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

[dhdurgee]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

It appears that Nookstudy is getting cut off too. The Windows 8/10 Nook app seems to be the only PC app left.

I do not have a later release and do not intend to leave w7 until they pry it out of my hands. Guess I need to contact B&N and see what they say.

Dave

Originally Posted by dhdurgee

I do not have a later release and do not intend to leave w7 until they pry it out of my hands. Guess I need to contact B&N and see what they say.

Dave

So, this may be helpful, I wanted to buy a BN ebook (as they had the lowest price), but based on this thread, wanted to find out what is still supported vs not before buying and installing apps.

Here's the summary I just got from customer service rep chat:
* For the PC app specifically, only versions Window 8/10 are now supported.
* Make sure you are using the NOOK for PC app. He said: "NOOK for PC is a different App from the NOOK for Windows." If you have the older app, it'll likely not work.
* For NOOK Study: he said it is still supported on Windows 7/8/10. In fact, I asked specifically, he confirmed that NOOK Study is the *only* supported way that Win 7 users can still access their BN ebooks on Windows. He said it should be working, and if anyone is having issues contact their support.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by maximus83

* Make sure you are using the NOOK for PC app. He said: "NOOK for PC is a different App from the NOOK for Windows." If you have the older app, it'll likely not work.

This is backwards. Nook for PC is the old program which is no longer working. Nook for Windows is the currently supported app. (Only for Windows 8/10)

Originally Posted by maximus83

* For NOOK Study: he said it is still supported on Windows 7/8/10. In fact, I asked specifically, he confirmed that NOOK Study is the *only* supported way that Win 7 users can still access their BN ebooks on Windows. He said it should be working, and if anyone is having issues contact their support.

Nookstudy was working, but as of this week any attempt to download a book gives an error message. "A network problem has occurred. This could be a result of slow, limited, or no internet connectivity. Please try again later." No problem with my connection. And B&N has no issue downloading the same book to Nook for Windows on the same PC.

Annoyingly, Nookbook pages' list of compatible devices and apps includes "Nook for Windows 8" and "Nook for PC". No mention of Nookstudy.

Originally Posted by lkmiller

This is backwards. Nook for PC is the old program which is no longer working. Nook for Windows is the currently supported app. (Only for Windows 8/10)

Could be he transposed the two--I pasted in his response directly from the chat window.

On the bit about Nook Study on Win7, I haven't tried it and can't as I don't have Win7 anymore. But I asked since I saw folks here having issues. ETA, somebody is talking about this in another thread, also called BN service yesterday, and they told him apparently Nook Study is NOT supported. But my guy was pretty adamant it should work. What the heck? I guess the takeaway is don't trust BN customer service?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

On a new Windows PC (a Surface), I installed the Windows Nook app (from the Microsoft Store) and Calibre with the Alf plug-ins and was able to import and deDRM. I think the Alf plug-ins can find the key from the Nook app.

Has anyone else done this? So far on these threads I haven't heard anyone else mention that they've done this. Just want to know that it worked for others and not just me.

[lkmiller]

Yes, tried it. And no it doesn't work. I would have to import my key from my other PC where I retrieved it before B&N cut off their older programs.

Other options might be rooted Android or an older, rooted Nook device.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Yes, tried it. And no it doesn't work. I would have to import my key from my other PC where I retrieved it before B&N cut off their older programs.

Other options might be rooted Android or an older, rooted Nook device.

Huh. Weird. Both the Nook app and Calibre are installed on my Surface's C drive. My Calibre library is on a portable drive, but I wouldn't think the plug-ins store that info in the library folder.

But on my Surface, I installed the Nook app, Calibre and the Alf plug-ins, no Nook Study or Nook for PC. I downloaded a book from the app, tried opening it with Sigil in the Nook folder and it wouldn't open. I imported the book to Calibre and was then able to open it with Sigil. Not sure why it worked for me.

At any rate, I wonder if the guys that write the Alf plug-in could have the plug in search the Windows app to find the key.

[lkmiller]

You must have entered your B&N email and password into the plugin. Nookstudy was the only app the tools could automatically get the key from. Now both those methods have stopped working.

