like touchnooter?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The N2E is simply another name for NST, so it's safe to use anything with that name.
Draygon said:
So, it's safe to update to 1.1.2 and root it? Because I have seen a few people on this forum complaning about bugs with a rooted 1.1.2, which aren't there with a rooted 1.1.0, such as that the search function is not working in the play stote with a rooted 1.1.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's not much difference between 1.1.2 and 1.1.0. B&N just addressed some WiFi issues with this update, not much has changed otherwise. And Google caused the searching issues by replacing Market with Google Play, it's just coincidence that the update came out when Google changed it.
Draygon said:
Would you recommend touch nooter or minimal touch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I myself use Minimal Touch, but I haven't tried TouchNooter before. TouchNooter has some extra things with it (like a tool that under-clocks the CPU when it's not in use to save battery), but some times it fails to install correctly. And there's also the possibility that Market just won't work for 24 hours... but it's broken anyway.
Thanks again for the answers.
There's just one problem I have, which won't let me backup my NST:
From this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1142983
I want to use the guide to backup the NST for windows 7 (post #2),
There's a big problem: the link to the noogie.img (which should be here: http://nookdevs.com/NookTouch_Rooting) was deleted.
1. Where can I get this noogie.img now? Could someone please upload it?
2. And the next problem is, how do I boot the noogie.img, if I have it? jocala just wrote, that you have to boot it. Not, how to boot it.
Thanks in advance!
http://www.thoughtsofthemasses.com/noogie.img.gz
burn the image it to sdcard, switch off your nook, plug in sdcard and turn nook on.
And small puzzle at the end: what does following message say about the nookdev page?
10:50, 11 January 2012 Spec (Talk | contribs) deleted "NookTouch Rooting" ‎ (content was: '#REDIRECT Nook_Simple_Touch/Rooting/Manual')
Are there any requirements that a microSD card must fill when used for this purpose? I have two fail notches on my lipstick case.
The first time I pulled a 256mb microSD card from an old phone; fail. Later I read it is recommended to use a Class 6 or greater. I bought a Class 10. Again, fail.
The adapter is electrically passive so that should not be a factor, right?
I never pay attention to that class stuff.
I always buy the Micro Center brand 4GB at $5.50 because they are only $1.50 more than 2GB.
Apparently they are Class 4.
Thank you, Renate NST. Then my problem lies elsewhere.
Between WinImage and Win32DiskImager has either shown a higher success rate for this project? Is one generally preferred by the community?
I use Win32DiskImager.
I've got about 10 different backups on my hard drive right now.
I've bricked my Nook multiple times trying to hack internals and restored from backup.
My backups end up by being 1,957,616,640 in size.
I don't use Clockwork or anything.
Thank you for providing the file size, that was helpful.
Is it odd that that the second backup (using noogie.img and DiskImage_1_6_WinAll.exe) was almost twenty-five times larger than the first? 79,675,392 verses 1,958,739,968.
If your backups are about 1.9xx Gigs then you are correctly backing up the entire physical internal memory of the Nook.
If your backups are 70 Megs or so you are either backing up only one of the 7 partitions on the Nook or
else you are backing up your SD card with Noogie on it.
Note:
After writing a Noogie image to an SD card you will find that the total size of the SD card has been reduced to 70 Megs or so.
To reclaim the entire size of the SD card for other uses you will need some tool like Partition Magic.
Windows Disk Management can not by itself repartition SD cards.
There's also something out there called SD formatter.
Or once you have your Nook running, you can just format it from that.
You have all been so very helpful. After watching the noob video I figured you people ate noobs for lunch.
Renate, you were right: I backed up the SD card. I hate to think of all the others who have done the same and won’t know the backup is useless until they need it. It’s an easy mistake to make but knowing an approximate file size was an excellent deterrent against disaster. Thanks for the heads up.
The rest was pure voodoo but I’m rooted. Still, there were some surprises and I have two final questions.
• Between failed rooting attempts, while in original mode, I updated the NS2 to 1.1.2. After rooting the device is using 1.1.0. Should I look for a way to root into 1.1.2 or just be content?
• Also while in original mode I wanted to change the registered gmail account for the device. I created a second B&N account using my preferred gmail, then did an “Erase and Deregister” to reregistered the device with the preferred gmail account. However, after rooting I couldn’t log into YouTube with my reregistered, preferred gmail, only the first gmail was accepted. Yet, when looking in Settings\Device Info\About Your Nook\Owner, my preferred gmail (not the first gmail) is listed. How do I get the rooted Nook to recognize my preferred gmail address in the market?

[Q] Rooting newer Nook version: how to know which software?

I have a Nook Simple Touch Glowlight with software verion 1.1.5. All the information that I've been able to Google is for 1.1.2, in fact that is the version that I still see on the B&N website.
