CM-12.1 installed OK on Nook HD+ but failed on Nook HD

[PeteInSequim]

New member; just registered today. I'm really pleased to be here.

I've been learning how to install CyanogenMod CM-12.1 with help from many xda threads, but especially these two:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-hd/development/unofficial-cm12-1-nook-hd-hd-2015-04-08-t3078260
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42406126
Many thanks leapinlar, e.mote, Hashcode, verygreen, and amaces.

I successfully installed amaces's CM-12.1 20150628 build on my three Nook HD+, and then successfully moved on to 20150706 build for each of them. Some details are mentioned below.

But I've not been successful with my Nook HD tablet. I started with the 20150706 build which seemed to go well. CM-12.1 booted nicely and the setup wizard led me through initial settings for a while, but hung in one of its "Just a sec" moments after I declined to allow using GPS for location.

I wondered if I was being punished for declining, but I did the same with the HD+ tablets without consequence.

I eventually shut down and restored to the stock HD OS, which appears to be working fine.

I've tried a few more times, but each time CWM fails the wipe maneuver at "formatting data", and reboots to the stock OS.

I guess I'll have to learn how to use ADB to find and fix this problem, but if anyone has a suggestion to try before that I'm very anxious to hear it.

Thank you for reading my first post.

Some details:
My installation method, successful only for the HD+, is adapted from leapinlar's Installing CM11 for Dummies (Updated 7-13-14). I used the provided .rar file contents to build the external bootable microSD card with the CM-12.1 zips from amaces. But instead of flashing the provided CWM resident recovery zip I substituted a TWRP zip that I fabricated around amaces's TWRP 2.8.7 images. I was obsessively careful to use the model-specific images and zips in each case.

With build 20150628 on the HD+ I saw the Netflix green screen problem, and a serious screen instability when trying to manually enter a URL in a browser (keyboard and auto-suggest overlays). Disable HW overlays stopped this of course.

I then moved on to 20150706 build on each HD+. The only issues I now see are slight screen instability with overlays and restart about 15 seconds after power-down, which happens almost every time.

P. S. I really like the Nook HD and HD+ tablets. They are perfect for my use as annunciator panel displays for my horticultural controls (hobby), and so plentiful on eBay.

 

[PeteInSequim]

But I've not been successful with my Nook HD tablet. I started with the 20150706 build which seemed to go well. CM-12.1 booted nicely and the setup wizard led me through initial settings for a while, but hung in one of its "Just a sec" moments after I declined to allow using GPS for location.

I've tried a few more times, but each time CWM fails the wipe maneuver at "formatting data", and reboots to the stock OS.

A Factory Reset solved the CWM problem and I was able to get a good install of CM-12.1 UNOFFICIAL build 20150706. I exercised a few things including the Android browser, and entered a URL manually from the overlay keyboard with no screen instability. Really looked good.

Sadly though, after shutdown it won't complete a restart. Just hangs with the cyanoboot universal bootloader banner in view.
Can anyone suggest what might be wrong?

FIRST EDIT: I should add that I am able to restart and boot into the resident TWRP recovery utility that I flashed during the installation. Just can't boot into CM-12.1.

SECOND EDIT: Rebooting from TWRP seems to have blazed the trail for a normal boot from power-up, which has worked 4 times out of 4 tries. Maybe its fixed now.

Still have the unexpected reboot after shutdown, though it doesn't happen every time. It seems to shut down and stay there if I've exercised it a bit with some apps. I did install Netflix and watched a few minutes of something, then shut down and it stayed off.

Things are definitely improving.

 

[ieatabiscuit]

Have you tried the latest builds of 12.1 yet? It went beta just a few days ago! Also, twrp now has an official release for both HD and HD plus. As for the occasion of it getting to the cyanoboot banner, then restarting, and completing an of, it happens at times for me as well, but usually when I am changing a lot at a time. Once I get everything set to my liking, it pretty much never gets turned off at all.

 

[PeteInSequim]

Have you tried the latest builds of 12.1 yet? It went beta just a few days ago! Also, twrp now has an official release for both HD and HD plus. As for the occasion of it getting to the cyanoboot banner, then restarting, and completing an of, it happens at times for me as well, but usually when I am changing a lot at a time. Once I get everything set to my liking, it pretty much never gets turned off at all.

Thanks for the reply. The only builds I've been able to find are the UNOFFICIALS from amaces, for which I am most grateful. CM-12.1 nightly download pages for ovation and hummingbird always come up blank. Where should I look for those beta releases you mentioned?
But yes, I've moved on to amaces's build 20150716, which when installed by CWM 6.0.4.6 from a booted microSD card to a wiped target has shown no problems, except of course for the reboot after shutdown.
But when installed with resident TWRP over an earlier build the "Unfortunately Google Play services has stopped" problem appeared. I got it fixed on one of the Ovations but not on a second one.
I noticed build 20150717 this morning which I might try on an additional Nook (I have 7 of them scattered around here).

I wonder what's counting out the approximately 10 seconds between shutdown and reboot?

 

[ieatabiscuit]

It sounds like you might want to try a different gapps file then. The unofficial amaces builds are the ones I meant, the latest ones are great. For gapps try googling "tk gapps pico" its a bare minimal gapps that let's you install the rest that you use from play store. It works for me, so maybe it will help you. Also, a full gapps file runs the ovation and hummingbird pretty hard on RAM, that could possibly cause an out-of-memory error and make the kernel panicked, which leads directly to a reboot. That pico gapps can help by freeing up ram for more useful things than having everything Google has to offer running all at once.