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How to Root Your NOOKcolor
The experts on rooting your NOOKcolor all hang out at nookdevs.com. Everything you need to know about rooting your NOOKcolor, installing applications, and hacking the NOOKcolor in general is available on this site. All the files required to root your NOOKcolor are freely downloadable from nookdevs.
There are a few prerequisites before venturing down the path of rooting your NOOKcolor. First and foremost, you obviously need to have a registered NOOKcolor.
Second, you need a 128MB or higher microSD card. Any existing data on this card will be completely erased, so make sure you have it backed up. Third, you need a computer that can read that microSD card. Fourth, you need a working Wi-Fi connection for you NOOKcolor. Finally, you need to have a Google account (which is the same as a Gmail account). You can get one from http://mail.google.com/mail/signup. You do not need to use it ever again, though you do need it for this process.
After you decide to experience the new functionality of your NOOKcolor by rooting it, the steps required are quite easy:
- Upgrade your NOOKcolor to version 1.0.1.
- Create a disk image on a microSD card.
- Install the microSD card disk image on your NOOKcolor.
- Enter some information into a couple of applications.
- Install any additional applications you want on your NOOKcolor.
Now let’s look at each of these steps in detail.
Upgrading to NOOKcolor 1.0.1
Technically, you can root your NOOKcolor with either the 1.0.0 or 1.0.1 upgrade to the NOOKcolor firmware. If after you have rooted your NOOKcolor with version 1.0.0 firmware and then it upgrades to the version 1.0.1 firmware, you will need to re-root your NOOKcolor. Because there is no real good reason not to upgrade to the 1.0.1 version, go ahead and do so. To find out which version of the NOOKcolor firmware is currently installed on your NOOKcolor, from the Quick Nav Bar, tap Settings, Device Info, About Your NOOKcolor.
Create a Disk Image
In this step, you will create a bootable disk on the microSD card. To do this, you will need to download the auto-rooter-2.12.25.img.zip file from http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting. Unzip the file and place the auto-rooter-2.12.25.img file somewhere easily accessible.
If you choose not to update your NOOKcolor’s firmware to 1.0.1, download the auto-rooter-2.12.15.img.zip file. All the other steps that follow are the same.
The next step is to download software that will allow you to create an image on a microSD card. For Linux and Mac instructions for creating a disk image, see http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting. If you are on a PC, from that same website:
- Plug in a microSD card to your PC.
- Download the win32diskimager-RELEASE-0.1-r15-win32.zip file from https://wiki.kubuntu.org/Win32DiskImager. Unzip the file on your computer. Double-click the file win32diskimager.exe file, which starts the program (see Figure 1).
- Browse to the auto-rooter-2.12.25.img.zip file and select it.
- For Device, choose the drive letter of the microSD card.
- Click Write. The disk image will be created. When it finishes, click Exit. The microSD card is now ready to root your NOOKcolor.
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Figure 1 Using Win32 Disk Imager is an easy way to create the microSD card you will need to root your NOOKcolor.
Rooting Your NOOKcolor
Now we are going to actually do the rooting process, which is strikingly easy. Follow these steps:
- Unplug your NOOKcolor from computer and power it off.
- Insert the microSD card you created a disk image on in the previous section into your NOOKcolor.
- Plug the USB cable into your computer and your NOOKcolor. The NOOKcolor will begin the booting process. Be patient through this.
- Windows will probably complain about missing drivers after the NOOKcolor has rebooted. Don’t worry about it and just cancel the warnings.
- Remove the microSD card.
Finishing Rooting Your NOOKcolor
You have only a few more steps to complete before you can begin to download Android Market apps and expand your NOOKcolor into a tablet.
After the NOOKcolor has rebooted in the previous section, follow these steps:
- If your sceen is locked, unlock it.
- Skip the Sign In steps at the Android Welcome screen.
- You are asked to Enable Location Services. Do so.
- Connect to a Wi-Fi network.
- From the Quick Nav Bar, tap Extras. You see quite a few new items here (see Figure 2). Tap YouTube. (If YouTube fails to launch, don’t worry and move on to the next step.)
- You will now see two new options either side of the Nav arrow: Return and Menu (see Figure 3). Tap the Menu button (the one right of the Up Arrow). Another set of opt ions appears.
- Tap My Channel. Tap Add Account and enter your Gmail username and password, which also function as your YouTube username and password. Tap Sign In.
- Exit YouTube by tapping the Home button.
- From the Quick Nav Bar, tap Extra, and tap Gmail.
- Tap Menu and tap Accounts. Tap Add Account. Tap the Google logo and then Next. Tap Sign In and enter your username and password and Sign In. The Gmail app will attempt to sync. If it fails, that is okay.
- From the Quick Nav Bar, tap Extras, and then tap Market. Accept the terms of service.
- From the Quick Nav Bar, tap Extra, and then tap NookColor Tools. Make sure the Allow Non-Market Apps checkbox is filled in.
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Figure 2 The initial rooted NOOKcolor Extras screen.
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Figure 3 The Return and Menu options in the rooted NOOKcolor.
That’s it! You have successfully rooted your NOOKcolor!