Database Users

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

[Q] network 401 error

I have Rooted a new NST with 1.1 and SalsichaNooter. Only issue: when trying to register YouTube my channels I get the "network 401" error. I have logged in on several different networks with different ISPs. No Joy. I did Run the SalsichaNooter a second time to see if there was a difference, but everything is the same. Has any one solved this issue. I have seen it reported in several places but not found any solutions. Thanks.

401 Error solved
I have re-rooted using the Clock Work Mod (CWM) from this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1346748
At first i could not get a boot from the "Boot" SD I had created then I recreated the image on the SD using WinImage (instead of image writer) and made a point to select "Restore Virtual Hard Disk Image" to SDcard.
After that all went well. Still had the 401 network error, but pressed on through all the steps as instructed and all is well. YouTube app no longer works but I know I can re-install if needed but cant watch vids on this device any way.
I want to emphasize that the Gapps will not sync until after final zip is installed. The directions already say that but it could be clearer for us poor souls wondering what we are looking at.
Thank you for your work on this root. Glad to be able to add some basic function to the little reader.
Other Issues I have, Original browser Force closes and Calender app has the SD card installed image super imposed across calendar. Weird.
Running many apps including Office Suite.

I got the dreaded error 401 on two different Nooks while walking through the rooting process. Turns out it has nothing to do with the network or wifi, this is what finally worked for me.
"Go to YouTube on a computer, sign in with google account details and set up a user name for the account".
So basically an incomplete you tube profile.
At one point I got an Network 400 Error (does that mean I only have 399 to go?)
This was solved by logging out of you tube on all machines and completing the steps on the nook to complete rooting.
Hope this helps someone, I would post to the dev forum in the salschia and other root threads but can't

The 401 error is related to the "Wait a day" issue with Market, no one is quite sure what causes it, only that usually it clears itself up within a day and since youtube becomes useless after this without a reinstall (and frankly on e-ink with no sound youtube is pretty useless anyways) all that's left is waiting a day for Market to work.

I was always able to use market search right away after the root finished - I admit I ended up using the manual process or the clockwork mod method to root.
CV

Fiddlin with WIndows Updates

So after reading about all the App Store hacks that have developed around Fiddler2, I decided to give it a go myself. After setting up the proxy, I noticed that most SSL-based transactions were failing to connect on my device (Windows Updates, Email, etc).
I exported the SSL cert that fiddler 2 installed on my development PC, emailed it to myself, and installed it on my Windows Phone device. LO and Behold, Most of my SSL issues went away! (App store still woudn't auth). More Interestingly, Windows Updates started checking for updates successfully. These transactions are done with SOAP calls.
The basic process is as follows:
1. Phone initiates a connection to the windows update server
2. a series of cab files are downloaded containing certificate and base URL info of the update server
3. the phone connects to the update server with a list of all updates it has installed as well as a unique device identifier.
4. the server responds with a list of updates that it wants the phone to evaluate.
5. If the phone decides it needs the update, it sends a request to the server for instructions to deter
6. the server responds with a specially crafted packet that contains a link to where the microsoft cab can be downloaded from as well as a checksum of the cab file and evaluation instructions to determine if the update is needed. (checking registry keys, etc the SOAP commands contain things like RegRead32)
7. the phone then downloads and installs the update, if needed.
Fiddling around with fiddler, I was able to remove the "filter" GUID from the phones request to the server. As a result, it evaluated and installed any update it could get its hands on. The Hardware Test app still shows that my last update was 5/1/2013, but the number of updated packages included in that update jumped from 83 to 200!
I have some more experiments I would like to try (such as trying to blindly write a reg key instead of just reading it...anyone know of a good one?). I am also wondering if I can somehow package a Microsoft cab file, and tell the update mechanism to download and install it. Depending on how it evaluates the cabs, I might be able to get away with signing the cab with the private key from the Fiddler certificate I installed.
Just thought I'd pass along

Very, very nice finds! I had noticed the cert pinning used on the store and on dev-unlocking, but apparently had failed to look into the update process.
Give me a little while and I'll find you the reg key used for dev-unlock. I can't guarantee you that I'll be able to give you the exact value you need - they seem to have changed the format since WP7, and I'll be working blind from templates and policy files here - but it's worth a shot. Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole process is read-only, or if the responses from Microsoft are signed (although you could try re-signing them, I guess). For what it's worth, creating an entire update from scratch (or even editing one) is unlikely to work; Windows has required a Microsoft signature (not just any trusted signature) on update files for many years now. It's certainly possible that they messed that up, though.
I also kind of want to see if some of the recent ZIP signature validation bypass exploits from Android (where you could create a ZIP file containing multiple files that have the same name, and the original would be used for the signature but the *last* copy of each file would be the one actually unpacked) might be made to work as well. I've got some ideas about that... not sure if it would work for the update format, though.
Please keep researching this!

Not that i seriously looked into that, but you may probably consider these entries as interesting
Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\DeviceReg\Install]
"MaxUnsignedApp"=DWORD:A
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\PackageManager]
"EnableAppLicenseCheck"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\PackageManager]
"EnableAppSignatureCheck"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\PackageManager]
"EnableAppProvisioning"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETCompactFramework\Managed Debugger]
"Enabled"=dword:0
"AttachEnabled"=dword:1
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Silverlight\Debugger]
"WaitForAttach"=dword:1
Some of those might get obsolete already, though.
Though, the most interesting thing one can do with registry is enabling KD.
For what it's worth, creating an entire update from scratch (or even editing one) is unlikely to work; Windows has required a Microsoft signature (not just any trusted signature) on update files for many years now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah
I've never really looked at the fact: which certificate is used by actual cabs? look at *.cat file