I _think_ that I have found a suitable way to root the device with Nooter but I would like to know how to confirm that in fact this is the right project for my software version. I'm sorry that I cannot post a link to the Nooter project, but I have less than 10 posts.
Thanks.
There are at least two methods that work with the Glowworm.
You should not use any method until after you have
- made a noogie disk
- booted from it
- backed up your device
- restored that backup to a test disk (a 2 gig or larger microSD card, for instance) and confirmed that the test results in a disk that has 8 partitions.
Many people have made the backup but not tested it; when they tried to restore, they did bad to fatal things to their devices. A very common failure on restore seems to be only getting one partition restored and blowing out the other partitions.
I don't know if the stuff that eded is working on has come to fruition yet - he was looking at building a tool that could detect whether it was run on an NST or NSTG and root appropriately to the device.
The two routes I know work are:
- glownooter, the nooter project tool, includes Google apps and market support
- tinynoot, pasted together from various tools, gives you minimal root without google apps and with amazon appstore. Will work with either NST or NSTG because it's approach is so minimalist.
Thanks, roustabout! I will be sure to test the backups before I install anything else, then. Good to know!
In any case, what I am most concerned about is getting the right version of the rooting software for my device. I see that Nook devices have different firmware and that certain tools only work with certain firmware versions. I see no mention of my firmware version in any tools' websites, hence my apprehension.
hence the value of a backup
I saw your request on that and I think one of the issues here is that so many folks use Windows exclusively, and the backup process is so easy on linux that trying to tell people how to do it in Windows is like jabbing yourself in the eye with a stick, given that linux is free, vmware player is free, and linux can be installed and used for this job entirely in vmware player. On the other side of the coin, if you know nothing of linux, even using dd correctly will be a challenge since there's a pretty steep learning curve behind setting up a new OS successfully just to be able to get backups off an 80-130 dollar device.
In your case: as of now, there is only one firmware release for the glowlight. This is why the folks with the tools aren't mentioning it, aside from 'this is for a glowlight.'
I didn't mention it, but I also use Linux at home (Kubuntu, like Ubuntu but with a better UI). So many people are now using Ubuntu that I find it surprising that the instructions even bother mentioning the OSes for which the operation is as difficult as you say. I remember when doing things in Linux was hard and Windows was easy, and at that time Linux was hardly ever mentioned!
In your case: as of now, there is only one firmware release for the glowlight. This is why the folks with the tools aren't mentioning it, aside from 'this is for a glowlight.'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not realize that the 1.1.5 release is glowlight-only. Great, thanks, I'm on to hacking this thing!
ok, so for you the backup process is:
- make the noogie disk
- put it into your device
- power cycle your device
- when it boots to "rooted forever," connect the USB cable to your linux box
- once the linux box mounts the NSTG as storage, pay attention to which device it is mounting it at. Assuming it's sdX:
- backup with dd if=/dev/sdX of=backup.img bs=1M
When that's done, disconnect your NSTG, throw media of some sort, larger than 2G, onto your box and test your restore with
dd if=backup.img of=/dev/sdY bs=1M
Once that's done, do an
fdisk /dev/sdY
and a
p to print the partition table.
You should have 8 partitions (and your backup.img file should be just under 2 gig.)
Hack away; if you ever need to restore, you can just drop the virgin image back on.
I take a snapshot like this of my device every so often since remembering how I got to whatever config I liked is harder than just backing it up.
Thanks for the backup instructions, the idea of testing it on a DVD-ROM looks to save quite a bit of trouble with the actual device..
I rooted with this terrific guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1675706
The process was simple. I do have an issue where I need to install a Hebrew font but ES File Manager doesn't seem to see the root folders. I'm having a hard time googling my way out of this one, bu all the other little issues were fairly simple.
One issue that I will mention that was hard to solve was the inability to perform searches in the Market. This page helped me resolve that issue:
blog.the-ebook-reader . com/2011/07/15/rooted-nook-touch-fixing-market-search-and-other-tips-and-tricks-video/
I just figured out that the file manager has to have Root permissions enabled. I've enabled it and added some fonts to /system/fonts but I still cannot get Hebrew text to display on this device. All I get are the typical rectangles instead of characters. Any ideas about how to proceed?
Thanks.
Restore Nook 1.1.2
roustabout said:
Many people have made the backup but not tested it; when they tried to restore, they did bad to fatal things to their devices. A very common failure on restore .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I made this exact same mistake yesterday and I ended up with a bad backup.
2. My Nook Simple Touch (1.1.2) is now not working because I wiped ALL the partitions before attempted to restore the backup (which I didnt know was bad at the time)
3. Please help me restore the Nook back to factory or any working state. Are there any restorable backup images that can be downloaded online?
p.s. I have tried touchnooter and installed touchformatv2 but all I get now is a Read Forever load screen.
