Database Users

Organized info for rooting the G1

I am currently a G1 owner on the fence about rooting my phone, as are many others. One of the first issues I've come across is being overwhelmed by forum threads. Unless I have missed something (and if I did, please point me in the right direction!), everything is posted in forums here, requiring people to pour through tons of posts and pick through the right information.
Is there an official wiki or something where all the latest news, guides, FAQs, etc. are being updated? If not, I'd love to start one, but unfortunately I don't have the knowledge to do so (yet, at least). I'm thinking of a super simple, jargon-free site for users to find answers to their questions, and a simple outlined "official" process for how to begin and where to go from there.
For example, some FAQs..
Can T-Mobile/Google "cut me off" in any way if they determine I have rooted my phone?
If I change my mind later, can I go back to original firmware and leave no trace that I ever rooted the phone in the first place? Future over-the-air updates will install with no issues?
Let's say I mess up during the rooting process. Is there always a way out, or am I screwed?
How safe is storing apps on the SD card? What can happen to my phone, and how do I avoid problems?
What are the JFvX.XX firmware releases? How do they work? Are they required? Are there other alternatives?
What if a future OTA can't be hacked, will we miss out on features?
I've seen various different methods of rooting the G1, which one is the most popular and why?
etc.
This is just an idea, but there's all these questions like this that I know many people have. While these questions can easily be answered in forums, I'm looking for a more convenient solution for the community. As official answers are nailed down, it would be great to have a reference to check with rather than flooding forums with questions.
Anyway, thanks for all the hard work from the developers here. It's really exciting to follow, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for the G1!

they have one:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Dream
look first

kay11224 said:
they have one:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Dream
look first
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Thanks for the link, but unfortunately this doesn't seem user friendly (it's filled with unexplained links and jargon), and seems pretty outdated. I'm thinking about info aimed the average n00b end-user here, not developers or people actively following the forums and progress made.

I'm not sure if you understand fully what you're asking. Keeping your phone updated without "actively following the forums and progress made" is a simple task right now, just wait until Google pushes an update for you. If using the search function is too hard for you, I think root access is biting off more than you can chew. All of your FAQ's can easily be found in the development section of the forums. As far as step by step guides are concerned, read the stickies, use the search function, and then ask. It's not complicated at all.

dudinatrix said:
Can T-Mobile/Google "cut me off" in any way if they determine I have rooted my phone?
If I change my mind later, can I go back to original firmware and leave no trace that I ever rooted the phone in the first place? Future over-the-air updates will install with no issues?
Let's say I mess up during the rooting process. Is there always a way out, or am I screwed?
How safe is storing apps on the SD card? What can happen to my phone, and how do I avoid problems?
What are the JFvX.XX firmware releases? How do they work? Are they required? Are there other alternatives?
What if a future OTA can't be hacked, will we miss out on features?
I've seen various different methods of rooting the G1, which one is the most popular and why?
etc.
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Click to collapse
1) as far as i'm aware no. They can remove apps from peoples phones (allegedly) but i can't see how they would know you have root, or even care. It's good publicity for the phone if anything.
2) Yup, you can easily un-root your phone and the updates should work correctly.
3) Once you have the hardSPL bootloader loaded it's pretty much impossible to brick your phone, see this thread for details.
4) Not sure about this, so i can't comment
5) the JF firmware releases are essentially hacked firmwares, created by JesusFreke, that allow us to get root access (among other things ). they are incredibly easy to install and they are required for certain things such as, multi-touch. as far as i know, there are no alternatives.
6) They will be as everything is open source. I imagine xda will have a firmware hacked within hours of it's release
7) personally, i find this way the best. nice n simple and easy to follow.
have fun

