How To: Root the Nook Color (AutoNooter Method)

I. Before You Begin – IMPORTANT!

1. You MUST have an external SD card reader, do NOT use the NOOKColor instead.

2. You must have a Gmail account and a YouTube account that is linked to that Gmail account (furthermore, if you used the gmail email to create your Barnes & Noble account, it must be the same Gmail that is linked to the YouTube account as well).

3. You MUST be on firmware version 1.0.1 or 1.1.0 (1.0.0 will not work). Check your firmware version by clicking on the Arrow button then Settings then Device Info then About Your NOOKColor and you’ll see software version. If it says 1.0.1 or 1.1.0 you can continue, just use the appropriate file for your firmware version

Thanks to GabrialDestruir for all his awesome work on creating the AutoNooter program. Please donate to him or just let him know if you appreciate his work!
Here is his original post on the Autonooter app!

Thanks to GMPower for AutoNooter 3.0.0. Please donate to him or just let him know if you appreciate his work!
Here is his original post on the Autonooter app!

II. Root the Nook Using AutoNooter

1. Download the AutoNooter file for your software version –

1.0.1AutoNooter 2.12.25

1.1.1AutoNooter 3.0.0

2. Unzip/Extract it somewhere on your computer.

3. Download WinImage (the program we will use to write the img file to the sd card) from here.

4. Take your MicroSD card and put it into an external sd card reader then plug that into your computer.

5. Open WinImage and select Disk > Restore Virtual Hard Disk Image on Physical Drive and select the SD Card/SD Card Reader and then select the AutoNooter .img file that we unzipped earlier and wait for it to finish.

6. Turn off the Nook Color.

7. Once it is off, take out the MicroSD card and put it into the NOOKColor, don’t turn on the NOOKColor.

8. Plug the NOOKColor into the computer via the USB cable (this will cause it to boot up).

9. Wait and your NOOKColor will reboot when it is finished.

III. Setup the NOOKColor

1. Once it boots up, follow the prompts BUT select Skip for Sign In.

2. After you do that, select Enable Location Services and then continue.

3. Once at the home screen, connect to WiFi and then launch YouTube from the Extras tab.

4. Click Menu (the button to the right of the Up Arrow) then select My Channel and login with your GMail account (see the Before You Begin for more details).

5. Exit YouTube and go to GMail in the Extras tab.

6. Sign in to GMail and sync your Google account (again using the same GMail that you used for YouTube) then exit (it’s ok if it failed to sync).

7. Now open the Market and accept the terms and conditions. If that works, download an app and see if it works.

IV. Reformat the SD Card Back to Normal

1. On the NOOKColor, go to Settings then Device Info then SD Card then click Unmount and then Format. Once it is done, it will remount the SD card and you will be good to go!

V. (Optional) Load a Custom Recovery Image and/or Custom ROM

1. After you have finished this procedure, head over to our How To: Load a Custom ROM on the Nook Color procedure to flash a custom recovery image and then learn how to flash ROMs.

203 thoughts on “How To: Root the Nook Color (AutoNooter Method)”

  1. I couldn’t set up an account with youtube and now when I press the softkeys arrowmit says, “unable to execute root”?

  2. A great job demo-ing the method for us less technically savvy. I really appreciate this. A couple of questions: 1) what Android OS does this result in…2.1 with full android market, Froyo, Gingerbread, or…? 2) what does this do to the Nook reader functions? And finally, 3) will I lose my files that are on the NC (not sd card) when I do this root? Thanks, Steve

    1. Welcome!

      1. It doesn’t change the Android version at all from whatever version B&N put on it originally. It simply adds the Market and some other things (like an app called softkeys so you can have the normal Android buttons on your screen) and gives you root access. To flash different versions of Android you’d need to go to the next procedure “How To Load a Custom ROM”. At the moment of writing this there aren’t very many ROMs/version to choose from, but they are coming along slowly.
      2. Again since this just adds those functions it doesn’t effect your Nook Reader functions at all, those are still present (when loading a custom ROM though that might change, please read each individual ROM and see if it says it keeps the Nook software or not etc.
      3. Not terribly sure, I would recommend plugging the Nook in via USB and copying everything off of the Nook (SD card or otherwise just keep in mind they come up as two different devices when plugged in) to your computer just in case.

      Good luck!

      1. I followed the instructions on this article and everything worked perfectly! The only issue I’m running into is where do applications install? After I installed a few from the Market, I couldn’t find the icons and it did not show up on the home screen. What do I do? Thanks!

