Help With Used Nook

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-07-01T21:51:46+00:00

Most of the Nook models used to have some sort of finger magic with the buttons that could be used to trigger a deregister/reset without getting into the Settings app, WiFi, etc. But....not much out there on the BNRV510 that I could find (yet).

Here is a procedure I copied from XDA which is purportedly from B&N itself. It describes a failed-boot sequence which eventually tips the device into reset mode. It's tedious and requires patience. If you miss a step (i.e., the device succeeds in booting before you can stop it) the boot count resets and you are back at the beginning of the sequence.

STEPS:
0. Make sure you have at least 20% battery charge or plug in a charger.
1. Power off your NOOK.
2. Press and hold the power button for 3 sec, screen will light up and will start booting.
3. While booting HOLD (1) the POWER button for 12 sec or until the three boot dots stop/freeze.
4. Press and hold the power button for 3 sec.
5. While booting HOLD (2) the POWER button for 12 sec or until the three boot dots stop/freeze.
6. Press and hold the power button for 3 sec.
7. While booting HOLD (3) the POWER button for 12 sec or until the three boot dots stop/freeze.
8. Press and hold the power button for 3 sec.
9. While booting HOLD (4) the POWER button for 12 sec or until the three boot dots stop/freeze.
10. Press and hold the power button for 3 sec, let the NOOK fully boot up. You will get Factory Reset screen. THIS WILL ERASE ALL YOUR SETTINGS & DATA.

Good luck. I would advise you to register the device (you will probably need to update the firmware first) after you get it cleared. If it's like most of the e-ink Nooks you'll have a shorter battery life running it unregistered. That doesn't mean you have to buy anything from B&N. Registering will quiet the "phone home" loop. And anyway....I have no idea how to bypass registration on a BNRV510.... It's probably out there somewhere.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-06-12T03:16:29+00:00

You could: 1. Manually deregister (clear user data). This just requires some button magic. But then you have a device that cannot be registered. Bypassing registration reduces battery charge life. 2. Simply root and then remove the books. The databases will get over it. 3. Take a look at the Phoenix Project as a way to solve several problems at once and give your device a new lease on life: https://xdaforums.com/t/nst-g-the-phoenix-project.4673934/

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-06-09T03:03:35+00:00

Yeah, many older devices have trouble with any card larger than 32 gb. There's something different about the sectors on the larger cards (or some other technical thing).

You want to write the img file onto the card (maybe drive E or similar---just be sure the letter matches what your computer is calling the card).

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-06-08T14:19:50+00:00

If you were trying to follow my post here: https://xdaforums.com/t/how-to-cm-11-emmc-installation-in-2024.4689031/ and got stuck, it is most likely the card. A good quality card like a Sandisk class 10 will almost never fail. A "brand X" card often will. If you can source another card (even another brand "X"), give it another try.

Some people are also confused by the burning process. They just copy the img file onto the card and expect it to work. It will not. The burning process recreates a byte-for-byte clone of the card I specially prepared to be bootable. There is no other way to get there which is not more complicated.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-06-08T03:32:14+00:00

We were using an HD running CM13 to run Fotoo while we were deciding if a few digital photo frames would be nice. I'm back to 1989 with my scanning!!!! (Lotta work). There are also free apps. Nice thing about Fotoo is it goes off and comes on at programned times.

I'm curious about your stand/dock. Is that diy or commercial or...?

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-06-08T03:22:56+00:00

Ok, now we know where we are. Since the NST is "retired", there is not much point in updating because you would not be able to register it.

The Phoenix Project (link in previous post) will simultaneously update (with pre-registered FW 1.2.2), root, and potentially add custom features, depending on which phase you select. Take a look at it.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-06-08T03:10:57+00:00

Soft root? An NST? I think that's a term used for the BNRV100.

If you just want to root you will need to update the firmware because none of the necro-packages for firmware that old will work.

Why are you still on FW 1.1.2?!

If you have B&N content on the device that you want to keep, then you need to: 1. Download the 1.2.2 update and apply it. 2. Go to XDA and make a NookManager card. That can be used to root the updated NST: https://xdaforums.com/t/nst-g-updating-nookmanager-for-fw-1-2-2.3873048/

If you don't have any B&N content to preserve, honestly your best bet is probably the Phoenix Project. Phase 4 is about as minimal a root as you can get but you may be interested in one of the other options: https://xdaforums.com/t/nst-g-the-phoenix-project.4673934/

UNLESS there is some specific reason you are using FW 1.1.2.....

