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[GUIDE] COMPLETE GUIDE TO ROOT, S-OFF and FLASHING A ROM

**NOTE** I just copied this over from www.rootmydroid.co.uk where i published it first. It is here for ease of access **NOTE**
So, recently i have found myself having to root a couple of HD's for friends..
Subsequently i discovered that the information on the topic is pretty ambiguous, so in this guide i aim to make everything that you need to know clear and put all the files you need all in one location.
So here goes..
**This is a risky process. I nor anyone on the rootmydroid team will accept any responsibility for anything that may happen to your device.**
**It is also worth keeping a "safety net" just in case. I advise heading over to www.shipped-roms.com and under the alias "ACE" find the RUU that matches your current software number, i.e 1.32.xxxxxx**
**To make life easier, download the following apps from the market:**
* conectbot
* ES File Explorer
* ROM Manager
1) Make sure that your software version is 1.32.xxxxx or you will not be able to root!
It contains a new version of HBOOT that breaks root and standard S-OFF.
2) Download [email protected]'s visionary root tool
(download at the end of post)
3) Install it on your HD
Plug your HD in to your PC and select "Mount as disk drive". It should then appear on your PC and you can proceed to drag and drop the "visionary.apk" onto the root of your SD card (not in any folders). Alternatively, you can do it OTA via dropbox.
4) Run it and enable "Set system r/w after boot" Then click "Temproot Now" and wait until it is finished.
5) Once it has finished click "Permroot Now"
Your DHD will automatically reboot, do not worry.
To determine whether this worked or not, open up connectbot and on the drop-down menu on the bottom left corner select "local" login as a whatever you like, for example "rootmydroid" and then type "su" then hit enter. If a "#" comes up, then the rooting process was successful.
Right next up, install the "Engineering version of HBOOT" (hacked).
**WARNING** This process is inherently risky. Ensure that you follow these instructions TO THE LETTER, or you will end up with a fancy paperweight. **WARNING**
1) Download sfjuocekr 's DHD script for flashing HBOOT from the end of the post
2) Unzip it and copy it to your SD card. Ensure it is on the root of your SD (not in any folders) Note that it will come in two folders "DHD-Smart" and "DHD-Dumb" from my experience, rename the "DHD-Smart" folder to "DHD".
3) (After unplugging your device) Run connectbot in local mode just like earlier, and type:
* su (then hit enter)
* sh /sdcard/DHD/check (ensure that you type "sh")
* (Provided everything went ok) sh /sdcard/DHD/backup
* (If this also went ok) sh /sdcard/DHD/hboot
The script should then install the engineering version of HBOOT and achieve S-OFF.
Woop, everything risky is pretty much done for now. Now we can sit back and not be too tense whilst we install a custom recovery image. Luckily this is made easy via ROM manager (which you should already have installed if you followed my instruction).
1) Run ROM manager and select the first option "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery"
2) Wait until ROM manager says that the process is complete (Somewhere along the way a superuser request may pop up asking for permission. This is fine, just click allow.)
3) After installation select the option "Reboot into recovery" to ensure that everything went ok (From my experience this does not actually take you directly to recovery. From the screen it takes you to use the volume keys to scroll and select "Recovery" then use the power button to select.)
4) Your DHD should then reboot into ClockworkMod recovery
Next up is installing a custom ROM. To do this find the ROM that you like the most from www.xda-developers.com . I recommend either LeeDroid or AndroidRevolutionHD.
1) Download the ROM of your choice and place it on the root of your SD card.
2) Reboot into recovery
3) Go to "Nandroid" and perform a backup
4) Once the backup has completed select "wipe data/factory reset" then "wipe cache partition"
5) Go to "Install ZIP from SDCARD" and select your ROM from the list
6) Wait for it to finish installing
7) Once completed, go back and select "Reboot" at the top of the list (Note that the first boot may take up to 20 minutes, so do not be alarmed. Whatever you do, do not panic and pull the battery half way through the boot or you WILL brick.)
Voila! You are fully rooted, have S-OFF and have flashed a custom ROM!
If at any point you need help please come to our live help at: http://bit.ly/g776Yz
Or feel free to contact me at: [email protected]
Android001
Links for files needed:
Visionary
HBOOT Script
Props to [email protected] for his awesome "visionary" app and sfjouecker for his equally awesome script.

3 topics below yours... check my sig

These guides just pop up like mushrooms in a rainy season It is better for new users to have one or two alternative methods, but too much is too much.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

wid0w said:
3 topics below yours... check my sig
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention the sticky at the top of the thread

Like the work you do for us with little Android experiance jkoljo.
After one year use of HD2 I went to DHD and realy like Android
Regarding this: "3) Go to "Nandroid" and perform a backup"
Is Nandroid a part of Rom Mangaer boot meny or do I have to install it separate?

audiavant said:
Like the work you do for us with little Android experiance jkoljo.
After one year use of HD2 I went to DHD and realy like Android
Regarding this: "3) Go to "Nandroid" and perform a backup"
Is Nandroid a part of Rom Mangaer boot meny or do I have to install it separate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may appear as either "Nandroid" or "Backup and Restore" i was unsure which it was, as i was not looking at the recovery as i wrote the post.

Sorry mate. Have to close this thread as there is more than one guide floating around.
On of them being this one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11557769
Thanks for the effort.
Regards,
M_T_M

Xoom root and bootloader unlock

I have a uk wifi only XOOM on Honeycomb 3.2. I want to root but do I have to unlock the bootloader first? What is the easiest way to unlock the bootloader and root without adb or fastboot commands. I've looked at 'xoot', 'cornea', and the 'Lord AIO tool'. Do all these methods unlock the bootloader and root? Can anyone confirm that they work for this model? Are there any other easy methods that I've missed?
Also, after I have unlocked the bootloader and rooted can I install cwm recovery from rom manager and then even the team eos v1.0.0 ics rom?
Thanks in advance for your help (I did search, but not much info came up about these methods).

wifi-only-xooms should all be the same.
don't know about the root-methods you mentioned, I used one that includes adb/fastboot-commands (an amazing total of 4 commands were used that day). This is a link to the method I used, it will also work for your xoom.
Why do you want to avoid adb/fastboot-commands?

Thanks for reply. I don't feel confident using adb. And I don'tk now how to use it set it up. Do you know an up to date guide explain how to set it up?
UPDATE: I have now set up adb. Please could you give a little more detail on the method you used. Specifically the unlocking the bootloader part and flashing the recovery via fastboot.
Thanks again.