Please Please Help Me Im so sad (I know this is down to carelessness on my part but I really need help)
bubblewrapper said:
1. I made this exact same mistake yesterday and I ended up with a bad backup.
2. My Nook Simple Touch (1.1.2) is now not working because I wiped ALL the partitions before attempted to restore the backup (which I didnt know was bad at the time)
3. Please help me restore the Nook back to factory or any working state. Are there any restorable backup images that can be downloaded online?
p.s. I have tried touchnooter and installed touchformatv2 but all I get now is a Read Forever load screen.
Please Please Help Me Im so sad (I know this is down to carelessness on my part but I really need help)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Few people who will be knowledgeable will find your post buried here under this thread. i suggest that you simply start a new thread with a good descriptive title so that the gurus will find it.
Not sure how to get hebrew working. One assumes that in addition to the characters, you need it to right to left? If it's the latter, I know there was a thread discussing doing this with Arabic, and I'm not sure how that turned out. You can also google around for folks looking at this on, I think, mobilereads.
roustabout said:
Not sure how to get hebrew working. One assumes that in addition to the characters, you need it to right to left? If it's the latter, I know there was a thread discussing doing this with Arabic, and I'm not sure how that turned out. You can also google around for folks looking at this on, I think, mobilereads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I think that I just need the fonts (or at least that would be a great first step). I put fonts with Hebrew glyphs in /system/fonts (using ES File Explorer in Root mode) but even after a restart it does not find the fonts (i.e. Hebrew text still shows as rectangles). I will fight with it some more in the coming days, if I don't succeed I will start a new, concise thread on the topic. There are plenty of Google posts on the subject, but all of the ones that I have seen (not Nook-specific) suggest that dropping the fonts is /system/fonts should be enough. Perhaps it is a permissions issue, I'll see if I can SSH into the device to see permissions.
dotancohen said:
I have a Nook Simple Touch Glowlight with software verion 1.1.5. All the information that I've been able to Google is for 1.1.2, in fact that is the version that I still see on the B&N website.
I _think_ that I have found a suitable way to root the device with Nooter but I would like to know how to confirm that in fact this is the right project for my software version. I'm sorry that I cannot post a link to the Nooter project, but I have less than 10 posts.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry that I am so slow to respond, but I think this is the information you need to root a Nook with Glow on version 1.1.5
It uses Glownooter
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...using-glownooter-includes-googles-app-market/
and this is the backup routine
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-and-restore-nook-glow-and-nook-simple-touch/
ladykayaker said:
Sorry that I am so slow to respond,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! You don't need to apologize for taking time to respond, you are under no obligation! But I very much do appreciate your assistance and am happy to wait patiently! You will notice that I usually google issues first to try to save us both the time!
I think this is the information you need to root a Nook with Glow on version 1.1.5
It uses Glownooter
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...using-glownooter-includes-googles-app-market/
and this is the backup routine
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-and-restore-nook-glow-and-nook-simple-touch/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. It seems that those posts are Windows-centric summerizations of information found here at XDA-developers. The root is pretty much the process that I used, but from the guide right here which has Linux directions as well.
By the way, the-ebook-reader site is often not responding for me. Is it just for me, or does everyone have trouble with that site?
Thanks!
version 1.2.0
UK glowlight ships with 1.2.0. Use tinynooter to root this. You may have issues installing apps atm though but you will get the browser at least.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1961835
Thanks, Loney. In fact, I got this Glowlight in the US, and it reports that it has software verion 1.1.5. But the information will be good for others who might google this thread!

UK Nook Glowlight software 1.2.0 - Don't use glownooter

I got a uk glow worm on the 27th (2 days before release ) and one of the first things that I tried to do was to root with glownooter. Bad idea! I thought that I had bricked my device. I had to use a lot of trickery to recover from a loading screen lock-up and once I did the first thing that I did was backup my nook (Which i should have done before).
UPDATE!
Please try my new ROOT install pack HERE:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=34216660#post34216660
This can be used to root and install the most requested things of this thread in just one zip.
Here is a quick guide to most things you will need to do to get started. I will update this guide as I discover and build new modifications.
To Backup and Restore
Follow this guide. Please do this BEFORE any other tinkering!
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-and-restore-nook-glow-and-nook-simple-touch/
Its important to check your backup before proceeding! Please listen to roustabout and dont skip this step... He knows what he's talking about
roustabout said:
I'd like to suggest an addition to the backup method that many folks are using - always test your restore, but dont test it (the first time) on your device.
Your backup file should be about 2 gig.
find a 2 gig or larger flash drive or sdcard and restore your backup image to that drive.
when you're done, there should be 8 partitions, as there were on your Nook to begin with.
