Rooting yes/no/maybe/why

There have been quite a few posts recently from member who have rooted their Transformers. The vast majority of those posts were because they had a problem related to rooting. Many of those problems were just that, problems.

Some of those who rooted found they couldn't get firmware updates. This may indicate that not enough research was done before rooting their device, mostly due to issues with later hardware versions of their Transformers.

It seems that some people feel that rooting is a must. Consider these points:

1. Ask yourself if there really is a good reason to root. Is there a must have app that won't install without a root?

2. Many have, in the past, determined they needed to root in order to backup, (Titanium Backup). I feel that ASUS wisely included an app that took care of that in order to reduce the possibility of rooting related problems.

3. Consider that the FW updates from ASUS have added value (AppBackup, SuperNote for example) that may reduce the need to root. I'm not even addressing custom ROMs. These value added apps and tweaks may have negated the original reason for the root so patience may pay off.

4. Consider ICS (nuff said)

5. Rooting has become a big part of the developers discussions but many of the posts are about a root that went wrong or messed with an update. I do feel for people who in some cases, at least temporarily, bricked their Transformers but keep that in mind

I'm not recommending for or against rooting here but you should really consider why you want to root, have a good reason, and do your due diligence research before jumping into a potential quick sand pit.

WHY? should be the first thing you ask.

Well said.

You should not be rooting your device just because that is what all the nerdy kids are doing with their devices. There are some serious pits you can get into if you do root and do not know what you are doing.

Research on your serial number and not just how to root, but how to UNROOT if you need to, as well as how it affects OTA updates. If you are running a stock rooted device, this is important. If you are running rooted with a non-stock ROM, then OTA updates from ASUS will not be as critical.

Just my $0.02 to add to this.

Agreed, well said, great post and hopefully this thread will help a few people, although I have a feeling many arrive here looking for help After rooting :)

I asked myself WHY and my answer was NO - I have therefore not rooted and not - so far - found any need to.

Great post - will hopefully prevent many from making a mistake & thinking it is something that MUST be done in order to gain full funtionality.

ICS got it spot on - "why do I want to do this?" If the answer is no particular reason, then it is just not worth the risk.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ICS

I asked myself WHY and my answer was NO - I have therefore not rooted and not - so far - found any need to.

---

That's exactly what I did for a long time after getting my TF, eventually me being me, I caved and Rooted, Flashed custom ROMs, blocked ads, Overclocked, it was all fun, but I am back on stock now and apart from the Ads, I don't miss any of it really

I found myself rooting within a week of getting mine, probably just because I could. There wasn't a fundemental reason why, I just wanted to. I did try out different roms, and as good as they were and the improvements they brought to some areas, they maybe suffered in others. I thought to myself that this device really isn't bad at all without overclocking or removing bloatware. I liked it as stock and the option to update as opposed to waiting for developer updates.

Unfortunately for me, my TF had a fault un-related to the whole rooting scene and has subsequently gone back to ASUS on RMA.

I will however, when it comes back, be leaving as stock, as I personally dont feel any need to root.

I agree with the OP, you do need to ask yourself "Do I need to root?" or "What will I gain from rooting?" Alot of help post could be avoided if ppl just read first, think second then read some more.

Seg

I personally have never been compelled to root my TF. It does everything I need and want it to do. My phones on the other hand rarely go a week without being rooted and ROM'd. I have flashed 3 different ROMS, two different sets of radios and flashed and reflashed several combinations of leaked systems and radios on my Galaxy Nexus in the last week alone. Some people root for reasons. Some people root just because they can. And with those there are some that feel that they need to root because they have read about it and then dive in without knowing what they are doing. Not a good idea.

Rooting is not necessary and is not for everyone. I'd say that the majority of android tablet and phone users don't even have the slightest idea what rooting is and really don't need to know.


Moving to development.

Like other posters so far, I have yet to find a single reason to root my device.

With the imminent release of Android 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich)...rooting a Transformer or Transformer Prime at this point raises the risk of successfully getting that new OS update. In addition, it would seem that there is very little reward for the risk associated with the process.

The OP is right that for every post here about someone rooting, there seems to be a corresponding 2-3 about problems related to rooting. That seems to send a pretty clear message on the subject.