RiThBo said:
Thanks for reply. I don't feel confident using adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't worry, its not exactly a rocket science...
RiThBo said:
And I don'tk now how to use it set it up. Do you know an up to date guide explain how to set it up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, but this is what you'll need to do:
preparations
disable any anti-virus, anti-adware, firewall software you might have on your computer. Best would be to completely uninstall those. If you're using the windows firewall, disable it. You may re-install/activate it after you are done flashing your device.
download and install JDK
google says that the JDK (Java Development Kit) is needed to run the Android SDK. I am not sure if the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) is sufficient, but to play it safe, we're just gonna install the JDK. (JRE is needed to run Java applications, JDK usually to develop Java applications. However, JRE is a part of the JDK and the JDK wont clog up your computer in an excessive way, so you should be safe just using the JDK)
go here and hit the download button beneath JDK.
under "Java SE Development Kit 7u2" (at time of writing, in the future, the release-number might be higher), click the "Accept License Agreement"-option and find the Download that is right for your version of windows. x86 and i586 are names for 32-bit-versions of windows, if you are using a 64-bit version of windows use the file that reads windows-x64 in its name.
install the file, shouldn't be too hard
download and install motorola drivers
If you are using windows, you will need the motorola USB-driver package for adb and fastboot to work.
download the motorola drivers from the motorola website. Open motorola.com, find the xoom's page, find a link saying "support", on the right column of that page you should find a link named "USB-Drivers" or something like that in the "software updates and drivers" section. You should get a page with a link "Download Motorola USB-Driver v5.4.0 with MotoHelper". Do not download the stuff labled "USB-Charging drivers".
At the time of writing this, this link will lead to this file.
once this file has downloaded, just run it and follow the on-screen instructions.
download, install and set up android SDK
The Android SDK (Software Development Kit) is needed to develop applications for android. It also contains the programs adb and fastboot, which we will need. The program SDK Manager, which we will use, is used to download certain parts of the Android SDK.
go to developer.android.com/sdk/ and download the current SDKs zip file. I know, it recommends the installer, but just don't download that.
the zip will contain one folder called "android-sdk-windows", just have your favorite program extract this folder to C:\. I renamed this folder to android-sdk, this is optional but i will assume you did for the following instructions.
you should now have a program C:\android-sdk\SDK Manager.exe. Run it.
A window will open and the program will download a list of currently available packages. After this list has been refreshed, you should find a "Tools"-folder with "Android SDK Tools" and "Android SDK Platform-tools". Check both and hit the button "Install (2) Packages". You won't need anything else unless you really want to develop apps for android.
the installation will take a bit, afterwards, you will find new folders in C:\android-sdk\: tools and platform-tools. Please check, that the platform-tools-folder contains the programs adb.exe and fastboot.exe
(Optional)add tools and platform-tools to your PATH
If you enter a command in windows' command prompt, it will try to locate this command (essentially a program) in the directorys specified in the current directory. If it can't find the program there, it will search in the directories specified in your PATH-Variable.
This step is only needed, if you want to be able to use the adb or fastboot-commands from any directory, like Desktop, your Users folder, etc.
These instructions apply to Windows 7, they will be similar in other Versions of windows.
As I am currently on a german machine, these instructions are a little unspecific. If any user with an english installation of windows 7 could post the exact names for these links&buttons, that would be greatly appreciated.
hit Start, right-click "My Computer" and hit "Properties"
in the left tab, the 5th link from the top should read something like "Advanced System Settings". Hit that link.
a window "System Properties" opens up. Navigate to the 3rd tab "Advanced" and hit the button on the bottom of this Tab "Environment Variables..."
you will see two tables, in the lower list (entitled "System Variables") you should find the variable named "Path": Click on it and hit the Edit-Button below the table.
a small window will pop up with a long text in the lower field (value of the variable). I can't stress this enough: DO NOT DELETE WHATEVER IS WRITTEN IN THERE!!!. Instead: APPEND ";C:\android-sdk\tools\;C:\android-sdk\platform-tools\" without the "". the first ; MUST be there.
hit OK in all three windows
done
This should basically do it. You can now connect your xoom with your computer. Make sure USB-Debugging on the xoom is enabled, that option should be somwhere in Settings -> Development. The first time you connect your xoom with debugging enabled, Windows should give you a message that it is installing some new drivers, but that should work automatically. Same goes for the first time connecting your xoom in bootloader mode.
You can now open a command prompt (Win+R, enter cmd, hit run) and enter "adb devices", it sould read something like
Code:
C:\>adb devices
List of devices attached
012c3456789f1234 device
, that means it worked. From here on, you can follow the instructions in the thread I mentioned in my previous post.
---------- Post added at 06:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:18 PM ----------
RiThBo said:
UPDATE: I have now set up adb. Please could you give a little more detail on the method you used. Specifically the unlocking the bootloader part and flashing the recovery via fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crap, read that too late. But anyways, since I'm already on it:
preparation
we will need some files in order to get your xoom runnin a custom rom. In this section we will download them and put them into their places.
create a folder on your desktop and name it "xoom"
check this thread for downloads. What you will need is Universial xoom root and ClockWorkMod recovery. But again, please check the named thread for updated files. All credits to these files go to their original posters.
at this point, you might just as well just download your new rom, but I won't go into this at this point.
you need an micro-sd-card for your xoom. You cannot use the internal /sdcard partition for this
place the universial xoom root zip-file onto your sdcard. If you already downloaded your new rom, put that onto the sdcard as well, it should be a flashable .zip-file.
place the ClockWorkMod-File in your Desktop\xoom-folder and rename it to recovery.img .
put the sdcard into your xoom, if it isn't in there already
boot the xoom
enable USB-Debugging (Somewhere in Settings -> Development)
connect your xoom using a good and short USB-cable. Let this cable be a trustworthy cable, one that you barely use and that has not been bent, cut or otherwise abused.
right-click on the xoom-folder on your desktop while holding the shift-button on your keyboard and hit "open Command prompt here" (or sth. like that, again, my windows is german)
enter adb devices to make sure adb is working, if your device shows up in the device list, everything is good:
Code:
C:\Users\llama-power\Desktop\xoom>adb devices
List of devices attached
012c3456789f1234 device
unlock your xoom
unlocking your xoom will enable us to flash new files to your xoom. We want to do this. However, unlocking your xoom will void your warranty and DELETE EVERYTHING you've got on your xoom. To unlock this we're gonna reboot the xoom into the bootloader and have it unlock your xoom
to get into the bootloader, you may now just enter adb reboot bootloader
wait a minute. Your xoom should shut down, and reboot into the bootloader. continue if you see the red M and "Starting Fastboot protocol support." on your xooms display
check if fastboot is set up correctly. Enter fastboot devices , this should list your device, just like when you tested adb
enter fastboot oem unlock , this will start the unlocking process. Follow the instructions on your xoom. Bear in mind, this will really delete everything and void your warranty. You Control this thing using the volume up/down-buttons. volume down changes the selection, volume up selects whatever is on your screen. the xoom will ask you if you want to delete/void your warranty/unlock your xoom and if you say yes, it will ask you, if you really really want to do this and then it will unlock itself and delete everything.
I'm not sure if your xoom will reboot on itself or if you will be back to the bootloader screen. in the latter case, just enter fastboot reboot
Your device is now unlocked and has rebooted into a shiny new Desktop.
installing ClockWorkMod
Clockworkmod is a recovery that gives you a lot more options than the stock recovery. For example, it will enable you to create backups, delecte specific partitions and install non-motorola update.zip-files
to install CWM recovery, we will again need to go to the bootloader. So just enable usb debugging in your xooms settings again (remember, you wiped that when you unlocked it) and enter adb reboot bootloader
wait until you are back in the bootloader and "Starting Fastboot protocol support" appears on your screen
to flash the new recovery, just enter fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
remember, for this to work, you still need to be in your desktop\xoom-folder and the recovery-image must be named recovery.img. If your recovery-image is named differently, just modify this command accordingly (fastboot flash recovery blahblub.img)
watch your xoom's screen, once it says that it has successfully flashed the recovery, you need to reset your xoom. It is important, to know how to boot into the recovery right away, so please read this step thoroughly before starting.
To reset the xoom, press and hold vol-up + power for about two seconds. Your xoom will restart. Once the red M appears, wait 3 seconds and then press vol-down. It should ask you what to do (display --> Android Recovery). You can change the option with von-down, select with vol-up, highlight Android Recovery and select it with vol-up.
if this suceeded, you should be in the ClockworkMod recovery (Your background image should now be a green robot). If not, you have to restart with flashing the recovery. Do not boot into android as, depending on your OS-Version, it will reset the recovery to stock.
backup your system
Why would you want to backup now, this system is as stock as it gets??? Exactly, maybe you will want to revert back to a stock xoom, so keeping a backup of this will be nice
Right now you are in the Clockworkmod-System, controls are: vol-up/down: cursor up/down; power: select
using the vol-down-button on your xoom, navigate to "backup and restore" and hit the power button
make sure "Backup" is highlighted, hit power to start the backup process. It will backup basically everything from your xoom onto your sdcard
after this is done use the "+++++Go Back+++++"-links to go back to CWMs main menu. Do not reboot, as this will probably delete CWM
root your xoom
If you root your xoom, you will be able to do much more on your xoom. The universal xoom root update.zip will also prevent your xoom from deleting the Recovery upon boot.
using vol up/down, navigate to "install zip from sdcard", hit power to select
use "choose zip from sdcard"
pick the Xoom-Universal-Root.zip
find the entry that says "yes"
once that is done, "+++++Go Back+++++" until you find an entry "reboot System now", hit that one
Your xoom should now be unlocked, rooted and be equipped with a new recovery system. To install a custom rom, reboot into the recovery (reboot the xoom, when the red M appears, wait three seconds, hit vol down, then vol up) and just install the custom roms update.zip. Be sure to follow the roms installation instructions, you might need to wipe certain partitions or manually install more than one package (for example for the google applications)
All credits go to creators of the downloaded files, I assembled these instructions from their threads or other informations. I have not created a single of these files.