  3. Every time I put the sideload_update.zip on the nook and let it go to sleep, nothing happens. and when I plug it into the computer, the zip file is gone. What happened?

    1. Are you sure that you have to do the sideload_update.zip? I discovered that in my haste, I didn’t read the directions properly and didn’t have to do that part at all.

  4. Please help, I messed up somewhere while rooting and I’m trying to do a factory reset and it won’t let me because it’s telling me that I’m not a registered user. Please help, thanks.

  5. Michael Rosenbaum

    My Nook has OS 1.0.0. I rooted it and it has never received and update from Barnes and Noble. I want to start taking advantage of some of the new updates in 1.1.0. Should I manually update it to 1.1.0 and then root it with the Auto Rooter 3.0.0?

    1. You could either do that or just follow the directions as written (we show you how to upgrade to 1.0.1 in the before you begin section). And you’ll have a rooted 1.0.1 Nook then just flash the 1.1.0 ROM in the next procedure. Either would accomplish the same thing for the most part.

  6. I am having a problem with part II, step 5.
    I do everything as said in the step. However when I get to the part where you select the auto nooter part…it starts up do it, the status screen shows it working but then it hits 99% and stops and gives me en “error reading file…” message
    Any ideas?

  7. Another question. My NC works great with the root. I love it. However, I cannot download from Android Market. It says Starting download and then doesn’t go any further. Re-boots don’t help. Any suggestions?

    1. I replied a few minutes ago that I was having the same problem. Found out that you have to have a SD card installed. I followed the instructions above to reformat the sd card and then tried downloading the application again and it downloaded instantly. However, I had to turn off the Nook and then when I turned the Nook back on, all of the applications that I downloaded showed up in Extras.

    2. same problem, I erased the SD card like Robyn said, still no luck. Anyone else get aps to download???

  8. I have just started researching this, does doing a factory restore remove the root kit and return it back to the original software? Want to make sure there is an undo just in case. Thanks

    1. I tried this twice and it doesn’t fix. Doesn’t seem to be many solutions on the internet either. Let me know if you find anything.

  9. I just rooted my nook color and it seems to work but I don’t get all the apps to show up in the market only a select few are there. Did I do something wrong with my install or is there something I need to do once rooted

    1. Michael Rosenbaum

      Do you have a blank Micro SD card in the unit. I talked to a friend who is an Android geek and he says that all the apps are installed on the micro SD card. Try that and let me know if it helps.

      1. I currently have a 16GB micro SD card in with nothing on it.

        When I go to the market on the nook and go to the “top paid” section only 8 games show up. If I do this on my Droid X it brings up hundreds.
        Thanks your help, I am very new to this.

  10. A good tutorial, but you really ought to mention that you’re using a Windows-based computer. I got as far as the second download before I realised you only gave the WinImage option. For those of us arriving via Google searches, even if you put the Windows info in the about page, we won’t know.

    But thank you for your effort!

    1. Use dd. It’s a command line utility, but it’s very easy to use.

      Go to your command line.
      Type df
      That will tell you what drives you have connected right now
      Insert your sd card or connect your card reader to your mac
      Type df again
      The new drive listed is the sd disk. It will be something like /dev/sdb or /dev/sde1
      cd (change directory) to the directory where you saved the .img file
      type a fixed version of “dd if=auto-nooter-3.0.0.img of=/dev/sdb”
      the text after if= should be the name of your .img file, and the text after of= should be the path to your sd device WITHOUT ANY NUMBERS (/dev/sde1 would be just /dev/sde here)

      Voila! That should do it for you.

  11. Worked really great. Initially menu button didn’t work but after a reboot it started to work. Market Place works fine too (Angry Birds and WinAmp!)

  12. Kakulavarapuvenkata41

    I was able to root my NC using autorooter 3.0.0 since I have 1.1 NC firmware. Everything was OK except that the youtube was not working. If I press Youtube icon, it flickers and the screen comes back to applications. It would not open. I tried opening Youtube through web. Still it doesn’t work. Help!!!

    1. The same thing is happening to mine. All the other apps are working great, but I can access youtube via the browser, just not the app. Just flickers and goes back to “extras” page. ? I wonder if it is because I had registered YouTube with a different email address, and then recreated a youtube account for gmail. ?

