Introduction
In this tutorial I am going to show you how to root your Asus Transformer TF101 or Asus Transformer Prime TF201, running the latest version of Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), which at the time of writing is 9.2.1.21 for the TF101 and 9.4.2.21 for the Prime TF201. The only way to root your tablet running 9.2.1.21 or 9.4.2.21 WITHOUT unlocking your bootloader, is to downgrade to an older firmware version, get root, upgrade back to the latest firmware version available and restore our root access using OTA Root Keeper.
The benefit of this method is that you will not void your warranty, as your bootloader will remain locked. This whole process will take about 30 minutes to complete and will keep your data intact. I created this tutorial all by myself after I successfully rooted my Transformer Prime TF201 running 9.4.2.21 and a Transformer TF101 of a friend of mine running 9.2.1.21.
Disclaimer
Rooting (and downgrading) is a complicated process. I’ve tried to make this tutorial as easy to follow as possible. It contains lots of screenshots, which are in Dutch (Nederlands) by the way, but I also assume you have basic computer knowledge. If you don’t even know what ‘rooting’ is, then this is not for you!
In this tutorial I will be rooting my Transformer Prime TF201, but the process for the Transformer TF101 is exactly the same. Just make sure you don’t mix up the firmware numbers.
I also would like to point out that I am not responsible for any possible damage that this process may cause to your tablet. Downgrading and rooting Android devices is highly experimental and may turn your device into worthless brick. Proceed at your own risk!!
Last but not least: English is not my first language, so please excuse any spelling errors I’ve made below.
Checklist
-Make sure your Transformer is FULLY Charged
-Make sure your Transformer is NOT Docked
-Make sure your Transformer’s bootloader is LOCKED, i.e. you are NOT running a custom ROM or have ClockworkMod flashed.
-Make sure your firmware build number is equal to 9.2.1.21 if you have a Transformer TF101 or 9.4.2.21 if you have a Transformer Prime TF201
-Only use the ORIGINAL USB Cable, WITHOUT any USB extension cables
-Take your time, don’t rush things and be patient.
-Follow the instructions precisely and all will be OK!
Preparation: Backup Apps&Data
Let’s start by making a backup of our apps and data in case something goes wrong. Open up the Asus Back-up app.
Accept the Terms of Agreement and click on ‘Start’.
In the right upper corner select ‘Data & Application’ as ‘Back-uptype’, click ‘Select all’ and click ‘Back-up’. The time it takes before the backup finishes depends on the amount of apps you have installed on your tablet. Just be patient.
Preparation: Download & Copy older firmware
Before we continue, we need to verify which exact firmware version our Transformer tablet is running. To do so go into ‘Settings’ –> ‘About Tablet’ and scroll down until the ‘Build- number’ appears, like so:
As you can see, my tablet is running the latest version of ICS available, which at the time of writing is 9.4.2.21 for the Prime TF201. But also note the ‘WW’ in front of the number, which means ‘WorldWide’. This is important because Asus releases different types of firmware versions for different countries. For example, Transformer tablets in the USA will have an ‘US’ prefix instead of the ‘WW’ prefix. When downgrading (or flashing a new ROM onto) your tablet, it is very important to make sure you have the correct corresponding firmware type. In other words: Do NOT flash a ‘US’ type firmware on your tablet if it originally was a ‘WW’ type tablet. This WILL cause problems!
Now that we know which firmware type our tablet has, in my case that’s ‘WW’, we need to download an older firmware for our tablet to be able to gain root access. This is needed because the latest firmware version we’re running (9.4.2.21) does not contain any exploits that we can use to gain root access directly. This is because Asus patches those exploits with every firmware update they release. However, older firmware versions do contain exploits to gain root access and thus we need to downgrade to one of those older firmware versions first before we can gain root access.
If you have an Transformer TF101, I recommend downloading firmware version 9.2.1.11, which can be found here:
WW version: https://freek.ws/transformer/TF101/WW_epad-user-9.2.1.11.zip
US version: https://freek.ws/transformer/TF101/US_epad-user-9.2.1.11.zip
Again, make sure to download the correct corresponding firmware type for your tablet, as explained above!