Thank you so much!!!: That was just what I needed. Thanks for all the amazing detail, I will try it in the next couple of days when I built up the courage!
Amazing guide!!! You should set up your own thread or send it to solarnz (the guy who mad the universal root).
UPDATE: In the part where I flash recovery.img , You told me that I should shift+right-click ,then open command window and type adb devices. adb isn't recognised in the desktop - xoom folder, however it works if I run it from C:\android-tools. Do I need to place the recovery in the android-tools folder?

llama-power said:
Your xoom should now be unlocked, rooted and be equipped with a new recovery system. To install a custom rom, reboot into the recovery (reboot the xoom, when the red M appears, wait three seconds, hit vol down, then vol up) and just install the custom roms update.zip. Be sure to follow the roms installation instructions, you might need to wipe certain partitions or manually install more than one package (for example for the google applications)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, i can just copy the .zip from here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1488075) onto the root of the SD card and then follow your instructions above?
Edit - I've already unlocked and rooted

TheDifference said:
So, i can just copy the .zip from here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1488075) onto the root of the SD card and then follow your instructions above?
Edit - I've already unlocked and rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, but be sure to pick the right .zip-file for your xoom. AFAIK, the bugless beast is not available for european or us 3g xooms. Using a zip that has been made for another model may permanently damage your xoom (some MZ601 users reported that they were unable to get 3g working again after installing a MZ604-rom, not even after installing official MZ601-rom)

llama-power said:
yes, but be sure to pick the right .zip-file for your xoom. AFAIK, the bugless beast is not available for european or us 3g xooms. Using a zip that has been made for another model may permanently damage your xoom (some MZ601 users reported that they were unable to get 3g working again after installing a MZ604-rom, not even after installing official MZ601-rom)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine is/was an australian Telstra Xoom. does that make it more likely to be euro or US?

TheDifference said:
mine is/was an australian Telstra Xoom. does that make it more likely to be euro or US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i THINK it should be comparable to the EU-xoom. What's your model number? It should be printed on your box and, if you haven't flashed any custom rom yet, in your xooms settings. It should read MZ60*.
MZ600 is the US-3g-model for CDMA-Networks.
MZ601 is the EU-3g-model for GSM-Networks.
MZ602 is the MZ600 upgraded with the LTE-Module.
MZ604 is the wifi-only-model
if you can't find a bugless beast-rom for your xoom, I'd recommend the team EOS nightlies, work really niceky for me

I followed these instructions. When I got to the point of installing the new ROM I ended up at the bot with the "!". What do I do now?

madmanrx said:
I followed these instructions. When I got to the point of installing the new ROM I ended up at the bot with the "!". What do I do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are talking about the standard-android-bot, and it shows up after trying to reboot into recovery, right?
That means, that the recovery has been overwritten w/ the stock recovery. This happens when you don't root after installing the cwm recovery and before rebooting, or if the rooting fails.
If you already made the backup, you should be on the safe side, just go ahead and redo the section "installing ClockWorkMod". at the end of thiis section, you should be in the recovery, just install your rom from there, skip the backup- and root- sections and do not reboot before the rom and gapps-packages have been installed.

Boot screen
Thanks Llama.
I did what you said. After flashing ROM (i think) and loading Gapp I rebooted and now it is just on the red M screen and doing nothing else. Please help! I can get back into clockwork recovery. what am I doing wrong. As if its not obvious, I'm a total noob.
edit: Wow! Somehow I got it to work. I now have EOS rom. Thanks everyone!

Did something wrong
Okay, I have the EOS rom, but I can't find any of my apps. I thought I backed up everything on my internal storage. I loaded the backup into the internal storagage after the flash, but no apps. Maybe I didn't backup the apps properly. I don't have adroid market on the new rom, and cant download any of my apps from market or amazon. ICS is great, but not much use without apps. I can't even download new apps. What am I missing?

do you have the google mail app? Android market is usually part of the gapps package, maybe you didn't install that package correctly?
I'd try to do a factory reset (wipe /data, /cache and dalvik-cache from recovery) and install the gapps .zip again.
how did you backup your apps? If at all possible, you should not reatore apps using titanium backup or something like that after upgrading from Honeycomb to ICS. Instead, you should install these apps from market manually and only restore those apps that you can't find on the market.

factory reset
So I go into clockwork recovery and "wipe data/factory reset"? then do i "wipe cache partition" or do I wide data before factory reset? After factor reset were do a start back in the procedures you decribed in detailed post? I really appreciate your help!

madmanrx said:
So I go into clockwork recovery and "wipe data/factory reset"? then do i "wipe cache partition" or do I wide data before factory reset? After factor reset were do a start back in the procedures you decribed in detailed post? I really appreciate your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not entirely sure if you even have to wipe the cace partition, as a factory reset should also wipe the cace-partition. But just to play it safe:
go to recovery
wipe /cache partition
advanced->wipe dalvik-cache
wipe /data/factory reset
install zip from sdcard-> pick the gapps .zip
reboot
you do not start back in tzhe instruction, as they never described installing custom roms;-)
also, make sure you use the current gapps .zip, that should be release 10.5

sd card?
I did what you instructed with no problem. I ensured that gapp v10.5 is the one I have on my sdcard(as viewed on pc). But when I go to select .zip file from sdcard (from clockwork recovery), I get a menu that has the files I had on my internal storage, and the gapp.zip is not there. There is also a 'ifx_permissions' file on my internal storage (viewed on pc), and there are files that were not wiped out (files for apps).

madmanrx said:
I did what you instructed with no problem. I ensured that gapp v10.5 is the one I have on my sdcard(as viewed on pc). But when I go to select .zip file from sdcard (from clockwork recovery), I get a menu that has the files I had on my internal storage, and the gapp.zip is not there. There is also a 'ifx_permissions' file on my internal storage (viewed on pc), and there are files that were not wiped out (files for apps).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which recovery did you flash? Did you use the Tiamat-modded recovery I recommended in post #2? With that recovery you shouldn't be able to see the internal memorys contents, instead you should only be able to see the sd-cards contents.
When booted into recovery, the first line should read "Clockwork Mod Recovery v3.2.0.0 (solarnz-R4c-100611-1150)". If not, please flash the recovery image I recommended in post #2, according to the section "Installing ClockworkMod". After that, do what I wrote in post #16.
If you still have problems after that feel free to ask some more, glad I can give back a little of my knowledge

Magnanimous Gratitute
llama,
you are a scholar and a gentleman. I think I am finally up and running. I was entering recovery from ROM recovery. After your tutelage all is in order. I have Market now and apps are downloading. One final (i hope) noob question. How do I thank you (on the thread). You have certainly earned it!

madmanrx said:
How do I thank you (on the thread). You have certainly earned it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are very welcome
underneath every post there is a Thanks-Button
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[HOW TO] Beginner's Guide to Flashing & Fun on the A700 (Root, ROMs, Etc.)

