Using a Nook Simple Touch in 2022

README.md

Using an old Barnes and Noble Nook Device

I got an ancient nook "simple touch" for free on a neighborhood Facebook group yesterday. Figured I could see if I at least like the form factor before getting myself a newer one.

Step 1: Charge it

When I got it, the battery was completely dead. I plugged it in to charge (thankfully a micro-USB charger). After about 20 minutes, it was ready to work on.

Step 2: Hardware Reset

The previous owners didn't wipe the thing, so it was still registered to them.

I tried to go into settings to click "erase and deregister". But the Nook wouldn't do it because it was getting a network error when trying to connect to the internet. So I pulled up my wifi network on the device and connected. It successfully connected and said it was getting a strong signal.

I then tried to erase and derigster again. But I still got a network error.

I went looking online and found a Barnes and Noble post that says in 2018, Barnes and Noble pushed a security update, without which the nook cannot connect to its registration servers at all. So it can't disconnect because the registration servers either straight up don't exist or because they are rejecting the connection.

But I can't install the firmware update because I can't connect to the internet.

I found a video explaining how to do a physical hardware reset and then log in without doing the server registration. It involves pushing a certain set of buttons at a certain time during the boot cycle, swiping the screen while holding a button to reveal first one, then another, hidden touchscreen ui buttons. Link here.

Hardware has been wiped. Registration has been bypassed.

Step 3: Firmware Update

The above Barnes and Noble pagecontains a link to the firmware download. I pulled the zip file containing the update for my nook edition to my computer and followed the instructions on that website to copy the zip file onto my nook. I ejected and unplugged the Nook from my computer and waited a few mintues. The Nook found and ingested the update without issue. Here's a direct link for the Simple Touch firmware download: https://su.barnesandnoble.com/nook/nook2/1.2.2/351e26527e80156183e74be2da2ce89f/nook_1_2_update.zip

Step 4: Register Nook

Now nook can be registered! I registered it in my name, creating an Barnes and Noble account to do so.

Step Five: Library Books

The main reason I wanted a nook was to read library books, so I wanted to see if I could sideload a library book onto it. I went to my library's website and downloaded a book in ePub format. But wait! It's not ePub, it's some DRM nonsense. To port it over to the Nook, I need create an OverDrive account, download an app called Adobe Digital Editions, authorize it to my Overdrive account, connect the OverDrive acocunt to my library card, link the Nook to the OverDrive account through Adobe Digital Editions, and use Adobe Digital Editions to port the file over.

The file was on my nook! I clicked it to open it and make sure I could read it.

I got a popup window with: Error Dialog: user not activated.

More googling. Turns out nook comes with a user authorization that doens't always work with ADE. So I had to open the Nook mounted volume on OSX (you can use Finder to do this), and delete a dot-folder named .adobe-digital-editions. This allows ADE to recreate the creds for you.

I tried again.

New popup: Error Dialog: Loan Token not Found.

More googling. Turned out that this version of Nook doesn't work with the version of ADE I downloaded, which is version 4.3. I needed to downgrade to version 3.0.

Unfortunately, while the ADE download site does have size-four-point font link that says "download 3.0 instead", it took me in a link cycle that in no way ever pointed to the 3.0 download. Good news is these links often follow a programmatic naming convetnion. So I hovered over the 4.3 download link, copied the URL, and replaced the "4.3" in the url with "3.0".

Success! ADE 3.0 can be found at https://adedownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/digitaleditions/ADE_3.0_Installer.dmg

I had to delete the book I already downloaded and re-download it because ADE 3.0 thought it was corrupt. I finally copied the book over to my nook and it successfully loaded.

Epilogue

I had wanted to see if there was a way to use this above-board; turns out there is but I suspect that downloading a tool to strip DRM off the books and bypass ADE would probably be a much less frustrating experience, if also less legal (dear lawyers I in no way endorse such heinous activities, honest).

AGGHH! I am at this exact spot today! Just dug out my Nook and want to add library books to it and missed the 2018 update. Your links and downloads are not working for me.....is the Nook Update file you linked for PC or Mac?

Which link is broken? I just checked them all and they seem ok to me. The ADE file is for a Mac, but I think the zip file itself is I think for whatever proprietary system runs on the nook. If your Nook is different than mine you may need a different download from the bottom of this page? https://help.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/5379840873371-Having-trouble-connecting-to-your-NOOK-

The images are all busted but the download links still work, I think.

So upon further inspection...my issue is windows will not recognize my nook! I think that might be a known issue, but I have not found a way around it. I may have to try to use my husbands Mac then if it worked on yours. So as of right now I have no way of getting the update file to the Nook. I have a Nook Simple touch with Glow which I think is the same one as yours? Thanks for the email by the way!