If you have a Transformer Prime TF201, I recommend downloading firmware version 9.4.2.15, which can be found here:
WW version: https://freek.ws/transformer/TF201_Prime/WW_epad-user-9.4.2.15.zip
US version: https://freek.ws/transformer/TF201_Prime/US_epad-user-9.4.2.15.zip
Again, make sure to download the correct corresponding firmware type for your tablet, as explained above!
After you’ve downloaded the corresponding older firmware version for your tablet, you’ll end up with a .zip file. Unzip the .zip file, which will leave you with a ‘META-INF’ folder and a ‘blob’ file.
You can delete the ‘META-INF’ folder; we only need the ‘blob’ file.
Connect your Transformer tablet to your computer using the original USB cable and copy the ‘blob’ file into the root of the INTERNAL STORAGE of your Tranformer (NOT the SDCard), like so:
Preparation: Change tablet settings
Before we can downgrade our tablet, we need to change some settings in our tablet.
Before you continue, please disconnect the tablet from your computer!
On your tablet, go to Settings –> Developer Options –> Click OK at the message that pops up –> place a checkmark at ‘USB debugging’ –> Click OK at the message that pops up.
Also go to Settings –> Security –> place a check mark at ‘Unknown Sources’ –> Click OK at the message that pops up.
Lastly, go to Settings –> Accounts & Synchronization –> Uncheck (remove) the check mark at ‘Start Asus Sync’.
Download ‘Downgrade Tool’
We now need to download a tool which will downgrade the firmware for us. This tool is no more than an automated version of a downgrade exploit invented by Wolf849 (1) and can be found here:
https://www.freek.ws/downgrade_tool (2)
Once downloaded, you will end up with another .ZIP file. Again unzip this file and you’ll end up with a bunch of files. This .ZIP file also contains the Drivers we need to use in the next step!
Preparation: Install Drivers
Now connect your tablet to your computer again, using the original USB cable.
Windows now probably will l complain a ‘Device driver software was not successfully installed’ in the right bottom corner of your screen.
To solve this, go ‘Start’, right click on ‘Computer’ –> ’Properties’.
In the new screen that pops-up (assuming that you’re running Windows 7) click on ‘Device Manager’, in the left upper corner.
You will now see a device called ‘Asus Android Composite ADB Interface’ listed under ‘Other devices’ with a yellow exclamation mark. Right click on it and select ‘Update driver’.
In the new screen that pops-up, select ‘Browse my computer for driver software’.
In the next screen, browse to the ..\Drivers\Android folder which was included in the .zip file you’ve downloaded above and click ‘Next’.
Your computer should now install the correct drivers for your tablet. If all went well, you should see this screen:
Click ‘Close’ and check if the ‘Asus Android Composite ADB Interface’ is now listed under ‘Asus Android Devices’ instead of ‘Other devices’, like so:
Preparation: Kill unwanted apps
Before we can downgrade, we need to make sure the apps ‘Asus Sync’ and ‘Splashtop Remote’ are not running.
To do so (do NOT disconnect your tablet from your computer!) on your tablet go to Settings –> Apps –> All –> Search for ‘com.asus.pcsynclauncher’ and ‘Splashtop Remote’.
Make sure to ‘Force stop’ both apps. To do so, click on them and press ‘Force stop’.
After Force stopping, the ‘force stop’ button will be greyed out which means the app is no longer running in the background.
Downgrading
We are now finally ready to downgrade our tablet. Open (by double clicking) ‘viperMOD Primer Tool v4.5 – Modded by bpear_v3.exe’ . You will see this screen:
We need option 1, so press 1 on your keyboard and hit the Enter button to continue.
NOTE: Although it says ‘Downgrade unrooted US Prime to .15’, this also works for WW Prime and also for US and WW TFT101. Don’t worry :)
You’ll get this screen:
Hit the Enter button to continue.
