Rooted Nook Simple Touch - a fine ereader

[bobcdy]

After a bit of hassle, I finally fully rooted a Nook ST, learned how to wireless install apps from my pc computer, and am really impressed with it. Without rooting, it was an excellent reader for epubs but wouldn't do fb or mobi, but after installing coolreader 3 apk and fb reader, it does everything I need for a ereader. In addition it has many of the advantages of a tablet, and many apps and apks can be installed on it.

I had been in the market for a newer version of my trusty old BeBook One, but didn't want to pay the high prices for boox or pocketbook. The major impetus recently occurred when I tried to read a long epub with 48 chapters and some odd complex xhtml formatting. With BeBook One I could only read about 2/3rd of the book before it hung - there was no way I could read the final chapters. The unrooted Nook handled it perfectly, and the fonts, font size, margins, etc are easily be changed.

A rooted Nook (or the unrooted one if one only wants epubs or calibre converts) in my opinion, is a great buy at $99.

One negative, however, is that Nook doesn't organize ebooks according to file folders. There is a crude work-around that isn't very satisfactory, and I'm still working to find the most useful way to organize many ebooks. The B&N favored is by bookshelf, but according to posts on the Nook site, this doesn't work well with many books that are not purchased from B&N.

[Fanchee]

Which root method did you use? I have yet to root mine only because I can't decide the best way to go about it. Thank you!

[bobcdy]

I used the one from:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1343143

I also had some problems at first, and I used this site to restore everything to the 1.0.1 nook state:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1289233
The link to the recovery img was dead, but I found it by googling. I've uploaded a copy.

Lastly, before I did the rooting, I updated the Nook with version 1.1.2 (don't use anything later because I read that Nook's later updates make it difficult to root).

If I can help further, please let me know.

[livramax]

Originally Posted by bobcdy

...
I also had some problems at first, and I used this site to restore everything to the 1.0.1 nook state:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1343143
The link to the recovery img was dead, but I found it by googling. I've uploaded a copy.
...

Did you mean this link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1289233

[bobcdy]

Sorry about that: yes I did mean the 1289... this is the one for the recovery img.
Bob

[livramax]

FWIW, I just rooted my NST successfully using the MinimalTouch method described at http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1346748.

I had at first chosen the seemingly simpler method TouchNooter described at http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1343143, but the rooting attempts did not successfully complete, leaving my NST is a usable (in stock mode) but messy "partially-rooted" state (e.g., apps installed but not working). I tried to restore the NST to stock form using n2T Recovery process http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1289233 but that didn't work for me. I next tried the Touch Formatter method and was able to restore the NST to stock form (albeit at a previous firmware version 1.1.0).

Having gone through this process, I would recommend the following course for rooting an NST:

1. Do a full back up of the NST using this backup method: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1142983

2. Root the NST using MinimalTouch method http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1346748. MinimalTouch's 2-step process seems more complicated on the surface but is fairly straightforward in practice (plus it provides the option of a partial backup/restore of the NST).

3. Use TouchFormatter http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1475613 to revert to stock form if the rooting process fails to produce the expected results.

4. Use full restore method http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1142983 (using the full backup image in step 1) as a last recourse in case of a fatal failure.