B&N removed download option on all books in "My Nook" library

[DBDigital]

Originally Posted by dixieknits

How will this work with the Classic Nook or the Simple Nook? I still use my lovely first generation for reading out of doors, yard beach etc. . I love it but I doubt I could read from a cloud

If you mean DeDRM then that would be the same method as before. Just offload the books (you don't need root with those), DeDRM using the methods mentioned before and that is all. You can put them back on or not.

By the way I use my Classic all the time. And it works fine with the new methods B&N are using. At least so far it has been able to read every book I threw at it. Which suggests that there are several encryption methods in the ereader spec, B&N just never did any changes until now.

Also I have a Nook Tablet as well, and that you don't have direct access to the books like you do with Classic or Nook Color when you connect up the USB cable. You can get at them if you install a different file browser (there are two in the nook store) then search for the books. From there you can copy them to a different direct user accessible location. But as you can see it is not as easy without root access.

I love my classic and it is still my main book reader. I hacked it as well as the library was just quite up to what I needed with about 1,000 books installed. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. The reader app itself is fine.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by DBDigital

[B][I]Also I have a Nook Tablet as well, and that you don't have direct access to the books like you do with Classic or Nook Color when you connect up the USB cable. You can get at them if you install a different file browser (there are two in the nook store) then search for the books. From there you can copy them to a different direct user accessible location. But as you can see it is not as easy without root access.

This is not at all representative of my experience with the NOOK Tablet, which when connected by USB cable to my Windows 7, 64-bit machine allowed me to search for, "directly access", and copy/move to and fro/delete/open/otherwise-manage books on the NT easy-peasy. No special file browser required.

Originally Posted by DBDigital

The reader app itself is fine.

I envy you that. I share the experience many others have reported: NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy no longer function properly on my Windows 7, 64-bit machine.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by DBDigital

...
By the way I use my Classic all the time. And it works fine with the new methods B&N are using. At least so far it has been able to read every book I threw at it. Which suggests that there are several encryption methods in the ereader spec, B&N just never did any changes until now.
....

The encryption is essentially the same. The key is just no longer derived from your credit card number. So all the old devices and apps are fine with books downloaded to them because they receive any new key too. The only problem would be if you downloaded a DRMed book another way and tried to sideload it to a device which hadn't connected to B&N since the key change. In that case, it would still ask for your name and cc# because it doesn't know that will no longer allow it to create the correct key.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Froide

...I share the experience many others have reported: NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy no longer function properly on my Windows 7, 64-bit machine.

What do you mean by "no longer function properly"? In my experience, they've never really functioned properly on any machine. They take forever to load and frequently stop responding. But 99% of the time one or the other eventually manages to download my books, and that's all I need them to do.

[DBDigital]

Originally Posted by Froide

This is not at all representative of my experience with the NOOK Tablet, which when connected by USB cable to my Windows 7, 64-bit machine allowed me to search for, "directly access", and copy/move to and fro/delete/open/otherwise-manage books on the NT easy-peasy. No special file browser required.


I envy you that. I share the experience many others have reported: NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy no longer function properly on my Windows 7, 64-bit machine.

Hmm are you sure you mean Nook Tablet and not Color? Nook Color did allow direct file access but Nook Tablet didn't. Or at least mine didn't. But that may be because I bought it after a few B&N did several updates and closed side loading among other aspects.

Also Nook for PC and NookStudy work fine here. Very odd yours is not.

Originally Posted by lkmiller

The encryption is essentially the same. The key is just no longer derived from your credit card number. So all the old devices and apps are fine with books downloaded to them because they receive any new key too. The only problem would be if you downloaded a DRMed book another way and tried to sideload it to a device which hadn't connected to B&N since the key change. In that case, it would still ask for your name and cc# because it doesn't know that will no longer allow it to create the correct key.

Ah yes you are right. They are still sending the key and it is the same size, so the Nook doesn't know anything is different.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by Froide

I envy you that. I share the experience many others have reported: NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy no longer function properly on my Windows 7, 64-bit machine.

I have NOOK for PC and NOOK Study running just fine on my Windows 7 64-bit PC. The only problem I've had with it is actually finding either for download anymore, but now that I have, I've squirreled them away for safekeeping. Of course I use it for nothing but downloading the book to my PC so I can then move the book into Calibre, but still it does what it should, downloads the books and opens them to read. I never worry about syncing though since like I said, I just move all books into Calibre and remove the DRM.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by DBDigital

Hmm are you sure you mean Nook Tablet and not Color? Nook Color did allow direct file access but Nook Tablet didn't. Or at least mine didn't. But that may be because I bought it after a few B&N did several updates and closed side loading among other aspects.

I mean NOOK Tablet 16G. (Never owned a NOOK Color.) Bought it before sideloading was closed, but it received the forced, OTA downgrade - er, update - that "closed sideloading, among other aspects". That did not change my ability to access NOOK Books directly from its memory when USB-connected to my computer.

Originally Posted by DBDigital

Also Nook for PC and NookStudy work fine here. Very odd yours is not.

Glad NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy work fine for you. It's unfortunate and frustrating they no longer work for me, but based on numerous posts I've read in MR Forums, BN NOOK Bookclubs, and elsewhere, my experience is not rare.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I have NOOK for PC and NOOK Study running just fine on my Windows 7 64-bit PC. The only problem I've had with it is actually finding either for download anymore, but now that I have, I've squirreled them away for safekeeping. Of course I use it for nothing but downloading the book to my PC so I can then move the book into Calibre, but still it does what it should, downloads the books and opens them to read. I never worry about syncing though since like I said, I just move all books into Calibre and remove the DRM.