You’ll get this screen:
Once again, hit the Enter button to continue.
The downgrade process will now begin. DO NOT DISCONNECT YOUR TABLET FROM YOUR COMPUTER DURING THIS PROCESS! Disconnecting your tablet during the downgrade or rooting process can break your tablet and turn it into a unless (but very expensive) brick!
If all goes according to plan your tablet will reboot first, then the older firmware we’ve copied earlier (the ‘blob’ file) will be copied to the correct system folders (this can take up to 10 minutes, BE PATIENT!!) and then your tablet will reboot once again running the older firmware. While rebooting, the tablet will stop for a while displaying the Asus EEE Logo with a progress bar; Don’t worry – the bar will move in 1 minute or so. Just be patient!
If the downgrading process has finished, you’ll see this screen:
Hit the Enter button, followed by pressing 8 and hitting the Enter button to exit.
To verify if your tablet has indeed been downgraded successfully, go into Settings à About tablet and verify the ‘Build-number’. It should say ‘9.2.1.11’ if you have a Transformer TF101 or ‘9.4.2.15’ if you have a Transformer Prime TF201, like so:
If that’s the case, we can proceed by rooting our tablet. If not, then you’ve done something wrong. Please start from the beginning and make sure you exactly follow each and every step precisely.
Download ‘Rooting Tool’
To root our tablet, we need to download another tool, which can be found here:
https://www.freek.ws/rooting_tool (3)
You’ll end up with another .zip file. Again unzip this .zip file somewhere and you’ll end up again with a bunch of files and folders.
Before we can root our tablet, we need to make sure again that the apps ‘Asus Sync’ and ‘Splashtop Remote’ are NOT running. Please see above on how to do this.
Rooting
We now can finally root our tablet. Open (by double clicking) ‘viperMOD PrimeTime v4.5.exe’ . You will see this screen:
We need option 1, so press 1 on your keyboard and hit the Enter button to continue.
NOTE: Although it says ‘Root (only method for Prime on ICS v9.x.x.11)’, this also works for the Asus Transformer TF101 running 9.2.1.11 and Transformer Prime TF201 running 9.4.2.15. Don’t worry :)
However, whatever you do, do NOT flash recovery if you’re NOT on a Prime. That option is ONLY for Prime TF201!!
Let’s continue. You’ll now get this screen:
Hit the Enter button to continue.
You’ll get this screen:
Once again, hit the Enter button to continue.
The rooting process will now begin. Once again, DO NOT DISCONNECT YOUR TABLET FROM YOUR COMPUTER DURING THIS PROCESS!
If all goes according to plan some files will be transferred to your tablet first, the exploit will be used to gain root access and BusyBox will be installed. Finally your tablet will reboo and once rebooted it will be rooted! If the rooting process has finished, you’ll see this screen:
Hit the Enter button, followed by pressing 7 and hitting the Enter button to exit.
Protect Root with OTA RootKeeper
To verify that your tablet has indeed been rooted, go into the market, download ‘OTA RootKeeper’ and open it.
On opening, a SuperUser prompt will popup asking if ‘OTA RootKeeper’ is allowed to get root permissions. Hit ‘Allow’
If correctly, OTA RootKeeper will confirm that your device is rooted:
Now before we continue, it is important that we protect our root access. Like I said before, with every new firmware update Asus releases, they patch any exploits which will gain us root access. So to make sure we can safely upgrade to a newer firmware version (in our case 9.2.1.21 or 9.4.2.21), we need to protect our root access BEFORE upgrading. If you don’t do this, you will lose your root access and you can start all over again. I hope you understand the importance of this app, so whatever you do, DO NOT UNINSTALL OTA ROOTKEEPER!