GoodDayToDie said:
Very, very nice finds! I had noticed the cert pinning used on the store and on dev-unlocking, but apparently had failed to look into the update process.
Give me a little while and I'll find you the reg key used for dev-unlock. I can't guarantee you that I'll be able to give you the exact value you need - they seem to have changed the format since WP7, and I'll be working blind from templates and policy files here - but it's worth a shot. Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole process is read-only, or if the responses from Microsoft are signed (although you could try re-signing them, I guess). For what it's worth, creating an entire update from scratch (or even editing one) is unlikely to work; Windows has required a Microsoft signature (not just any trusted signature) on update files for many years now. It's certainly possible that they messed that up, though.
I also kind of want to see if some of the recent ZIP signature validation bypass exploits from Android (where you could create a ZIP file containing multiple files that have the same name, and the original would be used for the signature but the *last* copy of each file would be the one actually unpacked) might be made to work as well. I've got some ideas about that... not sure if it would work for the update format, though.
Please keep researching this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do! Here is where it gets interesting...The attached screenshots are of a SOAP request from my phone to the update server (I disabled filtering, so the GUID isn't present) and then it's response for "missing" updates to evaluate.
the section labeled "xml" contains the instructions on how to evaluate if the update is needed.
here is a cleaned up, friendly dump of what is in the "XML" section it needs to parse to determine if an update is applicable:
Code:
<UpdateIdentity UpdateID="f092f820-8161-410b-ab11-c7a6d36b7837" RevisionNumber="101" />
<Properties UpdateType="Software" />
<Relationships>
<Prerequisites>
<UpdateIdentity UpdateID="eb644fbf-5e6e-4719-b97c-485ffb9e867f" />
<AtLeastOne>
<UpdateIdentity UpdateID="450b8808-d056-4c18-a383-2db11e463eb0" />
</AtLeastOne>
</Prerequisites>
</Relationships>
<ApplicabilityRules>
<IsInstalled>
<CspQuery LocUri="./DevDetail/SwV" Comparison="GreaterThanOrEqualTo" Value="9.0.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/msus/2002/12/MobileApplicabilityRules" />
</IsInstalled>
<IsSuperseded />
<IsInstallable>
<And xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/msus/2002/12/LogicalApplicabilityRules">
<CspQuery LocUri="./DevDetail/SwV" Comparison="LessThan" Value="9.0.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/msus/2002/12/MobileApplicabilityRules" />
<b.RegSz Key="HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" Subkey="Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DeviceUpdate\Agent\Protocol" Value="TestTarget" Comparison="EqualTo" Data="72c5dc6d-00a9-412f-9d13-f4f483f2ed7f" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/msus/2002/12/BaseApplicabilityRules" />
</And>
</IsInstallable>
</ApplicabilityRules>

an interesting URL with info from someone else that was looking into this for Win7...
http://withinwindows.com/2011/03/06/notes-on-windows-phone-7-update-process-thus-far/
I wonder if we can figure out what "updates" are actually required if we can trick the server into giving us more OOB updates/othercarrier updates/updates we aren't "supposed" to have..
Found some info on the "Evaluate" action:
Action: The action that clients in the specified target group will perform on this revision: Install, Uninstall, PreDeploymentCheck (which means that clients will not offer the update, just report back on the status), Block (which means that the update will not be deployed, and is used to override another deployment), Evaluate (which means that clients will not offer the update and will not report back on the status), or Bundle (which means that clients will not offer the update for install; it is only deployed because it is bundled by some other explicitly deployed update).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
source:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc251980.aspx

I was also messing with fiddler and I noticed my phone access two different places when a phone update is selected. One of the pages is: http://ds.download.windowsupdate.com/wp8/MicrosoftUpdate/Redir/duredir.cab . In that cab is this file wuredir.xml and consists of:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<WuRedir xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/msus/2002/12/wuredir" redirectorId="1002">
<Protocol
elementVersion="1"
clientServerUrl="https://fe1.update.microsoft.com/v6/"
reportingServerUrl="http://statsfe1.update.microsoft.com/" />
</WuRedir>
the second page accessed is: http://fe1.update.microsoft.com/WP8/MicrosoftUpdate/Selfupdate/5_UssDetection.dll
I hexed the .dll after download and found some download links to some cert files, which are:
Microsoft Windows Phone Production PCA 2012.crt
http://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/certs/Microsoft Windows Phone Production PCA 2012.crt
MicRooCerAut_2010-06-23.crt
http://www.microsoft.com/pki/certs/MicRooCerAut_2010-06-23.crt
MicTimStaPCA_2010-07-01.crt
http://www.microsoft.com/pki/certs/MicTimStaPCA_2010-07-01.crt
can any of this info help us?

If either that DLL or any of those certificates are not signed (highly unlikely, but worth checking), or if the DLL doesn't enforce the signature check (extremely unlikely), or if any of the certs include the private key or use a weak hash algorithm or a short key... maybe. I checked the certs, though; they at least are clean. Nothing useful that I saw.
Reverse engineering the DLL may be useful, but it's probably native code and therefore a pain to decompile.

aclegg2011 said:
I was also messing with fiddler and I noticed my phone access two different places when a phone update is selected. One of the pages is: http://ds.download.windowsupdate.com/wp8/MicrosoftUpdate/Redir/duredir.cab . In that cab is this file wuredir.xml and consists of:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<WuRedir xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/msus/2002/12/wuredir" redirectorId="1002">
<Protocol
elementVersion="1"
clientServerUrl="https://fe1.update.microsoft.com/v6/"
reportingServerUrl="http://statsfe1.update.microsoft.com/" />
</WuRedir>
the second page accessed is: http://fe1.update.microsoft.com/WP8/MicrosoftUpdate/Selfupdate/5_UssDetection.dll
I hexed the .dll after download and found some download links to some cert files, which are:
Microsoft Windows Phone Production PCA 2012.crt
http://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/certs/Microsoft Windows Phone Production PCA 2012.crt
MicRooCerAut_2010-06-23.crt
http://www.microsoft.com/pki/certs/MicRooCerAut_2010-06-23.crt
MicTimStaPCA_2010-07-01.crt
http://www.microsoft.com/pki/certs/MicTimStaPCA_2010-07-01.crt
can any of this info help us?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are the first steps in the update process. Basically, it gets the certs that it will use for validation and server communication. then the CAB file contains the info on what servers are used for Windows Update communications. It then logs that a request has been made to the tracking server. After that, it gets a list of updates from the v6 address. If there are no updates, Once the update process is complete, it logs the result to the tracking server.

