You need a few prerequisite files. You can download them here, or here if you have IPFS installed. This guide also assumes you already have ADB installed.
The Nook 1st Generation does not come with ADB installed by default, and there is no option in the settings to enable it. However, there is a bug in the built-in web browser (that Barnes & Noble refuse to fix) where a specially-crafted web page can crash the browser in such a way that ADB gets enabled.
Start a web server on your local network. All you need to serve with it is the exploit.html file from the download pack linked above. For best results, rename it to index.html.
Using the Nook's browser, navigate to the web server via its local IPv4 address. The browser should refresh a few times and then crash to the home menu.
Now, on your local computer, run:
adb connect YOUR_NOOKS_LOCAL_IP_HERE
If ADB refuses to connect, run step 2 repeatedly until ADB manages to connect. It could take between one and one hundred tries.
While you're connected to the Nook via ADB, run:
adb pull /init.rc
Open "init.rc" in your favorite text editor on your local machine. Find the line that says:
service adbd /sbin/adbd
Below that should say "disabled". Change that to "enabled". Now run:
adb push ratc.bin /sqlite_stmt_journals adb shell cd /sqlite_stmt_journals /system/bin/chmod 777 ./ratc.bin ./ratc.bin
Several lines of output will appear. Do not press anything. A few seconds later, adb will disconnect you.
Reconnect to the Nook over ADB using the browser exploit, then run:
adb push init.rc /
Reboot your Nook, and it should now be rooted.
The default launcher will not show third-party apps. "ru.mynook.launcher.apk" included in the pack is an alternative launcher that will show all apps installed, including third-party ones.
made with <3 by your friends at Dead End Shrine Online
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 © Lethe Beltane