Installing ROMS & Such on the A700/701
For Extreme A700/Android Neophytes
Read It All BEFORE Beginning!​
Important Links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1710755 ← Unlock Bootloader
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1791165 ← CWM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1806980 ← CM10 Official Thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2056964 ← CM10.1 Official Thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2489708 ← CM10.2 Official Thread
-----http://get.cm/?device=a700 ← CM10 Download
-----http://goo.im/gapps ← Google Apps 4.1.2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1995981 ← AOSP 4.2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1952124 ← iconiaN
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1953917 ← Vorbeth’s EasyRoot ← Do This to Root!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2004441 ← Vorbeth’s OC GPU Kernel
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1994294 ← CoolOne700
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2196266 ← IcOdiv for A701 & A700 based on CyanogenMod 10.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2219575 ← Evil Alex Purgatory A701
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2232411 ← 7comp based on RootBox
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2510004 ← Official PAC-man 4.3
Software You Will Use/Need (depending on your root method):
http://support.acer.com/us/en/product/default.aspx?tab=1&modelId=4318 ← Acer USB Drivers
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html ← Android SDK
General Information:
First off, this was never made adequately clear for new users (without going through a hundred different posts with hundreds of replies): You will be using the Android SDK and the Windows Command Prompt. When installing the Android SDK, change the directory to something easy like C:\SDK because you will be typing it a lot. The directory in that folder you will be using exclusively for this process is the “platform-tools” directory. This is where adb and fastboot are found.
In addition, you will need to activate ADB Debugging on your tablet. This is found by going to Settings -> Developer Options -> USB Debugging. If this isn’t done, you will get nothing accomplished. Yes, you will need to have your tablet connected through USB to your PC for this to work. I know there are other ways, but I’m writing this with brand new users in mind.
After you’ve got that set, you should go ahead and install the Acer USB Drivers. None of my computers could properly identify the tablet without the drivers. Speaking of quirks, 64GB microsd cards are not generally very friendly with CM10 or CWM even when formatted as Fat32. There are lots of issues I can’t find a workaround to. Consider using a 32GB until the kinks are worked out.
I’m also assuming you are currently running the JB OTA that was pushed worldwide in October 2012. If you are not, then there are a few extra steps when installing IconiaN. Although I compiled the instructions you’re reading, I had nothing to do with anything else. In fact, I didn’t write the codes used to install things through the command prompt….I just compiled all the information into one easy-ish to follow paper.
As usual, if anything in this causes a brick to your tablet, it was your decision. I’m just providing the information that has worked for me (repeatedly). Also, as I’m not a developer, nor am I very handy with editing files or trouble shooting things without actually handling them…….Ask your specific questions directly to those people in charge of the files (pawitp, Vorbeth, Moscow Desire, meier2009, odiv81 and alx5962). They’re the gurus at this..I am a plebe in their shadow.
TL;DR:
Install Android SDK to an easy directory.
Install Acer USB Drivers.
Unlock Your Bootloader: (codes from alx5962)
1. Open a command prompt in windows and navigate to the directory where adb is stored. For the sake of conversation, I’m going to call it “C:\SDK\platform-tools”
2. Plug your tablet into your computer through USB. It should automatically mount because you’ve installed the Acer USB Drivers and didn’t skip that step above. J
3. At the command prompt, enter the following:
Code:
adb reboot-bootloader
-- Allow the device to reboot.
4. Type Code:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
5. Press the + Volume button to select Unlock then - Volume button to confirm.
6. Restart :
Code:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
----- I had issues on step 6. I tried that, and it rebooted to the bootloader screen. To be on the safe side without hard rebooting (not knowing what was going on), I used the command from Step 3. to reboot. This works for ICS and for JB bootloaders, I confirm I used the above steps on both.-----​7. Confirmation of your unlocked status will be seen in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
Install Clockwork Mod Recovery: (all work & codes from pawitp)
Somehow I wasn’t able to install this properly (permanently) until last night (11/09/12). I’m still not entirely sure what I did differently, but I’ll try to document it here. The safest version of CWM is 6.0.1.5. Don’t attempt anything without that version or better. I’ve heard that at this time the touch version isn’t working properly, so be sure to download the original style CWM.
To navigate CWM, the following bit of information will come in handy (especially if you’ve never used it before.) Use the ‘Vol-‘ and ‘Vol+’ buttons to navigate up and down and the ‘Power’ button to select your choice. When you have made a choice it will sometimes give a screen with a ton of “NO” options with only one “YES” option (usually near the bottom). Like any good video game, if you scroll upwards, you can get to the bottom of the screen faster.
1. Place the CWM file you downloaded into your “platform-tools” directory. For the sake of being easy to install, I changed the file name to ‘recovery.img.’
2. Open a command prompt in windows and navigate to the directory where adb is stored. For the sake of conversation, I’m going to call it “C:\SDK\platform-tools”
3. Plug your tablet into your computer through USB.
4. At the command prompt, enter the following:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
5. At this point, you have flashed CWM to the system, BUT you will now need to boot into CWM using :
Code:
fastboot boot recovery.img
The caveat here is that you will need to install either a custom ROM or unencumbered boot.img (kernel) NOW. If you do not install one, flashing CWM was pointless because stock recovery will overwrite it at next reboot. When prompted at reboot (leaving CWM after flashing a ROM) you should choose to keep CWM. This was sort of a miscommunication between the devs and myself, but meier2009 and Moscow Desire cleared it up.
-----Step 5. does NOT install recovery, but forces your system to boot into CWM by pushing the file to your A700 from your ‘platform-tools’ directory.-----​
For Future Reference: Enter recovery…(JB):
a. With system powered off, press and hold ‘Power’ and ‘Vol -‘
b. When the system vibrates, release the ‘Power’ button.
c. When the system vibrates a second time, slide your finger from ‘Vol-‘ to ‘Vol+.”
d. When the system vibrates a third time, release that button.
Install pawitp’s CM10.1 OR IcOdiv (A701): (all work & codes from pawitp)
Download the CM10 nightly from the official Cyanogen page and grab the Google Apps file (optional, but you won’t have market without it) listed in the links section. Despite what people say, I have always been unable to install from my external SD card. Instead, I save the zip files to the root/main directory of the internal SD. Save BOTH FILES to internal SD at this time. This has always worked for me, but your mileage may vary. You do this at your own risk, blah, blah, blah.
1. Boot your A700 into CWM using the steps outlined in Step 5. (or 6) from “Install Clockwork Recovery Mod.”
2. Backup your system by navigating to “backup and restore” by using the ‘Vol-‘ and ‘Vol+’ buttons to navigate up and down and the ‘Power’ button to select your choice.
3. At this point, there are two options for you. “backup” and “backup to external_sdcard”…. I have never been able to mount my 64GB Fat32 external_sd in CWM. Try a smaller card if you have one available (I don’t). If you can backup to external, that is probably necessary when coming from stock. I would only backup to internal if you are just updating from an older nightly or previous rom.
4. On the main screen, assuming you’re coming from stock JB or ICS, you will need to do a couple of wipes. I’m positive the first is necessary, and have read in other parts of threads and other forums that the other two wipes are needed, but as they’re both called “cache,” I went ahead and did both (with no ill effects).
Select “wipe data/factory reset”
Select “wipe cache partition”
Select “advanced” and navigate to “wipe dalvik cache”
Go back to the main menu.
5. From the main menu, select “install zip from sdcard”.
6. Select “choose zip from sdcard” and scroll down to the CM10 zip file. Press the ‘Power’ button to select and confirm.
After this has successfully installed, you can choose to install Google Apps or not. I’m assuming you will want to install them because…well…who doesn’t?
7. To install Google Apps, follow Steps 3 and 4 from above, but this time you will choose the gapps zip file instead of the CM10 zip.
8. Reboot Device & Enjoy well sorted Jelly Beans.
Install iconiaN: (all work & codes from Vorbeth)
At the moment this is my favorite. It is one version number (4.1.1) behind CM10 (4.1.2), BUT it is compatible with my SD card, and is similar to the stock experience …. only faster and without the bloatware. The only reason it is second in this guide is because of the alphabet (C before I & P before V).
The latest updates to the ROM bring the latest GAPPS and firmware. meier2009’s 4Way Reboot Mod is also included (and rocks).
1. Boot your A700 into CWM.
2. Follow Steps 2-6 from above if coming from stock JB (or CM10, or CoolOne700) with the exception that you’re installing the iconiaN zip (not CM10, duh). Also, iconiaN comes with v4.2 Google Apps pre-installed, so no need for Step 7.
-----2.a. If coming from stock ICS, you will need to install the Jelly Bean Firmware (Found in the Aroma Setup of the ROM)
3. If coming from an older version of iconiaN, you shouldn’t need to do the wipes, but go ahead and do the backup just to be safe.
4. Reboot Device & Enjoy well sorted Jelly Beans.
-----On a side note, I went ahead and installed BusyBox (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox) not sure if this was necessary, but I am suffering no ill effects from having it running on my tablet. -----​
Install Vorbeth's OC GPU Kernel: (all work & codes from Vorbeth)
This is a custom kernel (as of this writing available only for the A700) that overclocks the Tegra 3 from 1.3Ghz to 1.5Ghz. There has been a noted improvement in gaming performance using this kernel.
1. Boot your A700 into CWM.
2. From the main menu, select “install zip from sdcard”.
3. Select “choose zip from sdcard” and scroll down to the iconiaN Kernel zip file. Press the ‘Power’ button to select and confirm.
4. Reboot Device PLAY SOME GAMES! WEE!
Install Vorbeth’s EasyRoot: (all work & codes from Vorbeth)
If for some reason you’re happy with stock and just want a very simple way to ROOT, then this is for you. Using this kernel will cause OTA to stop working (or you will have to edit the updater-script) and remove all the file checks. The latest update has made all previous instructions null, and it is now exceedingly easy to install ROOT on your A700. Awesome! Still, this does require an unlocked bootloader.
1. Download and extract the EasyRoot ZIP on your computer.
2. Locate and double click the file 'easyroot.bat'.
3. Follow all onscreen instructions.
4. Profit.
CoolOne700: (all work & codes from meier2009)
This is the new kid on the block. meier2009 has included three different install options in this ROM including Full (rooted stock), Small (all the Acer bloatware removed), and Custom (Choose what you want.) It’s definitely one to keep an eye on. Custom install is very handy. He’s also got his 4Way Reboot Mod which adds all our favorite reboot/recovery features. Sweet! Also, BusyBox and SuperSU are included on install, so you don’t need to worry about that.
1. Boot your A700 into CWM.
2. Follow Steps 2-6 from CM10 Install if coming from stock JB (or CM10, or iconiaN) with the exception that you’re installing the CoolOne700 zip (not CM10, duh). Also, CoolOne700 comes with Google Apps pre-installed, so no need for Step 7.
-----2. a. If coming from stock ICS, you will need to install the Jelly Bean Firmware (Found in the Aroma Setup of the ROM)
3. If updating from an older version of CoolOne700, you won’t need to do any of the wipes, but it is always a great idea to do the backup.
4. Reboot Device & Enjoy well sorted Jelly Beans.