If you can't get that working - you're not ready to root yet. Until you're sure you can restore, don't start making changes, please.
People turn up all the time having screwed themselves over by restoring a partial backup and not knowing it, or having restored only one partition from a complete backup and having blown out the partition table.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks roustabout
To Root!
Make sure you use the CWM file suitable for your SD Card. I used "2gb_clockwork-rc2" because my card was 2gb+.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1360994 (Thanks mali100)
Use WinImage with admin rights to restore CWM virtual hdd image to your SD.
Download tinynoot-1-of-2 and tinynoot-2-of-2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650593 (Thanks to eded333 and roustabout)
Put on CWM boot SD.
Install them in CWM back to back (I didn't bother with the restart in the middle as it should not make a difference considering the file content). After a restart you should have root access and an android launcher on your 1.2.0 Nook (among other files). If nook fails to boot one of the tinynoot files may have corrupted. Recover, Re-download and Retry!
To Add Apps
Using ADB to install apps is easy. Extract this to your C drive:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13673492/ADB + Fastboot + Drivers.zip
Navigate to the folder in a cmd prompt.
Drop your APK into the same folder and on your nook open the "adbwireless" app and enable ADB
That app will tell you what your nooks IP address is.
Then you can:
Code:
adb connect ip.address.of.nook:portnumber
adb install app_of_your_choice.apk
Setup ADB over USB
OK I have taken the liberty of building a quick driver mod to support your nook through USB. It works for me. First you need to have the android SDK if you don't already (sure you do but just in case ).
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Make sure you tick to install the android USB driver when the SDK is installed.
Browse to extras\google\usb_driver in your SDK folder (wherever you put it) and replace android_winusb.inf with my file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13673492/android_winusb.inf
Next go to C:\Users\your_user_account\.android and replace adb_usb.ini with my file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13673492/adb_usb.ini
In device manager, point google ADB driver to this and hopefully that should get you set up!
To test type
Code:
adb devices
Its working if you get something like this:
Code:
* daemon not running. starting it now on port ____ *
* daemon started successfully *
List of devices attached
[YOUR NOOK] device
And then try
Code:
adb install app_of_your_choice.apk
UPDATE
Install Multitouch Kernel With Overclocking
Install the CWM zip using your clockworkmod SD card
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1906507
:good: Thanks to johnjtaylor for discovering that this kernel works works.
Hopefully this more comprehensive guide will get others with this software to start playing around.
If this helps, be polite and say thankyou
Have you setup ADB yet? If you can connect with ADB and get a shell, you can execute a 'df' at the shell prompt to see how much free space is available in each partition. On my NST (no glowlight) apps seem to be installed in /data/app so see how much free space is there. On the NST, this appears to be the same partition that books purchased from B&N are placed in, so if you have a lot of books from B&N, you may have to archive some to install apps. Of course all this is going on the assumption that the NST Glow is similar to the NST in this regard.
David0226 said:
Have you setup ADB yet? If you can connect with ADB and get a shell, you can execute a 'df' at the shell prompt to see how much free space is available in each partition. On my NST (no glowlight) apps seem to be installed in /data/app so see how much free space is there. On the NST, this appears to be the same partition that books purchased from B&N are placed in, so if you have a lot of books from B&N, you may have to archive some to install apps. Of course all this is going on the assumption that the NST Glow is similar to the NST in this regard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. I'm actually working setting up ADB now. As for books I only just got my nook so all of my titles are epub format on an sd card so i wouldn't think it would be that. As soon as I get ADB set up I will post back my results incase it helps anyone else with this new software version.
Can you look in the documentation that comes with the reader for any reference to 'third party software' or 'GPL software'. They should list where to download / apply for the source code somewhere. Once we can see the source code we can compare it against the existing versions and identify any significant issues.
I set up ADB.
Plenty of space in all partitions including /data for the apps that I want. Managed to install through "adb install some_app_i_want.apk" so problem resides with the amazon app store. Not really an issue for me because I have a specific set of apps that I want and don't need to browse the app store.
I will try to work out what's wrong for others.
staylo said:
Can you look in the documentation that comes with the reader for any reference to 'third party software' or 'GPL software'. They should list where to download / apply for the source code somewhere. Once we can see the source code we can compare it against the existing versions and identify any significant issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm looking for it now
No reference to GPL. Only references to third party software are to tell me that my warranty is no longer valid (no surprise there!)
Is there any other place I can find this info thats not the documentation?
loney01843 said:
No reference to GPL. Only references to third party software are to tell me that my warranty is no longer valid (no surprise there!)