Do you guys think I could use this to fix the problems I seem to have when trying to stream or download music from Xbox Music? I get a lot of errors, or this song can't be played on your device and some times the app crashes. I have had this problem since I switch from my Windows Phone 7 device to my Nokia Lumia 920, and I am on my 4th 920. I think for some reason the Music store is getting botched certificates or something.

Kind of on the same subject. anyways i extracted around 140 Certificated from a HTC 8x Ruu. then installed them to my pc. Which is windows 7. The cool part was i was able to install windows phone sdk 8 and 8.1 with emulators and visual studio 2013. which i though all of these were not possible to run on windows 7. all because of certificates from a rom.

Fix - Apps and websites not working after certificates expire

As identified in this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65344931&postcount=10 lots of apps and websites have stopped working over the past year or so (depending maybe on your ROM). This has been traced to the root certificates (used to trust websites and set up secure ssl connctions) becoming out of date. Modern devices also have many more root certificates installed by default.
Note that this doesn't fix the google market on the nook touch, nor the kindle book store. It does fix the kindle app for syncing books purchased elsewhere.
I'll port the instructions over into this post later (see the link above for now). It requires root (so is slightly risky).
If you identify any more failing sites, please provide an https link which fails to open on the nook (but does work on a PC) and I'll add the root authority to my files. Anyone working on ROMs is welcome to redistribute my cacerts.bks

<reserved>

Aargh!
tshoulihane said:
As identified in this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65344931&postcount=10 lots of apps and websites have stopped working over the past year or so (depending maybe on your ROM). This has been traced to the root certificates (used to trust websites and set up secure ssl connctions) becoming out of date. Modern devices also have many more root certificates installed by default.
Note that this doesn't fix the google market on the nook touch, nor the kindle book store. It does fix the kindle app for syncing books purchased elsewhere.
I'll port the instructions over into this post later (see the link above for now). It requires root (so is slightly risky).
If you identify any more failing sites, please provide an https link which fails to open on the nook (but does work on a PC) and I'll add the root authority to my files. Anyone working on ROMs is welcome to redistribute my cacerts.bks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using your updated cacerts.bks file and it is great. In January another certificate expired and I'm fairly confident it's the reason a news app (News Republic) started throwing up security certificate errors and refused to connect with the server. I think I need to be able to do the certificate updates, but I am trying to avoid going down the SDK road (a massive download I will never use for anything else) and all those complexities.
Except, nothing else seems to work. There is an ancient thread in which people discuss various ways to update pre-ICS cacerts. Unfortunately, none of them work--I've tried them all. The browser idea seems promising and Opera Mobile responds as described, but then nothing happens to the cacerts.bks file.
Portecle looks really promising (images below). It can obviously open and inspect the cacerts.bks file (password: changeit). It shows the additions you made and also indicates the expired certificate.
So I went searching for a replacement and found something that seems like the right thing (attached as a zip). It imported easily into Portecle and then appeared along with the new ones you added.
Then I returned the file to the NST and made the permissions the same as the old file. A reboot put me in a loop out of which I just barely managed to recover by inserting my NookManager card at just the right moment.
So I don't get it. The bouncycastle files recommended in the CAcerts wiki for this task are too old to be available. Surprise.
I'm tempted to NOT fix the permissions on the cacerts.bks file when I return it to the NST because I once had a similar problem with a settings.db file and it turned out that restoring the "correct" permissions resulted in a bootloop while leaving them as they were when the file was copied back made it all work just fine. But I'm too timid to try that just now.
Any insights?

From my linked thread,
Download http://www.bouncycastle.org/download...dk15on-146.jar - this is used locally on your PC to manipulate the certificates and needs to be version 146 or 147 to work with android (or old android at least)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems that when I used a different version, I got a bootloop. Although the link I referenced seems to have died, the filename still turns up plenty of hits. http://polydistortion.net/bc/download/ for example (version 1.47).
I agree its a lot of pain, and I'm not sure I still have the toolchain download that I used for this work. I'll have a dig around...

tshoulihane said:
From my linked thread,
It seems that when I used a different version, I got a bootloop. Although the link I referenced seems to have died, the filename still turns up plenty of hits. http://polydistortion.net/bc/download/ for example (version 1.47).
I agree its a lot of pain, and I'm not sure I still have the toolchain download that I used for this work. I'll have a dig around...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yipes. Well, I downloaded the jar file (many thanks...I did search on the file name and came up empty) and followed your example on the other thread. Everything behaved as it should. Except for the boot loop....... This time it was even harder to get out of it.
Two possibilities come to mind. My JDK is 1.8.0_73. Maybe that's too new to work properly. The other is that the certificate, despite playing nicely as far as console feedback went, is of the wrong format, although this does not show up in the feedback or in Portecle.
Anyway, I'm sufficiently intimidated now that I'm not going back there unless I have a better way of getting out of boot loops (since I'm doing ADB over Wi-Fi).
Edit: temptation... So I went back to the CAcerts Wiki and noticed they suggest Java 6. Now, of course, the Wiki is old, but so is the Java underlying the NST, so I found an install of Java 6 and put it on the laptop we have attached to the TV (which runs Kodi and very little else). Then I repeated the entire procedure with--supposedly--all the right components. Same dreaded bootloop. So either the certificate I have has an incompatible format, or I am just hopeless at this. Maybe both

all of the old bouncy castle api releases are archived on their ftp server under ftp://ftp.bouncycastle.org/pub. i managed to find the .jar files referenced in the other thread on there and updated my cacerts.bks using the cacerts wiki instructions a few days ago. hope it helps you. using the newer release gave me a bootloop as well, but once i grabbed the older version from their ftp all was good!

