Rooting without SD Card - Nook Color General

Not necessarily a noob when it comes to phones, but a Nook n00b.. Is it possible to root a Nook Color WITHOUT a SD card?? I use a Mac and everything I've seen calls for a PC and an SD card. Is there a way around this???

Ok how about getting it done on a Mac? I saw a walkthrough but it was for an older version of the software, I believe it was from nookdevs. It says it's out dated but does the mac portion still apply??
http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting

Bump. I'm looking for this too but for a Windows machine. The NC I got came with 1.2 on it and I won't have my SD card with me for another 24-48 hours. I can't use Autonooter since that's not compatible with 1.2 and I don't see any other way to get CWM onto the NC to flash another ROM besides the use of an SD card.
Thoughts? Thanks!

It'll definitely work on a Mac (Linux also) but I don't know of any way to do it without an SD card.

The only difference between Mac and Windows(and linux) instructions are the steps about writing the image to SD. So the old guides will still be right on about that step, if you have questions.
As far as installing CWM or rooting without an SD card, I don't believe it's possible, sorry. You'll just have to wait until you have access to one. If you were an unethical person, you could buy one at the nearest electronics store that won't charge you a restocking fee, use it to install CM7, and return it.

Related

[Q] SD won't boot

I want to root my Nook 1.1.0 but it looks like it doesn't boot from SD card.
I tried couple SDs (2Gb and 4Gb) and burn them with couple images for Autonooter 3 (and 2 too as act of desperation).
I can see files on the SDs in Windows and in Nook.
I power off Nook completely with SD inside and plug it into the PC usb.
It supposed to run some script... I waited an hour and nothing happen.
Then Nook boots in regular Nook mode.
I assume that it's something with my SDs.
4Gb is class 4 SD. I burned it with different burner programs - result is the same.
Is there some way to determine that Nook boots from SD?
Maybe MBR is erased or something like this?
I formatted card in Windows and never did it in Nook.
So, I hope MBR (is it even used?) is OK but I want to be sure somehow.
Any suggestions?
What software are you using to burn the image onto the sd card?
You should be using winimage running in administrator mode.
akizub said:
I want to root my Nook 1.1.0 but it looks like it doesn't boot from SD card.
I tried couple SDs (2Gb and 4Gb) and burn them with couple images for Autonooter 3 (and 2 too as act of desperation).
I can see files on the SDs in Windows and in Nook.
I power off Nook completely with SD inside and plug it into the PC usb.
It supposed to run some script... I waited an hour and nothing happen.
Then Nook boots in regular Nook mode.
I assume that it's something with my SDs.
4Gb is class 4 SD. I burned it with different burner programs - result is the same.
Is there some way to determine that Nook boots from SD?
Maybe MBR is erased or something like this?
I formatted card in Windows and never did it in Nook.
So, I hope MBR (is it even used?) is OK but I want to be sure somehow.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um you say the nook didn't do anything and then booted normally..... that sounds like it did everything right. Autonooter dose not show anything on the screen when you boot from it. you will get a blank screen for a bit and then it will boot to normal..... Have you checked to see if your nook is rooted?
I used winimage. I can see files in Windows and Nook.
Funny thing is that *.img file is so big but real files on SD are small.
I assume it's empty space what is in img file.
therealguppy said:
Have you checked to see if your nook is rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume it should show some Android stuff. Correct?
What I see is regular Nook screens.
therealguppy has a point. You may be rooted and not know it yet. Go into the apps drawer and look for the super user app. If it's there, you're rooted. Autonooter doesn't change your launcher or anything else so obvious.
woot1524 said:
Go into the apps drawer and look for the super user app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean EXTRAS?
There is nothing new here. 8 apps from Chess to Sudoku.
No super user app.
hmmmm... that is strange. As unlikely as you may think it would be, you must have goofed up a step. The nook color is, by way of hardware, hard-coded to boot to the Micro SD-card if a bootable partition exists.
It's crazy unlikely that your nook is somehow flawed and cannot boot to a sd-card.
I would first try and download and burn one of the SD-card bootable roms just to make sure that you are able to boot off of it.
Try this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=989637
OR
Burn a bootable Clockworkmod SD-card to also test that you're able to boot.
go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=922870
and get one of the "Download a bootable Clockwork SD card (128mb, 1gb, 2gb, 4gb, 8gb) here:"
If you want another set of step-by-step instructions, I have the time to write one up.
hi, im having the same problem as akizub and i think it may be booting from the sd card. ive tried rooting from all the different firmwares, ive tried different images, winimage, win32diskimage, ubuntu dd, ive even tried buying a new micro sd. i cant figure out whats wrong. ive seen all the youtube videos and instructions
Same Problem here with 1.1/auto-nooter 3.0.0
I'm having the same problem.
Don't think it's an issue with the SD card as I can see the SD files from the Nook after it boots
Wrote the SD using Win32diskimager. This must be working as I can see the files on the SD on both the Nook and the PC. Don't see how a block copy can miss anything!
I'm using auto-nooter 3.0.0
The Nook nook boot looks identical with or without the SD.
Maybe another level of security by BN ?
Just a crazy thought....are you making sure to have the correct versions?
Autonooter 3 NEEDS to be run on stock 1.1.... not 1.0.1 or 1.0.0.
Just thinking that would explain things.
Sent from my rooted stock 1.1 Nook with XDA Premium.
When all else fails, RTFM.
Versions OK
Yep .. Nook is at 1.1.0. autonooter 3.0.0
SD card is a 4GB SanDisk which other people seem to have used.
I'm assuming there is a low level loader in the Nook that attempts to load a boot block in a certain device order. Is it possible they changed that?
Yeah I am running into the same problem, I returned my nook for a few defects and now my new one won't boot from the sd card. Its running 1.1.0... one thing I have noticed that is different is that it seems to boot up faster than my old one did...
Edit:
Its working now, it wasn't partitioning the sd card for boot, was using my phone as card reader, switch to an actual card reader and new sd card and it worked.
Problem was solved.
It was fact that my SD was not bootable.
I tried something simple and reliable like CW recovery. Win32diskimager didn't want to burn disk complaining that it was too small. I tried to burn 1Gb to 2Gb, 4Gb and 16 Gb SDs and it was telling me - not enough disk space.
Then I used winiamge and was fine.
After I saw that CW was booting fine I burned autonooker again and then it started to work.
So, make sure that your SD is bootable by doing some simple and reliable image burning.

