Thursday, February 24, 2011

How I Fixed the Nook "User not activated" Error

CC by felishumanus

Yesterday I wrote a blog on my Thoughts on My New Nook E-reader and mentioned how I kept getting a "User not activated" error every time I tried to open a book on my Nook. Well, I fixed the problem last night! Just one simple list of instructions wasn't fixing my problem because they weren't written for people with Macs. We have other steps we need to follow in addition to the list they shared. Should you be someone that stumbled upon this post because you're experiencing the same problem, this was the solution that worked for me: 

On a mac, one of the folders you need to delete will be hidden because it begins with a period.  Use these instructions to show all files on a mac so you can see that folder (i'll tell you exactly which folders to delete in a second).


1. Make sure "Adobe Digital Editions" is closed
2. Connect Nook to Mac
3. Go into the Nook drive that opens on your desktop.
4. Delete these directories in the Nook drive:  "Digital Editions" and ".adobe_digital_editions" folder 
5. Empty the "Trash"
6. Open "Adobe Digital Editions"
7. Reauthorize

If you have any problems, let me know. Maybe I can help.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Thoughts on My New Nook E-Reader

CC by davidking 
I received my Nook E-reader in the mail last week. T’was a very exciting day. Just the look of it got me giddy. It’s sleek, white and uber modern looking. Every time you put it on Sleep mode (or it goes on Sleep mode due to idleness), it shows the screensaver, a “sketched” portrait of a different author (there are other screensavers but that’s all I’ve gotten so far).  Most importantly, its kinda touch screen. I say “kinda” cuz there’s a navigational screen at the bottom from which you control your selections on the actual “bigger” screen. That little navigational screen is in color. Yay to color!

Other things that I’m excited about with the Nook are:
  • It allows you to browse the Barnes & Noble Book Store directly from your Nook when you are inside a B&N store. You can read books on your Nook for up to 1 hour for free from inside Barnes & Noble.
  • I like that you can use the Internet on your Nook.
  • It has LendMe Technology, which allows you to share your books with someone else for up to 14 days. Most e-readers have this feature and there are social networks that cater to e-book lending.
  • Battery life is great


Now here is a frustration I’ve been having with my Nook:
Before I got my Nook, I was using another e-reader called Literati from The Sharper Image. I purchased and downloaded a couple of books from Kobo.com during my time with my ex-reader. Now, I’ve attempted to transfer those books to my Nook, and while they do show up in my library, every time I attempt to open the books, I get a message that says “User not activated.” Apparently they are referring to “Adobe Digital Editions User”. I’ve found forums where people give directions on how to get rid of this “User Not Activated” message, but quite honestly, I don’t understand what the hell they are saying.

Result:
It’s been a week and I haven’t been able to use my Nook for anything else other than playing Sudoku (partly due to my lack of patience for resolving the issue and I haven’t tried to read any other books aside from those I transferred from Kobo.com). But, hey, it still looks really pretty! But, fo’ reals, I will fix it. Maybe I’ll give it another go today. If anyone knows what I have to do to get around this “User not Active” hump, please do let me know!



-------------------Update-------------------

Check my next blog post to see How I resolved the "User not activated" problem.