  13. So I didn’t use the same account for market as I did on the device. Now market is working (with limitted app selection) but shop is not. Is this because I did not use the same account? Any way to remedy without going back to stock? I know I can change my google account by deleting accounts.db… so if I do that and change it to my B&N account (also fgmail) will that fix it?

  14. Hi: I am NOT a GEEK, in fact, I am a GEEKs nightmare. However, I must say that that the instructions for this process were VERY clear, and simple to follow. I rooted myNook ( so to speak) successfully the first time. I have just spent an afternoon finding out what Barnes and Noble have hidden from us. In their defense, I’ll add they ARE booksellers, and their Nook, bot colorand the “other” have helped their bottom line a great deal. NOW however, I have more than an eReader.
    thanks to all who worked this out so the normies out here can have some fun too.

  15. I think I killed it. I didn’t set up my Nook before trying to root it straight from the box. I followed the for system 1.1.1 (since it’s brand new, and that’s what the store-versions were running) directions up until step 8. The device is sort of stuck at step 9. It never fully boots. It goes through the initial booting stuff, but then after it says “Android”, it starts to draw the little android guy and gets as far as his second leg and then stops. Then it tries to draw the little guy again. It never gets past the leg…

    What do I do now?

  16. need assistance. I have 1.1.0 downloaded AN3.0, loaded and followed instructions. everything worked well but once I got to the youtube sign-in page the softkeys would not respond to allow the menu button to login. i figured a way around it, but once I was at the gmail login i couldnt get the softkey menu button to respond. I rebooted (turned off) and it wouldnt turn back on. short press, long press neither worked. I then plugged NC back into my laptop, it came on but is now stuck on the black nook screen with the logo with “Contains Reader Mobile technology by adobe systems incorporated” on the bottom. Any suggestions?

    1. I had a similar problem.

      I’d say just do a factory reset at this point. Hold down the n button (at the bottom of the screen) and at the same time press and hold the power button for 20 seconds. A dialog will pop up to let you reset to factory settings.

      If that doesn’t work, try the 8-times-interrupted-reboot method for reseting the device to the original OS.

  17. Thank you for this. I’m really thinking I want to try it.

    I have a question, though: I’ve heard that when/if B&N pushes updates to the device, the update push could break the rooted device. I know there’s a way to disable updates, although I’m not 100% on the details.

    Does this process disable updates?
    Or do we need to do that ourselves separately? (If so, how?)
    Or is this “updates break root” an urban legend?

    Thanks!!

    1. The updates can break root but you generally have to click accept and install or it won’t install. Also just go to the how to load a custom ROM procedure linked from this one and thatll disable updates. Good luck!

      1. Rooted today and worked pretty perfectly, thank you!! But… I don’t really want to install a custom ROM, just want to disable updates. But if I have to accept them first, then I guess that’s an acceptable safety net. On the Nook Regular, you don’t get the choice to accept/decline updates, IIRC.

          1. Well, now I’m unclear because I thought TheUnlockr said that you have to manually accept the install or it won’t go through.

            If the NC updates are pushed regardless, then I guess I need to install a custom ROM to prevent that – I don’t want my root to break every time there’s an update.

  18. having a problem using win image .. i get to the step where ask me you will restore image blah blah an i click yes an i get error in writing disk the process cant assess the file because it is being used by another process..
    what am i doing wrong …???

    1. I’ve been through a few different processes a few times, so I can remember exactly where I ran into this problem, but I remember that starting all over again, including removing and re-inserting the sd card into the computer before restarting took care of that particular issue.

    2. I’ve been through a few different processes a few times, so I can remember exactly where I ran into this problem, but I remember that starting all over again, including removing and re-inserting the sd card into the computer before restarting took care of that particular issue.

    3. I’ve been through a few different processes a few times, so I can remember exactly where I ran into this problem, but I remember that starting all over again, including removing and re-inserting the sd card into the computer before restarting took care of that particular issue.

      1. Hi I’m having the same issue and have attempted to remove and re-insert the sd card but it didn’t work. I can’t figure out for the life of me how to get the image written to the SD card. Please help!!

  19. having a problem using win image .. i get to the step where ask me you will restore image blah blah an i click yes an i get error in writing disk the process cant assess the file because it is being used by another process..
    what am i doing wrong …???

  20. having a problem using win image .. i get to the step where ask me you will restore image blah blah an i click yes an i get error in writing disk the process cant assess the file because it is being used by another process..
    what am i doing wrong …???