Still - there will always be folks who don't mind tinkering. That's their choice...but it's not one for me.

For me the big reason to root is CIFS support.

I really can't understand why Google don't just bake it in as standard. It's crazy.

I have a TF101, which is now unrooted thanks to the latest update so can't access my network drives easily.

I also have an Android phone which would still be stuck on 2.1 if it weren't for rooting and installing CM7. Really a no brainer if a device manufacturer won't release updates.

I see a lot of stuff on this site which really demonizes rooting/CFW and can't quite understand it.
Rooting is not dangerous. It doesn't suddenly turn your device into a security threat. Nor does it mean your device may suddenly brick.

Before running anything as root you have to explicitly give it permission and as long you don't do things like 'rm /' then there's very little risk.

I also see a lot of BS and misinformation regarding needing to unroot to update with official firmwares. Absolute BS.

I've read many posts on the forum were people have had to RMA their devices (not root/CFW) yet very few disasters due to rooting/CFW, if that was the problem anyway.

So enough of the misinformation. After all, all root is is admin rights on the system.

This thread has some great information for those considering the option of gaining root access on their Android devices. It definitely takes some research and consideration because, without knowing why you're doing it in the first place, there is no way to actually benefit fully from having it done. Even then, the benefits probably won't live up to the hype that a lot of members of the Android community seem to promise.

In the end, my primary motivation to root my TF101 was for AdFree Android and SetCPU. I like the cleaner look of apps without ads (though buying the paid version is a completely viable alternative, and it goes a long way to showing appreciation to the developers) and I had hopes of squeezing a little bit more battery life by tweaking the processor settings. From there, I decided to try a custom ROM (Revolver) in hopes of better performance. Admittedly, the stock configuration was no slouch. I can't actually say with concrete proof whether or not my Transformer is faster post-flashing. What I do get out of it, however, is the psychological aspect of feeling like it has to have gotten faster. For some people, myself included, that may be enough of a reward.

I would be completely fine running a stock Android install without root access. We are fortunate that Asus is supporting our tablets with an Ice Cream Sandwich update to keep things current. I could definitely see the advantage of rooting and flashing custom ROMs on devices that don't get that kind of prolonged support. In our case, new Android updates isn't that big of a game changer, for now. Ice Cream Sandwich is another story altogether. I'm curious if it will live up to the hype or if it's just an instance of the "newer has to be better and it will fix everything" mentality. Regardless, I'm excited to try it out because newer has to be better! ;)

I'm happily rooted because I put the time in to consider all of the benefits and weigh them against the possible risks. In the end, I ruled that it would be worth it for a few key reasons. I was fortunate enough to not encounter any issues and I look forward to getting back to just using my tablet to do the tasks that it was meant to do.

I'm going to root my TF. Not now but within months after ICS.

Reasons:

• CIFS: mounting the shares in kernel space will be much more efficient than by the file-managers and will cure many lan-based video playing problems
• ext3/ext4 (I'm a linux guy and I have 6 1TB ext3/4 formatted HDDs with my data on them). Compared to real filesystems, fat32 and ntfs are so crappy.
• ethernet-over-usb. Last year (2011), I've been at a couple of resorts and wifi was un-usable between 8AM and 8PM (when all the kids have their ipod-touch ON.)
• trouble-shooting: the ability to read kernel logs and tweak procfs/sysfs is extremely powerful to figure out problems such as unresponsiveness, hi-cpu-usage, etc.

The sad thing is: Google/Asus could/should have included the first 3 items in the stock OS. There's nothing unsecure about providing cifs/ext3/ext4/ethernet-over-usb support. And then there's NFS. From what I can measure (a while ago) the xfer between my nas (a sheeva plug) and my mediaplayer (a sigma-based network media tank), nfs is significantly more efficient than CIFS/SMB.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bogolisk

I'm going to root my TF. Not now but within months after ICS.

---

Your post summarises my feelings almost exactly. I'm waiting for the ICS update and then I will give it some time for the bugs and issues to be resolved. I have two more reasons for rooting:

• Access to some of the hidden data
• Capability to run Debian/Ubuntu in a chroot environment

I'm not interested in a custom Android ROM and the only ROM that I would consider, would be a full Debian/Ubuntu ROM.

