[Nook Touch General] nmyshkin:
"What is the Phoenix Project?"

It is an effort to provide a variety of options for the continued use of the Nook Simple Touch (and with Glowlight) after the end-of-life action by B&N, June 2024.

The project has three phases:

1. CWM backup images of registered devices running FW 1.2.2, not rooted, including the US and UK versions.

2. CWM backup images of registered devices running FW 1.2.2, rooted, with a heavily modified UI, additional reader options and much custom software.

3. CWM backup images of devices running FW 1.2.2, rooted, with the B&N system removed and replaced with with a heavily modified UI, various reader options and much custom software.

"Why bother with all this? Can't I just skip registration on an old device and use it as-is?"

You can certainly do that, but I do not recommend it. The device (with the B&N software intact) was designed to function with occasional contact with the B&N servers, especially during initialization. If that contact is frustrated (no registration) the system expends a lot of time (read:

battery power

) trying to sort out the lack of contact. My experiments with the same device registered, and not registered (skipped OOBE) show a dramatic difference in battery charge life. Starting with a full charge and left to idle for 7 days, a registered device dropped to 89%. A device which was not registered was dead by the time I checked it after 7 days. So if you want to use the B&N stuff (reader, library, dictionary) as it was intended (minus purchasing and downloading ebooks from B&N), the device needs to be registered. Hence phase 1 of this project.

Some people may like the basic B&N system but also have a desire for more capability in the device (read other formats, etc.). And some of those "some" may go on to root the device and customize to their liking. Others may be less sure of their hacking skills or simply don't want to get their hands dirty. That's what phase 2 of this project is for. It's a heavily customized e-reader which uses the basic B&N system (it's registered) but also includes additional reader options and many new features. It may not suit everyone.

Properly removing the B&N system and installing alternative apps (phase 3) gives power consumption similar to a registered device. Without the B&N system, alternative readers, dictionaries, etc., become a necessity. I have created 4 options which are the same except for the principal reader app. I've used reader apps which have been frequently mentioned on the forum as worthy of use on the device. If you're looking for something other than B&N, one of these may suit you.

Getting your 🦆🦆 🦆🦆 in a row

All of the magic depends on ClockworkMod (CWM). If you don't have a CWM card for the NST/G, making one is perhaps the most "difficult" thing you'll do for the project. I will guide you through that now. If you already have a card or don't need/want the hand-holding, take your prepared CWM card and move on to phases 1, 2, 3 and decide what might be the best fit for you.

Make a CWM card

1. Not all microSDcards are created equal. The vast majority (unless defective) are fine for storage. A subset of these is better for creating bootable cards. I've always used SanDisk class 10 cards and have never had problems, but I have spent a lot of time trying to help others who are using whatever they had sitting around. If you have problems, it's almost always the card itself.

2. You will want at least a 1 GB sdcard for your CWM card so there will be room for backups. Backups for the stock system are about 240 MB while those for the custom systems are more than 300 MB.

3. Download the zip for either the 2 GB (must have a 2 GB card or larger) or 128 MB (minimum 1 GB card) sdcard version. Unzip to reveal img file. If you do not already have some kind of disk imaging software and you are using Windows, download win32diskimager and unzip. The application runs directly from the .exe file in the folder and does not require installation.

Q. Why are there two different versions of CWM?

A. When someone creates a disk image (.img file) they are trying to make portable an exact copy of their card for others to reproduce. Sometimes this is because the formatting on the card has special flags set to make it bootable. The actual files for CWM take up very little space (about 4.6 MB), but there should be room on a card for flashable zips, backups, etc. "Room" means empty space. That will be part of the image. How big a file do you want someone to have to download which is mostly empty space? Probably the smallest possible, without a lot of empty space. Hence the two sizes, although without further efforts the 128 MB image is not useful at all for what we want to do. But we can fix that. Keep in mind that a larger image takes longer to write to the card.

4. Insert the sdcard you want to use for CWM into the slot on your PC.

5. Run win32diskimager. To do so, right-click on the *.exe file in the folder you unzipped and choose "Run as Administrator". This appears to be important, so don't just double-click on the *.exe file and hope for the best.

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Check to be sure the disk listed is the same letter as the sdcard in the slot. Navigate to the .img file you downloaded for CWM and then click on "Write".

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After the image is written the card will probably have a name like "boot". I suggest you rename it "CWM" just so it's obvious when you put it in your PC what you're looking at.

If you used the 2 GB image on a larger card and don't care about recovering additional space, you can skip what's next and go on to #6. If you used the 128 MB image on a 1 GB card or larger (or used the 2 GB and do care about the extra space), keep reading.

When the disk image is written the sdcard is defacto partitioned. The primary partition is either 2 GB or 128 MB, depending on which version you downloaded. The rest of the space is "unallocated" (wasted). Windows will not see this and will say your card is either 2 GB or 128 MB after writing the image. To reclaim the entire card for use (adding zips to flash, storing backups, for example) download MiniTool Partition Wizard. Install and run with your CWM sdcard in the PC slot (do

not

update the program if asked to do so).

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At the lower part of the screen you will see the sdcard listed (compare drive letter with what Windows has assigned to your sdcard--write this letter down now, just in case).

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Right-click on the primary partition of the sdcard. Select "Extend" from the context menu.

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Drag the resizing arrow all the way to the right so that the primary partition occupies the entire sdcard capacity. Click on OK.

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On the main screen click on "Apply". Exit when done.

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The sdcard is now fully usable with only a single partition.

Do not click randomly on other stuff in the partition wizard

. You could seriously mess up your PC hard drive if you do.

Occasionally after repartitioning the card becomes invisible to Windows although it is fully functional. That can be easily fixed. In Windows Explorer click in the top menu "System" section on "Manage". A "Computer Management" window opens and there you want to click in the side bar on "Disk Management". Information about the various storage devices fills the panel. The sdcard is down at the bottom. In the image mine is OK, showing as drive "E". If you are doing this, it's because your drive letter is missing. Right-click on the box representing the drive and a context menu will open. Select "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

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Again, in my image the drive letter shows as "E", but yours will be missing (i.e., the box is blank). Click on "Add".

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Select the first option,"Assign the following drive letter" and then choose from the drop-down whatever the drive letter was for the sdcard before these evil things befell you. "OK" your way out of the various windows. You'll see your sdcard again represented in Windows Explorer.

6. We're going to add a couple of folders to the CWM card that would normally be generated when you make your first backup. By adding them now we can save some card swapping. Viewing the contents of your CWM card on your PC, make a folder on the card called "clockworkmod". Inside that folder make another folder called "backup". Be sure to get those folder names correct.

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Done! I promise you, that was the hardest part.

Acknowledgements

It's been over 10 years since the Nook Simple Touch arrived on the scene. Many of the people who did important work on the device are long gone from the forum (with one exception) and in some cases long gone from XDA. We still use their discoveries, insights and creations all the time and it seems right to give them the credit that is due for their efforts. I know this list won't have everyone in it (I'll add more when I realize I've left someone out!), but I feel a personal debt to these and more. None of this could have been done without them.

@jeff_kz, @mali100, @verygreen, @marspeople, @Renate, @wskelly, @pinguy1982, @ros87, @nivieru, @Yura80, and the many patient people at the Google Groups Tasker forum