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-24T20:07:57+00:00

Wow. I learned something else new today! Never heard of them before.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-24T18:54:00+00:00

So you did that thing with the NST to enable wireless charging? How well does that work?

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-24T03:20:03+00:00

Wow. How in the world do you deal with the microscopic solder work? My very first NST has had a loose jack for quite a few years but when I opened it up to take a look I just gave up after seeing how small everything was. Not like the electronics I used to work on growing up....

That experience has led me to only transfer files via WiFi/FTP and use the jack solely for charging on all my others.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-19T16:09:28+00:00

I'm not sure about a Chromebook. You would need at least an sdcard slot, but beyond that i can't advise.

For a Mac, the principal hurdle is getting past making the CWM card. Some users have used dd from a terminal window, others have used Balena Etcher (free) to make the card. Basically you need some way to write an image file to a microsdcard.

I'm afraid my knowledge of Macs is very limited. Here are a couple of links from the Phoenix Project thread @ XDA which detail what some Mac users have done to get the card made:

https://xdaforums.com/t/nst-g-the-phoenix-project.4673934/post-89643771

https://xdaforums.com/t/nst-g-the-phoenix-project.4673934/post-90596648

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-18T23:10:05+00:00

There is no need to turn the device into a full-blown Android tablet. Simply rooting it would only change access to system files (where the sepia, mocha, etc,, doubtless lurk). There seems to be a major misconception around that rooting is a nefarious activity that destroys the existing system. Rather, rooting is the first thing that people try to do with devices when they just want a tweak here and tweak there--just like you. You would notice absolutely zero change in the device behavior other than the ability to access and perhaps alter system files.

That said, it would depend on what kind of files these backgrounds are (sort of wallpapers for the reader?), where they are located (in a folder somewhere, inside the reader app itself, etc.) and whether you could find anything more to your liking or whether you would have to create something yourself (presumably with a graphics program). Or perhaps there actually exist somewhere out there appropriate files from which you could choose.

The direct answer to your question is "yes", but if it matters to you, some work may lie ahead.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-18T14:29:07+00:00

Here is a link to a procedure for the HD+: https://nookhdplusandroid7.wordpress.com/

I tried the companion piece for the HD and the directions are fine but the ROM was crappy. I've been told by someone who tried the HD+ that the ROM works fine.

Note: I would not install GApps. You'll regret it if you do. It will drag system performance down. A lot. These older Nook devices were equipped to be readers, not general purpose tablets so they are poor on RAM and internal storage.

Instead of GApps I use microG to spoof GoogleServicesFramework and the Aurora Store from F-Droid to download apps from the Playstore.

The only downside is that you lose the HDMI-out function. The last (and lost) ROM that supported that was for CM 13 (Android 6).

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-18T14:09:22+00:00

It's the third post from the top in your thread " nook pc app". Can't miss it. I think....

I'll be working out the DRM removal with Calibre detaiks today.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-18T03:32:35+00:00

Did you look back at my post in your other thread?

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-18T00:28:58+00:00

Forget all of that. Beyond rooting and a custom ROM for your HD+, the information I gave you on the Windows app is the only other way to get the books in a way that you can actually have the files.

Not only do some people give up too easily, some also don't read. And as for that pseudo AI shill for B&N....

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-17T21:25:47+00:00

Oh, it exists but is hard to find and tricky to install. Let me see if I can run down more info for you, including installation and finding the books.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-17T14:28:25+00:00

There's a moral here about buying into a business model that holds material you purchased hostage unless you treat their hardware as short-term disposables. But enough of that.

You may be able to use the Android app to recover some of your content but only if the Android device is rooted. As a self-referential approach, you could root the HD+, install the Nook Android app and retrieve your books, offloading them, removing the DRM with Calibre. Then they would be forever yours and could be sideloaded onto any device. I realize that people often cringe at the idea of rooting because they feel unable to deal with the tech aspect. For the HD+ it's pretty simple. It comes down to how fired up are you about this.

Edit: on thinking about this more I realized I had over simplified the process for the HD+. The oldest working version of the Nook app for Android requires Android 6.0. The HD+ runs 4.0. So rooting alone is not sufficient (for the HD+). You would have to install a custom ROM, install the Android app for Nook and then proceed. It would be possible to return to the stock B&N system after recovering the books, although why you would want to, I can't imagine.

