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Hello xda-developers, I'm new here, and I have a question about ClockWork, Rooting, and Firmwares for this device.
I'm hoping to get a G-Tablet this holiday and hack it for zPad and Market Access. But I'm confused about the recovery and update.zip process. Does the G-Tablet have to be rooted before installing alternate firmwares or ClockWorkMod? If so, how is this done? And is the process for booting into recovery the same for every Android device (hold Vol. Up during boot)? If not, how do I get into recovery to install ClockworkMod and zPad? I can't seem to find any guides for Clockwork or the update.zip process, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.
I've never actually owned an Android device, but I've been doing my research, and I know quite a lot about Android. I've worked with homebrew and custom firmware on other devices as well, so I have an idea of what hacking and rooting entails. I'm a guy who likes to tinker with tech, so I won't mind hacking the mess out of the G-Tablet at all.
easy
MdX MaxX said:
Hello xda-developers, I'm new here, and I have a question about ClockWork, Rooting, and Firmwares for this device.
I'm hoping to get a G-Tablet this holiday and hack it for zPad and Market Access. But I'm confused about the recovery and update.zip process. Does the G-Tablet have to be rooted before installing alternate firmwares or ClockWorkMod? If so, how is this done? And is the process for booting into recovery the same for every Android device (hold Vol. Up during boot)? If not, how do I get into recovery to install ClockworkMod and zPad?
I've never actually owned an Android device, but I've been doing my research, and I know quite a lot about Android. I've worked with homebrew and custom firmware on other devices as well, so I have an idea of what hacking and rooting entails. I'm a guy who likes to tinker with tech, so I won't mind hacking the mess out of the G-Tablet at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news. On this tablet its about as easy as possible. You don't need to be rooted to install clockwork or the roms. And tnt (plus the others I suspect) are rooted out of the box so as soon as you install all is good. Compared to say my Droid incredible this thing is a breeze! No need for nand unlock or soff or related.
Oh cool, so it's as simple as throwing the ClockWorkMod update.zip on the MicroSD, booting into recovery, and installing? Same with zPad?
Thanks for the reply!
I used visionary + version 14 and it did the trick for me
gtablet rooting required
[email protected] said:
Good news. On this tablet its about as easy as possible. You don't need to be rooted to install clockwork or the roms. And tnt (plus the others I suspect) are rooted out of the box so as soon as you install all is good. Compared to say my Droid incredible this thing is a breeze! No need for nand unlock or soff or related.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My gtab purchased from Sears was not pre rooted. Just to let people know. Rooting was required. Maybe yours was not quite new.
Rooting is easy though.
MdX MaxX said:
Oh cool, so it's as simple as throwing the ClockWorkMod update.zip on the MicroSD, booting into recovery, and installing? Same with zPad?
Thanks for the reply!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. All the modded ROMs have root preinstalled. After you have clockwork installed it is much more easy to flash a new ROM, because you have a UI to use to flash them.
There are many different partitions on android devices. The main ones for running android will host Boot.img and System.img, which you will flash as a ROM. A separate partition will host the Recovery.img, which you will flash with clockwork. Think of recovery to a similar type thing as a BIOS for a computer.
Muscleboy said:
My gtab purchased from Sears was not pre rooted. Just to let people know. Rooting was required. Maybe yours was not quite new.
Rooting is easy though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people just install a ROM to get root because it takes less time, and will have some tweaks compared to the stock software. You are right that it is not pre-rooted, but I don't think he was saying it was.
Hello all,
This is just another post I am making to hopefully help newbies who may want to mod their gTab but are not sure where to start. xda has an overwhelming amount of information on it and it can be difficult to sort through it all. I hope that someone who just got a gTab or just decided to mod it will be helped by this little compilation.