  21. While Adobe’s Flash Player 10.1 works with android 2.2, I cannot seem to even find the player in the market after running through this process. Is there someway to get FP for the rooted nook? Or, is there any player out there that will takes its place?

    1. I have an update on this. If I associate my phone number with the gmail account that I used to set up my nook, which is different from the gmail account I set up with my phone, the Flash Player shows up in the market and appears to be ready for installation. However, when I try to install it, I get the message that it is not compatible with my device (nook). Anyway to get around this? We need to somehow fool the app in the market.

  22. Root went fine but for some reason I can’t load the game Angry Birds and some other programs. Anybody know why?

    CJ

  23. Now that I have everything working, I downloaded a few applications; however, I cannot figure out how to delete unwanted applications. Any suggestions?

  24. I successfully rooted my Nook and all works well with one exception. My battery is going dead quickly. In the battery usage details it says the Cellular radio is using a large amount of the battery. The Nook is not supposed to have a Cellular radio. I attempted to turn the Cellular radio off with no response or success.

    Am I missing something or is the battery usage details showing me usage that is not real?

    1. I was just reading about this problem and a fix for it. Using a root filemanager/browser, find the files for phone.apk and telephony.apk and add .bak to the end of each of these files. That will make it stop trying to connect to a nonexistent phone system.

      1. Using ES File Manager I found the 2 apps but can’t rename them. I am thinking this is because they are currently running. Using the advanced task manager I installed I went looking for them but could not find where to stop them. Do they have a different name after execution? Can you help?

        1. Problem solved.

          I found that the programs DO have a different name in the file manager then they do in the task manager. I also found a task manager that would allow me to kill running services. After killing the Phone.apk I was able to rename it and stop it from running in the future.

          1. Travis Potter 18

            I’m trying to use root explorer for this and the Phone.apk and telephony.apk are both read only and wont let me rename or delete them. What can I do to fix it?

          2. There’s a button at the top of root explorer that says Mount R/W– click it so it says R/O.

          3. There’s a button at the top of root explorer that says Mount R/W– click it so it says R/O.

          4. It would be REALLY helpful if:
            1) You identified the programs used to turn off the apps;
            2) The programs used to re-name the apps; or
            3) Point us to someplace where we can go to read about how to solve this issue.

          5. I used “root explorer” (which I found in the Android Market). You can search for phone and telephony, but I can already tell you that they are both in the system/app directory.

            Be sure to push the button at the top so that it says R/O (instead of R/W), then press and hold one of the files you want to rename. A menu will come up. Press “rename”. Rename with a “.bak” at the end.

            I think that supposedly does the trick! Cheers!

      2. Lisa,
        Could you please provide step by step instruction on how to do this? Not tech savvy here. I was surprised I was able to root the nook successfully. Will this happen with all units?

  25. I copy & pasted this from below b/c this the same thing mine is doing!!! 🙁
    “I think I killed it. I didn’t set up my Nook before trying to root it straight from the box. I followed the for system 1.1.1 (since it’s brand new, and that’s what the store-versions were running) directions up until step 8. The device is sort of stuck at step 9. It never fully boots. It goes through the initial booting stuff, but then after it says “Android”, it starts to draw the little android guy and gets as far as his second leg and then stops. Then it tries to draw the little guy again. It never gets past the leg…

    What do I do now? “

      1. The same thing happened to me. I did a hard reset and started from scratch. Second time around everything is working perfectly!

      2. The same thing happened to me. I did a hard reset and started from scratch. Second time around everything is working perfectly!

  26. I get an error message when I try to unzip the Auto Nooter 3.0 download. Error: Winzip does not unzip img file that is not in iso format. Any ideas what I should do. When I use the winimage i do not have the option to save as an img file.

  27. when i download an app from the marketplace. I don’t see an icon for the app. the only way i can find it is by using the search tool. any ideads?

    1. You can turn off the NookColor and then turn it back on, and you should have the apps in the Extras.

      I recommend that you download LauncherPro from the marketplace, though, as it gives you a much better homescreen and better launcher than the “Extras” that comes stock on the Nook.

    2. You can turn off the NookColor and then turn it back on, and you should have the apps in the Extras.

      I recommend that you download LauncherPro from the marketplace, though, as it gives you a much better homescreen and better launcher than the “Extras” that comes stock on the Nook.

  28. This worked great Thank you so much! I have one question- I still use this as a nook for reading. If I install Launcher Pro, will I still have all the nook stuf? (Library, shop, etc) Thanks again!!!