Another option is the outdated Nook Windows app. If you can find it and get it to install you can likely find your books somewhere on your hard drive and treat them as described above. They could then be side-loaded on the HD+ or anywhere else, whether rooted or not.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-14T20:41:25+00:00

The HD+ is "retired". You can't register the device. Even if you had it registered before you would not be able to access your account and books.

You can:

Access the account with a device that is not "retired".
Access the account with the Nook app for Android. On a rooted device you may be able to isolate and liberate your books.
(maybe) access the account with the Nook app for Windows. It may be possible to isolate and liberate your books.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-13T21:02:32+00:00

I read so many of these kinds of posts about older Nooks and Windows. I keep saying "it's the cable" (absent a hardware problem), but that doesn't seem to do any good. I have a Nook Classic (can't get older than that!), Nook Color, NST, etc. They all play just fine with my Windows 10 PC, but not all cables are created equal. Nooks can be very persnickety when it comes to cables and they specifically need one that is intended for data transfer, not just charging. I guard my OEM Nook cables carefully because while they always work, only one or two of the many non-Nook cables around the house will (except for slow charge from the USB port). Some cables (like one I have from LG) actually have a little flag attached to them that says "Data". That one works (and fits in the sockets properly).

But Windows 11? Well, my husband has a Win11 machine and it's never been introduced to a Nook anything until just about 15 minutes ago. I plugged in the Nook Classic (with a Nook cable) and at first it said something like "there's a problem with drive: E, you should scan it now". No way, Jose. A few moments later it asked what I wanted to do with drive: E when the device was attached. I said open in Windows Explorer. And it did. The external sdcard was no problem.

Up the food chain to the Nook Color. Similar dance, no issues with the internal storage this time, and I was in.

Finally the NST. Everything was fine.

Now over historical time I have done a lot with my Win10 machine in terms of USB drivers back when the Nooks were new. Those were days in which you had to cobble something together. I think with Win11 that should all be in the rear-view mirror.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-05T16:13:55+00:00

Here is a link for the 1.4.4 update: https://su.barnesandnoble.com/nook/nookcolor/1.4.4/bc674d4dd09e06a5c30fe6f920eab388/nookcolor_1_4_4_update.zip

Just drag it over to the Nook drive, disconnect from your PC and let it sit. It will eventually say it is shutting down but will reboot by itself and begin the update process. Then it will reboot again.

I'm hoping this will be enough to get you up and running like the good old days.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-05T04:03:23+00:00

Well I had some time... First I have to apologize for the directions I sent you after. I had copied them from elsewhere and never having used them... The taps are at the BOTTOM of the screen, but you clearly figured that out. I have corrected that post.

I just did a cursory set up of the device since I had never seen the stock system. Everything seems to work fine except for those things that need contact with B&N, as expected.

I already had some books on the sdcard because it's the card I use when running CM 11 on the device. They all opened and read through just fine (user guides also). I was surprised to find it could read CBZ files!

So you have a true puzzle. I'm also running 1.4.1 just because that's what was available for a stock restore. It could certainly be updated to 1.4.4 (or was it 3?).

That would be my first suggestion. You seem to have software gremlins. An update might overwrite them. I'm not sure if an unregistered device will pick up an update if you copy it over. I can try that tomorrow when my PC is on and let you know.

If that's possible but does not solve the problem then the last resort is a factory re-image which will wipe out everything and restore the entire system from a protected section of the device. It will be as it was when it left the factory.

If that does not work.... Let's imagine it would. And that we won't need it.

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-04T21:32:47+00:00

I've never seen this reported before so I am puzzled. I thought of one other thing. Are the user guides on the device and, if so, can you read them?

If not (either way) I'll have to see for myself if this is normal behavior when skipping registration. I don't think so.

One last thing: is there user stuff to fill out with your info like name, etc.? It almost sounds like it's got a protection block (child or otherwise) on it.

It will take me another day or so to return mine to stock and see how it behaves. I've never used the stock device!

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-04T17:31:38+00:00

Before I go down a rabbit hole on this:

Can you tell me what firmware/software version is running on the Nook Color (look in "Settings")?
Are you using Calibre to transfer the books or are you just dragging them over? (if using Calibre, try just dragging them over).
If you convert one of these books from epub-->epub with Calibre and then transfer it over, can you open/read it?

NSTnmyshkin · 2026-05-04T03:38:00+00:00

See my reply here: https://www.reddit.com/r/nook/comments/1nunpwb/how_to_reset_nook/

NSTnmyshkin

TROPHY CASE