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haertig · 03-30-2026, 11:26 PM

You said you tried a different cable, but did you try a different USB port? If you were using a port on the back of your computer, try one on the front panel if available.

Also, make sure you are using a known good data cable. Some USB cables are charging only and they do not contain the data wires (this is important if you are searching for a replacement cable from a random snarl of cables in some never-used drawer somewhere).

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Check the USB port on your Nook with a flashlight and a magnifying glass. Is it dirty in there? Pocket lint maybe accumulated in the plug and the connector cannot fully seat to make a good connection? You can maybe clean out the plug with a fine toothpick. Or a bristle that you steal off a hairbrush or toothbrush. Technically, you should not stick anything metallic down in the port because you could short something. But I have done that in desperation before and suffered no ill effects (more luck than anything). I used a very fine sewing needle because there was lint packed in the plug like you wouldn't believe. Nothing else was working to clean it out. Get creative in "clean out tool" creation. You might be able to use a sharp knife and scrape off a thin splinter of plastic from an expired old credit card. Ideally, you want something very thin, stiff, and non-metallic to use to clean the port. And something that won't break off while in there, complicating the problem. Another thought I just had - toothpicks are generally too fat. Buy you might be able to shave one down to a thinner sliver if you're handy with a knife.

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Do you have a friend close by that also uses Calibre? A quick test would be to try connecting your Nook to their Calibre installation, running on their computer, using their USB port, using their cable.

Also, bring their eReader (be it a Kindle, a Nook, or whatever) over to your house and try connecting it to your Calibre, running on your computer, using your USB port, and your cable.

Testing like this might help you uncover where the problem lies.

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Assuming you are running Windows, you could also try things under Linux. You can create a bootable Linux system on a thumbdrive, install the Linux version of Calibre, boot your computer with that (well, you'll have to boot it before you can install Calibre!), and do some more testing. This level of troubleshooting is probably not required, but might be of help if you aren't able to isolate the cause of your problem otherwise.

Good luck!

03-30-2026, 11:26 PM	#2
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,997 Karma: 36261612 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Galaxy Tab A9+, Galaxy S25FE	You said you tried a different cable, but did you try a different USB port? If you were using a port on the back of your computer, try one on the front panel if available. Also, make sure you are using a known good data cable. Some USB cables are charging only and they do not contain the data wires (this is important if you are searching for a replacement cable from a random snarl of cables in some never-used drawer somewhere). --- Check the USB port on your Nook with a flashlight and a magnifying glass. Is it dirty in there? Pocket lint maybe accumulated in the plug and the connector cannot fully seat to make a good connection? You can maybe clean out the plug with a fine toothpick. Or a bristle that you steal off a hairbrush or toothbrush. Technically, you should not stick anything metallic down in the port because you could short something. But I have done that in desperation before and suffered no ill effects (more luck than anything). I used a very fine sewing needle because there was lint packed in the plug like you wouldn't believe. Nothing else was working to clean it out. Get creative in "clean out tool" creation. You might be able to use a sharp knife and scrape off a thin splinter of plastic from an expired old credit card. Ideally, you want something very thin, stiff, and non-metallic to use to clean the port. And something that won't break off while in there, complicating the problem. Another thought I just had - toothpicks are generally too fat. Buy you might be able to shave one down to a thinner sliver if you're handy with a knife. --- Do you have a friend close by that also uses Calibre? A quick test would be to try connecting your Nook to their Calibre installation, running on their computer, using their USB port, using their cable. Also, bring their eReader (be it a Kindle, a Nook, or whatever) over to your house and try connecting it to your Calibre, running on your computer, using your USB port, and your cable. Testing like this might help you uncover where the problem lies. --- Assuming you are running Windows, you could also try things under Linux. You can create a bootable Linux system on a thumbdrive, install the Linux version of Calibre, boot your computer with that (well, you'll have to boot it before you can install Calibre!), and do some more testing. This level of troubleshooting is probably not required, but might be of help if you aren't able to isolate the cause of your problem otherwise. Good luck! Last edited by haertig; 03-30-2026 at 11:33 PM.