    1. I currently have all the nook stuff (Library, Shop, etc) AND Launcher Pro, so, yes.

      At one point I’d put Honeycomb on my device, but then I went back to the Nook stock but rooted, because I like the Nook’s tools for reading and managing the library, and Nook for Android as a separate app just isn’t the same.

  29. softkeys seems not to be working. once i uninstall it, how do i reinstall it? do i load it directly onto my sd card via computer again?

    1. i uninstalled softkeys and then reinstalled via android market.. and still no response from the menu/back/search softkeys.

  30. The Autonooter 3.0 method has frozen BOTH Nook colors I own and destroyed an 8gb and 4gb card in the process. HELP! Both Nooks are sitting at the startup screen that has the grey “N” with the script at the bottom that says “Contains Reader Mobile technology by Adobe Systems Incorporated.” Neither will go past this point. I’ve tried holding down the power/home/volume up buttons to hard reset and nothing has worked to unfreez. Also, both of the sd cards are now converted into 39mb cards and reformatting them won’t give me back the 8gb and 4gb storage capacity. What the hell happened??????????

    1. Fixed the frozen issue for both. Found a link that had me interrupt the start up 8 times and after the 8th it will automatically reformat itself. That problems is solved. NOW…what happened to my sd cards. I lost all the storage space off of them.Anyone?????

      1. Can you please post the link that helped you? I used autonooter 3.0 and my nook is frozen now exactly as you described

  31. I just wanted to say thanks for posting this. I an definitely not a techie but this was so clear and easy to follow that I was able to get things running pretty easily. I am very glad I did it!

  32. Should It stay on the Screen with the grey “N” that says Contains Reader Mobile Technology? Mine has been like this for 15 min

  33. I have done a lot of work on my rooted nook color after the original set up that was described here. When I first finished the process everything seemed fine, and YouTube actually worked. I have since installed a variety of things from games (angry birds) to touch down (exchange) and slide it. I JUST tried Youtube again, however, and it no longer works. Youtube opens and I can select videos, When I choose a vidwo, the screen goes blank and then I get an error message: There was a problem while playing. What did I do? More importantly, how can I get Youtube working again?
    Thanks,
    Gerry

  34. Travis Potter 18

    Im in root explorer and it says that they are read only. I cant delete or rename them. What do I do?

  35. My youtube icon doesn’t work anymore and i rooted my nook twice. What should i do? Is it suppose to stop working? plz help

  36. I’ve ran HoneyComb v4e2, I’ve Ran Cyanogen(mod)CM7. And i can say that i am 100% happy with a plain vanilla Rooted Nook Color. All of my apps work and all of my books/magazines/newspapers still work perfectly.

  37. I have completed the steps but when I get to the sign in to YouTube step, there is no keyboard to login? Am I missing Soemthing

  38. I rooted my Nook successfully. Thank goodness for this guide! Under battery usage details, it lists “Cell standby” at 48%, “Phone idle” at 7%, and “Favalauncher” at 36%. Should these be using so much memory? I read everything on here about turning stuff off, and downloaded Root Explorer. I can’t figure out how to actually use it to turn stuff off. Any help would be great, this is my first experience with Android.

  39. Restored the nook to factory settings after I rooted then flashed it with honeycomb..this was because I couldn’t get the market apps to download successfully. I thought perhaps I missed a step somewhere. So I started the process over again but this time when trying to root, the NC reboots itself but seems to be stuck on the android screen where the android icon image has the scribble outline..it’s moving and appears to be booting up but it’s been this way for over an hour…any ideas?

  40. I rooted my NC using your instructions with no problems. After a while, had trouble connecting to Wi-Fi so I decided to go back to stock, again using your instructions. Everything went fine until the end when it rebooted back into Clockwork RecoveryMod. I turned the NC off, restarted and it was back to stock.
    Now I want to re-root but when I put the auto-nooter sd into the nook and plug in the cable, it loads Clockwork.
    What now?

  41. XwshfulthinkgX

    I did everything as the video displayed and I plugged in the SD card then plugged in the nook and it won’t go past the black screen with the silver N on it. I left it plugged in for 45 minutes what do I do?! Please help

  42. Help. I have NOT been seccessful in rooting my Nook. The Nook is running firmware 1.1.0 and I used AutoNooker 3.0.0. I have a new 4GB Class 6 Micro SD Card with external reader. I have gone through all the rooting steps 4 times (downloading AutoNooker, using WinImage to transfer image to SD Card). Howerever, when I connect the Nook ( turned off and with SD card) back to the computer, it comes on running the Nook firmware. I can leave it connected for 6 hours and it does not reboot. I noticed that the file size of auto-nooker 3.0.0 downloaded on the computer is 124,672 KB but the 4 files on the SD Card only total 7,790 KB. Could this be the problem and if so what is the cause??