@bogolisk
To me, you are the first person who has made a sensible case FOR rooting. You clearly need to do so for the reasons you have stated & equally have demonstrated the knowledge that means you could root without causing yourself issues that you woud not be able to resolve.

Unfortunately, IMO, you are in a minority of those who choose to root. Many users seem to be of the opinion that rooting is somehow essential for them to have a fully functional device. Sometimes they think this because they are uninformed, sometimes it is because they haven't taken the time to understand Android & find out how to do things that they need to do in a way that will already be possible. Sometimes it is simply because they think it is "cool" - ah the young at heart :)

The difficulty is, that with this majority group of rooters, when they get into difficulties, they don't possess enough knowledge to be able to resolve their problems. This causes hours/days/weeks? of uneccessary problems - it is this group that the OP was really aiming his post at.

Thank you for explaining the technicalities of situations that NEED rooting - for most of us, not only do we not understand everything that you said :) but we don't have the knowledge to fix it when we break it :)

As someone once said, "just because you CAN do a thing, does not mean that you SHOULD do a thing".

@bogolisk In regards to NFS, that requires the same cifs kernel mod to be installed/running. So we're still SOL on that one.

I also like to use Adfree, but only because I can't stand using the web with ads plastered all over the place. As far as I'm concerned, blocking ads in ad-supported apps is an unwanted side effect. But not much I can do about it until Google open the browser to plug-ins.

The final thing I like to run which requires root is a firewall. Personally I don't like the idea of having no control over what is allowed access to the outside world. Lets face it, how many of you don't run any type of firewall on their desktops? Not many, because you'd be stupid not to. So why should it be any different for a tablet/phone.

ICS does include a data usage monitor for apps, but how far that will go is still to be seen. Will it allow us the option to block apps access or will it simply be a case that if you think an app is doing things you don't like your only choice is to uninstall.

So, I wait with baited breath for ICS to see what issues and what I consider serious holes in the Android platform are addressed. However, the more I read about it the more I'm certain, for me, rooting will be necessary.

I rooted back in May when the firmware was less than optimal. And I accidentally factory reset and lost everything. Titanium BU was my priority. After the major updates it was pretty much acceptable unrooted and stock. I'll be looking to unroot and go back to stock to upgrade to ICS. Then Root won't be necessary for me.

I went back and forth on rooting my prime for the longest time. After the OTA update I decided to go for it and have not regretted it in the slightest bit. Although there are various benefits, the one that impacted me SUBSTANTIALLY was the ability to overclock the cpu on the prime. Before overclocking, my browsing experience was good but not great. After using setcpu to overclock, the browsing was noticeably better. Pages load much quicker, and my browser rarely freezes/crashes like it once did. If anyone is somewhat disappointed in browsing experience on the prime, I would recommend rooting.

Due to my job I have to root to use Market Enabler. Or, continue to use Appsaver to push the apks I need from my rooted phone and Touchpad to the 101. I haven't even begun to look into it yet though. I may wait until after ICS.

i am going to root after ICS when it becomes available . reason are to dual boot with ubuntu. i think this is already an option i have not played around yet. i would like to dual boot so that i can run just a few programs so i can work some from home.

i will research it to death before i root, i have rooted every device i have owned since the D1 ( and i owned a bunch D1,DX,incredible,iphone4 (mistake:)thunderbolt,nexus. but i also know how to get them out of a bad situation .

I want to root to use Six Axis. It allows you to pair a PS3 controller for gaming. For my EVO 4G, removing bloatware on already very limited resources, like the blockbuster or NASCAR apps, WiFi tethering, setcpu, etc.

Why I wouldn't: alternatively you can use a Wii controller using wiimote (free app), and you can use Easy Tether to share your fonz internet via usb, ($10 but worth it). There is a free version but with limited access.

CUSTOM ROMS: You can use ADW Launcher or other launchers to fully customize your device, paired with a multitude of themes (IPad, Windows7, Honeycomb,& ICS etc) ,without rooting. It's not a full OS, but looks cool. Show it to your friends, and many wouldn't know the difference.