To protect your root access, press the ‘Protect root’ button in OTA RootKeeper. It’ll take just a few seconds. Once it has finished protecting our root access, you should see this:
Upgrade to latest firmware
Now we’re ready to upgrade back to the latest firmware available, in our case 9.2.1.21 for the TF101 or 9.4.2.21 for the Prime TF201
To do so, on your tablet, go to ‘Settings’ –> ‘About tablet’ –> ‘Update systemfirmware’. It should now say a new update is available and start downloading it. If it doesn’t say there’s an update available, just wait a couple of hours and try again. It should show up eventually. If still doesn’t show up after 24 hours, make sure you flashed the correct version of firmware (ie. WW if your tablet is a WW version).
You can check the download progress in the notification area, in the right down corner of your tablet. If it has finished downloading, a notification will be placed in the notification area, in the right down corner of your tablet. Click on it and this screen will appear:
Now hit Install and your tablet will upgrade to the latest firmware as it normally would do.
Restore Root using OTA RootKeeper
Finally, once the upgrade has finished, open OTA RootKeeper and restore your root access.
Done!
Congratulations! You’ve now successfully rooted your Transformer TF101 or Transformer Prime TF201 tablet, running the latest available firmware (9.2.1.21 or 9.4.2.21)! That wasn’t so hard, was it ;) ?
Credits & Thanks to:
(1) Wolf849 @ xda-developers for inventing a downgrade method for Transformers running 9.2.1.21 or 9.4.2.21
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1622628
(2) bpear96 @ xda-developers for creating an automated downgrade script, based upon –Viperboy-‘s tool using Wolf849’s downgrade method.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=25511847&postcount=100
(3) -Viperboy- @ xda-developers for creating his ‘viperMOD PrimeTime’ tool to automatically root a Transformer tablet.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1427125
Thank you! Will try this soon :) .
Good luck! If you need any help, just leave a comment :)
Thank you. I admit I was a little nervous following the steps, but as you instructed I ensured I followed each step percisely, and the pictures really helped out to clarify each step. In about 30 minutes everything worked flawlessly:) You are the MAN!!!
Thank you pal!
Thnx!
You’re welcome :)
Ik snap er geen zak van, maar mijn complimenten voor dit prachtige stukje werk met uitleg.
Bedankt voor de complimenten :)
So if you wanted to get away from OTA Asus roms, you could use Viper tool after rooting and throw on a custom recovery and install your own TF101 rom correct? I would rather take my chances on another rom and start fresh than waiting for ASUS to fix issues that should have been addressed over a month ago. Good tutorial!!
You can not flash a custom recovery on your TF101 using Viper’s tool; That option is only for Prime TF201. If you want to flash recovery on your TF101, you need to do it manually. Take a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1093818
Thanks for the compliments
That’s an excellent step-by-step guide for anyone who is unsure about the process. I think many will benefit from it. Nice work.
Thanks!
yeah. so cool. i’ll try it on my tf101
i’ll send you feedback if it works for me or not
thanks btw for the stepbystep instruction
Hi, well done very detailed article, just thought I’d let you know that, if you have the latest firmware you only need to flash a recovery blob ( Version 3 I think of Wolfs method ) then boot into recovery and flash his superuser / su package and you will be rooted with the latest firmware.
Hi Pete! Thanks for the reply.
Version 3 of Wolf’s method is only available for TF101 Transformers and not for Transformers Prime TF201. It also hasn’t been automated yet by a script or something, so has to be done manually and thus is prone to human errors (typos). I do see more posts for help from people using Method 3, so I personally prefer method 2.
But yes, if you have a TF101 that also would’ve been possible ;)
Oh ok I wasn’t aware of that, I’ve just flashed the latest version from Asus an used wolfs method to get recovery and root again OTA Rootkeeper never works for me. Keep up the good work.
thx, best guide i’ve seen. ga m dit weekend er op zetten
Thanks for the compliment! Succes!
Great tutorial , but i don’t know if I can use this for my tf201 ver. 21, unlocked boot loader, no rooted and with cwm 5.8.2.0. I’m looking all the webs for root my tf201, and all the ways are to downgrade to over 15 or 17.
Good question. To be honest, I don’t have an answer for you. This tutorial was written especially for those who don’t want to unlock their bootloader and still have a ‘virgin’ non-rooted/non-flashed Transformer.