Now, the first thing we should discuss is what "rooting" an Android device actually means. When you root a device you gain superuser (root) privileges on the ROM you are running. This is only useful if you do not plan to flash a custom ROM, or, in other words, you want to use the stock Tap'n'Tap (TnT) software, but be able to use superuser apps like TitaniumBackup or RootExplorer. Most custom ROMs come rooted.
Now that we've cleared that up, lets talk about what you are actually going to be doing and the stages of the g tablet boot that you will be modding. The gtab boots in 3 stages, it will first load the viewsonic birds screen, here it decides whether to boot the recovery image, the APX bootloader (for nvflash), or the main ROM you have loaded. To change what it does you wither hold the power button (main ROM), Power&Vol+ (recovery kernel), or Power&Vol- (APX bootloader. To flash a custom ROM you install a custom recovery known as ClockWork Mod.
LOADING A CUSTOM RECOVERY WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!
So if you don't want to do that, stop right here! I didn't care, but you might so be aware. Now there is a third thing to consider gTabs ship with two different bootloaders. Information on this topic can be found HERE. It is very important that you know what bootloader version you have before continuing, I soft-bricked (see Troubleshooting) my tablet the first time and had to recover it because I didn't check my bootloader version before trying to flash ClockWork Mod. This guide is meant for those who are on the 1.1-3588 bootloader, if you have the 1.2 bootloader you can either find a guide for that bootloader or downgrade your bootloader (this is what I did) with instructions you can find here.
Once you have CONFIRMED that you are on the 1.1-3588 bootloader, continue.
Instructions for installing ClockworkMod can be found here!
After installing ClockworkMod Successfully, you are well on your way to enjoying your tablet's fullest potential. Now you can flash a custom ROM.
Instructions for installing a custom ROM can be found here!
Some ROM's I highly recommend and their features:
VEGAn-Tab 5.1.1 - Best 2.2 ROM I used.
Dev Thread
VEGAn-TAB GingerEdition - Awesome 2.3.3 ROM! One of the best and most useful ROMs I have used. It is able to make your tablet ready to use immediately.
Dev Thread
TnT-Lite - I have never used this ROM but I have heard good things about it. Worth a look.
Dev Thread
Cyanogen Mod 7.0.3-STABLE - This is my current favorite ROM, but is not as out-of-the-box useful as VEGAn-TAB, VEGAn is an extension of Cyanogenmod, but it is based off of Cyanogenmod 7.0.0, which doesn't support even partial hardware video acceleration or Netflix streaming, therefore I use CYMod 7.0.3. With Cyanogenmod you have to download an update zip file to get google apps because of copyright issues. You can find instructions in the Cyanogenmod Wiki.
Dev Site (not hosted on xda)
Troubleshooting!
OMFGXOXROZWTFYOURUINEDMYTABLETOMG!1!!11! - No, I didn't. Please explain your problems well if you need help! I am not responsible for anything that happens to your tablet, ever
My tablet won't boot up!!! - If you can't boot your tablet this is a soft-brick, but fear not! It can be recovered (usually) Follow instructions here!
How come google apps are missing? - Look up a few lines!
I want to be able to do x!!! - Talk to the developer of the ROM you chose, not me!
Final Note: This is a compendium of useful info for newbies, putting a custom ROM on your tablet does void the warranty and can be tedious, and none of that is my problem! Hopefully anyone who was confused about the process they are considering taking on is now more in the know about what they are going to attempt. Personally I think the gTab is useless without a custom ROM, and that this is essential to making your tablet useeful, I now carry my tablet with me everywhere and would not go back on this purchase in a millon years!
Enjoy and happy modding,
Insignia96
Hi there,
I've got an unlocked One X, running on a Telstra contract (in Australia). I bought the phone from Mobicity.com.au a few months back, and have always had problems with the OTA updates. In short, they don't work: it's still running Android 4.0.3. Every now and then I get the notification to tell me that a new update is available from HTC, but installing it simply causes the phone to reboot into "ClockworkMod Recovery v5.8.3.1" with an error with something about an "unknown volume for path [INTERNALSDCARD:<complicated-update-name.zip>]" and that it "can't mount" said file; causing the installation to abort.