Code:
6. If upon reboot, you hit the old system recovery, you will need to reflash the recovery.img OR just work around it by doing:
Code:
fastboot boot recovery.img
-----Step 6. does NOT install recovery, but forces your system to boot into CWM by pushing the file to your A700 from your ‘platform-tools’ directory. I had to use this method to install CM10 because I was never able to get CWM to install. Your luck may be different.-----
THAT´s the Trick my Friend !
Install recovery with
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
AND THEN
Code:
fastboot boot recovery.img
Install any ROM and if you´re rebooting and asked to FIX Recovery, answer YES, then it will be leaved there !!!
With this way your also able to start CWM Recovery temporary
only use
Code:
fastboot boot recovery.img
then CWM will start, you can flash anything and after that CWM is gone, because the Stock Recovery is always inside the Recovery Partition

Makes sense then how I finally ended up with CWM actually installed on my tablet. Were the original instructions from pawitp mistaken, or just incomplete?

ExtremeRyno said:
Makes sense then how I finally ended up with CWM actually installed on my tablet. Were the original instructions from pawitp mistaken, or just incomplete?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lost in translation...

ROFLMAO

Added more info last night and have now included the AOSP 4.2 to the links. Keepin' this bumped & updated.

Thanks for posting this excellent How To! I used it to install CM10.
I can confirm the backup to external backup functionality does work with a 8 GB MicroSDHC card. One thing you could do to bypass the external vs internal SD card discussion is to use sideloading. I used it to both install CM10 and the Google Apps and it works nicely. Just select Update through sideload in CWM and then enter 'adb sideload <filename>' on the command line and everything works nicely.
Also for the real beginner you could may be suggest backing up all user applications using Titanium Backup in order to easily restore them after flashing a mod.

Bumping thread back near the top. Lots of people got an A700 for the holiday and it seems many of them are bricking or at least screwing things up using outdated methods or strange new forms of CWM from other forums.
Also, thanks for the info, SanjuroE. Appreciated, and I can honestly say I never knew how to do the sideloading thing. I didn't actually realize that was what it was as on my old tablet (three years ago) sideloading was always in reference to installing from the external SD.

This guide was awesome. Many thanks for this.

I flashed CWM 6.0.3.1 via fastboot.
After that I tried fastboot boot recovery.img but it doesn't work.
On the display:
Booting downloaded image.
But nothing happens ??
Can anyone help me ??

schlex2010 said:
I flashed CWM 6.0.3.1 via fastboot.
After that I tried fastboot boot recovery.img but it doesn't work.
On the display:
Booting downloaded image.
But nothing happens ??
Can anyone help me ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Loot at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1791165
Post #166 to end of thread.

cfgh said:
Loot at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1791165
Post #166 to end of thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate!
I tried another recovery.img and than everything went fine!! :good:

USB driver link is not working.

papars said:
USB driver link is not working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check this : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58172023
Many files available, including Drivers

I can't connect my iconia a700 to PC (Windows 10) is say: device not found. Any help?
I install USB Driver, but in Device managers shows Acer Iconia Tab a700 with yellow worming sign.

Driver Issues WIN10
goralpm said:
I can't connect my iconia a700 to PC (Windows 10) is say: device not found. Any help?
I install USB Driver, but in Device managers shows Acer Iconia Tab a700 with yellow worming sign.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I have the same issue and it took me hours to even find a driver from ACER. But even after the installation I cannot get the tablet to work stable. I installed general MTP drivers which gave me access to the "adb reboot-bootloader" command but during the reboot the tablet gets stuck on the Acer logo screen and does not boot into the bootloader. I have to unplug the tablet and only then I get the white text in the top left corner of the screen saying "starting Fastboot USB download protocol". But that is it. I assume that fastboot would use the Acer drivers to access the tablet but I don't have any for windows 10.
My question: Could somebody post drivers for Windows 10 for the A700/A701?
Thanks
realshadow

realShadow said:
Hi,
... ...
My question: Could somebody post drivers for Windows 10 for the A700/A701?
Thanks
realshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had exactly the same problem. The solution was give here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48915118
You don not need Acer driver.
- Wayne

[Q] Re: THE ULTIMATE NEWB GUIDE. I'm too noob for to noob guide, help.

. I don't even want a custom ROM. I just want to be rooted and run stock with rooted google play store apps. Am I there?
I just want to run rooted apps with no ROM flashing...oh god why...where is the guide to root and only root?
You'd think this http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1652398 would be where to go to do that, but evidently it's sending me down the road to custom ROM flashing. AGHGHGhjkdashbdas. Do not want.
Ok, so here's where I am, I have finished step 8:
1. Download Odin 1.85 .
2. Download(USE FIREFOX!) ClockworkMod TOUCH 5.5.0.4 OR TWRP 2.2.2.0, they are both named "recovery.tar.md5" and will be downloaded as "recovery.tar.md5", DO NOT CHANGE the filename or else it wont install.
3. Extract the contents of odin-185.zip to a folder.
4. Run Odin 1.85.exe from the folder you extracted it to.
5. Prepare Odin: Check "auto-reboot" and UNCHECK ALL OTHER OPTIONS. SEE COMPUTER SREEN PICS BELOW.
6. Only Click "PDA" and select the recovery.tar.md5 file you downloaded. SEE COMPUTER SREEN PICS BELOW.
7. How To Put your device into Download Mode: DO NOT TOUCH THE POWER BUTTON FOR THIS PROCEDURE. - download mode is NOT the same as recovery mode
a. Connect the USB cable to your PC, but NOT to your phone.
b. Remove the battery.
c. Reinsert the battery.
d. ATT PHONES - Press and keep down both Volume Up and Volume Down keys simultaneously.
ROGERS PHONES - Press and keep down only the Volume Down key.
DO NOT RELEASE THE VOLUME KEY(S) UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO IN STEP (f)
e. Insert the USB cable into your device. The phone will turn itself on when usb cable is inserted - DO NOT TOUCH THE POWER BUTTON.
f. You will now see a screen w/a yellow triangle warning you about installing a rom . Now release the volume key(s) - SEE PHONE PICS BELOW
g. Press and release the "Volume Up" key to enter into download mode - SEE PHONE PICS BELOW
h. You should now be at the Download Mode screen w/odin recognizing your phone. SEE COMPUTER SREEN PICS BELOW.
8. Click Start in Odin. It will flash the new recovery and will reboot the phone when completed. Your device will autoreboot into android. You are done using ODIN.
9. UPDATING CWM OR TWRP:
Now you need to udate CWM, download and copy cwm6027touch_v14.4.6_skyrocket.zip file to your sdcard, boot into recovery and choose "INSTALL FROM SDCARD" from recovery, install the file and reboot back into recovery to see if it installed correctly.
sk8erwitskil's CWM thread is here HERE , check to see if above file is the latest or dl the "Flashable zip" CWM file from there.
If upgrading TWRP go here HERE and follow the dev's instructions on using goo app, or you can use the flashable TWRP 2.4.1.0 file HERE and copy that file to your sdcard, boot into recovery and pick "INSTALL" from recovery, install the file and reboot back into recovery to see if it installed correctly.
How to enter recovery read section #2 below.
How to use cwm read THIS, also read Q&A on recoveries
You can upgrade to either CWM OR TWRP from which ever recovery TAR file you used in ODIN in step #2 from above.
10. You're done newbie and soon to be a power user, read and educate yourself as much as you can before flashing, happy flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to do step 9. Do I even need it? I have no desire to run a custom ROM.

yargdpirate said:
OK so here's the list of instructions I'm using to root my Skyrocket:
I have completed everything through step 4. I completely do not understand what to do after that. So, like I'm a 40 year old soccer mom, can you explain what I'm supposed to do to fulfill step 5? Is it through the odin app on my pc? Is this completed on my phone? The link provided that ostensibly explains to noobs how to do this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1777970) doesn't adequately explain to me what I'm doing and where.
Help, please!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming that you have successfully installed your custom recovery you then need to know which recovery you installed before you update it. If you used CWM you can get the updated version from the Skyrocket development thread. Put the updated CWM file on your SD card and flash that zip while in recovery. If you used TWRP you can update it through the app that it installed if it did install one. GooManager (someone correct me if I am wrong on the name) I think GooManager needs suoeruser privileges. So which recovery did you flash?