From the top of my head I would say that it is possible. I guess you can use cwm to flash a su package (like Pete mentions above). I suggest you take a look at the XDA-Developers forum and seek for help over there. I’m sure they’ll be able to help you out :)
Thanks, i would to pass the question to the XDA-Developers, and then i publish here the answere for other people. Great work men.
There are custom ROMS based on the .21 update that are rooted. Since you have an unlocked bootloader and installed cwm, you don’t need to go through this process, just flash the ROM that looks best to you :)
Hey m8, just thank you sooo much. It helped and did the trick :-) Well done!
Great, nice to hear! Enjoy your rooted tablet!
Thanks a lot for your hard work! This was excactly what I was looking for!
You’re welcome!
Worked like a charm on TF201 WW .21
Two small adds:
– after downgrading tablet will reboot then hangs for a while on first eee asus logo with progress bar. dont worry – the bar will move in 1 minute or so; didnt find it in this tutorial
– after rooting tablet will reboot once (not twice)
THANX MAN:) Didnt know we can do that and was sad because of my stock .21 Now I have .21+root :-)
Thanks, you’re right indeed! I’ve edited the article with your feedback :)
This worked perfect on a .21 Transformer Prime. I was really not wanting to (explicitly) void my warranty with the bootloader unlocker because I am paranoid. Thank you!!!
Glad I was able to help!
Thanks a million!Flawless tutorial, worked like a charm on my TFP. One question, will the OTA still come automatically eventually forcing itselves on me? If it does I’m unlocking and flashing a custom ROM, I was experiencing sick battery drain on .21 and now that I’m back on .15 life is golden.
Again Thanks.
Yep the OTA updates will come just as normal.
But you could postpone them every time, right?
Thanks a lot for taking the four hours to write this guide. You have saved me the headache of trying to figure out how to do this correctly. I had only one problem “launcher will not start” but that went away after updating to .14 then everything else worked out with no problems. Thanks again Freek for all of your hard work writing this guide.
Thanks for the comment! Glad I was able to help :)
Thanks.
Nice job
Thanks for the compliment!
Yeaaaay!!!!
Work great on my TFP with an unknown serial issue.
Thank you for the easy to follow instructions and for those that created the tools and found the exploit.
Now “switchme ” works again and the wife and kids can use the tablet.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the feedback! Enjoy your rooted tablet :)
Thanks so much
No problem!
couldn’t be easier, absolute legend! Thank you
Good to hear it was helpful :)
Thank you for sharing your work. They were two days I was looking for a guide to downgrade from .21, but no one was clear for me, the fear of breaking the Prime was too big … Then I found your blog and … why I do not entrust at a person so precise? And it all went well! You’re the best, I wish by you a guide for how to live!!! P. S. Excuse my English, I am ashamed of how I write, but I could not fail to thank you.
Andy
Nice to hear I was able to help!
Excellent tutorial even for an Android newbie trying to help a friend recover deleted files requiring root access. Spent hours looking for something like this Question: is their a way to mount internal TF201 drive on a PC as a USB Mass storage device once root access is gained?
Thanks for the compliments, Mark.
Sadly there doesn’t seem to be a method to mount it as a USB Mass storage device without unlocking the bootloader:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1567484
Thanks for the reply and the link Freek. Guess my question should have been is there a way to recover deleted files off of a MTP/PTP partition? I know the files are there. I just can’t see them with my recovery software since it can’t “see” the TF201 internal drive. I know there’s an Android program called Undelete but it only works on FAT32 partitions which I gather the internal Tf201 drive is not.
Sadly, I don’t think you can.. Others tried but eventually gave up as well
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25962082
Legend…worked perfectly.
For mac users, connect usb directly to the rear of the screen, NOT through the keyboard. This will solve the ‘low usb power’ issue.
And use a windows partition (bootcamp)!
Thanks for the tips for Mac users!
Thank you so much, this is great, I really appreciate it!
And I appreciate you comment. Thanks!