shadylady said:
all of the old bouncy castle api releases are archived on their ftp server under ftp://ftp.bouncycastle.org/pub. i managed to find the .jar files referenced in the other thread on there and updated my cacerts.bks using the cacerts wiki instructions a few days ago. hope it helps you. using the newer release gave me a bootloop as well, but once i grabbed the older version from their ftp all was good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which java version were you running?
Edit: Hmm....I'm not having any luck with the link you provided. Using an FTP client I am asked for a logon and in my browser (Firefox) it never connects.

Here we go: http://www.bouncycastle.org/archive/
Remains to be seen if that will do the trick for me...

the bootloop version was whatever bouncycastle.org has as their latest release.
the one i downloaded from the ftp that didn't bootloop was this one: bcprov-jdk16-146.jar
you'll need to ftp in and use the password "anonymous" and some bogus email to get onto the ftp. from that web version of the archive it should be this package: http://www.bouncycastle.org/archive/146/bcprov-jdk16-146.tar.gz
i'm running mac, so my default java was 1.6. i updated to 1.8 but that happened after i got this all up and running already. this was the version that was default:
$ /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Commands/java -version
java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-468-11M4833)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-468, mixed mode)
so jdk 1.6 + API 146 (or 147?) seems to be the proper mix.
at first i thought it wasn't working, because although i updated the cacerts.bks, the amazon kindle app kept saying "incorrect email/password". took me a while before i read the entire thread and realized that amazon now does two-step authentication so i had to enter the one time passcode they had sent to my email.
nmyshkin said:
Which java version were you running?
Edit: Hmm....I'm not having any luck with the link you provided. Using an FTP client I am asked for a logon and in my browser (Firefox) it never connects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well....progress, or at least I think so. This may be an easier method.
Go to http://www.bouncycastle.org/archive/ and download bcprov-jdk15on-146.jar
Go to https://sourceforge.net/projects/portecle/ and download potecle (an executable jar)
Unzip portecle. Rename the bcprov-jdk15on-146.jar to simply bcprov.jar and copy that into the unzipped portecle folder (overwrite the newer version already present).
To run portecle, just double-click on portecle.jar. You will get a statement about the 146 file being out of date, resulting in not everything working, but enough works for our purposes.
Copy cacerts.bks from your NST (system/etc/security) to your PC, open portecle and import your cacerts file (password is "changeit"). You now have a nice graphical interface for perusing and updating your certificates! If you have a *.cer certificate to update, rename the "cer" to "crt" and use the import function. It's really that simple. I tried it, copied the file back onto my NST, fixed the permissions and.......{drumroll}.......no bootloop I'm running jdk 1.8.x
That's the good news. The bad news is that I did not succeed in updating the entrust certificate. I added three from their website and while they did not break cacerts, they did not restore functionality to NewsRepublic, which is what I was hoping to do
So....this may work. It's certainly easy, but clearly you need to have the correct updated certificate to get the desired result. Duh.
Edit: OK, it's ALL bad news
Don't do any of this. It seems to go OK but yesterday I found I could not successfully open the NPR app. I thought, "well, another one bites the dust", but I was curious so I used SearchMarket to see if the app was still listed for the NST. It was. So maybe it got corrupted somehow? Anyway, I uninstalled it and was going to reinstall from the Market but suddenly I got messages about the download failing. Oh no, not another function going south?!
Well, it's all fine, but the problem was the cacerts.bks file that I had made using the method above. Although there is no bootloop on restart, there is bad ju-ju nonetheless. Restoring my backup of cacerts.bks fixed NPR and SearchMarket. So....don't go there (and the two people who thanked me, feel free to unthank me )