Iceucold said:
I'm not sure if you understand fully what you're asking. Keeping your phone updated without "actively following the forums and progress made" is a simple task right now, just wait until Google pushes an update for you. If using the search function is too hard for you, I think root access is biting off more than you can chew. All of your FAQ's can easily be found in the development section of the forums. As far as step by step guides are concerned, read the stickies, use the search function, and then ask. It's not complicated at all.
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I am perfectly capable of handling root access. I am a Linux system administrator (among other things) by profession. I admit, this would be my first attempt at "hacking" a device and thus voiding the warranty, hence my hesitation and "noob" questions. Using the search function is not my concern here, but I can appreciate where you're coming from.
What I'm talking about, and what appears to be misinterpreted, is an information source for common end users, not developers or tech-savy users. If I have questions about rooting the G1, certainly those less technically inclined do as well. And unfortunately for them, they don't necessarily even know where to begin looking. I'm talking about people like my brother in law, for example... who probably never used a forum in his life, but wants to have multi-touch on his phone, or change his themes, or find a solution to his constant "low storage" warnings. People like him don't care about hacking into the phone and getting all this flexible access for himself. They just want to take advantage of what's already been achieved, but unfortunately require root to do so.
I agree that it is pretty simple to root the phone, but face it you have to be somewhat comfortable with technology first, even just to obtain the information.
Perhaps now isn't the appropriate time to wrap things up in a bow and give to the general G1 user base in a tidy little easy-to-digest package. As things develop further it may just naturally come about, perhaps via installers or something. I just think it would be helpful to many to have a source written for the common folk with jargon-free information... considering the more people get their hands on it, the more successful the platform can become.
And to Metlus, thanks for being receptive and answering my questions kindly without making me feel judged for asking what I assume many think is a "just search for it" type of post.

Meltus said:
1) as far as i'm aware no. They can remove apps from peoples phones (allegedly) but i can't see how they would know you have root, or even care. It's good publicity for the phone if anything.
2) Yup, you can easily un-root your phone and the updates should work correctly.
3) Once you have the hardSPL bootloader loaded it's pretty much impossible to brick your phone, see this thread for details.
4) Not sure about this, so i can't comment
5) the JF firmware releases are essentially hacked firmwares, created by JesusFreke, that allow us to get root access (among other things ). they are incredibly easy to install and they are required for certain things such as, multi-touch. as far as i know, there are no alternatives.
6) They will be as everything is open source. I imagine xda will have a firmware hacked within hours of it's release
7) personally, i find this way the best. nice n simple and easy to follow.
have fun
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Click to collapse
Great post meltus!
If and when you do decide to root g1 take your time and breathe, really isn't too hard just nerve racking the first time. I did it and im not a pro at all so you will probably breeze through it! The advancements made so far are unreal, auto browser, themes and many more make rooting well worth it in my opinion

I'm not sure if it gets any easier than this, but gizmodo today posted what looks like the easiest "recipe" yet for rooting the G1:
How To: Hack Android For Multitouch Web Browsing on the T-Mobile G1

Making Video Tutorials For ALL

Well i wil make video tutorials for anything anybody needs to my knowledge. I am currently uploading Rooting G1 with busybox. Well start requesting and ill get to it.

Nandroid backup and restore
Do a Rom update
There are a few for starters.

xSiNiStErx said:
Well i wil make video tutorials for anything anybody needs to my knowledge. I am currently uploading Rooting G1 with busybox. Well start requesting and ill get to it.
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Well I also think u should do a nadroid backup

maybe a tutorial on creating themes for android? there are some nicely written tuts here on xda but it might help those who are visual learners.

kizer said:
Nandroid backup and restore
Do a Rom update
I agree... you should do Nandroid Backup and restore, you have no idea how many times do I see those questions asked.
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adb and maybe a short one showing people around cyanogen recovery

I think the the Theme tutorial sounds good and then flashing a new recovery image and then wiping because a lot of people forget to do that.

That's a sweet idea. Let me know if I can contribute.

--deleted--

Would like to help making some videos Let me know

Videos? As tutorials for system functions?
WHY?
Are you trying to teach illiterates how to root their phone using visual symbolism? I think that a prerequisite for using a smartphone is that you can actually READ.
First; only a complete and absolute MORON would follow a video tutorial for a technical procedure involving TEXT,
Second; morons shouldn't be doing technical things to begin with -- that is the reason why carriers root-lock devices, because morons will definitely screw things up.