Is it possible to harm your NC by using the wrong SD when rooting?

I was going to root my Nook with autonooter 3.0 and a 2GB Class 2 generic card that came with a cellphone, but then read somewhere that you should have above class 6.
1. Is it really not safe to root a nook with this card? I was under the impression that the card class only mattered for running the ROM from the SD(which I already tried, but got stuck booting up the first time, both with CM7 and froyo). And I've rooted a couple of ZTE Blades with this card without any problems.
2. If I run CM7 directly from an SD, it is possible to use the rest of the space on the SD that is over? Any guides?
3. Is it possible to restore an SD you've made bootable to a normal SD? Any guides?
1. :/ Don't trust it, class 2 is enough even to use rom on it (I used a 16Go class2 to boot on HC and had no lag, except lags due to the lack of native drivers)
2 & 3. Just have a look in the dev section you'll find what you need (even I highly suggest to use CM7 on nand)
They are some tutos and direct sd images prepared by nice devs ^^
1. Have you tried CM7 or Froyo from a class 2 card? Cause neither worked on my(froze when booting up the first time). But most importantly, if this card is bad/slow, can I harm my nook by trying to root it with this card?
3. I only found one link(which I can't post since my post count isn't high enough...) regarding restoring an SD-card back to normal
where it tells you to download HPs tool(HPUSBFW.exe) but it doesn't work on my computer. Tells me I don't have admin rights even though I have. Anybody know a workaround or any other tool I can use?
Bump
1. Could anybody just confirm that it's safe to use an inferior SD-card while rooting. Don't have any others around now. All I need to know is whether I can do any permanent damage by using a generic class 2 card when rooting the Nook(I'm going to root it, not run the ROM from the SD, since that didn't work).
2. How to I restore a SD-card so that it works as normal?
BrotherZero said:
Bump
1. Could anybody just confirm that it's safe to use an inferior SD-card while rooting. Don't have any others around now. All I need to know is whether I can do any permanent damage by using a generic class 2 card when rooting the Nook(I'm going to root it, not run the ROM from the SD, since that didn't work).
2. How to I restore a SD-card so that it works as normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1, Assuming that "inferior" SD card doesn't mean some dodgy card with corruption and bad blocks etc., it should not matter what card you use. No you won't do "any permanent damage by using a generic class 2 card when rooting the Nook".
2. Reformat your SD card before you do anything. If you're using Win, use this formatter:
http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter_3/
robot8 said:
1, Assuming that "inferior" SD card doesn't mean some dodgy card with corruption and bad blocks etc., it should not matter what card you use. No you won't do "any permanent damage by using a generic class 2 card when rooting the Nook".
2. Reformat your SD card before you do anything. If you're using Win, use this formatter:
http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter_3/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Don't think it's corrupted, just ran comp in DOS comparing two 1.3gb files(the entire card is 2gb) and it seemed fine. Or is there a better way of checking your SD-card?
2. Thanks, that's was just what I was looking for!