    1. I am having a same problem. I did everything as specified in the video. It does not restart and see the SD card

    2. I am having a same problem. I did everything as specified in the video. It does not restart and see the SD card

    3. I have the exact same problem, word-for-word.

      I write the AutoNooker 3.0.0.img to my SD card with WinImage. After that, I have 4 files on my SD card.

      I Turn off the NC, pop in the card, plug in to my computer… and the NC reboots to firmware.

      I suspect that my problem is that WinImage doesn’t list my SD card when I want to restore VHD from physical drive. I have to select “Use Removable Disk D:” (my SD drive) in the “disk” menu, and then select “Write disk”. That results in the 4 files on my SD card (MLO, u-boot, uImage and uRamdisk). After rebooting, the NC just adds three file folders which, I suspect, it would do on any SD drive.

      Unless someone on this forum knows otherwise (i.e. they know whether I need to do more than simply “write disk” in WinImage), I think I’ll have to retry with a different computer that will do the whole “restore virtual hard drive from physical drive” thing.

      1. I got this to work on someone else’s computer. BTW… you can’t just write (even though it looks exactly the same on the SD card), you have to restore virtual hard drive from physical drive.

        1. I am stuck at the winImage “Restore Virtual Hard disk Image” step. The winImage85 does not show my uSD (I am using the uSD in a USB adaptor). Any idea what is wrong?

          1. I had the same issue until I used the first WinImage on the list like he did in the video. Then it saw my SD.

  43. Help. I have NOT been seccessful in rooting my Nook. The Nook is running firmware 1.1.0 and I used AutoNooker 3.0.0. I have a new 4GB Class 6 Micro SD Card with external reader. I have gone through all the rooting steps 4 times (downloading AutoNooker, using WinImage to transfer image to SD Card). Howerever, when I connect the Nook ( turned off and with SD card) back to the computer, it comes on running the Nook firmware. I can leave it connected for 6 hours and it does not reboot. I noticed that the file size of auto-nooker 3.0.0 downloaded on the computer is 124,672 KB but the 4 files on the SD Card only total 7,790 KB. Could this be the problem and if so what is the cause??

  44. Help. I have NOT been seccessful in rooting my Nook. The Nook is running firmware 1.1.0 and I used AutoNooker 3.0.0. I have a new 4GB Class 6 Micro SD Card with external reader. I have gone through all the rooting steps 4 times (downloading AutoNooker, using WinImage to transfer image to SD Card). Howerever, when I connect the Nook ( turned off and with SD card) back to the computer, it comes on running the Nook firmware. I can leave it connected for 6 hours and it does not reboot. I noticed that the file size of auto-nooker 3.0.0 downloaded on the computer is 124,672 KB but the 4 files on the SD Card only total 7,790 KB. Could this be the problem and if so what is the cause??

  45. This is a very nicely done tutorial and a tidy bit of software. Thank you. But there is sustaining problem involving battery useage where Android is ‘monitoring the phone’ and using up energy uselessly. There are some indications of how to fix this, but they are most unhelpful when it comes to detail.
    Some attention to detail that matches the original work done in preparing this rooting would likely end the problem. I only know enough to recognize there is a problem and the earlier postings are not very helpful.
    Some help would be most welcome.

  46. So I was able to successfully root the nook color. The only problem I have is with battery life. It keeps saying that the device is trying to connect to a cellular network. It tells me to switch to airplane mode. I’ve been looking for an application that will allow me to do this but have not been able to find one. I realize there are others with the same problem. Would you kindly provide step by step instructions for a fix? thanks.

  47. So I was able to successfully root the nook color. The only problem I have is with battery life. It keeps saying that the device is trying to connect to a cellular network. It tells me to switch to airplane mode. I’ve been looking for an application that will allow me to do this but have not been able to find one. I realize there are others with the same problem. Would you kindly provide step by step instructions for a fix? thanks.

  48. Everything worked out fine, with one exception I do not have a softkeys button in the top corner. I have been able to do everything but I cannot exit programs or use anything from the softkeys any suggestions?