the first thing i did to my phone was ROOT and i learn how to from a youtube video, explained every step and it let me know i was doing it rigth, ppl learn diff ways

lbcoder said:
Videos? As tutorials for system functions?
WHY?
Are you trying to teach illiterates how to root their phone using visual symbolism? I think that a prerequisite for using a smartphone is that you can actually READ.
First; only a complete and absolute MORON would follow a video tutorial for a technical procedure involving TEXT,
Second; morons shouldn't be doing technical things to begin with -- that is the reason why carriers root-lock devices, because morons will definitely screw things up.
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Click to collapse
Little off topic, but none the less the first time I modded my Xbox to watch movies on it and other things I followed a video that actually was in time with the process and as he walked you through it he explained things not just click here and click there. I've saved that video and soft modded a number of them. Sure I could of wrote down the steps, but the files are on my laptop along with the procedure.
Modded one Xbox and followed along with the video and when I had to pause the video 4 times because the Xbox I was modding seemed to take a long time which it should of kept up with the video. Come to find out the Box was dieing and if I hadn't noticed the speed I would of wasted a lot of time.
Videos have their place as long as they are done right, but I agree they are not replacement for learing how to read, but they do have their place.

Droid 2 Super All-In-One Tutorial Palace

Link To Tutorial Blog
Hear me out on this one--I think it's a swell idea.
I'm a huge advocate of having very well tagged, chronicled, and accessible information for technical items. Being a novice myself with hacking, theming, flashing, and all the like, I always appreciate it greatly when there are really solid quality tutorials covering exactly what I want to do myself. What is it that the general population of Droid 2 users want? How to root, theme, and flash. Even for tasks as simple as running a one-touch root, some users may be frightened to try it because they're not tech-savvy and think they may load a file to an improper location, press the wrong button with their single touch, etc... Well written tutorials with screenshots make the tech world less daunting for newcomers, and that's something I definitely want to help with!
Being biased to Tumblr since I freaking love the site, I'd like to suggest that a blog be started there. I'll be making a mock-up tonight of the design, or maybe even flat out creating the blog, but the Tumblr theme creation really makes it easy to make your blog look like a fully functioning website. What's perfect about it is that you can make any blog you create into a Group Blog, which is what I propose for this "project." Multiple users are allowed to post and edit posts on the blog, so we wouldn't even have to have a shared account on the site.
I'd like to open this up to serious tutorial writers only! Each tutorial should have a minimum of two screenshots or pictures of your Droid 2 going through important steps for each subject we cover.
I understand wholeheartedly if no one would like to volunteer until they see a tutorial from me first. Once I have the blog up-to-snuff with my own web design standards, I'll dive in to how to root your phone. I might even post a few tutorials for rooting, depending on how many methods I run into.
If you're interested, you can either shoot me an email to allyouhavetolose(at)gmail(dot)com or chat me up on Skype (username: misterivanovich). Don't worry, I totally won't get [fully] naked if we video chat.

Make your way to Droid 2 Development where there are:
Directories on everything Droid 2 related, tutorials, and video tutorials...
And better yet, they are already stickied.

I did find a few nicely done tutorials, but that's just not quite the feel that I'm going for. While those tutorials are informative, they are very technical. If you take a look at Skull One's Overclocking 101 thread on droidforums.net, that's more along the lines of what I want to do (his is WAY more in depth than I care to get with my tutorials though!).
I have the beginnings of the Tumblr page done (which I will link to after I've posted 8+ times here haha), but I haven't finished editing my first tutorial just yet. Really, I'm going to be doing this half as a chronicle of my own learning, because I'm really not well versed with Android customization in any way--I've also been having quite a bit of difficulty getting familiarized with it because of the way that I learn and the way the tutorials are written. For that reason, I'll be writing my own tutorials knowing very well that there has to be at least ONE other person out there that will benefit from it haha. And if I can help one person, then that's kosher with me.

I have updated the first post with a link to the tutorial blog. Although it is incomplete in design and I haven't finished or edited the tutorial I have posted, you can get the general idea for what it is I'm going for. At least I think you can...
Again, anyone who feels like contributing, feel free to shoot me an email or get in touch with me on Skype or via PM here on the board. You are also welcome to give me suggestions for future tutorials, correct me if I've written something incorrectly, etc... All of which will be credited wherever applicable.