[Q] Unable to boot off of bootable CWM SD Card

I formatted and re-imaged my nook today from 1.0.1 Rooted to stock.
I then manually updated to 2.1 for flash capability.
Now I want my Root back.
For some reason the NOOK won't boot off of the SD Card anymore, it just ignores it until it's booted and I can see the files on the SD card.
I've imaged my SD Card with multiple versions of CWM, shut off my nook, inserted the SD card and plugged in a USB cable to initiate the process.
Is it possible that it requires the "Nook" USB cable to start the boot off of SD Card process or will the cable for my Droid Incredible work as well?
It's the only thing i can think of at this point that is causing the problem.
I won't get my nook cable till tomorrow so i can't test it.
Thanks,
Turmith
You don't need the cable to boot off the sd card, all the cable does is turn the thing on.
You are probably not flashing your card right, it's not simply a matter of copying files over, there is data that needs to be put on the card that isn't part of the files you can see.
If you are using an old nooter or autonooter card, it's probably corrupted or something. You don't want to use those old rooting processes anyhow.
The rooting process is also different now than in previous releases. You should do some reading on how to make a bootable cwm card and what the new rooting process for 1.2 is.
Thanks,
I believe you are right, the sd card isn't being flashed correctly.
I tried following the instructions here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1054027
Still got the issue where the nook would completely ignore the sdcard yet read it once it was booted.
So i tried formatting the sdcard with my Droid Incredible, then flashed it using windiskimger using the instructions provided in the link above.
Now when i try to boot off the card i get a blank black screen(never gets to "Read Forever" screen.
I have to remove SD Card, hold power button in(10 sec), release and then hold Power button in again(10 Sec) to get the nook to boot back into 1.2
I'm considering doing the 8 failed boot thing and seeing if it will restore 1.0.0 or something at this point.
Any suggestions?
Well that's progress ;-) at least it's trying to boot from the sd card now even if it's not succeeding.
are you using your droid as a uSD adapter for your computer, or do you have a dedicated uSD reader? that might be your problem. I'd try using a separate card reader.
You can get something like this basically anywhere for under $10. Try target/walmart/kmart/staples or like i said basically anywhere ;-)
I don't use windows for flashing but i've noticed some people saying they have luck with some programs for flashing more than others, try reading around, maybe you'll find an alternative to windiskimager that works better for you.
P.S. Formatting before flashing doesn't do anything at all. The flash should erase anything on the card and replace it exactly with the contents of the image you are flashing, regardless of whether it's freshly formatted or filled with 10 years of irreplaceable photographs
I'm not so sure it's the sdcard reader(which is internal to my Dell Laptop)
I switched from a 8gb sd card to a 2gb sd card(to make sure the SD card wasn't causing a problem) and pulled down a SD version of Nookie Froyo 2gb(to make sure CWM wasn't the issue either) just to see if i could get the thing to boot.
Same thing as occurred again.
It's become apparent that Winimage is either not doing it's job or I've somehow miss-configured the thing to not work correctly.
Winimage seems to only be writing one partition to the sdcard. In addition the Nook won't even attempt to boot off the sd card unless it's been formatted by either the nook or my droid prior to imaging. To me this indicates winimage isn't actually writing a image as much as it is copying files(and only the 1st partition at that).
Next step is to Uninstall Winimage, removing an left over configuration files and re-installing. If that doesn't work I'm going to try switching computers.
If that doesn't work then i'm going to look for a new Imaging program.
If anyone has any insight, it'd be welcome.
Well I can officially state my opinion that WinImage sucks...
I downloaded WinDiskImage and within 5 minutes I had my Nook 2.1 Rooted.
Thanks for your help.

