[Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet] jichuan89:
[Updated 3/4/12] Add flashable SD card image

[Updated 3/5/12] Update instructions to include tethering

[Updated 4/16/12] Add compatibility warning (as suggested by lavero.burgos) and answers to common questions

Sorry for posting this here -- this is the first time I'm posting on xda-developers and I'm not allowed to post in the dev section.

Root for Nook Tablet 8GB (w/ Android Market)​

So ever since I bought the 8GB Nook Tablet last week I've been checking this forum daily to see whether there's a root method that I could use to sideload apps etc.. But it seems that no current root method for the 8GB tablet existed, and I even came across a video showing that none of the current root methods for the 16GB version works on the 8GB.

So when I saw bauwks's updated 2nduboot that allows booting from an SD card, I started poking around to see if I could use that to root the tablet. While bauwks's kernel and ramdisk cannot boot into the stock Nook userland on the 8GB version (it reboots right after the "READ FOREVER" screen), they do allow me to boot into Android's init process, and that's enough to root the tablet and install Android Market. Basically, what I did was package the files I needed as well as a small installer script into bauwks's boot.img.

The result (root + Android market) is demonstrated in this video.

Compatibility

This method is for rooting the stock firmware version 1.4.2 that is shipped with the Nook Table 8GB when you buy one from B&N. It is not supposed to be used with other ROMs such as CM7, nor the Nook Tablet 16GB.

Included

- Root (su + Superuser.apk)

- Android market

Options

There are two equivalent ways to apply this root method.

1. The first, and easier method is to burn an image to your SD card.

2. The second method is to partition and format your SD card and copy over the files yourself. This latter is more complicated than you think as the SD card must be partitioned and formatted in a very particular (and peculiar) way for it to boot.

Instructions for option 1 - burning a pre-built microSD card image

0. Before you proceed, know that THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL SOFTWARE THAT PROBABLY VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY AND MAY PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY BRICK YOUR TABLET. Even though it worked for me, it may not work for you, and worse, it is quite possible that it could cause your tablet to boot-loop or die. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY POSSIBLE DAMAGES TO YOUR TABLET / ANYTHING ELSE CAUSED BY THIS METHOD. BY USING IT YOU AGREE TO ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

1. You need a microSD card. The image itself is ~55MB, which means any card above 64MB will work. Backup anything you have on that SD card because THIS WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR microSD CARD.

2. Download this image. MD5: 1a4f5cb32f09d3003b11aa782fe9566f

3. Burn downloaded image to microSD card. This page explains how to burn an image on Linux, Mac and Windows. Ignore the Nook Color-specific stuff, don't download the Nookie Froyo image, and replace in the instructions the nookie froyo image with the image you've just downloaded. THIS WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR microSD CARD.

4. Turn off the tablet.

5. Put the microSD card with the burnt image into the tablet.

6. Connect tablet to computer using a USB cable. The tablet should boot up on its own; if not, press the power button to power on.

7. After the initial black screen with the "n" logo, you should see a brown box in the middle of a white screen. (If you do not, your tablet is not booting off the microSD card and you probably did something wrong.) After you hit the "READ FOREVER" screen, WAIT ABOUT TWO MINUTES. Even though nothing changes on the screen, a script is copying over root and Google stuff onto the /system partition.

8. After two minutes, hold down on the power button until the tablet turns off.

9. Take out the microSD card and power on again.

Instructions for option 2 - manual setup

0. Before you proceed, know that THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL SOFTWARE THAT PROBABLY VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY AND MAY PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY BRICK YOUR TABLET. Even though it worked for me, it may not work for you, and worse, it is quite possible that it could cause your tablet to boot-loop or die. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY POSSIBLE DAMAGES TO YOUR TABLET / ANYTHING ELSE CAUSED BY THIS METHOD. BY USING IT YOU AGREE TO ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

1. Create a 50MB vfat partition with boot and lda flags set, as explained in this video. I followed the instructions on the page referred to by the video at the very beginning.

2. Download this zip file, and extract contents to root of the 50MB microSD card partition.

3. Turn off the tablet.

4. Put the microSD card with the burnt image into the tablet.

5. Connect tablet to computer using a USB cable. The tablet should boot up on its own; if not, press the power button to power on.

6. After the initial black screen with the "n" logo, you should see a brown box in the middle of a white screen. (If you do not, your tablet is not booting off the microSD card and you probably did something wrong.) After you hit the "READ FOREVER" screen, WAIT ABOUT TWO MINUTES. Even though nothing changes on the screen, a script is copying over root and Google stuff onto the /system partition.

7. After two minutes, hold down on the power button until the tablet turns off.

8. Take out the microSD card and power on again.

After Rooting

You will not see any visible difference in the interface when the tablet powers back on, nor will your firmware version change, but you should now be rooted. To launch the Android / Play Market, do the following: "n" -> Search -> hit top-left button on screen -> select "apps" -> type "market" in search bar -> select "Market". For a step-by-step guide on other things you'd probably want to do after you root (e.g., installing 3rd-party .apks, making the "n" button start a custom launcher), check out this thread by RevenantOne.

Common Questions / Problems

Here are some of the common issues people have run into according to this thread. Read this through if you have a question or problem before posting it!

1. Am I rooted? / I did everything correctly, but nothing changed after I reboot!

If you saw a brown box and then the "READ FOREVER" screen, you are already rooted. There will not be any visible differences in the interface / software version. To launch the Android / Play Market, do the following: "n" -> Search -> hit top-left button on screen -> select "apps" -> type "market" in search bar -> select "Market". Check out this thread by RevenantOne for other things you probably want to do after you root.​

2. I don't see the brown box screen; instead the tablet just boots up normally.

There are a number of possibilities:

a. Some people have had better luck combining the files from this method with a root image for the 16GB tablet. Theoretically this could work for everyone, so make sure you do try this one out if your tablet refuses to boot (i.e., you don't see the brown box). Instructions can be found in post #131.

b. Your microSD card may be incompatible. As strange as it may seem, people have posted on this thread that certain microSD cards will simply not work. It appears to be somewhat random which cards work and which don't, so you might have to try out several cards from a different brand or with a different size before you find one that does work.​

3. How to restore the microSD card back to its normal capacity from 50mb?

According to user Ashfire[/B], simply formatting the SD card through the Nook Tablet ("n" -> Settings -> Device Info -> SD Card -> Unmount SD card -> Erase SD card) should suffice to reclaim the normal capacity of your card. Otherwise you can use any disk partitioning tool for your OS to re-partition the card.​

Disclaimer

Again, this is experimental software. That it worked for me does not mean it will work for you, or that it won't brick your tablet. I am not responsible for any possible damages resulting from using this method.

Credits

Credit goes to:

- [URL="http://xdaforums.com/member.php?u=4426306"]bauwks for his 2nduboot hack (see this thread)

- Indirect for his root + gapps package (see this thread).

- Everyone on this thread for posting amazing feedback and a wealth of information and solutions to common problems, and most of all to those of you who donated! It's really appreciated :)