Wish I knew why the NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy apps work properly on some Windows 7, 64-bit machines and not others. Count yourself fortunate that you're in the former category.

If I could get only one of the two apps to work properly on my machine I'd prefer it were NOOK for PC, since that app can be set to download all the NOOK books automatically.

[Ripplinger]

I wonder if it's just not an issue of how Windows 7 refuses to let you do some things in certain directories even though you're logged in on a full admin account and just denies you access? I hate upgrading my OS but I'll probably jump at the chance to get Windows 10 for free hoping that constant headache is improved.

What I do to get around those problems is to use Unlocker to make sure no program really does have a directory or parent directory locked. And I've added the Take Ownership entry to Explorer so all I have to do is right click, select Take Owership, and it fixes the problem most of the time.

On a few rare occasions I've had to boot into safe mode to install a program, but after that they've worked. However both NOOK for PC and NOOK Study installed without any hassles for me. There might be some conflict with another program, Windows updates (I've got all updates installed), I'd also try shutting off my AV program for the installation, and then add it to the exclusion list for the AV program.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Froide

Wish I knew why the NOOK for PC and NOOKStudy apps work properly on some Windows 7, 64-bit machines and not others. Count yourself fortunate that you're in the former category.

If I could get only one of the two apps to work properly on my machine I'd prefer it were NOOK for PC, since that app can be set to download all the NOOK books automatically.

I'm curious about this too. I use both programs on Windows 8.1 64-bit now, but I used them both on Windows 7 64-bit previously. I haven't found them to be any more or less buggy then they ever were on any other Windows machine prior to that.

What specifically is going wrong? Won't install, won't open, can't sign in, won't download your books?

[Rich_D]

Thankfully Nook Study works on my Windows 8.1 laptop because something happened a month or so ago and now my laptop won't save any of the Windows Apps. I install them and open them and then once I exit them, they are gone.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

I'm curious about this too. I use both programs on Windows 8.1 64-bit now, but I used them both on Windows 7 64-bit previously. I haven't found them to be any more or less buggy then they ever were on any other Windows machine prior to that.

What specifically is going wrong? Won't install, won't open, can't sign in, won't download your books?

NOOK For PC
- The app loads reasonably fast
- It can access and read The Daily
- My Library (erroneously) indicates that I have 0 items in every single category!

NOOKStudy
- Takes FOREVER to load - literally; it never progresses past the "loading your library" message

FYI, until about 3Q2014, both apps worked, even though they took awhile to load.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I wonder if it's just not an issue of how Windows 7 refuses to let you do some things in certain directories even though you're logged in on a full admin account and just denies you access? I hate upgrading my OS but I'll probably jump at the chance to get Windows 10 for free hoping that constant headache is improved.

What I do to get around those problems is to use Unlocker to make sure no program really does have a directory or parent directory locked. And I've added the Take Ownership entry to Explorer so all I have to do is right click, select Take Owership, and it fixes the problem most of the time.

On a few rare occasions I've had to boot into safe mode to install a program, but after that they've worked. However both NOOK for PC and NOOK Study installed without any hassles for me. There might be some conflict with another program, Windows updates (I've got all updates installed), I'd also try shutting off my AV program for the installation, and then add it to the exclusion list for the AV program.

Thank you for your suggestions. I'm wary of upgrading to Windows 10 (and glad I skipped Windows 8). When I have more disposable time, I'll try out your other suggestions as well as find my older (pre-Windows 7) laptop and see if I can download my NOOK books to it.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Froide

NOOK For PC
- The app loads reasonably fast
- It can access and read The Daily
- My Library (erroneously) indicates that I have 0 items in every single category!

NOOKStudy
- Takes FOREVER to load - literally; it never progresses past the "loading your library" message

FYI, until about 3Q2014, both apps worked, even though they took awhile to load.

Interesting because Sept 2014 was the time they started switching accounts to the "anti-social" DRM.

It's as if it isn't really connecting to your account.

If you are able, could you try a little experiment for me? Download one of your books which has DRM (through the Greasemonkey/Tampermonkey script or whatever other method you have). Then open Nook for PC, go to "my stuff", click the "add new item" button, and try to open that book. I'm curious if it will then ask for the name/credit card.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Interesting because Sept 2014 was the time they started switching accounts to the "anti-social" DRM.

It's as if it isn't really connecting to your account.

If you are able, could you try a little experiment for me? Download one of your books which has DRM (through the Greasemonkey/Tampermonkey script or whatever other method you have). Then open Nook for PC, go to "my stuff", click the "add new item" button, and try to open that book. I'm curious if it will then ask for the name/credit card.

Completed these steps using the Greasemonkey script*. Yes, I was asked for the Credit Card Holder Name and the Credit Card Number. However, entering those details (using my current credit card on file) did not open the books. Rather, the entry panel repeatedly popped up asking me for the same info, after apparently not registering my entries.

Moreover, what a PITA to have to load each book separately into "My Stuff"! I'd hoped the already-downloaded and newly downloaded books would all load themselves automatically, but - despite my having set the app to download new books automatically - even those new ones didn't load.

*For those reading this exchange, the above-mentioned script and directions for installing it can be found in this post.