CodeNameRedNeck said:
Assuming that you have successfully installed your custom recovery you then need to know which recovery you installed before you update it. If you used CWM you can get the updated version from the Skyrocket development thread. Put the updated CWM file on your SD card and flash that zip while in recovery. If you used TWRP you can update it through the app that it installed if it did install one. GooManager (someone correct me if I am wrong on the name) I think GooManager needs suoeruser privileges. So which recovery did you flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Put the updated CWM file on your SD card and flash that zip while in recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's CWM. How do I
A. Put the updated CWM file on my SD card and
B. Flash that zip while in recovery? Is that through Odin, or what?
Thanks

yargdpirate said:
It's CWM. How do I
A. Put the updated CWM file on my SD card and
B. Flash that zip while in recovery? Is that through Odin, or what?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think you should stay on stock, read more b4 you brick your phone, no sense in rooting/installing custom roms when you dont know how to install a file on your scard, im not putting you down but trying to give you friendly advice

Vincom has a point. I taught myself through these forums and Google how to do it back in October of 2011. I flashed many a ROM and many files since then until I bricked mine Thursday. Now I have to pay 60 dollars to get it fixed. But on the upside I now have a Note II to play with.
Edit: She is asking for help though and she did ask in the right thread. Some people need more help than others.

vincom said:
i think you should stay on stock, read more b4 you brick your phone, no sense in rooting/installing custom roms when you dont know how to install a file on your scard, im not putting you down but trying to give you friendly advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. ****. I don't even want a custom ROM. I just want to be rooted and run stock with rooted google play store apps. Am I there?
I just want to run rooted apps with no ROM flashing...oh god why...where is the guide to root and only root?
You'd think this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1652398 would be where to go to do that, but evidently it's sending me down the road to custom ROM flashing. AGHGHGhjkdashbdas. Do not want.
Ok, so here's where I am, I have finished step 8:
1. Download Odin 1.85 .
2. Download(USE FIREFOX!) ClockworkMod TOUCH 5.5.0.4 OR TWRP 2.2.2.0, they are both named "recovery.tar.md5" and will be downloaded as "recovery.tar.md5", DO NOT CHANGE the filename or else it wont install.
3. Extract the contents of odin-185.zip to a folder.
4. Run Odin 1.85.exe from the folder you extracted it to.
5. Prepare Odin: Check "auto-reboot" and UNCHECK ALL OTHER OPTIONS. SEE COMPUTER SREEN PICS BELOW.
6. Only Click "PDA" and select the recovery.tar.md5 file you downloaded. SEE COMPUTER SREEN PICS BELOW.
7. How To Put your device into Download Mode: DO NOT TOUCH THE POWER BUTTON FOR THIS PROCEDURE. - download mode is NOT the same as recovery mode
a. Connect the USB cable to your PC, but NOT to your phone.
b. Remove the battery.
c. Reinsert the battery.
d. ATT PHONES - Press and keep down both Volume Up and Volume Down keys simultaneously.
ROGERS PHONES - Press and keep down only the Volume Down key.
DO NOT RELEASE THE VOLUME KEY(S) UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO IN STEP (f)
e. Insert the USB cable into your device. The phone will turn itself on when usb cable is inserted - DO NOT TOUCH THE POWER BUTTON.
f. You will now see a screen w/a yellow triangle warning you about installing a rom . Now release the volume key(s) - SEE PHONE PICS BELOW
g. Press and release the "Volume Up" key to enter into download mode - SEE PHONE PICS BELOW
h. You should now be at the Download Mode screen w/odin recognizing your phone. SEE COMPUTER SREEN PICS BELOW.
8. Click Start in Odin. It will flash the new recovery and will reboot the phone when completed. Your device will autoreboot into android. You are done using ODIN.
9. UPDATING CWM OR TWRP:
Now you need to udate CWM, download and copy cwm6027touch_v14.4.6_skyrocket.zip file to your sdcard, boot into recovery and choose "INSTALL FROM SDCARD" from recovery, install the file and reboot back into recovery to see if it installed correctly.
sk8erwitskil's CWM thread is here HERE , check to see if above file is the latest or dl the "Flashable zip" CWM file from there.
If upgrading TWRP go here HERE and follow the dev's instructions on using goo app, or you can use the flashable TWRP 2.4.1.0 file HERE and copy that file to your sdcard, boot into recovery and pick "INSTALL" from recovery, install the file and reboot back into recovery to see if it installed correctly.
How to enter recovery read section #2 below.
How to use cwm read THIS, also read Q&A on recoveries
You can upgrade to either CWM OR TWRP from which ever recovery TAR file you used in ODIN in step #2 from above.
10. You're done newbie and soon to be a power user, read and educate yourself as much as you can before flashing, happy flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to do step 9. Do I even need it? I have no desire to run a custom ROM.

For just rooting u have to run the superuser zip through your recovery
Oh and if you are not understanding what the stickies are saying to do then look it up on youtube because there are a lot of step by step instructions there.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

a. put updated file in your micro sd card.... plug ur micro sd card to pc... drag file and drop it in your micro sd card. put the micro sd card back in phone.
b. to go to recovery press power button + vol+ + vol- all at once and hold.
why do u need to unlock play store app? playstore is accessible completely even without root. you can also sideload Amazon appstore and other apps without root. no need to get all bricked up just to run playstore. i'm confused what are you trying to do again?

droidbabyxda said:
a. put updated file in your micro sd card.... plug ur micro sd card to pc... drag file and drop it in your micro sd card. put the micro sd card back in phone.
b. to go to recovery press power button + vol+ + vol- all at once and hold.
why do u need to unlock play store app? playstore is accessible completely even without root. you can also sideload Amazon appstore and other apps without root. no need to get all bricked up just to run playstore. i'm confused what are you trying to do again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im guessing he wants to run apps from play that require root, eg titanuim backup, but he doesnt know how to put a file on his sdcard, but then he has to learn how to install zips from recovery which someones got to teach him since he doesnt want to read/learn/search for the answers. he seems to be impatient and wants it done "now", its a brick waiting to happen, my advice to him was to slowdown and learn

vincom said:
im guessing he wants to run apps from play that require root, eg titanuim backup, but he doesnt know how to put a file on his sdcard, but then he has to learn how to install zips from recovery which someones got to teach him since he doesnt want to read/learn/search for the answers. he seems to be impatient and wants it done "now", its a brick waiting to happen, my advice to him was to slowdown and learn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree and such bad attituted too. i wouldn't want to help anybody who cusses in every conversation geez little respect goes a long way