[Q] Guide Request

Could someone point me toward a guide that include the step by step instructions on how to reformat your microSD card after a CWM image has been burnt onto it to get it back to it's original size/recognizable in the Nook/PC.
This to me is the most frustrating part of loading ROMs on the Nook and I don't believe it's laid out step by step in any guides. They simply leave it at downloading a partition manager software tool, but not what do to within that tool.
Thanks!
I would actually recommend just buying a cheap card that you use just for flashing images. Rather than backing up, image burning, then reformatting your card each time you want to do something in CWM, spend the $6 online and buy a cheap 2GB card that you use only for this purpose. I know it isn't required, but I still use a bootable SD card with CWM recovery on it to flash new nightlies or really anything else.
I know this doesn't answer your question, but it is my solution to this problem.
While I agree you should consider a new card in case things ever go south, you should be able to put it into a card reader and format it with Windows. You can also wait until the NC is booted up and then insert the card and format it with the NC.
I actually do have a dedicated cheap card with CWM loaded on it. The problem I ran into this time was that someone had approached me with a stock nook wanting a ROM loaded onto it. So I needed yet another card to burn a root image onto. So I was stuck having to burn that image on an 8GB not so cheap card and then could never get it back to 8GB or recognizable in my PC/Nook by using various software packages.
It also causes all sorts of FCs when inserted into the Nook running MIUI. Once it's removed they go away.
Regardless, if anyone knows of a guide or the steps to doing so that actually works, it would be appreciated and I have to imagine I'm not the only one who runs into this extremely frustrating issue.
i could be wrong
but cant you boot into default nook, not booting off the microSD card and reformat the microSD card?
even if you rooted/formatted the built-in memory for android/cm7 over the nook color OS, you should be able to format the card.
the other question that i have the the OP
have you tried to access the card from all os (win, mac, linux) both through a usb adapter and through the nook directly connected to the pc/mac?
I have not had that issue with either a USB card reader or with the Nook. Do you have access to a camera that uses micro SDHC cards? You can usually format it there as well. After that, Windows should recognize the card in a reader and let you delete any folders the camera placed on it.
WWWestonC said:
Could someone point me toward a guide that include the step by step instructions on how to reformat your microSD card after a CWM image has been burnt onto it to get it back to it's original size/recognizable in the Nook/PC.
This to me is the most frustrating part of loading ROMs on the Nook and I don't believe it's laid out step by step in any guides. They simply leave it at downloading a partition manager software tool, but not what do to within that tool.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we need a little more information about what you are trying to achieve?
If you are looking to get your uSD back to its "fresh off the rack from the store" state, the easiest thing to do would be to just use your NC to reformat the card from within it's "Settings" area.
But, if you have loaded CM7 (or whichever ROM) onto the eMMC of your nook, then you would need to use Android's tools to do this.
When using an imaging tool to prepare the uSD, I would recommend Image Writer for Windows to write your ROM images to the uSD. It is pretty easy to use, and way better than WinImage. Use the 0.3 (Lost) release.
In my case, I just used verygreens solution of installing CM7 to my uSD, it is a one time set up and I only have to drop new nightlies onto the /boot partition whenever I want to upgrade (which is everytime a new nightly comes out, heh). I never take my uSD out of the NC anymore.
If you are looking to repartition your uSD card to get a bigger /boot partition so you can rest assured that the bigger nightlies will fit (essential if you have alternate image and ramdisk files for the alternate boot scenario), then I would follow this post in verygreen's guide.
In response to some of the questions, I am trying to get my SD card back to off the shelf so it can be used in the Nook for storage.
I have not tried on another OS to format the card. I only have Windows XP on my laptop. I could try on my Windows 7 desktop but would be very surprised if that solves the issue. I cannot see it when it is plugged in via USB adapter to my PC.
I have MIUI 1.7.22 ROM loaded on the eMMC of my Nook and using Android's format option does not work as it is greyed out.
Nothing recognizes it except for Easus Partition Manager, but I've tried everything under the sun (Deleting Partition/Wiping Partition/Assigning Drive Letter/Increasing size) and can't get it to return to a usable state.
WWWestonC said:
In response to some of the questions, I am trying to get my SD card back to off the shelf so it can be used in the Nook for storage. [snip...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Android, I think you have to unmount the uSD before you can "erase" it (thus effectively re-formating it to it's maximum size).
I would do it this way if you are able to, because you are guaranteed a uSD card that Android will recognize every time. Devices that use removable cards this way know how to properly format them. Desktop OSs treat them as removable media (i.e. like disks/discs) and do not always format them properly using a a USB adapter.
When formating SD/uSD cards on your PC, your best bet is to use an actual card reader that connects to your PC via a USB cable (like the multi-card readers).
Here is a formatting tool specifically for SD/uSD cards from the SD Association website (https://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter_3/). Instructions are at their website too.
Incidently, if you have access to a Mac system running OS X, the Disk Utility app in Applications > Utilities will also format your uSD and get it back to stock where Win machines have problems. I know this from personal experience.
Here is another thread, Read All About it: WP7 SD-card format working., with more formatting info that may or may not be helpful...
Short of a Mac system, you could install Linux (I recommend Ubuntu currently) in a VirtualBox virtual machine environment and give that a go in your Win7 environment. If you go this route, you also want to install the Extention Pack for USB 2.0 support. Then you end up with a more versatile OS for tinkering around in all within your Win7 evironment....