[NST/G] Dealing with non-US (aka "UK") devices in 2021

Wow...I seem to spend a lot of time trying to help people get going with their NST only to find out half-way through the process that they have a non-US device. This changes a great deal. There are advice and hints scattered all over in various threads and it seems like maybe it would be a good idea to get it all in one place. Here.
When B&N abandoned UK devices the current firmware was 1.2.1 but this is not the same as the 1.2.1 firmware on the US version of the device. The main difference is that the URLs used to contact B&N servers were different, the default dictionary was Oxford, and the Settings had actual localization options (or perhaps I should say "localisation") for various countries/languages. This allowed the user to see familiar language in the on-screen system.
The problem
Someone who gets a used non-US device will probably get it reset or want to reset it before doing anything else. And then you are stuck because you can't get past much before it gives an error since it can't contact non-existent URLs. You can't update to FW 1.2.2 because non-US devices will not accept the update.
B&N's "answer" to this dilemma has been reported joyfully on the Mobilread forum. They suggest you skip registration altogether (known as "Skip OOBE") and use the device for reading side-loaded books. What they don't tell you is that skipping registration results in a device with markedly shortened battery charge life. A logcat of such a device shows that the system is constantly churning away, trying to figure out why it can't contact B&N.
Options
I'm not saying that what I present here is exhaustive. There are probably people a lot more clever than I who have come up with other approaches. Still, in order from least good to most good:
Note: if you cannot get to the "Welcome" screen or are stuck on some other screen such as "Network error", you will need to do a "soft reset" before pursuing options 1 or 2 (for options 3 or 4 it does not matter as much because you will be booting from various cards). To perform a soft reset, power down, then power up again but as soon as you see the "Nook" logo screen, press and hold the two lower hardware (page-turn) buttons until a prompt appears. Follow the screen directions. This will eventually leave you at the "Welcome" screen.
1. Take B&N's advice. To skip OOBE:
a. Turn on the device and let it boot to the "welcome" screen.
b. Hold down the top right hardware button on the front of the device and slide your finger from left to right across the top of the screen. A "Factory" button should appear in the top left corner of the screen. Tap it.
c. Once again, hold down the top right hardware button and tap the bottom right corner of the screen.
d. A "Skip OOBE" button should appear. Tap it and the device will complete initialization.
e. If you wish to root the device (which is presumably running FW 1.2.1), you can use the updated Nook Manager package which will still work with FW 1.2.1
Note: this configuration may give errors when you attempt to connect to a WiFi source and you will experience a shorter usable charge time.
2. Improve on B&N's advice.
If you follow these steps you will eliminate the inordinate power drain caused by skipping registration--but at a cost: the "guts" of the B&N system. This means you will need to select and install a reader app, dictionary, file manager and launcher of your own. I have done this and it works fine, but it does involve a little tinkering.
a. Follow steps in #1 above (including rooting).
b. Install (side-load via your SD card or use ADB) apps for a reader, dictionary (if wanted), file manager and launcher. There are many choices, but these were mine: AlReader, ColorDict3, ES File Explorer, ADW Launcher.
c. Use NookManager to remove all B&N apps (one of the options). Note that the original NookManager package does not do a proper job of this, so be sure you are using one of the updated versions.
Note: to my knowledge there are only two working reader apps besides the stock Reader that can handle Adobe DRM protected epubs: Mantano 2.2.3 Premium (activated or not), and Aldiko 2.0
3. Convert your device to US firmware and update to FW 1.2.2
a. Go here and follow the directions. Since the site seems to be down, here is a link for the image zip.
b. Download the FW 1.2.2 update from B&N: https://su.barnesandnoble.com/nook/nook2/1.2.2/351e26527e80156183e74be2da2ce89f/nook_1_2_update.zip
c. Power on the device and at the "welcome" screen connect it via USB to your PC. Drag the update zip to the "Nook" drive that you will see. Eject the device from the USB connection and tap the power button to put it to sleep. If you hang around you may see the device wake up and the update commence. Otherwise come back awhile later. If the update zip is no longer visible on the Nook drive when it is reconnected to your PC via USB then the update has been done.
d. Register your device. Remember you don't need to use a credit card, just an email address.
e. If you wish to root the device select one of the updated versions of NookManager for FW 1.2.2 that are given here.
Note: it has been reported that you will not be able to purchase books from B&N. Also, you will have a Merriam-Webster US-English dictionary instead of the Oxford dictionary. And....localization is locked in the Settings app to "US", with no other options.
4. Try out my unofficial UK FW 1.2.2 update.

Hello nmyshkin, so glad I found your post! I resurrected one NST glowlight that had problems just now. Thanks a lot!! I followed your instructions, changed region to US, updated to 1.2.2, then used Nook Manager to root. A follow up question I had was with regards to enabling sound through the micro USB - I found that in the past it was possible here, however, I am not sure how to go about this, as it seems that its another launcher and not Nook Manager. Could you please let me know if this is possible?
Many thanks in advance!

pkk11 said:
Hello nmyshkin, so glad I found your post! I resurrected one NST glowlight that had problems just now. Thanks a lot!! I followed your instructions, changed region to US, updated to 1.2.2, then used Nook Manager to root. A follow up question I had was with regards to enabling sound through the micro USB - I found that in the past it was possible here, however, I am not sure how to go about this, as it seems that its another launcher and not Nook Manager. Could you please let me know if this is possible?
Many thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is possible but there are some special issues surrounding the Glowlight model.
The definitive DIY summary for USB Audio by @Renate NST is buried deep in the original USB Host development thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/wip-usb-host-support-working.1457971/page-19#post-43281985
I recollect that there is a minor path error somewhere in the description, but I will have to search around to find that.
For those who would rather not get their hands quite so dirty (or who don't trust their hands...), there is a CWM-flashable zip prepared by @pinguy1982: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/cwm-usb-audio-enabler.3139603/. This is what I have used since my first initial set up following the DIY directions, although I swapped in a different kernal. More on that later. The advantage (beyond the obvious) is that the zip contains a tweaked set of audio drivers.
Here, too, there were a few minor issues which I corrected in my own copy, although clearly the package works as it was originally posted.
The issue with the Glowlight revolves around the choice of USB Host-enabled kernals. The one referenced by @Renate NST is for FW 1.1.5. It also enables multi-touch and allows you to run NoRefresh display mode if you desire. However, FW 1.1.5 was written when the concept of the Glowlight was just a glimmer in some developer's eye. Consequently it behaves poorly with the Glowlight control, in essence separating the actual light function from the light icon in the status bar. I use this kernal with my Glowlight because I also run my QuickTiles app and it controls both the light and status bar icon, bypassing the system controls. The reason I chose this kernal is because it allows the use of NoRefresh which I feel is superior to FastMode for text reading.
As far as I know all of the other USB Host-enabled kernals are over-clocked kernals that were designed to allow the usage of the FastMode display mode. This is true of the kernal included in the CWM zip created by @pinguy1982. None of these kernals, to my knowledge, will also work with NoRefresh. There is only one kernal that allows you to use both NoRefresh and FastMode (not at the same time, of course) and that is kernal 166--but for some reason this was not the base for adding USB Host to a 1.2.x kernal. Maybe there is an essential incompatibility. It's way beyond my pay grade.
I've meant to look at this more closely and get some definitive information. This will take a few days and involves backing up my device and trying the various kernals. There is one that claims to support the Glowlight function, USB Host, and NoRefresh but I suspect the author of that post was being sloppy in describing the screen refresh mode.
Anyway, that and tracking down the other minor issues I mentioned above will likely take a few days.