  49. this guide works… make sure you have 1.1 software before doing this though. Thanks to david, this website, and all those software developers…. finally, a nook with angry birds.. i tried getting honeycomb and using the clockwork recover to root (good for restoring nook), but nothing worked until i used this guide….

  50. I have same problem like John Villar had 6 days ago. I did everything as described in the video after plugging the cable, Nook screen automatically turns on and it say USB mode. SD card icon flashes few times but no rooting even if I remove the cable…
    PLEASE HELP….

  51. I have same problem like John Villar had 6 days ago. I did everything as described in the video after plugging the cable, Nook screen automatically turns on and it say USB mode. SD card icon flashes few times but no rooting even if I remove the cable…
    PLEASE HELP….

  52. I have been wating for over an hour for my nook to boot. All I have is the grey N and nothing else. I have firmware 1.1.0 and downladed Autonooker 3.0.0. Should I turn off the machine and start over?

  53. Ed Goldberger

    UNCLEAR: I have 1.1.0, does that mean I should use autonooter 2.12.25 or 3.0.0?

    Several people haave asked this question, but I have not seen anyone from unlocker give a definitive response

  54. Karen in Colorado

    Hi! I tried to root my Nook Color several weeks ago and had some success – but couldn’t get some apps like Gmail to work properly and was disappointed. I then tried another rooting method that really messed things up. I figured I better restore my NC to stock settings (unroot it) and found this post by Nook Devs to be helpful: http://nookdevs.com/Flash_back_to_clean_stock_ROM. I then searched the web for an EASY and CLEAR way to root my Nook Color. So many directions are not easy or clear and you get half way done and don’t know how to proceed. Your directions above were very clear and easy to follow and I am now in LOVE with my rooted Nook Color. Just downloaded Angry Birds Rio from the Android Market and I’m happy to say that my Gmail works like a charm. Thank you so much for your clear directions.

  55. I have rooted my nook color but i cannot download anythign from the market cant get on my books or nothing. Obviously a network error, what have i done wrong?

  56. I can’t seem to get youtube to work after the original login. After that when I choose it,goes back to home screen. Why is that? I even tried clearing the cache.

  57. need a little bit of help please. I rooted my nook and everything is working. When I try and install an APK that I download from anywhere but the market it says “Installation of download apks is not supported.” Do I need to do an android root process as well? I have allow non market apps checked in the menu.

    1. nvm got it to anyone with the same problem just go into NookColor Tools and uncheck then recheck the allow non-market apps and it should work if not then try rebooting

  58. Well, it’s 4/25 today and the B&N update is just now being pushed to devices. The scuttlebutt online is that the push isn’t optional – if your NC is connected to a WiFi, then it *will* get the update (eventually).

    I assume the update will break root, but does anyone know one way or another yet? I don’t want my root broken and I don’t want to have to re-do my entire rooted setup, and I don’t want to go off of WiFi forever, so I’m very interested in looking for ways to turn off the update capabilities of the NC – is a custom ROM the only way to do this?

    Answers greatly appreciated.

  59. this worked okay until it reset itself. I was in the gmail app. I wast trying to add another email account. but ended up causing the unit to reset and delete data. now it boots like a normal nook but the extras are still there with the exception of youtube. Do had purchased a couple of apps from the market place that seem to have disappreared. I am trying to log back in on gmail but it says that there is a server problem. Marketplace acts the same.

      1. I too have a 1.2.0…has anyone resieved any word on these problems yet..? If so, it would be appriciated for a post…

    1. Same problem here, when I open winImage it will not show my reader’s” j: drive “, I can see the drive in my computer, but winImage does not show it when I want to do the “AutoNooter” procedure within winImage.  I also have 1.2.0 in my Nook Color, and I am wondering if that is the problem. 

  60. I’m a bit confused. B&N says the upgrade is Android 2.2, but the B&N software is 1.2. Is that the same thing? Also, B&N says that Flash will work on 1.2. That would be great, if true. I cannot download flash onto my rooted nook that has the earlier B&N os.
    Will the new B&N os get pushed onto a rooted nook automatically? Has this happened to anyone yet? Seeing as how it is now May 1 and it hasn’t happend to mine yet, I guess maybe it will not.

  61. Nicole Iles713

    I would like the answer to Tiffi’s question as well. Will these instructions work for 1.2.0?

  62. I too am wondering if you can root the nook color with the 1.2.0 software. I’d hate to go through all of this and find at the end that it was all for naught because it won’t work with the update.