It you just want to root and not want to flash any custom ROMs or anything related to it,I will tell you how to from total beginning
ALL DATA WILL BE LOST , BACKUP EVERYTHING
In order to root Android 4.2 the following three requirements must be satisfied beforehand:
The Android SDK, which you can download from Google Developers
A custom recovery like ClockworkMod (CWM) or Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP)
SuperSU, which you can download from CF-Root
There are no major differences between the two, but TWRP is more touch-oriented thanks to larger buttons. CWM is also available in a touch-compatible variant, but it has much smaller buttons. It's a matter of personal preference between the two though, but you have to choose one.
Before starting the process I urge you to perform a backup, as all data might be lost afterwards. You can copy the contents of the SD card to a safe external location such as cloud storage service or computer hard drive.
The first step that needs to be performed after all the files are downloaded is to install the Android SDK. Afterwards open the Android SDK Manager and select the following two items:
Android SDK Platform-tools -- it contains the required programs to install Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Google USB Driver -- it contains the necessary drivers for the Nexus device
Then you should create a folder in an easily accessible location within the command line. In this example I will use a folder named "Root" in my C:\ drive in Windows. The path name will therefore be: "C:\Root".
From the folder where Android SDK Platform-tools is installed (in my case it is "C:\Program Files x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools" copy the following files to the previously created "Root" folder:
adb.exe
AdbWinApi.dll
AdbWinUsbApi.dll
fastboot.exe
The following files must also be copied to the "Root" folder:
CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip -- SuperSU file
The custom recovery that you previously downloaded for your specific device (please see below)
For my 8 GB nexus 7 wifi(codename "grouper" I will use TWRP with the name "openrecovery-twrp-2.3.1.0-grouper.img".
You can easily find the codename for your devoice by looking into Google
The custom recovery file differs for each device, please make sure you download the correct file
In order to make the process smoother for instance the SuperSU file can be renamed to "root.zip" and the custom recovery to "customrecovery.zip". It's a matter of convenience, but for accuracy I will stick to the original naming for this guide.
If the previous steps are completed you must have the following six files in your "Root" folder:
adb.exe
AdbWinApi.dll
AdbWinUsbApi.dll
fastboot.exe
CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip -- SuperSU file
The custom recovery. In my case it is "openrecovery-twrp-2.3.1.0-grouper.img"
From there, you can proceed to install the drivers for "fastboot mode". To install them, follow these steps:
Power off your Nexus device.
Press and hold Volume Up and Volume Down then press and hold the Power button; the device will now enter "fastboot mode".
Go to Device Manager (Computer -> Properties -> Device Manager in Windows 7/8) and identify the device; for me it shows up as Android 1.0.
Right click Android 1.0 and select "Update Driver Software," then select "Browse my computer for driver software".
Select "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer," then click "Next".
From "Have Disk..." option go to the folder where you have Google USB Driver installed (for me it's "C:\Program Files .(x86)\Android\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver" and select "android_winusb.inf".
Out of the three options select "Android ADB Interface" and validate any future warning window to install the driver.
Final preparations
Everything is prepared in order to start the installation process, but in order to do so a command window must be opened. Windows Key + R opens "Run"; type in "cmd" and the command window appears. Typing "cd C:\Root" and pressing Enter sets the "Root" folder as the working directory. Pressing the Shift key and right clicking inside the "Root" folder will also deliver the same result.
The device must be turned on in "fastboot mode" which I have explained at step no.2 during the driver installation process, and obviously plugged-in to the computer. You then have to type in the following commands while in "fastboot mode":
fastboot devices -- this is just for verification purposes; if there is no listed device then the drivers have been improperly installed and steps 1 through 7 must be redone.
fastboot oem unlock -> you have to accept the prompt in order to continue -- this command will unlock the bootloader, but it will also erase the data on the device which is why a backup is necessary.
fastboot reboot-bootloader -- this will reboot the bootloader.
fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.3.1.0-grouper.img -- this will flash the custom recovery --please use the specific file and name for your particular Nexus device!
fastboot erase cache -- this will erase the cache -- might not be necessary but it's just as a precaution.
fastboot reboot -- this will reboot the device.
After Android 4.2 is loaded and running the SuperSU file must be copied from the "Root" folder to the internal storage (shows up in Windows Explorer as a Nexus device). A simple copy and paste will do the trick here.
Then you have to power off the Nexus device and enter "fastboot mode" again. Use the Volume Up and Volume Down keys to navigate until you can select "Recovery Mode". After the power button is pressed the device will reboot in the new custom recovery.
Rooting your Nexus device
If you have ClockworkMod installed, you have to perform the following steps:
Select "install zip from sdcard"
Select "choose zip from sdcard"
Select "0" (zero) folder
Select "CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip"
Select "Yes - Install CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip"
Select "Go Back"
Select "reboot system now"
If you have Team Win Recovery Project installed, you have to perform the following steps:
Press "Install".\
Select "CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip" -- for me it's in the "0" (zero) folder
Swipe to confirm flash
Press "Wipe cache/dalvik" (just as a precaution)
Swipe to wipe
Press "Reboot System"
After Android 4.2 loads your device can run apps with elevated privileges (meaning it's rooted). A SuperSU app is installed in order to allow root requests, so please use your judgement on which apps you grant access.
If you experiences any problem, please reply and I will look into it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

^^you want him todo that, lmao, he doesnt even know how to put a file on his sdcard to flash it in recovery, theres no way a computer newb is going to be able to follow what you posted

That's why I have not used the word flash anywhere, I know that he does not know how to flash , I have posted the right thing for a total noob,( at least if he knows how to use command in windows or install drivers)
I helped him in the way I could and what he requested
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

You think that helped. LOL. Your telling him to do things that aren't even required to gain root with this device. Not everything is a nexus bro. Next time you wanna help study up on the phone your giving advice about. lol

Well , thanks for telling me that every android isn't rooted in same manner, I was thinking that all devices are rooted in same ways like for my nexus
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

naman14, im not putting you down, your step by step howto is admirable, good work, but the problem is that the op is clueless on tech stuff, its not the word "flash" he has a problem with, i could of said "install" and it would lead to same conclusion, he doesnt know how to copy a file to his sdcard, if he cant do that he has no business in modding his phone until he learns more. anyhow the op is long gone by now

I upgraded my samsung skyrocket s2 version 2.3.6 to 4.0.4 through the Kies. Then I tried to install TWRP 2.2.0 and Odin 1.85. I saw COM 14 ; COM 17 when I hit start button .It said
FAILED. Now it showed a yellow triangle in the middle of phone & monitor pictures. ( including : Firmware upgrade encountered an issue . please select recovery mode in Kies & try again). Please help . Thank you very much.
I just tried other laptop . I saw COM 3 but it said it couldn't open the serial (COM )port . All thread completed (success 0/ failed 1)

[How-To] Unlock Bootloader and Root

To start off everyone should know that messing with your phone can brick it!! You should not mess with your phone if you are unsure of what you are doing. You will get this (or a similar) warning while following the unlock instructions from Motorola as well. Following these instructions also voids your warranty!
I only use Motorola's official firmware for the moment and these instructions were originally performed on the ASA14 firmware. They should be useful for previous versions of the firmware but I will not be testing those. These instructions may not work for releases after ASA14.
While following this guide you need to be on a Windows PC with the administrator account or an account with administrative privileges. If you do not have these privileges you will likely run into issues. All instructions are written for a PC running Windows 7 as that is the only PC I have access to. If anyone has any instructions using a different version of Windows I will gladly add them in.
Windows commands:
dir - Lists all directories (folders) and files of the directory you are currently in.
cd {directory name} - Moves into the named directory. The directory names are case-sensitive.
cd.. - Moves to the directory before the one you are currently in. For instance if you are in C:\Users\Public and perform cd.. you will move to C:\Users
{Unlocking the Bootloader}​
I'm writing this pretty late and formatting takes forever so I'll update this section later with my own set of instructions. For now use this guide which I plan on using for inspiration since I can't really repeat the unlock process.
Below is my work in progress. This is incomplete and will be unhidden when it is completed.
Updated Unlock
1. Download the Android SDK
2. Unzip the file. If you don't have a program to unzip the file 7-zip is great.
3. Move the unzipped folder to a location that is easy to locate. For me I put this in "Documents".
4. Rename the folder to something shorter, that way it's easier to type in later. "ADT" is easy to use and remember.
5. Download the drivers for the phone.
6. Open "MotorolaDeviceManager_2.3.9.exe" and install the drivers.
7. Go here
8. Click "PROCEED ANYWAY"
9. Register an account with Motorola.
10. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
11. Open “Command Prompt”
12. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder.
13. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
14. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
15. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
16. Connect your phone to your PC.
17. Type "fastboot oem get_unlock_data" in Command Prompt.
{Installing a New Recovery}​
For the recovery we’re going to install the Photon Q Open Recovery. Every recovery has its advantages and disadvantages. This one is familiar to me and so I chose it for this guide.
1. Download the recovery image
2. Place the image in the Android SDK “platform-tools” folder which is in the "sdk" folder
3. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Connect your phone to your PC
7. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
8. Right-click “Command Prompt”
9. Click “Run as administrator”
10. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder (Unfortunately I cannot tell you where this is as each computer will have it placed differently)
11. Type in “fasboot flash recovery open_recovery_206_05_06_2013.img”
{Getting Root}​
1. Download the zip file for rooting
2. Place the file in the root (ie. not within a folder) of your phone’s SD card
3. Turn your phone off
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Recovery” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Select “Apply Update” (In recovery the the controls change. Volume up and volume down move in the list, the camera button at the bottom right of the device selects.)
7. Select the file you placed on your SD card from step 2
8. Wait for the update to apply, it should say that it finished successfully
9. Select “Reboot Phone”
Credit for all of this goes to their respective creators. I will name them all by name at a later date, but the credit can also be found following the linked material. Hopefully that doesn't bother the creators, writers, or hosts.
The Open Recovery port was done by Skrilax_CZ.
SuperSU is hosted by shabbypenguin and developed by Chainfire.
Please don't re-post this how-to without crediting. I've had it happen before and it was a huge disincentive for updating and making new guides.

section "{Installing a New Bootloader}" and "1. Download the bootloader image" below it are actually reffering to recovery (probably the best one out there). Not a bootloader.
Bootloader boots the system. Depending on keys pressed during boot (if any, or if instructed by commands) it can boot to bootloader menu, recovery, system (android)...