Yeah, I didn't have anything to do with the kernel mods on the NST for USB host mode.
There is one patch for audio sample rates on the page for MergeSmali (in sig).
The current UsbMode-2.2.apk supports NST and Glows (although the Glows need the injectd daemon also).

pkk11 said:
A follow up question I had was with regards to enabling sound through the micro USB - I found that in the past it was possible here, however, I am not sure how to go about this, as it seems that its another launcher and not Nook Manager. Could you please let me know if this is possible?
Many thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so I'm glad you asked this question because it prompted me to look more closely at the kernal issue and I found that there is an appropriate kernal for the Glowlight!
CAUTION: before you do this, use NookManager to make a backup of your device.
For audio playback:
You will need a CWM card to flash the zip. You can make a card from one of the two files at: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...od-based-recovery-fixed-backup-issue.1360994/. There is a "2 gb" file and one for "128 gb". The card you choose should have at least the capacity mentioned in the file name. Download the file, unzip and burn the image to an SDcard. DO NOT try to install CWM directly onto your device. This will destroy the one fail-safe that makes the NST so hard to kill: the factory image.
Next, download the CWM-flashable USB Audio zip from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/cwm-usb-audio-enabler.3139603/
The kernal in this zip is based on 1.2.x so it will work with a Glowlight. It includes multitouch, enables FastMode (with the appropriate app), and USBHost. It is overclocked, so you may want to install some kind of CPU regulator to calm it down. It will not work with the NoRefresh app.
If you would prefer a kernal that is not overclocked and works with NoRefresh (but not FastMode), you can download the zips here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/nstg-kernel-multitouch-usb-host-kernel.2846867/#post-54803848. Unzip the files. Open (not unzip) the CWM-flashable USB Audio zip and inspect the contents (WinRAR allows this kind of thing, not sure about other archiving software). In the "boot" folder you will find the two kernal files. Drag the replacement files you downloaded into this folder (within the archive) and set the overwrite to "storage" or "store". You don't want any more compression going on. Then close the archive.
Once you have the CWM-flashable zip set up the way you want it, copy it to the CWM card. Power down the NSTG, insert the CWM card, power up and wait for completion of boot. This is the button function layout for CWM:
Button layout:
Both Buttons on the left: BACK
Upper button on the right: UP
Lower button on the right: DOWN
n button: SELECT
Power button: TOGGLE DISPLAY
Once you've flashed the zip, you'll need to reboot. If there is a message about possibly losing root, etc., just say no. I've been down that road before.... By attempting to fix a non-existent problem it will create that very problem. So don't let it "fix" nothing.
You need some hardware to make all of these changes actually do something. Also a little software. As far as the hardware, you need an OTG cable (e.g. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-USB-...48?hash=item365c5af32c:g:LmEAAOSwa6heLwTo)and a USB-C audio thingy (e.g. https://www.ebay.com/p/94253551?iid=383621510193 or https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sabrent-Us...259335?hash=item42166fae07:g:v~kAAOSwG5ZekgAB). Both are available on ebay or Amazon and are not expensive. Some audio gizmos include volume control buttons, some don't. I have one of each, but don't use the one with the buttons because it's full of LEDs and the whole USB Host thing drains power anyway, so who needs a bunch of lights?
Some people have had issues with USB Host. I suspect it's because of the OTG cables. The first one I got just did not work. The USB socket on the NSTG is not exactly an industry standard and the cheap OTG cables are not precision instruments. I finally got one that fits well but I have another (right-angle model) which sticks out half-way when fully inserted. It works, but it's worrisome. Also, do not let the cable and audio gizmo dangle. Everything should be on a flat surface. If you put stress on the USB jack and make it unhappy, you're going to have trouble doing something very important: charging. I speak from experience.
Now the software. To activate USB Host (and Audio) you need one or two apps. @Renate NST has a USB Host app as well as an Audio Control app. Both are needed for Audio and are useful if you need to troubleshoot. They can be downloaded from her signature link.
I have found that with a good OTG cable I never have initialization issues with USB Host (on all three devices I own). So I wrote a little one-touch toggle app to turn USB Audio on and off. There are screen prompts to tell you when to connect and disconnect things. Version 4 of the app displays on-screen volume controls as well. You can find that here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/app-nst-g-usb-one-touch-toggles.3172213/. The same functionality is also built in to my QuickTiles app, although with nicer screen prompts
If you get this working and are interested in audio recording with the NSTG, there are a few more things to do, but we'll leave that alone for now.