brand new nook color root?

Hi guys, I just got a new color and want to root it. Ive read and it gets a little confusing and Im wondering where I can find full instructions or maybe even a video on how to fully root it. I have the new version 1.3.0. Also, what is the best rom to use right now? Thanks.
Do you want the the internal system or use a MicroSD card to accomplish it?
I have done 4 Nooks using the uSD card and it has worked very well.
I just did this last night, and there is a very simple tutorial here
(hope its ok to post this link)
http://icrontic.com/discussion/93234/how-to-root-a-nook-color-install-cyanogenmod-7-and-overclock-it
I did everything they said, and it went smoothly. Now I have an awesome "tablet"!
Thanks. I am writing the image file now. When all is said and done, do I have to worry about OTA updates from Barnes and Nobel and if so what can I do to prevent them???
I rooted my daughters nook tablet and had to go through the process of blocking updates from barnes and nobel because it was preventing her from installing apps other than from barnes and nobel. Just wondering if the color will be the same since this is a full root.
tightwad said:
Do you want the the internal system or use a MicroSD card to accomplish it?
I have done 4 Nooks using the uSD card and it has worked very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am gonna do a full root on the internal system. I am gonna use it strictly like an android tablet.
Solo118 said:
I just did this last night, and there is a very simple tutorial here
(hope its ok to post this link)
http://icrontic.com/discussion/93234/how-to-root-a-nook-color-install-cyanogenmod-7-and-overclock-it
I did everything they said, and it went smoothly. Now I have an awesome "tablet"!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guide says to use a Nook Color with 1.2. Will it work with one that is running 1.3?
Yes, I have 1.3 and used this method posted above and I am now running Cyanogenmod 7.2. Looks reat! Now I need to find out about updates........
32GB SD
So if I purchase a 32GB SD card can I use the left over storage on the SD card after rooting? Also, I thought I heard that a class 4 SD card is the best to get. Anything slower, may cause issues. Is that correct as well? My new nook is on tha way and I am getting ready to root it.
Thanks in advance.
You should use a class 4 Sandisk card.. even faster cards of other brands do not work as well.
Bidderman9 said:
So if I purchase a 32GB SD card can I use the left over storage on the SD card after rooting? Also, I thought I heard that a class 4 SD card is the best to get. Anything slower, may cause issues. Is that correct as well? My new nook is on tha way and I am getting ready to root it.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes
2. Anything other than a Sandisk is going to cause issues.
Sent from space
One last newbie question. So if I have a 4GB SD card formatted to boot with WinDiskImager, can I use that to back up my original nook 1.3 image before I root it? Then copy the CM7 and google apps zip files to it and use that to root it? Once rooted place a blank 32GB SD card it in for storage use? Then I can keep my 4GB SD card as a backup and also us it for root updates? Am I on the right track.
Thanks in advance, this thread has been helpful!

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