  63. I have a question, I went step by step trying to root my NC and when I finally got to the part where I have to plug it into the computer, my NC did not start back up like it is suppose to. I left it alone overnight and still no success when trying to get it powered up correctly. It is stuck on the black screen with the letter n on front. What should I do?

  64. can u go back to the original  operating system and can u still access bn appstore???? please tell me before i try this thanks

  65.  Just wondering if this will work with the 1.2.0. software? I know the question has already been asked but there has been no answer. 

  66.  Do I understand correctly that once you root the NookColor that you can no longer get books or read them on the device?  I read this on another site. 

  67. This just broke my nook. It would not go beyond the nook loading screen when it was plugged in. After a while I had no choice but to unplug it from my computer. I turned my nook on after romoving the sd card and it just gets stuck on the loading screen. It’s just frozen. I have tried turning it on with the sd card in the nook, but when I do that it won’t even turn on. My computer won’t even recongnize my nook when I plug it in.

    Is there anything I can do? Or have I just lost over $250?

    1. Firstly, dont panic. Something went wrong, that happens. I have yet to see anyone completely destroy a device beyond fixing.
      Just start the procedure over from Section II, including redownloading the Autonooter file etc and reflashing it to the SD Card. (the Nook doesn’t need to be on to do so).
      Good luck!

      1. Well looks like I’m going to give it another shot. I’ve been busy after work and all, but for some reason after several times of trying to get my nook to turn on, it finally went into a restart mode and it was restarted to it’s original factory condition. I’m not the giving up type, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to install the right android OS on this device. The Nook app store is just too lame.

  68. upon installing the microSD card into the nook color and plugging in the nook to the USB, it was a black screen for a while (as you said), than it went to the “n” loading screen. It has honestly been like this for half an hour. I do not know what to do and I don’t want to do anything that might damage the device. PLEASE HELP!!!! 🙁

    1. Hi Sabrina, I had the same issue (my comment is right below yours) and your Nookcolor should fix itself. It won’t happen right away though.

      Turn you NC off, and let it charge for a good while so you are sure your battery is full. Then unplug it and turn it on. If the problem persists just turn it off and wait a while. I waited about 1.5 day and when I turned my NC on a restart screen appeared. My NC restored itself to its original condition (back to v. 1.0.1). 

      If you want to root your NC I would recommend that you do not install any of the NC updates. I’m about to try rooting it again without updating my NC. 

      I hope it all works out as it did for me.

  69. rooted the Nook to 3.0, works fine but cant download any apps? Just says downloading but nothing happens. I erased the SD card, any other thoughts?
    By the way, for everyone asking if the autonooder works with 1.2 software…it doesnt! You have to downgrade back to 1.1

  70. I forgot and when setting it up put the B&N id info in, now it seems I cannot complete the Android setup or bring it back to start. I keep getting the Android character filling in I cannot seem to go beyond this. Any suggestions?

  71. I messed up and wiped it clean and now It will not scroll through the options and it is not responding to anything I do. Is there anything I can do to fix it?

  72. How long does it take the Nook Color to reboot after rooting it? I’m going on 30 minutes and it’s just showing the black screen with the grey “n” and in white at the bottom it says “Contains reader mobile technology by adobe systems incorporated.”

  73. When I the restore virtual image step I keep getting an error message that read; Error in writing disk Disk 1, Error 5, Access is denied.  Does anybody know what I am doing wrong or work around this error message?  Any help is greatly appreciated.  Thanks

  74. My Nook is stuck on “Contains Reader Mobile tech…”
    I had copied the Autonooter on the SD card, plugged it to the computer, waited over an hour with nothing happening, removed the SD card, it’s still stuck on “Contains Reader Mobile tech…”
    I see a few of you had the same problem. How did you solve it?
    Thanks.

  75. Theresa Loviette

    Will this work for the new update Software version 1.2.0 please let me know email me at tloviette@hotmail:disqus .com or theresa.loviettehotmail.com  Thank you

  76. Everyone that cant download stuff from market need to shut the Nook color off then back on ( remember to leave sd cad in and then cancel anything you stated to download and try downloading it again

  77. It seems that the newer nook color doesn’t like this auto nooter method. I just wound up with the unit rebooting and stuck at the grey n screen totally unresponsive. Wound up having to do a image restore to like it was out of the box. I guess the newer software versions don’t like being nootered!!

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