nmyshkin said:
Wow...I seem to spend a lot of time trying to help people get going with their NST only to find out half-way through the process that they have a non-US device. This changes a great deal. There are advice and hints scattered all over in various threads and it seems like maybe it would be a good idea to get it all in one place. Here.
When B&N abandoned UK devices the current firmware was 1.2.1 but this is not the same as the 1.2.1 firmware on the US version of the device. The main difference is that the URLs used to contact B&N servers were different, the default dictionary was Oxford, and the Settings had actual localization options (or perhaps I should say "localisation") for various countries/languages. This allowed the user to see familiar language in the on-screen system.
The problem
Someone who gets a used non-US device will probably get it reset or want to reset it before doing anything else. And then you are stuck because you can't get past much before it gives an error since it can't contact non-existent URLs. You can't update to FW 1.2.2 because non-US devices will not accept the update.
B&N's "answer" to this dilemma has been reported joyfully on the Mobilread forum. They suggest you skip registration altogether (known as "Skip OOBE") and use the device for reading side-loaded books. What they don't tell you is that skipping registration results in a device with markedly shortened battery charge life. A logcat of such a device shows that the system is constantly churning away, trying to figure out why it can't contact B&N.
Options
I'm not saying that what I present here is exhaustive. There are probably people a lot more clever than I who have come up with other approaches. Still, in order from least good to most good:
Note: if you cannot get to the "Welcome" screen or are stuck on some other screen such as "Network error", you will need to do a "soft reset" before pursuing options 1 or 2 (for option 3 it does not matter because you will be booting from various cards). To perform a soft reset, power down, then power up again but as soon as you see the "Read Forever" screen, press and hold the two lower hardware (page-turn) buttons until a prompt appears. Follow the screen directions. This will eventually leave you at the "Welcome" screen.
1. Take B&N's advice. To skip OOBE:
a. Turn on the device and let it boot to the "welcome" screen.
b. Hold down the top right hardware button on the front of the device and slide your finger from left to right across the top of the screen. A "Factory" button should appear in the top left corner of the screen. Tap it.
c. Once again, hold down the top right hardware button and tap the bottom right corner of the screen.
d. A "Skip OOBE" button should appear. Tap it and the device will complete initialization.
e. If you wish to root the device (which is presumably running FW 1.2.1), you can use the updated Nook Manager package which will still work with FW 1.2.1
Note: this configuration may give errors when you attempt to connect to a WiFi source and you will experience a shorter usable charge time.
2. Improve on B&N's advice.
If you follow these steps you will eliminate the inordinate power drain caused by skipping registration--but at a cost: the "guts" of the B&N system. This means you will need to select and install a reader app, dictionary, file manager and launcher of your own. I have done this and it works fine, but it does involve a little tinkering.
a. Follow steps in #1 above (including rooting).
b. Install (side-load via your SD card or use ADB) apps for a reader, dictionary (if wanted), file manager and launcher. There are many choices, but these were mine: AlReader, ColorDict3, ES File Explorer, ADW Launcher.
c. Use NookManager to remove all B&N apps (one of the options). Note that the original NookManager package does not do a proper job of this, so be sure you are using one of the updated versions.
Note: to my knowledge there is only one working reader app besides the stock Reader that can handle Adobe DRM protected epubs. Mantano 2.2.3 Premium (activated or not)
3. Convert your device to US firmware and update to FW 1.2.2
a. Go here and follow the directions.
b. Select one of the updated versions of NookManager for FW 1.2.2 that are given here.
c. Download the FW 1.2.2 update from B&N: https://su.barnesandnoble.com/nook/nook2/1.2.2/351e26527e80156183e74be2da2ce89f/nook_1_2_update.zip
d. Power on the device and at the "welcome" screen connect it via USB to your PC. Drag the update zip to the "Nook" drive that you will see. Allow the device to sleep. Come back awhile later. If the update zip is no longer visible on the Nook drive then the update has been done.
e. Register your device. Remember you don't need to use a credit card, just an email address.
f. Use the updated NookManager card to root and perhaps customize your device.
Note: it has been reported that you will not be able to purchase books from B&N. Also, you will have a Merriam-Webster US-English dictionary instead of the Oxford dictionary. And....localization is locked in the Settings app to "US", with no other options.
g. If you prefer the Oxford dictionary, you can download a copy of the UK 1.2.1 update zip at the bottom of the region changer page.
The dictionary files are located in /system/media/reference/ . Compare what's there with what's on your device and replace. Be sure the file permissions are set the same as what was there before. Reboot.
h. You will need ADB access (either via USB or WiFi) to see the complete localization menu. Connect to the device via ADB and type:
adb shell
am start -n com.android.settings/.LocalePicker --ez hideDevLanguages false
Select the language you prefer. This may cause a reboot.
If you don't have/want ADB, you can install my Nook Settings app. It gives full access to the LocalePicker. If you don't want the app, you can uninstall it after making the Locale change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heads up, this link https://sites.google.com/site/xcdguides/nook/nookregion on option 3 no longer works but it is archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20210821235751/https://sites.google.com/site/xcdguides/nook/nookregion and the dropbox download on that page works fine still and is https://www.dropbox.com/s/nwtz0wi6kpb1d3u/nook_region_changer.zip

alexhorner said:
Heads up, this link https://sites.google.com/site/xcdguides/nook/nookregion on option 3 no longer works but it is archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20210821235751/https://sites.google.com/site/xcdguides/nook/nookregion and the dropbox download on that page works fine still and is https://www.dropbox.com/s/nwtz0wi6kpb1d3u/nook_region_changer.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I noticed the site was down just today whilst trying to help another UK individual. Fortunately I had archived the image zip some time ago against a day such as this. And I, too, referred him to the Wayback machine archive, but I didn't think to test the direct dropbox link. That was clever.
Good grief. Is nothing sacred?!

nmyshkin said:
Thanks. I noticed the site was down just today whilst trying to help another UK individual. Fortunately I had archived the image zip some time ago against a day such as this. And I, too, referred him to the Wayback machine archive, but I didn't think to test the direct dropbox link. That was clever.
Good grief. Is nothing sacred?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Self host FTW!

alexhorner said:
Self host FTW!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yah....my Mediafire account is almost full now with all the NST and Nook Tablet stuff I'm trying to save from oblivion. Hope there's room for this one more.