Though I appreciate your good intentions, your blog/tutorial thing is... well... time not being put to good use. First of all, there are already tutorials on how to SBF your phone. I would know. I wrote one almost 6 months ago. And there are others out as well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=770224
and/or here:
http://www.kimete.com/sbfrsd.html
I don't see why you are rewriting everything unless there is a need to. Now, if you feel like my tutorial is lacking in quality or quantity, I certainly encourage you to rewrite a guide, write an updated one, or whatever. But what you are doing is recreating stuff that ALREADY exists. Additionally, you didn't even write correct directions to SBF'ing the phone. Not only incorrect, but you have incomplete directions and procedures. In my opinion, your tutorial is incredibly misleading and very inaccurate and will throw a lot of people off.

Well, even if it's not time put to good use for anyone else, I will be benefitting from my own blog. I think it will help me to understand things a bit more if I'm writing it all--sort of like how when you lead a study session, you end up being super refreshed on the topic yourself.
I'm not opposed to, with proper permission and ample credit given where due, just following other tutorials that have already been written and showing screen shots of the process that I follow as outlined by someone else. Some tutorials have no real need to be rewritten, but do lack a visual element in my opinion. I almost want to be able to know what I have to do without even reading the post and looking at the pictures (almost... I realize that's a stupid goal to take literally).
I'll check out your guide for flashing an SBF and figure out what is so terrible and misleading about mine, then I'll fix it haha. I'm not looking to replace any of the tutorials that anyone else has already done--I simply want a super compiled and organized list of them, if only for my own use. But I'm pretty sure that at least one more person out there in the world, somewhere, may eventually one day sort of be happy that I did it. :]

The reason why your tutorial is so misleading is because
1. You have no real knowledge of the topic at hand.
and 2. Because of number 1, your work is incomplete, and not
I have no problem with you taking my tutorial here on XDA and making edits and additions. Add pictures, or make additional notes, or what not. Of course, give credit where due.
But whatever you do, 1. Don't rewrite things that already exist, and 2. know what you are writing about before you write about it. My tutorial has gone through countless revisions. Additions, subtractions, rewording, simplifying the process for the end-user, troubleshooting of errors. EVERYTHING!
In all honesty, if you want to contribute, take my work, run through it on your own phone, and make additions and edits to that.

Well, I wouldn't say I don't know anything about the topic. I DID already flash a SBF to my phone before I wrote the guide, I just didn't read up more than I had to on the topic--I found out how to use RSD Lite, found the .sbf file, knew I would want to make backups first, then dove right into it. I can't say that I agree with you that my guide is really missing much as a general outline for flashing an SBF, but like I said in one of my posts already, I haven't even finished that tutorial yet! I just posted a link to it so that if anyone were interested in helping me compile it all on to the tumblr, they could see what the blog looked like and a very, very general idea of what a post would look like.
I'll certainly be going back to edit that tutorial plenty. That is, after I finish it in the first place.

allyouhave said:
Well, I wouldn't say I don't know anything about the topic. I DID already flash a SBF to my phone before I wrote the guide, I just didn't read up more than I had to on the topic--I found out how to use RSD Lite, found the .sbf file, knew I would want to make backups first, then dove right into it. I can't say that I agree with you that my guide is really missing much as a general outline for flashing an SBF, but like I said in one of my posts already, I haven't even finished that tutorial yet! I just posted a link to it so that if anyone were interested in helping me compile it all on to the tumblr, they could see what the blog looked like and a very, very general idea of what a post would look like.
I'll certainly be going back to edit that tutorial plenty. That is, after I finish it in the first place.
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I believe what the point here is rather than redo tutorials that have already been done, why not look into something new.

You know how if you read someone's phone number to yourself, then try to dial it the next day, you forget it entirely--but if you had written down the phone number, your chances of remembering it are significantly better?
It's kinda like that. Like I said, this is for my own benefit, I was just opening it up to the community to put all of the Droid 2 tutorials in one common space.

allyouhave said:
You know how if you read someone's phone number to yourself, then try to dial it the next day, you forget it entirely--but if you had written down the phone number, your chances of remembering it are significantly better?
It's kinda like that. Like I said, this is for my own benefit, I was just opening it up to the community to put all of the Droid 2 tutorials in one common space.
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Do as you desire, however I was shedding light on DarkOnion's mindset as I see it.