Is there any other place I can find this info thats not the documentation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing obvious from the uk.nook.com website. On the US site the 'support' section links to terms of service which contain the links to the open source code (see http://www.barnesandnoble.com/container/nook_lnav.asp?pid=43307 and search for NOOK 1.1.5 OSS Release ), but I can't see an equivalent on the UK site. It's an oversight, but such things happen with a new product launch.
You can email them at [email protected] . The relevant paragraph from the US site is:
1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, certain components of the Software are licensed subject to the General Public License Version 2.0, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit A (the "GPL License"). You may not use these components except in compliance with the GPL License. In addition, you may have additional rights with respect to such components under the GPL License, including, without limitation, the right to obtain the source code for such components from us. You may obtain a copy of such source code by contacting us through the contact information provided on the Web Site. We will provide such source code in accordance with the GPL License.
I don't legally have the right to request the source code myself, because I don't own a UK NOOK yet. (Yeah, thinly veiled excuse for laziness!)
staylo said:
Nothing obvious from the uk.nook.com website. On the US site the 'support' section links to terms of service which contain the links to the open source code (see http://www.barnesandnoble.com/container/nook_lnav.asp?pid=43307 and search for NOOK 1.1.5 OSS Release ), but I can't see an equivalent on the UK site. It's an oversight, but such things happen with a new product launch.
You can email them at [email protected] . The relevant paragraph from the US site is:
1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, certain components of the Software are licensed subject to the General Public License Version 2.0, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit A (the "GPL License"). You may not use these components except in compliance with the GPL License. In addition, you may have additional rights with respect to such components under the GPL License, including, without limitation, the right to obtain the source code for such components from us. You may obtain a copy of such source code by contacting us through the contact information provided on the Web Site. We will provide such source code in accordance with the GPL License.
I don't legally have the right to request the source code myself, because I don't own a UK NOOK yet. (Yeah, thinly veiled excuse for laziness!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're obviously not that lazy. Thanks for looking and gathering all of the extra info I need. I'll send B&N an e-mail and see what they say. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't want to hand it out considering you can use it for an easy root setup and install the amazon and kobo stores which could financially damage their advance into new territories! What are we to do! Can't even subscribe to a newspaper or magazine through the nook store yet!
I'll let you know when / if I get a response
There is a setting in nook touch tools that you need to "arm," to allow software from unknown sources to be installed before the Amazon appstore can install software on a tinynooted device.
The setting is a tickbox, "Allow non-Market apps"
Untick it if it is ticked by default, then re-tick it to get apps to install.
roustabout said:
There is a setting in nook touch tools that you need to "arm," to allow software from unknown sources to be installed before the Amazon appstore can install software on a tinynooted device.
The setting is a tickbox, "Allow non-Market apps"
Untick it if it is ticked by default, then re-tick it to get apps to install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply but I actually tried that. No joy. However perhaps it is this that is not working and not amazon app store. Im just installing through ADB instead. I wonder if I can enable unknown sources through ADB. Something to look at I guess!
UK tinynoot attempt failing
loney01843 said:
Thanks for the reply but I actually tried that. No joy. However perhaps it is this that is not working and not amazon app store. Im just installing through ADB instead. I wonder if I can enable unknown sources through ADB. Something to look at I guess!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried using the tinynoot process from roustabout's thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650593 and am stuck on the final reboot with a "Your NOOK is starting up..." message. Could you let me know if you used a different tinynoot method/set of files?
smerrett said:
I tried using the tinynoot process from roustabout's thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650593 and am stuck on the final reboot with a "Your NOOK is starting up..." message. Could you let me know if you used a different tinynoot method/set of files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep thats what I used. You on 1.2.0 and did you back up?
I didn't backup first and to get out of the starting message I used this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1289233&highlight=restore
Then I made a backup using this:
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-and-restore-nook-glow-and-nook-simple-touch/
I hope this helps!
loney01843 said:
Yep thats what I used. You on 1.2.0 and did you back up?
I didn't backup first and to get out of the starting message I used this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1289233&highlight=restore
Then I made a backup using this:
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-and-restore-nook-glow-and-nook-simple-touch/
I hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip on screen freeze but the link to the images on that post don't work for me. I am on 1.2 and made a backup before attempting any rooting - have managed to reinstate my original nook so quite pleased with myself.
Is there any point in rooting until someone can find a way of getting apps onto the 1.2 NSTG?
smerrett said:
Thanks for the tip on screen freeze but the link to the images on that post don't work for me. I am on 1.2 and made a backup before attempting any rooting - have managed to reinstate my original nook so quite pleased with myself.
Is there any point in rooting until someone can find a way of getting apps onto the 1.2 NSTG?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great that you got a backup. If you want custom apps you can either wait for a different root kit or push ahead (since you have a safety net).
As I said, it worked for me.
