From nookDevs

Contents 1 Disclaimer 2 Introduction 3 Downgrade from 1.5 to stock firmware 4 Root your nook 5 Install means of controlling the ADB daemon 6 Update to 1.5 7 Followups 7.1 Reduce battery consumption 7.2 Easy application install and update 7.3 Suggested supplementary applications 8 Credit 9 F.A.Q to this process

Disclaimer

So far 2 people came out with not being able to go back to 1.4.X. If you are happy on rooted 1.4.X or absolutely need your Nook to be rooted right now, do not upgrade. Why take the chance?
If you do not really need to be rooted, can wait till a method to root 1.5 directly is available, really need the 1.5 features or trust that the reverting will bring you back to 1.4.X in case of a problem, then go ahead! :)

Introduction

This article is for Nooks with:

• Serials # greater than 10031
• Pre-loaded with firmware version 1.4.1, 1.4.2 or 1.4.3
• Currently on any firmware revision (1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.5.0)

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There is basically 4 steps:

1. Downgrade from 1.5 to stock firmware (the firmware your nook originally came with) At least 1 user's Nook did not actually downgrade to 1.4.X but stayed on 1.5 with this method. Use only to go from official non-rooted 1.5 to rootable 1.4.X, not as a confirmed way of going back and forth between 1.5 and 1.4. This is not actually necesary: just run the other steps on your Nook with 1.5 firmware (tested on Nook Wifi with S/N 100356x).
2. Root your nook (Means get the ADB daemon inside your nook running)
3. Install means of controlling the ADB daemon (nooklauncher and Nook WiFi Locker)
4. Update to 1.5

Downgrade from 1.5 to stock firmware

Disregard this step if you are on 1.4.X firmware
This is CONFIRMED TO WORK ON MOST DEVICES THAT WERE ORIGINALLY 1.4.X

1. Remove your account attached to the device.
2. Make sure you have no possible wifi connection
   • Unplug wireless router
   • Remove password to wifi connections (factory reset is nice for that)
   • Run far from public access points (wifi without passwords)
3. Do a Hard Reset
   • Hold the power button for 12 seconds, release for 1 second and repeat 6 times
     • On the 4th second the screen will flash from white to black (or just become black and then darker and darker each time)
   • With a wireless connection, it would just connect to B&N and apply 1.5 again
4. Press the power button once to start the fallback process
5. Wait for your Nook to re-install it's own system again
6. Enjoy your 1.4.X nook

Root your nook

Disregard this step if your 1.4.X Nook is already rooted

Important

Do not completely remove /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.apk since we need it later on. Rename it instead:

mv /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.apk /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.backup

Use one of the following method:

• Applying with Details / Original post - Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
• Alternative No Router method

Rooting means you have the ADB daemon started on your nook and you can connect to you nook from your computer with the Android SDK's.

You might also be interested to make the ADB daemon start from the rc file:

1. Pull the current rc file from your Nook

   adb pull /init.rc init.rc

2. In a text editor, Change the section about adb from "disable" to "enable" in the init.rc file
3. Push the file back into the Nook

   adb push init.rc /init.rc

Install means of controlling the ADB daemon

Before updating to 1.5, we need to make sure we will still be able to start the ADB daemon inside our nook.

1. Install a new launcher (Nooklauncher or Mynook.ru_Launcher)
   • INSTRUCTIONS FOR NOOKLAUNCHER
   1. Download Nooklauncher from
   2. Put it somewhere you will remember
   3. Connect ADB to your nook

      adb connect NOOK_IP:5555

   4. Install the application

      adb install nookLauncher.apk

   5. Pull the packages file

      adb pull /data/system/packages.xml packages.xml

   6. Use a text editor to open the packages.xml file and add the following directly after the tag

1. 1. Push the packages.xml file back into the Nook to make the new launcher default

      adb push packages.xml /data/system/packages.xml

2. Install a ADB controller (Nook_WiFi_Locker)
   1. Download Nook_WiFi_Locker from
   2. Put it somewhere you will remember
   3. Connect ADB to your nook if needed

      adb connect NOOK_IP:5555

   4. Install the application

      adb install nookWifiLocker.apk

3. Restart you Nook
   • The lower color screen should now show the new launcher we just installed
4. Add the Nook_WiFi_Locker icon to your launcher
   1. Go in LauncherSettings or press and hold an icon
   2. Press the + sign
   3. Find the Nook_WiFi_Locker in the list and press it's + sign
   4. Press the < sign a couple times
   5. Try out your newly accessible Nook_WiFi_Locker