Now, to be honest, I don't really understand what ClockworkMod Recovery is or what it does. If this mod is there for whatever purpose, I did not install it. Does HTC install it by default? Is it something Mobicity installs? I'd expect the updates to just, you know, work.
I'm really quite a noob when it comes to this stuff. I've done some searching and people have suggested rerooting and installing a custom ROM... I'm sure this will get around the need for solving this problem, but I'd rather be able to stick with the default ROM if it is at all possible. Is there a way to manually install the updates using a PC? Or is a custom ROM really the best and most reliable option?
Help?
Thanks
Clockworkmod (CWM) is a custom recovery. Its not installed by HTC. Its usually installed by the user, but in this case it looks like Mobicity installed it. Not familiar with them, and I'm from the US, so I'm not sure if this is what they do normally.
What do you mean by "unlocked"? Was it sold SIM unlocked or bootloader unlocked? If you haven't modded the phone, it appears to be bootloader unlocked, and custom recovery installed by Mobicity. May be rooted as well. If sold as rooted, they would have had to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery to do that.
Long story short, stock recovery is needed for OTA. You would have to return to a more stock condition to be able to get OTAs (I believe relock the bootloader and RUU back to stock recovery). But that would be a step backwards IMO. What you have is better than stock. You have the bootloader unlocked already, so you can install custom ROMs and other mods. You can also install newer firmware versions which are pre-rooted, and can be flashed from custom recovery. All this can be found in the Development section, for which my Index is a good place to start looking: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1671237
My advice would be start reading and learning what all this means, then decide what you want. My recommendation would be to change CWM to TWRP, which is just a different custom recovery. TWRP officially supports our phone, while CWM is just a port, and has known issues. Then install whatever updated pre-rooted firmware or custom ROMs you want from Development. But read up, and make the decision for yourself.
I also bought my phone from Mobicity. They state their phones are brand new. They source them from Asia, Hong Kong to be exact. There absolutely should not be a custom recovery installed on your device mate, it's been tinkered with, probably not a new handset unfortunately.
Sent from my One X using xda premium
Universal Android Root Guide 4.4.0+
No PC Required!
by Kwongger
BY PROCEEDING PAST THIS POINT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALEX BECK (KWONGGER) IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE USER. USING ANY METHOD DESCRIBED IN THIS GUIDE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. NO WARRANTY IS IMPLIED OR PROMISED.
ONLY FOR KITKAT - NO ANDROID L/5.0 SUPPORT
It is VERY unlikely that these tools could do anything harmful.
Confirmed Devices:
ATT/VZW GS5, GS4 Active, Nexus 5, ATT/VZW Note 3, Sprint HTC One Max, MadCatz Mojo*, NVIDIA SHIELD*, and NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet*
* Requires alternate app version (the guide will let you know)!
Requirements:
A FULLY-FUNCTIONAL Android device with Internet access.
Step 1:
1a.
Enable Unknown Source APK installs on your phone.
Click Settings, then Security, then “Unknown Sources”
1b.
Download TowelRoot, a kickass hack by GeoHot.
https://towelroot.com/
Click the big-ass Lambda to download the app.
Use THIS version for NVIDIA SHIELD/ SHIELD Tablet and MadCatz Mojo
1c.
Install TowelRoot.
Just tap on the finished download in your notifications bar, and install.
Step 2:
l337 HAXX0R SK1LLZ
Tap “make it ra1n”
If you device DOESN’T reboot, your fine. If it reboots, try THIS version of towelroot.
Step 3:
Root it up.
All that towelroot does is allow you to install/inject a Superuser application.
I’ll always use and recommend SuperSU. Install it now (from google play).
After it installs, open it and let the magic happen. Reboot when it tells you to.
