How To Root Nook Color to Get More From Barnes & Noble

Are you tired of the restrictions from Barnes & Noble on your Nook Color tablet? Do you want to use your Nook Color device as a regular Android device for accessing all of Google’s features? Are you looking for an easy way to root your Nook Color tablet?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then continue reading to find out how to root Nook color.

Why Root Your Nook Color Tablet?

As you know, rooting is a risky process and it will void the warranty of your device. That being said, after rooting your Nook Color, you’ll be able to do a lot more with the device. You’ll be able to:

• Use your Nook Color tablet like any other Android device with Google’s stock UI
• Install the Google Play Store for getting third party apps
• Install custom mods and ROMs on your Nook Color
• Use all the stock features from Google including live wallpapers and pair devices using Bluetooth

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Prerequisites

Aside from your Nook Color tablet and Windows PC, you’ll also need a micro SD card with at least 128MB of free storage. Make sure that you use a separate micro SD card or create a backup of its content as it will be formatted during the process. You’ll also need a micro SD card reader for connecting your micro SD card to your PC. Make sure that your Nook Color is at least charged 50% before proceeding with the rooting process. Transfer all your important files and data to your PC just in case anything goes wrong.

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Auto Nooter

Auto Nooter is possibly the easiest and most used rooting method for the Nook Color. Coming from the XDA Forums, this method should work fine with firmware versions 1.0.0 and 1.0.1.

Step 1

Download the Win32 Disk Imager app on your PC. Open the installer file and  install the app on your PC like any other PC software. Click on the Run button if you get any security popup message.

Step 2

Download the Auto Nooter zip file on your PC. For software version 1.0.0, use this version and for version 1.0.1, use this link. You can find out your firmware version by going to the Settings menu, tapping on Device Info and selecting About Your NOOK color.

Step 3

Extract the downloaded Auto Nooter zip file on your PC.

Step 4

Put in your micro SD card into the card reader and connect it to your PC. Make sure you format the card by right clicking the drive from My Computer and selecting Format.

Step 5

Open the Win32 Disk Imager that you installed earlier, click on the Folder icon and select the Auto Nooter file that you extracted earlier. The file will have a .img extension.

Step 6

Click on the dropdown menu below Device and select the disk name for your micro SD card. For example, if your micro SD card is available as Drive H on your PC, choose H as the disk.

Step 7

Click on the Write button, press the Yes button in the confirmatory popup and wait for the process to complete. Once the Progress bar fully loads, you can close the app.

Step 8

Go to My Computer on your PC, click on your SD card directory and check whether there are four new files on your SD card. If you cannot see any file, then follow the previous steps again. If the files are available, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 9

Unplug the card reader from your PC and insert the micro SD card inside your Nook  Color. Make sure that your Nook Color is completely switched off before inserting the SD card.

Step 10

Connect your Nook Color to your PC using a micro USB cable. Make sure you don’t switch on the device. Your device should automatically boot and you’ll get a couple of pop ups.

Step 11

Wait for the installation process and once complete, your Nook Color will automatically reboot. You can now unplug your device from your PC. If the rooting process was successful, you’ll get a new boot screen.

Step 12

Wait for the device to fully boot and this might take a while if booting for the first time after the rooting process. Remove the SD card from your Nook Color.

Step 13

Skip all the welcome steps including location and Google login. This is important if you want to use a Google account and Google apps on the device.

Step 14

Open the YouTube app from the Extras menu, click on My Channel and login with your Google account details. After you’re signed in, you’ll have access to all the stock Google apps including Gmail and Play Store. That’s it! You have successfully rooted your Nook Color device and you can now install third party apps on the device.

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Conclusion

Rooting is one of the first things that comes to the mind of users after purchasing a new Android device and while rooting normal Android smartphones is really popular, a lot of people don’t know how they can root the Nook Color tablet or Amazon’s Kindle Fire as they come pre-loaded with a modded version of the Android OS. If you’re tired with the restrictions from Barnes & Noble on your Nook Color, then you can easily root the device in order to overcome all those restrictions. After rooting the device, you’ll not only get a different UI but you’ll also get all the stock features of the Android OS and instead of using the device as just an e-reader, you’ll be able to use it as a regular Android tablet. After you root you might also want to download some free books.

After rooting, you’ll get all the stock apps including Gmail and the Google Play Store and you’ll be able to sync the device with your Google account. Aside from that, you’ll also be able to install custom mod and ROMs, such as Cyanogenmod, from  the XDA forums. Rooting your device will void your manufacturer warranty and you should only root your device on your own responsibility. Make sure that you follow all the instructions properly on how to root Nook color, and feel free to shoot any questions below.