Myself, I'm Still learning about all this, and from what I have found, "UnrEVOked" may be the best choice for a novice (with an Evo 4G that is). Viperboy has probably the best (easiest) solution for a Prime user. Just Google it with your device. There are a lot of youtube tutorials on this.

Edit: after reading this.... I may not root my Prime:headbang:
http://www.transformerforums.com/for...r-no-root.html

Also thanks to all who post good and helpful info for people like me who know just enough to get into trouble. Any better advice on what I posted? Feel free:)

Hi guys,

I have the Asus Transformer Prime for quite some time now and I never saw the advantage of rooting it, however I do feel the need to free up some of the internal memory and pass everything to my SD Card. Any alternatives on that? By the way, which SD Card do you recommend? Does it accept a 64GB card? Thanks in advance

Depending on the file you want to move to a microSD card, you do not need root. I have heard good reports on 64GB cards just make sure to get it from a reputable source as they can be made to show more storage than they actually have.

To move files like videos, music, photos etc, just open the file manager, long hold on the file you want to move, cut it, go to the folder you want to move it to, then there should be a paste option. Has worked well for me.

is .24 rootable?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kokobaliev

is .24 rootable?

---

Welcome to the forum! Yes, .24 is rootable using the same method as .21. Use this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1622628

Method 3.

Cheers

Hi, there! Than u for your quick response but cant understand what to do. Is this for linux system method because im with Win7?
Is there any program to root it quickly? thank u

We had 1 click rooting for about 2 weeks in November. ASUS is constantly fixing its holes for root. From Aug-Nov they were unrootable too.

This uses ADB (Android Debug Bridge) part of the Android SDK (Software Development Kit).

Here is a tutorial:

http://www.xda-developers.com/androi...easy-tutorial/

If you want an easier way to root ASUS is not the answer. They have also locked the boot loader on the TF201 and TF300.

thank u very much! ill try it later and write the result :) hope it will work! thanks again

I add my Amen to what you have said. While browsing through this and other forums, it seemed that rooting was the thing to do. So I did. And all those apps like Titanium Backup and Superuser and all the rest worked... until the version of CWM which I was using got into a bootloop. My great tablet was, if not bricked, pretty useless. Fortunately, I found a place in CA that would fix the software glitch, and $100 later and a month later had my tablet back in working order (unrooted and with stock ICS from Asus). I'm happy as a lark finding themes and other mods that will work without my tablet being rooted :)

New reason too root, I made a one-click, and it's easier than ever :D Works on any ICS firmware --
[GUIDE/TOOL] [EASY] PERI-V0.2: One click root+recovery! (Works with .24!)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by leeshor

There have been quite a few posts recently from member who have rooted their Transformers. The vast majority of those posts were because they had a problem related to rooting. Many of those problems were just that, problems.

Some of those who rooted found they couldn't get firmware updates. This may indicate that not enough research was done before rooting their device, mostly due to issues with later hardware versions of their Transformers.

It seems that some people feel that rooting is a must. Consider these points:

1. Ask yourself if there really is a good reason to root. Is there a must have app that won't install without a root?

2. Many have, in the past, determined they needed to root in order to backup, (Titanium Backup). I feel that ASUS wisely included an app that took care of that in order to reduce the possibility of rooting related problems.

3. Consider that the FW updates from ASUS have added value (AppBackup, SuperNote for example) that may reduce the need to root. I'm not even addressing custom ROMs. These value added apps and tweaks may have negated the original reason for the root so patience may pay off.

4. Consider ICS (nuff said)

5. Rooting has become a big part of the developers discussions but many of the posts are about a root that went wrong or messed with an update. I do feel for people who in some cases, at least temporarily, bricked their Transformers but keep that in mind

I'm not recommending for or against rooting here but you should really consider why you want to root, have a good reason, and do your due diligence research before jumping into a potential quick sand pit.

WHY? should be the first thing you ask.

---

Because One that doesn't know, more than any, WANTS to know, regardless of consequence. Without this mentality the very topic at hand wouldn't exist. Desire and ambition are solely fueled by this mentality

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MengusDew

Because One that doesn't know, more than any, WANTS to know, regardless of consequence. Without this mentality the very topic at hand wouldn't exist. Desire and ambition are solely fueled by this mentality

---

...and this is the open source evolution. " :]

For blocking ads:
how can you block ads after rooting and does it block ads in free apps as well?