If you don't mind searching for the .apk files you want you can use this:
Code:
adb connect ip.address.of.nook:portnumber
adb install app_of_your_choice.apk
This has worked fine for me so far. Just don't try for custom kernels yet as they seem to give me troubles.
I will work more on this tomorrow including adjusting framework for gapps.
loney01843 said:
Great that you got a backup. If you want custom apps you can either wait for a different root kit or push ahead (since you have a safety net).
As I said, it worked for me.
If you don't mind searching for the .apk files you want you can use this:
Code:
adb connect ip.address.of.nook:portnumber
adb install app_of_your_choice.apk
This has worked fine for me so far. Just don't try for custom kernels yet as they seem to give me troubles.
I will work more on this tomorrow including adjusting framework for gapps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks also for the code but as this is my first foray into rooting I think I'll hang around and watch for a bit! Perhaps if I start learning some more I may feel confident enough to try it.
Do you have copies of the files needed for the factory reset - the links are still not working for me.
Thanks again and sorry for bothering you. Hope tomorrow is productive for you.
smerrett said:
Thanks also for the code but as this is my first foray into rooting I think I'll hang around and watch for a bit! Perhaps if I start learning some more I may feel confident enough to try it.
Do you have copies of the files needed for the factory reset - the links are still not working for me.
Thanks again and sorry for bothering you. Hope tomorrow is productive for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13673492/n2T-Recovery_0.2.img
This is the file needed to force factory reset. However a quality backup like you have is far more important.
For anyone who wants to give this a go, here is a quick guide for root access and app installs using windows tools until I can make something more complete:
Make sure you use the CWM file suitable for your SD Card. I used "2gb_clockwork-rc2" because my card was 2gb+.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1360994
(Thanks mali100)
Use WinImage with admin rights to restore CWM virtual hdd image to your SD.
Download tinynoot-1-of-2 and tinynoot-2-of-2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650593
(Thanks to eded333 and roustabout)
Put on CWM boot SD.
Install them in CWM back to back (I didn't bother with the restart in the middle as it should not make a difference considering the file content). After a restart you should have root access and an android launcher on your 1.2.0 Nook (among other files). If nook fails to boot one of the tinynoot files may have corrupted. Recover, Re-download and Retry!
Using ADB to install apps is easy. Extract this to your C drive:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13673492/ADB + Fastboot + Drivers.zip
Navigate to the folder in a cmd prompt.
Drop your APK into the same folder and on your nook open the "adbwireless" app and enable ADB
That app will tell you what your nooks IP address is.
Then you can:
Code:
adb connect ip.address.of.nook:portnumber
adb install app_of_your_choice.apk
Hopefully this more comprehensive guide will get others with this software to start playing around.
Click thanks if this guides helpful.
loney01843 said:
If nook fails to boot one of the tinynoot files may have corrupted. Recover, Re-download and Retry!
Navigate to the folder in a cmd prompt.
Drop your APK into the same folder and on your nook open the "adbwireless" app and enable ADB
That app will tell you what your nooks IP address is.
Then you can:
Code:
adb connect ip.address.of.nook:portnumber
adb install app_of_your_choice.apk
Hopefully this more comprehensive guide will get others with this software to start playing around.
Click thanks if this guides helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great - thanks to your more detailed instructions, I have persevered and the second attempt at installing the tinynoot zips worked. Your post gave me the confidence to try installing apks for the first time and for anyone else who is unfamiliar with the processes used, I found these two pages useful for:
navigating within a command prompt (how naive): pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1723&page=3
Pasting text into a command prompt (ditto): megaleecher.net/Copy_Paste_Text_Dos_Window
Sorry, as a newb I'm not trusted to post outside links yet. It took a couple of attempts of pasting and pressing enter to work out how to install using the adb code but it's not as hard as I expected.
I have tried installing the 1 Mobile Market which works but it is unable to install apps itself (not enough space).
Also, I have just installed NoRefreshToggle and can't seem to get it to work. Any thoughts - is 1.2 to blame? Really want this to work as Business Calendar Free is just a series of blinks at the moment!
Great! I'm glad you pushed onward and have root.
I am going through possibilities of other ways to install apps and mods.
No refresh is something that I would like as well but I think that the framework may need editing for 1.2.0. For fast mode a new kernel will need to be made or existing one modified.
Be aware that installing kernels not designed for this firmware can give you some serious problems.
Once I can setup app markets, I will work on these other modifications.
Stay tuned :good:
Take a look at the overclock kernel - it's got a lot of the norefresh features baked in, and gives you a nice ability to control both clock and kernel tuning (via the governor control.)
You're right, you can flash the two zips back to back with no ill effect, I was mistaken about what the second zip was doing.