Step 4:
This step is entirely optional. You don’t need to do this if you just want root.
Continue if you want to make full nandroid backups, or install custom
software to your device.
4a.
Download Flashify.
This is great stuff, it allows you to flash boot.img’s and recovery.img’s
without an unlocked bootloader!
4b.
Find and download a custom recovery for your device.
Custom recoveries such as, TWRP, CWM, and PhilZ, all need to be
built for a specific device. This means that you can’t just find one and
install it on just anything. You need to find one specifically for your device.
For this you need to head to google, so search in this format:
<device> <recovery> xda
I recommend that you use TWRP, it’s my personal preference, they are
all about the same though.
The “xda” is there so that you’ll be directed to the xda-developers forums. They
are THE SOURCE for anything regarding android mods.
4c.
Install that recovery!
Once you have downloaded the recovery file, open Flashify.
Tap on Recovery Image, tap on “Choose a File,” navigate to “Downloads” then tap the recovery that you downloaded.
4d. You’re set!
Enjoy your rooted device, complete with custom recovery.
Sorry If I am misinterperiting this, but I thought flashify didnt work to flash recoveries with locked bootloaders like the S5?
joshuabg said:
Sorry If I am misinterperiting this, but I thought flashify didnt work to flash recoveries with locked bootloaders like the S5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is also confusing.
Download TowelRoot, a kickass hack by GeoHot.
https://towelroot.com/
Click the big-ass Lambda to download the app.
Use THIS version for NVIDIA SHIELD/ SHIELD Tablet and MadCatz Mojo
Why even post the link to towelroot and say download, then say download again below it with a different link. If it's for credit issue, format the grammar differently
I'm trying to root the "normal" way. I unlocked my bootloader, but there are no custom recovery or boot images available yet. Should i just do towelroot for now?
T-Keith said:
I'm trying to root the "normal" way. I unlocked my bootloader, but there are no custom recovery or boot images available yet. Should i just do towelroot for now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I did. There's no reason to unlock you boot loader if you use towelroot and then flashify when a build of cwm is released. So, either way, this method is best. You can use flashify to flash a recovery or boot image ☺
Well we don't know if towelroot and flashify will still work after the next android release. I know on the motox with 4.4.4 it no longer works. I like my bootloader unlocked and to have twrp myself. Hopefully a custom recovery will be available soon. Xda needs to add a shield tablet forum.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Is there a device tree for the shield tablet. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1943625
Sent from my OtterX running AICP using Tapatalk
Can I flash a factory image now without unlocking the bootloader?
Does anyone have a link to a factory image without the patch ?
Not sure if anyone wants to try but I was looking for custom recovery, and just thought I'd try it. Used WWJOSHDU' s video on youtube about installing recovery on shield portable. IT WORKS but with a draw back. I have CWM on my tablet but its upside down, but buttons work in the upside down orientation. Only problem I ran into (if it's considered a problem) is when I did a nandroid back up it saves to the internal memory even if you choose to backup to the sdcard. But as far as I know, all seems to be working quite well.
Had to unlock the bootloader though. Took a minute to get the drivers to work on my laptop but after about an hour of just playing around it finally worked. Not really sure I did anything differently but my laptop eventually recognized my device in fastboot mode. Will report back if anything changes
I really hope we get some new kernels and roms for this awesome device (esp. updated sound drivers!!!) The future is bright for this great gaming tablet.!
derking1 said:
I really hope we get some new kernels and roms for this awesome device (esp. updated sound drivers!!!) The future is bright for this great gaming tablet.!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once the device tree is modified enough to get a build of cm fully compiled, expect some roms from me if I have enough time.
joshuabg said:
Once the device tree is modified enough to get a build of cm fully compiled, expect some roms from me if I have enough time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds great m8 look forward to them
Why unlock bootloader.
Thanks to Kwongger my Shield is now rooted , got CWM and backed it up.