Edit: It has been a really long time, but thanks for explaining it Frederuco:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Frederuco

But - those ads are how the devs make money. If you block the ads, they get less money, and will be less likely to update the apps if everyone blocks ads.

Kinda the same as trying to get apps for free rather than pay for them.

---

Did not consider it until you mentioned it, but have and will try to continue supporting the devs properly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chrisnthomas28

For blocking ads:
how can you block ads after rooting and does it block ads in free aps as well?

---

I know you can edit your hosts file to block ads on web sites. There are apps you can use to change permissions (to say, revoke Angry Birds Internet privileges) so that it cannot get ads. There are other apps to strip the code to request the ads from the apps.

Some of these methods work, so do not.

But - those ads are how the devs make money. If you block the ads, they get less money, and will be less likely to update the apps if everyone blocks ads.

Kinda the same as trying to get apps for free rather than pay for them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chrisnthomas28

For blocking ads:
how can you block ads after rooting and does it block ads in free aps as well?

---

I use AdAway,very good.Recommend.

Greetings Transformer community ! I'm a ex pc geek who lost touch with the world.

I've been reading these forums for a few days but finally felt compelled to register and post. This is my first tablet (TF300T) and I'm very happy I held out.


I thought it was interested when I first read the manual that came with the tablet;

"This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:"
or in Canada, "This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standards. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:"
(1) This device may not cause interference.
(2) This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

Okay so I get that the powers that be would want to make sure I'm not using this slick piece of hardware to screw with people, that's fine, but I don't like this excessively vague legal jarble it comes packaged with. Call me a tin hatter if you will, but it sounds like someone doesn't want me to be able to prevent them from doing things like activating my mic, activating my gps, logging my keys, copying my conversations, using my camera or disabling/bricking my tablet.

People have talked about security issues with web browsers and I recently installed "Permission Friendly Apps" and was taken aback at the sheer abuse of permissions by all these 'free apps & games'. Live wallpapers and single player games don't need the ability to change my network settings, connect to the internet, manage account lists, open sockets, get my unit serial number, checking phone numbers, use authentication credentials, read contacts, retrieve running application data etc etc

I looked around and found Permissions Denied, but it requires rooting, same for firewall apps. Always having been a windows / linux guy, I have trouble living with the idea that I'm not a administrator on my own device. I should be able to set my own permissions on whatever I want, remove/add any service I want, and install whatever I want (as long as its not illegal or malicious), and prevent others from interfering-with/accessing my device and/or personal information without my permission.

So the grand question(s), am I just being crazy and/or paranoid ? Can I do any of this without having to root my tablet ?


Thanks in advance !
Cheers

Welcome :)

The short answer to your question is "no" :)

A longer answer is along the lines of bogolisk's post in this thread #12 & my reply #14. :) If you know why you want to root & you can fix stuff if you mess up, then go right ahead :)

It is, as you say, your device. What you will be doing, is effectively taking the responsibility for the installation/administration/support of both the OS, firmware & apps for yourself. Without root, that responsibility is shared between Asus, the app developers & yourself.

Enjoy your device & the forum :)

Thanks for the quick reply Janner43!

I have the bad habit of skipping from post to post and often miss the good stuff hidden in between. Bogolisk's post got me a little bit more excited about a rooted tablets potential, so I'll think I'll start scurrying the intertubes for more information about rooting and recovery before I commit.

Thanks again !

I have an easy One click root called PERI just a few threads down ;) Give it a shot

the most important single reason to root for me is not able to VPN to palin IPSEC Cisco corporate network with Group Name and Shared Secret.
Same problem on my Samsung SII LTE (skyrocket).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by palantir

the most important single reason to root for me is not able to VPN to palin IPSEC Cisco corporate network with Group Name and Shared Secret.
Same problem on my Samsung SII LTE (skyrocket).

---

Welcome to the forum palantir! Yeah, some apps like that require root to work. Glad you got it all sorted out and up and running.

Moved to the General Discussion forum.