nmyshkin said:
Wow...I seem to spend a lot of time trying to help people get going with their NST only to find out half-way through the process that they have a non-US device. This changes a great deal. There are advice and hints scattered all over in various threads and it seems like maybe it would be a good idea to get it all in one place. Here.
When B&N abandoned UK devices the current firmware was 1.2.1 but this is not the same as the 1.2.1 firmware on the US version of the device. The main difference is that the URLs used to contact B&N servers were different, the default dictionary was Oxford, and the Settings had actual localization options (or perhaps I should say "localisation") for various countries/languages. This allowed the user to see familiar language in the on-screen system.
The problem
Someone who gets a used non-US device will probably get it reset or want to reset it before doing anything else. And then you are stuck because you can't get past much before it gives an error since it can't contact non-existent URLs. You can't update to FW 1.2.2 because non-US devices will not accept the update.
B&N's "answer" to this dilemma has been reported joyfully on the Mobilread forum. They suggest you skip registration altogether (known as "Skip OOBE") and use the device for reading side-loaded books. What they don't tell you is that skipping registration results in a device with markedly shortened battery charge life. A logcat of such a device shows that the system is constantly churning away, trying to figure out why it can't contact B&N.
Options
I'm not saying that what I present here is exhaustive. There are probably people a lot more clever than I who have come up with other approaches. Still, in order from least good to most good:
Note: if you cannot get to the "Welcome" screen or are stuck on some other screen such as "Network error", you will need to do a "soft reset" before pursuing options 1 or 2 (for option 3 it does not matter because you will be booting from various cards). To perform a soft reset, power down, then power up again but as soon as you see the "Read Forever" screen, press and hold the two lower hardware (page-turn) buttons until a prompt appears. Follow the screen directions. This will eventually leave you at the "Welcome" screen.
1. Take B&N's advice. To skip OOBE:
a. Turn on the device and let it boot to the "welcome" screen.
b. Hold down the top right hardware button on the front of the device and slide your finger from left to right across the top of the screen. A "Factory" button should appear in the top left corner of the screen. Tap it.
c. Once again, hold down the top right hardware button and tap the bottom right corner of the screen.
d. A "Skip OOBE" button should appear. Tap it and the device will complete initialization.
e. If you wish to root the device (which is presumably running FW 1.2.1), you can use the updated Nook Manager package which will still work with FW 1.2.1
Note: this configuration may give errors when you attempt to connect to a WiFi source and you will experience a shorter usable charge time.
2. Improve on B&N's advice.
If you follow these steps you will eliminate the inordinate power drain caused by skipping registration--but at a cost: the "guts" of the B&N system. This means you will need to select and install a reader app, dictionary, file manager and launcher of your own. I have done this and it works fine, but it does involve a little tinkering.
a. Follow steps in #1 above (including rooting).
b. Install (side-load via your SD card or use ADB) apps for a reader, dictionary (if wanted), file manager and launcher. There are many choices, but these were mine: AlReader, ColorDict3, ES File Explorer, ADW Launcher.
c. Use NookManager to remove all B&N apps (one of the options). Note that the original NookManager package does not do a proper job of this, so be sure you are using one of the updated versions.
Note: to my knowledge there is only one working reader app besides the stock Reader that can handle Adobe DRM protected epubs. Mantano 2.2.3 Premium (activated or not)
3. Convert your device to US firmware and update to FW 1.2.2
a. Go here and follow the directions.
b. Select one of the updated versions of NookManager for FW 1.2.2 that are given here.
c. Download the FW 1.2.2 update from B&N: https://su.barnesandnoble.com/nook/nook2/1.2.2/351e26527e80156183e74be2da2ce89f/nook_1_2_update.zip
d. Power on the device and at the "welcome" screen connect it via USB to your PC. Drag the update zip to the "Nook" drive that you will see. Allow the device to sleep. Come back awhile later. If the update zip is no longer visible on the Nook drive then the update has been done.
e. Register your device. Remember you don't need to use a credit card, just an email address.
f. Use the updated NookManager card to root and perhaps customize your device.
Note: it has been reported that you will not be able to purchase books from B&N. Also, you will have a Merriam-Webster US-English dictionary instead of the Oxford dictionary. And....localization is locked in the Settings app to "US", with no other options.
g. If you prefer the Oxford dictionary, you can download a copy of the UK 1.2.1 update zip at the bottom of the region changer page.
The dictionary files are located in /system/media/reference/ . Compare what's there with what's on your device and replace. Be sure the file permissions are set the same as what was there before. Reboot.
h. You will need ADB access (either via USB or WiFi) to see the complete localization menu. Connect to the device via ADB and type:
adb shell
am start -n com.android.settings/.LocalePicker --ez hideDevLanguages false
Select the language you prefer. This may cause a reboot.
If you don't have/want ADB, you can install my Nook Settings app. It gives full access to the LocalePicker. If you don't want the app, you can uninstall it after making the Locale change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would you recommend I copy and replace the dictionaries from the original 1.2.1 firmware file? It does not appear to be a zip file even though it is labelled as such

alexhorner said:
How would you recommend I copy and replace the dictionaries from the original 1.2.1 firmware file? It does not appear to be a zip file even though it is labelled as such
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a vague recollection that it can't be cracked by simply Windows. I believe WinRAR or 7zip will work. I'm downloading a copy from my archive as I type and will give it a shot. I know it can be/has been done.
Yep, WinRAR. I'll just extract the dictionary file and attach it here. Or not. Mmm....too big.
So....you'll need either WinRAR or 7zip to do the job.

nmyshkin said:
I have a vague recollection that it can't be cracked by simply Windows. I believe WinRAR or 7zip will work. I'm downloading a copy from my archive as I type and will give it a shot. I know it can be/has been done.
Yep, WinRAR. I'll just extract the dictionary file and attach it here. Or not. Mmm....too big.
So....you'll need either WinRAR or 7zip to do the job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had some trouble with 7Zip too, but after opening 7Zip on its own and manually selecting the file, it extracted.
I took the ox_en_GB.db file (the only one in there) and placed it in /system.media/references and 644'd it which is what the other files in that directory were. Nothing to replace, just add. No idea if it works or how to test it, but at least the file is there if I ever wish to use it.
Managed to get the system locale changed fine with NookSettings too, so now thats all good!

alexhorner said:
Had some trouble with 7Zip too, but after opening 7Zip on its own and manually selecting the file, it extracted.
I took the ox_en_GB.db file (the only one in there) and placed it in /system.media/references and 644'd it which is what the other files in that directory were. Nothing to replace, just add. No idea if it works or how to test it, but at least the file is there if I ever wish to use it.
Managed to get the system locale changed fine with NookSettings too, so now thats all good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way to test the dictionary is to load up an ebook, long-press on a word, select "Look up" and see what happens.