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On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 7:50 PM Megan Marsh ***@***.***> wrote: ***@***.**** commented on this gist. ------------------------------ Which link is broken? I just checked them all and they seem ok to me. The ADE file is for a Mac, but I think the zip file itself is I think for whatever proprietary system runs on the nook. If your Nook is different than mine you may need a different download from the bottom of this page? https://help.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/5379840873371-Having-trouble-connecting-to-your-NOOK- The images are all busted but the download links still work, I think. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://gist.github.com/SwampDragons/c1a0e3b48bea1defd8439a9499ef801e#gistcomment-4517675> or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/A6ZEJ3QLRMF4QRDCAW4W2GDW6IRTFBFKMF2HI4TJMJ2XIZLTSKBKK5TBNR2WLJDHNFZXJJDOMFWWLK3UNBZGKYLEL52HS4DFQKSXMYLMOVS2I5DSOVS2I3TBNVS3W5DIOJSWCZC7OBQXE5DJMNUXAYLOORPWCY3UNF3GS5DZVRZXKYTKMVRXIX3UPFYGLK2HNFZXIQ3PNVWWK3TUUZ2G64DJMNZZDAVEOR4XAZNEM5UXG5FFOZQWY5LFVEYTCNRXGEZTOMJVU52HE2LHM5SXFJTDOJSWC5DF> . You are receiving this email because you commented on the thread. Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> or Android <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub> .

ya......without being able to connect my Nook to the PC, I am stuck here I got a popup window with: Error Dialog: user not activated. More googling. Turns out nook comes with a user authorization that doens't always work with ADE. So I had to open the Nook mounted volume on OSX (you can use Finder to do this), and delete a dot-folder named .adobe-digital-editions. This allows ADE to recreate the creds for you. I was able to download Adobe 3.0 so I should not get the next error if I can just get past the one above!

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On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 8:36 PM Mellissa Erb ***@***.***> wrote: So upon further inspection...my issue is windows will not recognize my nook! I think that might be a known issue, but I have not found a way around it. I may have to try to use my husbands Mac then if it worked on yours. So as of right now I have no way of getting the update file to the Nook. I have a Nook Simple touch with Glow which I think is the same one as yours? Thanks for the email by the way! On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 7:50 PM Megan Marsh ***@***.***> wrote: > ***@***.**** commented on this gist. > ------------------------------ > > Which link is broken? I just checked them all and they seem ok to me. The > ADE file is for a Mac, but I think the zip file itself is I think for > whatever proprietary system runs on the nook. If your Nook is different > than mine you may need a different download from the bottom of this page? > https://help.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/5379840873371-Having-trouble-connecting-to-your-NOOK- > > The images are all busted but the download links still work, I think. > > — > Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub > <https://gist.github.com/SwampDragons/c1a0e3b48bea1defd8439a9499ef801e#gistcomment-4517675> > or unsubscribe > <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/A6ZEJ3QLRMF4QRDCAW4W2GDW6IRTFBFKMF2HI4TJMJ2XIZLTSKBKK5TBNR2WLJDHNFZXJJDOMFWWLK3UNBZGKYLEL52HS4DFQKSXMYLMOVS2I5DSOVS2I3TBNVS3W5DIOJSWCZC7OBQXE5DJMNUXAYLOORPWCY3UNF3GS5DZVRZXKYTKMVRXIX3UPFYGLK2HNFZXIQ3PNVWWK3TUUZ2G64DJMNZZDAVEOR4XAZNEM5UXG5FFOZQWY5LFVEYTCNRXGEZTOMJVU52HE2LHM5SXFJTDOJSWC5DF> > . > You are receiving this email because you commented on the thread. > > Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS > <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1477376905?ct=notification-email&mt=8&pt=524675> > or Android > <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.android&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dnotification-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgithub> > . > >

i have gotten my hands on a nook simple touch and it will not update no matter how many times i put the zip file in it

Sorry to hear it :( The installation was the only part of the process that wasn't broken for me, so I'm not sure how to help.

Did you follow the instructions here? https://help.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/5379840873371-Having-trouble-connecting-to-your-NOOK-

Maybe yours is the one with the glowlight and has slightly different firmware than the one I linked? There's a different download link for it on that page

Sorry to hear it :( The installation was the only part of the process that wasn't broken for me, so I'm not sure how to help.

Did you follow the instructions here? https://help.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/5379840873371-Having-trouble-connecting-to-your-NOOK-

Maybe yours is the one with the glowlight and has slightly different firmware than the one I linked? There's a different download link for it on that page

Yo thanks for the reply i did follow the instructions it did not work. i dont have the glow version just the simple touch. my school has tons of them in there storage. they used to use them but all of them cant download or buy books anymore so the librarian gave me saying you can try. the last time the connected to the internet was 4 years ago. by not connecting to the internet i mean its just loading infinite ly it can get onto the wifi network. I did get it one to some what work i got 2 epubs on it with ADE so thats good. but no internet at all

did some digging on the XDA Forums it looks like UK servers for the nook have shutdown.
if i can get my had on a microSD card i might try to get a rom on there

Doing some more reading, I found that UK devices were cut off from their servers a few years ago, and some industrious people came up with a ways to use these devices anyway, the most common being to replace the Nook’s firmware with the US firmware using the “Nook Region Changer” SD card, which is based on clockworkmod (CWM).

Interesting! I saw some other stuff on the XDA forums that you could (as of ten years ago) root nooks and turn them into android tablets; that project is kind of tempting me.

yeah i might root it and turn the mine into a tablet thinking about it. i did get my hands on a sd card so we will see

i am going to root it but the problem is that i dont know how to install apks direct on it rip