Ah, thanks. I would have known that if I rechecked but I haven't had time to.
Edit:
While I was editing I noticed I referenced it as recovery multiple times and was switching between the two as the guide went on!

unlocking bootloader failed
ok so i got the device id went to the motorola site said it was good got the unlock key did the step and typed it in the command prompt and it says
(bootloader) password incorrect
(bootloader) oem unlock failure
FAILED <remote failure>
sorry if this is a noob question usualy dont post first time last time i rooted a fone was on an evo 4g so never really messed with command prompts and unlock keys to much i repeted the whole process 3 times already and i still get the same message
edit: nvm got it to work hahaha forgot to capslock the letter in the key thanks for the write up man

demi_god_619 said:
ok so i got the device id went to the motorola site said it was good got the unlock key did the step and typed it in the command prompt and it says
(bootloader) password incorrect
(bootloader) oem unlock failure
FAILED <remote failure>
sorry if this is a noob question usualy dont post first time last time i rooted a fone was on an evo 4g so never really messed with command prompts and unlock keys to much i repeted the whole process 3 times already and i still get the same message
edit: nvm got it to work hahaha forgot to capslock the letter in the key thanks for the write up man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, unfortunately there's are a few points where unlocking get's confusing. I had to enter my stuff from the command prompt to Motorola's site like 5 times before I figured out where the copy/paste had spaces. It took me a while to figure out I had pasted an extra space at the end. This was the first phone for Motorola's bootloader unlock plan so I'm hoping they improve on it for their future phones.

The OP is updated with some more color-coding, updated credits (though I didn't try to get everyone just yet), and changed the link to an updated SuperSU. This should work on the Jellybean update though I won't know for sure unless someone confirms it in this thread. I've taken a break from messing with my personal phone for a while so I won't be checking the boards as often but I'll still be checking every few days.

Solust said:
The OP is updated with some more color-coding, updated credits (though I didn't try to get everyone just yet), and changed the link to an updated SuperSU. This should work on the Jellybean update though I won't know for sure unless someone confirms it in this thread. I've taken a break from messing with my personal phone for a while so I won't be checking the boards as often but I'll still be checking every few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI, if you install TWRP it will detect whether you have root or not and offer to install it for you.
Simplifies the guide a bit, and IMHO TWRP is a great recovery - all touch based, no more mashing the volume keys .
Nicely done regardless.

I noticed I was missing a step in the {Getting Root} section. It was an implied step but I added it for clarity.
I also had forgotten to mention that once you get into recovery the buttons used to control things change slightly. You can use the keyboard in addition to the device buttons.

Thanks for the How-to!:good: I was wondering if you would mind if I gave you or added some instructions for Linux users?

xaelith said:
Thanks for the How-to!:good: I was wondering if you would mind if I gave you or added some instructions for Linux users?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that would be fine. PM me the instructions and I'll test them out on my Linux partition. It'll probably take a few days as I have things coming up.

I've updated the links in the OP to Open Recovery 2.06 (changing the name in the command accordingly) and started writing my own set of bootloader unlock steps. They aren't complete yet but if someone is having troubles understanding the first few steps of the linked article mine should be broken down to be a bit easier to digest.

Solust said:
I've updated the links in the OP to Open Recovery 2.06 (changing the name in the command accordingly) and started writing my own set of bootloader unlock steps. They aren't complete yet but if someone is having troubles understanding the first few steps of the linked article mine should be broken down to be a bit easier to digest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open Recovery is on version 2.09 now. Has anyone tried it? I tried it using the posted steps but I got the same result as when I tried cmwrecovery, the phone doesn't boot to it, it boots to an image of the android guy on his back with his belly open and a red exclamation point hovering over him. Any advise? It's a Photon Q using Android version 4.1.2 nand I have successfully unlocked the bootloader.

I never changed versions because most of the updates target Kit-Kat based custom ROMs. Make sure your phone is NOT plugged in when you try to get into recovery. If it doesn't work when not attached to anything re-download the recovery and try installing again.

Entomology onsaboo
Solust said:
I never changed versions because most of the updates target Kit-Kat based custom ROMs. Make sure your phone is NOT plugged in when you try to get into recovery. If it doesn't work when not attached to anything re-download the recovery and try installing again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried to get into recovery both plugged in and not plugged in. I tried downloading and re downloading both CMWrecovery and open recovery 2.09 both.
Are you saying Open Recovery 2.09 is targeted at Kit-Kat custom ROMs and won't work on my phone? Should I try the version in your OP?

It should work in theory regardless of Kit-Kat, but if you've already tried all of that then give the older version a shot. I really post only what I know and have tried in the original post. It's beyond the scope of my thread though so you may have better luck asking in the recovery threads if you can't get any version to work. I'm on my phone for the time being or I would link you to the appropriate threads myself.

Solust said:
It should work in theory regardless of Kit-Kat, but if you've already tried all of that then give the older version a shot. I really post only what I know and have tried in the original post. It's beyond the scope of my thread though so you may have better luck asking in the recovery threads if you can't get any version to work. I'm on my phone for the time being or I would link you to the appropriate threads myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't fine a copy of the older version anywhere.
I understand, and I thank you for your help.

Solust said:
To start off everyone should know that messing with your phone can brick it!! You should not mess with your phone if you are unsure of what you are doing. You will get this (or a similar) warning while following the unlock instructions from Motorola as well. Following these instructions also voids your warranty!
I only use Motorola's official firmware for the moment and these instructions were originally performed on the ASA14 firmware. They should be useful for previous versions of the firmware but I will not be testing those. These instructions may not work for releases after ASA14.
While following this guide you need to be on a Windows PC with the administrator account or an account with administrative privileges. If you do not have these privileges you will likely run into issues. All instructions are written for a PC running Windows 7 as that is the only PC I have access to. If anyone has any instructions using a different version of Windows I will gladly add them in.
Windows commands:
dir - Lists all directories (folders) and files of the directory you are currently in.
cd {directory name} - Moves into the named directory. The directory names are case-sensitive.
cd.. - Moves to the directory before the one you are currently in. For instance if you are in C:\Users\Public and perform cd.. you will move to C:\Users
{Unlocking the Bootloader}​
I'm writing this pretty late and formatting takes forever so I'll update this section later with my own set of instructions. For now use this guide which I plan on using for inspiration since I can't really repeat the unlock process.
Below is my work in progress. This is incomplete and will be unhidden when it is completed.
Updated Unlock
1. Download the Android SDK
2. Unzip the file. If you don't have a program to unzip the file 7-zip is great.
3. Move the unzipped folder to a location that is easy to locate. For me I put this in "Documents".
4. Rename the folder to something shorter, that way it's easier to type in later. "ADT" is easy to use and remember.
5. Download the drivers for the phone.
6. Open "MotorolaDeviceManager_2.3.9.exe" and install the drivers.
7. Go here
8. Click "PROCEED ANYWAY"
9. Register an account with Motorola.
10. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
11. Open “Command Prompt”
12. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder.
13. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
14. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
15. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
16. Connect your phone to your PC.
17. Type "fastboot oem get_unlock_data" in Command Prompt.
{Installing a New Recovery}​
For the recovery we’re going to install the Photon Q Open Recovery. Every recovery has its advantages and disadvantages. This one is familiar to me and so I chose it for this guide.
1. Download the recovery image
2. Place the image in the Android SDK “platform-tools” folder which is in the "sdk" folder
3. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Connect your phone to your PC
7. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
8. Right-click “Command Prompt”
9. Click “Run as administrator”
10. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder (Unfortunately I cannot tell you where this is as each computer will have it placed differently)
11. Type in “fasboot flash recovery open_recovery_206_05_06_2013.img”
{Getting Root}​
1. Download the zip file for rooting
2. Place the file in the root (ie. not within a folder) of your phone’s SD card
3. Turn your phone off
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Recovery” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Select “Apply Update” (In recovery the the controls change. Volume up and volume down move in the list, the camera button at the bottom right of the device selects.)
7. Select the file you placed on your SD card from step 2
8. Wait for the update to apply, it should say that it finished successfully
9. Select “Reboot Phone”
Credit for all of this goes to their respective creators. I will name them all by name at a later date, but the credit can also be found following the linked material. Hopefully that doesn't bother the creators, writers, or hosts.
The Open Recovery port was done by Skrilax_CZ.
SuperSU is hosted by shabbypenguin and developed by Chainfire.
Please don't re-post this how-to without crediting. I've had it happen before and it was a huge disincentive for updating and making new guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got an error when I clicked on the recovery image download link. Is there a better method?

EpicSaga said:
I got an error when I clicked on the recovery image download link. Is there a better method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the OpenRecovery thread for a valid link to that recovery... the links are a bit outdated for OR, look near the end of the thread.

I have the link to the Open Recovery thread at the very start of the section about installing recovery. It's there in case links die, someone wants more info on what they're installing, or someone has support questions pertaining to Open Recovery. This thread didn't seem to be very popular compared to one I made for an older phone so I haven't kept it up to date. The phone has been out for some time as well so I likely won't be updating this thread.