I mistyped when I typed "nook touch tools," I meant nook color tools.
I'm very interested that the amazon store is not working in 1.2. I will see if the software's available for my device, so I can try to see what's happened.
As of now, the us bn site does not mention an os 1.2 for the glowlight.

Nook Simple Touch Glowlight .. Need advice before rooting.

Hello all ...
Please .. I need some advice..
This is my first post. My sister has given me her Nook Simple Touch Glowlight. I would like to root it, as I've been looking for a device to keep notes and stuff on. I went as far as booting up with noogie.img and backing up the firmware. I don't know what to do, because I read that having a certain firmware changes everything? I don't think my sister updated the nook. Here is the information from the Settings / Device Info / About Your Nook.
Software Version: 1. 1. 5
Model Number: BNRV350
I read someplace that the sizes of the firmwares are different. The simple touch is 1. 82 and the simple touch glow is 1. 86.
Mine is 1 .82, but yet it has the glowlight? It says to hold the button down for two seconds to turn it on.
I see that B&N have new firmware for the nst & nstg. 1. 3 I believe. It said on the site that this firmware would be installed when the nook is idle. (via wifi) Anyway, I'm wondering if it would be ok to go ahead and root the thing, or upgrade the firmware first to maybe - 1. 2 (if I can find it?) before I do anything else? Oh and should I stay away from B&N's new 1. 3 firmware?
Thank You Very Much !!
WillyS.......
If you indeed have the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight (black bezel), then the most recent stock firmware is 1.2.1 which can be downloaded here. I would recommend that you update to this as the first thing you do. Next you need to decide which of the multitude of rooting methods is best for you. You need to take into account what you wish to achieve by rooting the Nook and your skill/comfort level with the processes. I have followed many of the different processes, doing a factory reset between root versions. By far the easiest is Nook Manager. I, personally, prefer the Minimal rooting - back to basics method because it allows you to install just what YOU want. However, this method requires a fair amount of command line work.
EDIT: I made the assumption that you are in the US and have a US model. I believe there is a different firmware number for the international model. In any case, you should update the Nook to the most recent firmware before rooting.
Rooting nook .. Glowlight ..
Hello David and Thank You kindly for the reply!
Yes, mine is a Canadian version and it has the black bezel.
Thank you .. for correcting me on the firmware. I was looking at the wrong Nook version. (nook.barnesandnoble.com/u/software-updates-nook-glowlight/379004086)
I downloaded the correct 1. 2. firmware for the nook and I (like you) would rather install what I want to and have more control over what gets put on it. After I update the firmware, I'll come back and follow the links you provided. If you know what threads have the latest / newest info on rooting the nstg, can you please point me to it? (If you haven't already) Thank You Very Much for your help .. David.
Cheers
WS
You're welcome. If you are comfortable with a lot of manual, command line manipulation, start with the Minimal rooting - back to basics thread. There are many more and newer rooting methods, but each of them installs a bunch of apps that the creators use, which may or may not be of importance to you. If you start with the Minimal rooting - back to basics, you can then pick and choose the apps and modifications you want to apply to give you the best experience for YOUR needs. I am attaching the document I use to keep track of what I have done for your reference. Feel free to post any questions here.
Rooting Nook STG .. Firmware 1. 2 ...
Hi David and Thank You for the reference document.
Last night I downloaded 1.2.1 firmware and dumped it on the Nook. When I got up this morning I checked and 1.2 is installed. I looked around and found a 16gb Kingston (from GPS) SD-Card. It is only class 4, but it should be usable for the time being. I'll take a look online for a class 10. I don't know if there is any size, or class limitations, or not?
I'm at the rooting - back to basics thread. I'm going to read all this stuff over and see if I can figure it all out. Thanks again for your help and the document.
WS...
WillySizard said:
...
Last night I downloaded 1.2.1 firmware and dumped it on the Nook. When I got up this morning I checked and 1.2 is installed. I looked around and found a 16gb Kingston (from GPS) SD-Card. It is only class 4, but it should be usable for the time being. I'll take a look online for a class 10. I don't know if there is any size, or class limitations, or not?
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Class 4 should work just fine. Since noogie only takes ~2GB (if I remember correctly) you don't really need a card any larger than 4GB to use this method of rooting. Having 8GB or 16GB card would be useful if down the road you will make use of the card to backup your Nook ROM & user-content for ease in recovery.
Don't really know where to go from here, or what to do ..
@ digixmax .. Thank You for the info on the SD-card. Good to know info!
@ david0226 .. I went to the page about rooting via the link and I have basic
understanding how / what needs to be done, but I'm not having much
luck finding and using the tools. I went and looked for the file used to
extract the 2 files from uRamdisk, but I couldn't find it. I did some reading
and looking around and found a program called Preboot (I think) by
Intel and it contained bootutil 32/64 and so on. I had to install preboot & then
uninstall it, to get bootutil and then install it. I tried using it to extract
the files, but I kept getting failed messages. Like invalid switch /x.