-PhoenixSoftware Telling Me Access Denied To THis Part Also Telling Me Access Denied To Init,rc

Update to 1.5

1. Re-enable the B&N automatic updating (if you had only renamed it)
   1. Connect from your computer

      adb connect NOOK_IP:5555

   2. Get a shell on your Nook

      adb shell

   3. Rename the updating service

      mv /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.backup /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.apk

   4. Restart your Nook
2. Update to 1.5
   1. Go in the "my library" aplication
   2. Press "Check for new B&N content"
   3. Wait for the update to download and install, making you Nook restart a couple times
   4. Restart your Nook yourself once more
3. Disable the automatic updates again
   1. Go in the Nook_WiFi_Locker application
   2. Press Start/Stop adb at least once so that it reads "stop adb"
   3. Connect from your computer

      adb connect NOOK_IP:5555

   4. Get a shell on your Nook

      adb shell

   5. Rename the updating service

      mv /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.apk /system/app/FirmwareUpdateService.backup

   6. Restart Nook
4.  ???
5. PROFIT!

Followups

Once you are safely rooted on your 1.5 Nook, some thihngs might be of interest to you:

Reduce battery consumption

1. Stop the ADB Daemon from starting with the Nook and running in the background (we can always start it up from Nook_WiFi_Locker
   1. Pull the current rc file from your Nook

      adb pull /init.rc init.rc

   2. In a text editor, Change the section about adb from "enable" to "disable" in the init.rc file
   3. Push the file back into the Nook

      adb push init.rc /init.rc

Easy application install and update

1. Install the NookMarket application
   1. Download NookMarket from
   2. Put it somewhere you will remember
   3. Connect ADB to your nook if needed

      adb connect NOOK_IP:5555

   4. Install the application

      adb install nookMarket.apk

   5. Give permissions to install non-official applications
      1. Get a shell on your Nook

         adb shell

      2. Start a SQLite session on the right file

         sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

      3. Enable non-official applications

         update secure set value=1 where name='install_non_market_apps';

      4. Exit this SQLite session

         .q

      5. Exit the Nook shell

         exit

   6. Replace the NookMarket updating functionality by uninstall-then-install (update only supported in softroot for old hardware)
      1. Plug you Nook in you computer via USB
      2. Create a file named market.xml directly on your Nook storage with the following inside

n

Suggested supplementary applications

• NookLibrary - Much nicer than the default 'my library' from B&N (also install NookSync to be able to delete B&N books from NookLibrary)
• Trook - Marvelous OPDS reader that can connect via wifi to your Calibre installation and browse and download books in one click

Credit

• uberjuice - Downgrading method
• cdump - DNS rooting
• Tommy - Readable tutorial for rooting
• Skwerl23 - Method without router
• naerymdan - Readable 1.5 root tutorial

F.A.Q to this process

• I already have a rooted nook with mynook.ru launcher(with option to select mynook.ru launcher or fw 1.4.3 launcher) & wi-fi Lock installed. Does this process is the same for this setup? I just have to install 1.5 fw?
  • The main point is that you have access to starting and stopping ADB inside your Nook. If mynook.ru is you custom default launcher and has access to WifiLocker to start ADB, you should be safe in ungrading to 1.5. I would suggest making sure that the way mynook.ru is default on your Nook is also by editing the /data/system/packages.xml packages.xml file. You can just pull it and check for something that resemble the addition for nooklauncher, but used for mynook.ru. If you are successful, please tell us.

• • OK... If you have Mynook.ru launcher installed,in a rooted nook with new hardware, then all you have to do is update the firmware. The code included is just for nooklauncher. Yoy will retain the rooted status with all new firmware benefits. Everything worked perfect.