Why do people use these "guides"

I cant understand why people are using these YouTube guides for rooting their phones and it seems like they are screwing something up almost everytime. I've looked at them and most seem like there are critical steps missing. Also they give no explanation of what is actually going on. If you do a Google search xda shows up in the first few results. So it seems like it could just be pure laziness because people don't want to read and research what they are doing.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Precisely that: Laziness. People aren't willing to just read the instructions.

Eh, for the most part, you're correct. I do like the video guides ALONGSIDE the text guides on XDA. it's nice to get a real-world reference for what step you're on.
But you are correct. Going only off of the youtube vids is generally a bad plan.

Been to a public school lately? Why read when you can watch a video?
BTW always use common sense, and go through as many guides as possible before actually going ahead.

Yes I also say use common sense but its becoming increasingly harder to find people that have the slightest bit of it.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

drtdiver83 said:
Yes I also say use common sense but its becoming increasingly harder to find people that have the slightest bit of it.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Stop worrying yourself. Not everyone can figure out su adb etc. The videos help visualize what they are doing.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

i one who's almost always hates video reviews and instructions. you have to get past too much jibber jabber sometimes to get to the stuff you really want. at least with written instructions i can skim the bs to get to the info i need.

I use both. Theres nothing wrong with using the videos to see what goes on too.

I am one who prefers video. I don't know why but I hate reading for the most part. I will suggest always looking at multiple videos though.
Sent from my rooted HTC EVO using the xda app!

imo videos are good for folks that want to just be told what to do and not really understand what they're doing. I personally prefer to read the material and understand what i'm doing before i'm doing it so if anything happens i don't have to panic and get someone to help me.
I would sum it up similar to how mechanics shops work: some techs are technically-minded and want to know why exactly they're pulling that transmission and how to do it, some techs are just doing it for the money and wouldn't mind watching a video on how to R&R that tranny without knowing why its being done.
Different strokes for different folks, but it does lead to a lot of confusion when someone sees the wrong video on youtube as opposed to reading about rooting in general and applying the principles to the subtleties of different devices.
This has always been the issue of when non-technical people try to gain entry in to the technical world, inadequate solutions are developed for problems that are seemingly complex on the surface but much more simple if we all spent the time to understand it.

People still read? or know how to?

drmacinyasha said:
Precisely that: Laziness. People aren't willing to just read the instructions.
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Wow I actually resent that. I used instructions posted in this forum and followed along with a youtube video too when I rooted. Some stuff in the instructions just didn't make sense until I saw them in the video.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

You guys are forgetting that roughly half the population doesn't learn well by reading. It could easily have little to do with intelligence or laziness and more to do with how their brain absorbs information. Some people aren't good at visualizing what they are reading, thus, being able to SEE each step performed is a huge benefit to them. Personally, I learn equally well either way, but most people do not. Perhaps you folks should do a little indepth thinking before you simply write others off as lazy.
Here is a Leraning Styles test
I'm glad some of you have found a method of learning which works well for you, but maybe you should stop being so judgmental of others who learn differently.

tejasrichard said:
You guys are forgetting that roughly half the population doesn't learn well by reading. It could easily have little to do with intelligence or laziness and more to do with how their brain absorbs information. Some people aren't good at visualizing what they are reading, thus, being able to SEE each step performed is a huge benefit to them. Personally, I learn equally well either way, but most people do not. Perhaps you folks should do a little indepth thinking before you simply write others off as lazy.
Here is a Leraning Styles test
I'm glad some of you have found a method of learning which works well for you, but maybe you should stop being so judgmental of others who learn differently.
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Click to collapse
I don't think the problem is only that people are using the videos. It's that people completely forego the written directions in favor of only using the video. I totally understand why some people need to use the videos, but that's no reason to ignore the written instructions. A lot of times, they give details that are missing from the video, but the written word can be hard to follow. However, when you read the instructions, watch the video, then go back and forth for reference, you get all the information plus the visual walkthrough.
For example, one of my coworkers wants to root his 004 evo. I directed him to the exact threads on xda that he should read. He called me up a week or so later saying he found videos on youtube and watched them INSTEAD of reading the threads. He tried to follow along with the video, which, for all I know was for an original Evo, and he couldn't get it to work. He then proceeded to ask me questions that were all answered in the threads and said that he had no idea what he was doing and asked me to give him a step-by-step over the phone. I have an older model, so I don't know the specifics of rooting an 004 off-hand. I told him that the only way for him to get a real answer was to read the threads, and he refused. How am I supposed to help someone who refuses to help himself?