I imagine something could be figured out from the Windows app. But probably not as simple as Nookstudy which had it in a plain text log. And since it seems like quite a few people gave up on B&N a while ago, who knows how long it will be before someone might look into it.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

You must have entered your B&N email and password into the plugin. Nookstudy was the only app the tools could automatically get the key from. Now both those methods have stopped working.

I don't think so. Who knows? Maybe my memory is faulty.

I imagine something could be figured out from the Windows app... since it seems like quite a few people gave up on B&N a while ago, who knows how long it will be before someone might look into it.

Yeah, I'm among those who gave up on B&N. Haven't bought a book from them in years. A shame, really. They frittered away their position, or at least it feels that way from the outside.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Yeah, I'm among those who gave up on B&N. Haven't bought a book from them in years. A shame, really. They frittered away their position, or at least it feels that way from the outside.

Same. Used to buy all my books from B&N but then they made exporting books harder so switched to Amazon then Kobo.

[Apache]

When they made it difficult for me to download my books I made the decision to stop buying books from them. It is a decision I have not regretted.
Apache

Originally Posted by Apache

When they made it difficult for me to download my books I made the decision to stop buying books from them. It is a decision I have not regretted.
Apache

+1, this kind of stuff you're seeing in this thread was why I quit buying from around 5 years ago, and it looks like they're still pulling the same nonsense. Last run-in I had with them some time ago involved being able to move my "key" from an old PC to a new one, as usual, getting help with my service issue was like having a root canal.

[lkmiller]

Yeah, I've only gotten the occasional freebie just to see what's up in order to help people with Alf's tools. It's a shame because they were the ones in the best position here in the US to compete with Amazon in the ereader/ebook business. And back when their DRM was tied to credit cards, it was the least troublesome.

[Dob43]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Yeah, I've only gotten the occasional freebie just to see what's up in order to help people with Alf's tools. It's a shame because they were the ones in the best position here in the US to compete with Amazon in the ereader/ebook business. And back when their DRM was tied to credit cards, it was the least troublesome.

Agreed, it is really sad. Heck, I GOT a nook back then because of the DRM method (I knew I could view my books even if the Nook disappeared). If it was anything else, I might not have got one. And all of this at a time when they desperately need more customers, not less. But it seems all they can do is do things backwards.

I can confirm that a little over a week ago Nook Study also stopped working for me. :/ I ended up getting a old Nook Tablet (the one after Nook Color) going. They did release a new update for it, but it took a bit to get it to accept it. After a while it finally did and I was able to download the books and using an OLD Nook app from their store (Open Explorer), emailed the book to myself. Then DeDRMed it with Caibre which worked well. And if I remember right the NT was the LAST one B&N gave you direct access to the downloads via USB/computer. All of them after have hidden that. I haven't double checked after I installed the update since emailing worked, but when I had it connected it did show the B&N downloads folder. I doubt they changed that. But if they did, you can still root it. I haven't bothered yet on this one, but someone confirmed the old root method still worked over on XDA.

Originally Posted by lkmiller

This is backwards. Nook for PC is the old program which is no longer working. Nook for Windows is the currently supported app. (Only for Windows 8/10)

For the record: it's not backwards, the CS rep had it right, at least based on what I was talking about. I think the disconnect is I was talking Win 10, you were talking earlier version regarding the main reading app. On Windows 10, it's the Nook for PC app that you download from the Windows store and is linked on the BN Nook apps page.

I was just gifted a card from my fellow coworkers. So despite not wanting to buy from them anymore and haven't bought from them in years, I just had a firsthand experience of create an account, buy a book, install the app on Win10. This is the app that installs, the NOOK app from the Windows store.

Using this app, and the Calibre plugin, I browsed to the local BN folder as someone posted in the thread, the books import easily just as from Amazon or any of the other apps like Kobo, ADE. It looks like the issue is on earlier versions mainly. I doubt this experience will turn around my opinion of BN. But in the interest of honest reporting--buying and DeDRM'ing an ebook went pretty smoothly.