Is it cause of towelroot we dont need to unlock bootloader anymore?
Are my bootloader now unlocked when i rooted it and installed CWM?
Thanks
Knievel
This doesn't appear to work with the newly released OTA.
EDIT, yes it does but it takes way past forever to work.
Hi Everyone,
is it safe to use this method to root the Shield 4G/LTE ???? I don't need recovery or rom, just rooted so I can use my rooted apps....
Thanks,
jce
jce2005 said:
Hi Everyone,
is it safe to use this method to root the Shield 4G/LTE ???? I don't need recovery or rom, just rooted so I can use my rooted apps....
Thanks,
jce
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all,
well, I took the risk and trie to install TowelRoot, but even by selecting under SECURITY " Unknown sources", TowelRoot does not install....
Any ideas ?
Thanks,
jce
UPDATE :
I am not able to install ANY version of TowelRoot...... tried both versio, from TR web site and alternate version for the Shield tablet and after going through the install process, it just comes up with a message : app not installed.....
Anyone has an idea what could be wrong ? Am I doing something wrong ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all......
jce
Enter YouTube and search for root nvidia shield tablet and the first video in the description have the link to the direct site of towellrot download the apk and mayket rain then install SuperSU from the play store when you open the first time it will tell you to update the binaries chose the normal way then it will tell you its fail but restart the tablet and buala you have root access
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
rene130313 said:
Enter YouTube and search for root nvidia shield tablet and the first video in the description have the link to the direct site of towellrot download the apk and mayket rain then install SuperSU from the play store when you open the first time it will tell you to update the binaries chose the normal way then it will tell you its fail but restart the tablet and buala you have root access
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for replying.
I already downloaded towellroot a few times, the regular version, as well as the alternate version for the Shield Tablet, but neither version of towellrot will install. Under settings/security, I allowed installs from unknown sources , but the tr.apk or tr-1.apk will NOT install.....
Any other suggestions?
Thx,
jce
Hi again.........
Seems strange that no one knows why the TowelRoot ( tr.apk ) and the tr-1.apk ( for the Shield Tablet ) does not install. As I mentioned, I allowed under Security "installs from unknown sources", and the installation starts, but ends with "App not installed" message.
Am I doing something wrong or do I overlook something here ???
Any help would be appreciated, thx,
jce
I saw some posts similar, but nothing quite asking what I'm wondering.
I've got the verizon pixel 128gb. Shortly thereafter I unlocked the bootloader, and just a couple nights ago, I noticed an update and updated to 7.1.1.
I was holding off a bit, but I want to try to root my phone now, but all of the instructions available are for android 7.1.
Just wondering, has anyone tried/had success using those same methods for 7.1.1? Should I wait for a new root process for 7.1.1? Do something else?
Wondering the same
People keep hawking Skip's Unified Android Toolkit for this purpose. While I find the UI to be lacking in certain respects and overly verbose, I would recommend using his toolkit for this purpose. Elsewise, you can use the previous method of fastboot boot twrp.img, then flash the zip file of the SuperSU variant that you want (I think BETA-SuperSU-v2.78-SR5 is what is recommended.)
Crowick said:
People keep hawking Skip's Unified Android Toolkit for this purpose. While I find the UI to be lacking in certain respects and overly verbose, I would recommend using his toolkit for this purpose. Elsewise, you can use the previous method of fastboot boot twrp.img, then flash the zip file of the SuperSU variant that you want (I think BETA-SuperSU-v2.78-SR5 is what is recommended.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, so far so good.
All I had to do was download the unified android toolkit. Select my device and follow the instructions. The most complicated part (if that) was moving the sailfish file into the android toolkit folder.
Otherwise, Phone was in version 7.1.1 and still is. BL unlocked, root enabled.
Yes the instructions are the same for 7.1.1, and they'll probably be the same for a while now that TWRP is out. It looks like you got it set though, so awesome.