Fix: Adobe Digital Editions Not Recognizing the Nook
This might only help two people out there, but I was one of them, so hey.
I ran into an issue where Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) software was not recognizing my Nook Glowlight 4 ebook reader. I’ve previously transferred several library ebooks using ADE, but this time I started getting the error “Loan token update failed” when I tried to open the book. I searched that error message and found this Overdrive help page.
That page explains how to reset the ADE authorization on the Nook by connecting with USB, deleting the Nook folder .adobe-digital-editions, then trying ADE again. The instructions seem to imply ADE will then automatically find the device and authorize it again. I was nervous so I backed up the folder before deleting it. Unfortunately, ADE stopped seeing the device entirely.
I tried several things including restoring that Nook folder and the two files in it (activation.xml, device.xml), rebooting the Nook, re-authorizing ADE on my computer, etc.
Finally, I was poking around the Nook settings and found it has its own section to enter your Adobe ID and password. I had forgotten about this, but it started to make sense: entering those probably creates the signed files in the .adobe-digital-editions folder. Then ADE uses that to recognize the device since both have the same Adobe ID.
So my recommended steps for the Nook Glowlight 4 would be:
- In ADE, go to Help > Authorization Information. The authorization window should pop up and show what Adobe ID you used to authorize the computer. If the option is grayed out, you’ll need to authorize the computer first.
- On the Nook, go to Settings > My Account > Adobe DRM Settings
- Make sure that the same Adobe ID from ADE is listed under Authorized Adobe IDs. If it isn’t, tap Add Adobe ID and enter the Adobe ID and password.
- Re-open ADE and it should display the Nook in the device list now
If ADE still does not recognize the device or if the Adobe ID already appears in the list in step 3, only then would I recommend trying Overdrive’s instructions to delete the folder (“Reset the ADE folder on your NOOK”). After deleting that folder, try my steps again to add back the Adobe ID.
Again, this is specific to the Nook Glowlight 4, but it might work with other versions. Note that transferring ebooks to the Nook Glowlight Plus has different directions. I don’t have any experience with that device, though.