Invalid switch /v. Invalid file uRamdisk. I know I need to extract out 2
files: init.rc and default.prop. I tried to do so in the "Administrative Command
Window" on Win7_64bit, but it just wouldn't work with bootutil. Not the
one I had anyway. Any ideas? Thanks!
WillyS......
David0226 said:
...
I am attaching the document I use to keep track of what I have done for your reference. Feel free to post any questions here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What extensions does "Extended Power Menu" provide?
Also, which uImage and uRamdisk do you use as uRecImg and uRecRAM?
TIA.
Here are the links to the relevant threads.
Extended Power Menu
Clockworkmod based Recovery post #75, see the entire thread here.
If you are going to do the Extended Power Menu, be sure to do the Clockworkmod based Recovery also or you risk wiping out everything you have done by accidentally hitting recovery in the Extended Power Menu. I you have installed Clockworkmod Recovery and accidentally hit "Recovery", it will just boot to Clockworkmod and give you a chance to back out.
@willys. I will have to look up the software I use and post tomorrow. Sorry I missed your question earlier.
@willys, I believe the program you want is "bootutil" which was written and shared by Renate NST. If you find a post by her and click on the yellow box in her signature, you will find links to the many custom programs she has written for rooting and managing rooted Nook Simple Touch devices.
David0226 said:
@willys, I believe the program you want is "bootutil" which was written and shared by Renate NST. If you find a post by her and click on the yellow box in her signature, you will find links to the many custom programs she has written for rooting and managing rooted Nook Simple Touch devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I had to go to her profile and I found it there. I'll do this part first and see how it goes. After that (I think?) I need to get an android program (some kind of Installer maybe?) to do some other work with. Anyway, one step at a time. All for now. Thanks! ... WS.
digixmax said:
Class 4 should work just fine. Since noogie only takes ~2GB (if I remember correctly) you don't really need a card any larger than 4GB to use this method of rooting. Having 8GB or 16GB card would be useful if down the road you will make use of the card to backup your Nook ROM & user-content for ease in recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Class 2 and 4 will do just fine, in my case I used 520 Mb microSD card for installing various ROMs, tried quite a lot of them, always worked fine.
Almost done, but need a little more help . . .
Mnurlan said:
Class 2 and 4 will do just fine, in my case I used 520 Mb microSD card for installing various ROMs, tried quite a lot of them, always worked fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK .. Thank You Mnurlan!
@David0226 ...
Just getting to the point where I'm ready to add programs. have edited uRamdisk and re-installed the two files. I've download android-sdk package and have installed it. I have been in the nook via wifi using ndb shell as root. I am now following your notes file. I've created the archive folder on the nook - /system/archive and I've been moving files over from /system/apps folder. I got Nook Manager written to the sd-card and I have PackageInstaller.adk from it, but I I'm not sure how I get that onto the nook. When I boot with NookManager, it ask if I want to root. I have already done that and it is working. Should I let it do it anyway?
Thank You!
WillySizard . . . .
@WillySizard ...
Connect to the Nook with adb then exit the adb shell back to your Windows command prompt. Once back at the command prompt, you should be able to install any package using this command ...
adb install {package_name.apk}
Nook Simple Touch Glowlight .. Need advice before rooting ..
David0226 said:
@WillySizard ...
Connect to the Nook with adb then exit the adb shell back to your Windows command prompt. Once back at the command prompt, you should be able to install any package using this command ...
adb install {package_name.apk}
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh .. ok. Good enough then. That should get me off and running.
Thank You .. David. Sorry I'm being such a pest.
Me, also
Just paid $5 for a BNRV350 at a rummage sale.
I understand BN disabled the web browser with the current operating system.
I can get a Google search window (by repeated tapping on the "Google" or maybe the "404" or the "that's all" links that appear when I try the "connect to social" settings menu choice for Google. And "find my account" worked when given the Gmail userid (because the keypad on the Nook lacks a period for typing a proper email address, in this view).
And I can get a Twitter login page. Neither works well -- typing even a single letter into the password field resets the page, so it's letter, then tap in the field window, then another letter, then tap in the field window. Sometimes it shows a row of dots for characters already entered, other times those are invisible but the entries are still there.
Just curious to add to the above fellow's thread for anyone searching for this Nook model number, if anyone has advice or suggestions about making it useful.
Reverting to the original OS to have use of the web browser would be a welcome option, if that's possible. Pointers welcome. Right now this Nook has version 1.1.5 installed -- I gather that's one of the improved versions that killed the stock web browser.

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