ok here is my input about the whole watching videos. If you watch someone physically do something along with reading what they are doing and why, then you gain a more "hands on" aspect, even if you arent the one doing it. Seeing what your supposed to do is ALOT different than seeing it in words..

EndlessDissent said:
I don't think the problem is only that people are using the videos. It's that people completely forego the written directions in favor of only using the video. I totally understand why some people need to use the videos, but that's no reason to ignore the written instructions. A lot of times, they give details that are missing from the video, but the written word can be hard to follow. However, when you read the instructions, watch the video, then go back and forth for reference, you get all the information plus the visual walkthrough.
For example, one of my coworkers wants to root his 004 evo. I directed him to the exact threads on xda that he should read. He called me up a week or so later saying he found videos on youtube and watched them INSTEAD of reading the threads. He tried to follow along with the video, which, for all I know was for an original Evo, and he couldn't get it to work. He then proceeded to ask me questions that were all answered in the threads and said that he had no idea what he was doing and asked me to give him a step-by-step over the phone. I have an older model, so I don't know the specifics of rooting an 004 off-hand. I told him that the only way for him to get a real answer was to read the threads, and he refused. How am I supposed to help someone who refuses to help himself?
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this is exactly what bothers me the most, i understand that people learn in different ways. there are also people who should not even be attempting to do something they understand nothing about. i am one of the few people that would rather read directions step by step rather than try to follow along with a video that doesnt move at my speed. you can pause a video all you want but you cant exactly speed it up. i have also screwed up but i have learned from my mistakes and there were plenty of them. im not afraid of screwing something up if i did there is nobody to blame but myself.

drtdiver83 said:
I cant understand why people are using these YouTube guides for rooting their phones and it seems like they are screwing something up almost everytime. I've looked at them and most seem like there are critical steps missing. Also they give no explanation of what is actually going on. If you do a Google search xda shows up in the first few results. So it seems like it could just be pure laziness because people don't want to read and research what they are doing.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Because some people are visual learners?! I don't understand why it's hard to understand this concept?! Why do 99% of manuals have pictures on them? Some written guides are not as thorough or organized as others. At least on video, you can hear and see what is going on so you have a backup as to what you're doing. It also allows you to see the reaction to what you're doing instantly before trying it on your own.
Call me crazy, but these online guides are really useful to me.

For me, knowing WHY something is done really cements the process. Guides that are just step by step without an explanation don't really install full confidence in doing the task.

How do I root?

Before people start *****ing about this being a "n00b" question, hear me out.
This forum absolutely SUCKS for learning how to actually do the things that are mentioned here all the time. I've been following this forum every since a I got a tf101 in December, and yet I STILL have yet to see one up-to-date and accurate description on how to root. The current 'how to root' post dates back to December.
I had a tf101 for nine months now and still haven't rooted simply because I've never seen an easy tutorial on how to do so.
Same thing for installing CWM, or for flashing a rom. I've always wanted to do so, and I really want to flash a JellyBean rom today, but I realized that every relevant post is either outdated or not helpful at all.
Please take this as constructive criticism and not as a n00b complaining or asking questions. XDA is a great place with great people, but every single "READ THIS FIRST" post or "BEGINNERS LOOK HER" thread is so convoluted and messy that it's impossible to glean any information from them. Most of them link to twenty other threads that are just as confusing.
I hope this makes sense. I guess I am now obliged to say: "sorry for the noob question"
Thanks,
wontstoptalking

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688012
Should explain it all.
A little tip to make it easier if your using the XDA app change it to 50 posts per page instead of 10 makes everything easier to take in.
Edit after you get root and recovery id recommend you install goo manager from the app store and install TWRP recovery because using touch trumps key presses on a tablet
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium

Thanks. Sorry if my OP seems a little harsh or frustrated, but it IS frustrating when you ask a pretty simple question in a thread ("how do I root?") and you get people saying USE THE SEARCHBAR! Which gives you two types of threads: tons of threads telling you how to root in tons of different and potentially outdated ways, and then tons of threads ASKING about how to root (which only get redirected to the searchbar again).
I mean, there are just so many old threads and alternate ways to do things that it's nearly impossible to just figure it out on your own, even with the searchbar.
I've always enjoyed the "always up-to-date" Lifehacker posts, like "The Always Up-To-Date Guide to Jailbreaking"
http://lifehacker.com/5771943/the-a...jailbreaking-your-iphone-ipod-touch-and-ipad-[ios-511]
(link for reference)
Because currently the "READ THIS" posts are really outdated or not very helpful.
Anyway, thanks!
EDITED so as not to bump:
Ok, so I'm following the EasyFlasher instructions, and there are things I don't understand. What USB mode do I use for the transformer? Do I enable usb debugging? How do I install the APX drivers? I mean, you don't have to answer these, I'm just saying that a definitive guide that is always up to date and consistent would be nice. I'm sitting at the menu that says "flash" afraid to do anything because the thread says that ADB drivers are required, but even when I tried to manually install the drivers it wouldn't work. Do I need the SDK downloaded to do this? That's what one thread seems to indicate, but not the other. This is why XDA drives me crazy sometimes.

Not to jump into your thread too much, but you sound just like I did when I first showed up here wanting to root my tablet. I'd become pretty comfortable rooting my phone and previous tablet but this once had me stumped for a while. The one that worked for me (and made sense to me when when I used it) was viperMOD PrimeTime v4.6 | Auto Root/Unroot/Busybox/CMW Flash. In fact I just mentioned this to some other guy in a different thread. I couldn't get any of the others to work for me but this one did.
My tablet was just updated to ICS (from Asus) when I did it (if that matters).
Rooting is the hardest part in my opinion. Once you have root and a recovery installed flashing to another ROM, or even another recovery, is pretty easy - wipe your caches, select a zip file and reboot. Tada. Rinse and repeat when the 'new thing' comes out.
Rooting is something people usually only do once, then move on so it's generally not a topic people want to revisit, or maybe even remember doing in detail so don't be too put off by XDA's brisk attitude in the General Forums.

grgmre said:
Not to jump into your thread too much, but you sound just like I did when I first showed up here wanting to root my tablet. I'd become pretty comfortable rooting my phone and previous tablet but this once had me stumped for a while. The one that worked for me (and made sense to me when when I used it) was viperMOD PrimeTime v4.6 | Auto Root/Unroot/Busybox/CMW Flash. In fact I just mentioned this to some other guy in a different thread. I couldn't get any of the others to work for me but this one did.
My tablet was just updated to ICS (from Asus) when I did it (if that matters).
Rooting is the hardest part in my opinion. Once you have root and a recovery installed flashing to another ROM, or even another recovery, is pretty easy - wipe your caches, select a zip file and reboot. Tada. Rinse and repeat when the 'new thing' comes out.
Rooting is something people usually only do once, then move on so it's generally not a topic people want to revisit, or maybe even remember doing in detail so don't be too put off by XDA's brisk attitude in the General Forums.
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Thanks a ton for this. I'll look into it. I'm actually gonna try to sell my 101 first, nab a good $250 so I can get a Nexus 7. If I get no buyers, I'll go through with the rooting and flashing (I want to try selling first because if I brick it or something... then I'll have nothing to sell haha).
Again, I apologize if my OP was a bit of an angry, noobish rant... I know that XDA generally hates those. But I do think it is a real problem that it's hard to learn anything on this forum if you have 0 experience to begin with. So for those who helped me out, thanks very much.
I know that since the original ICS update, there were one or two other updates (trying to fix the rebooting problem, I think) and I'm wondering if your root solution will still work for these new updates. I guess you wouldn't know since it doesn't affect you anymore, so I'm just throwing this question out there.