Freek, a little problem, I can’t seem to update OTA. When I check for updates I get the message saying that no updates are available and if I manually update by putting the .zip file of the firmware I lose my root and can’t restore with OTA rootkeeper.
Any suggestions?
To be honest I’m not bothered about staying at .15 as long as I stay rooted!
Please see the comment from ‘Daryl’ below. He says:
‘I had the same problem. It was late when I down graded and rooted. I left it overnight and the update notice came automatically in the morning.’
I hope your problem also gets fixed ‘automagically’.
omfg!! Thank You!
Thank you! (or as we say in Poland -> Dzi?kuj?!) :)
You’re welcome! Or as we say in The Netherlands: Alsjeblieft :)
thank you very mach. i did it. nice
Glad I was able to help.
i`m from mongolia. use ATP-201. thans man.
Greetings from The Netherlands!
I had the same problem. It was late when I down graded and rooted. I left it overnight and the update notice came automatically in the morning.
BTW, new external GPS antenna did not work with .15 firmware good with .21 only.
Great job on this method to root.
Thanks for the feedback!
Worked fine for me on TF101, with small tweaks. I downgraded to V9.2.1.17 from the official Asus page http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=20&s=16&m=Eee+Pad+Transformer+TF101&os=32 (not version 9.2.1.11 from this page) and used vipermod 4.6 straight from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=21007398 for the rooting itself (option 1 worked). Other than that, it was according to these instructions. Thanks for your time writing this! :)
That’s also possible of course ;) I just listed those two versions because I used them myself during the rooting process so I knew they would definitely work.
Thanks for the feedback!
Hey Freek,
Thanks again for the tutorial. I am now running AOKP rom with TestyMeh Kernel. I have only been running this today and so far no draining and no reboots. I also found Textab to sync my sms text messages from my Tf101 to my phone via bluetooth. Working great thus far!
Nice!
I REALLY LOVE U MAN!!!!!
Haha ;)
merci beaucoup pour ton tuto !!
Thanks a lot !!
Now after i rebooted both my PC and the Prime
It worked like a charm!
Thank You
Glad you got it working!
apologize if I did not understand,but for 9.2.1.21 which file should I take
9.2.1.21 means you have a TF101, right?
So to downgrade, you should take 9.2.1.11
Thank you, everything worked perfectly
Grande!!!
Ottima guida, funziona alla perfezione!!
Grazie mille!!!
ciao
Very good tutorial! I’m rooted now. That was easy thanks to you. :)
Does this also work on the TF300?
I don’t know, as I do not own a TF300 or have access to it. If you wait a week or 2-3 I can tell you, as a friend of mine has ordered it.
Thanks, i’ll wait. I just got mine and not confident enough not to brick it.
THANK YOU! I Love ROOT!
Thanks, very useful. I tried by myself some days ago, without knowing this guide, and the tool by pbear used to be only for win 64bit. Is it still like this or now is it also for win 32bit?
The tool works on 64 bit. I flashed both tablets and made the screenshots on my laptop, which is running Windows 7 – 64 bit.
I have only 32bit computers at home, i asked for this reason. Damn :(
I am sorry, I’ve misread your comment. I thought you said it was only compatible with 32 bit.
What error are you getting running 32 bit Windows?
Hi, am stuck in just this part. I have a 32 bit windows vista, yeah my bad, and tells me its not compatible. Any ideas?! Or should i just hassle a friend that has a 64 bit one?!
thanks!!
Same problem of Lisa below. The alternative is to use ADB forma this, but i don’t know where to begin. So i’ll wait a 32bit version.
Yes, i bugged a friend with a 64 bit pc, worked like a charm. Thank you Freek, awesome work!!
Has anyone tried it on the TF300?
Fantastic guide Freek. Easy to use and understand and went without a hitch. :) There I was looking for a UK firmware, not realising mine runs a WW firmware. \o/
Slight note, in your guide you refer to running the .EXE files. On my setup (Vista) they will not run stating not being compatible with the OS. I found I needed to run the .BAT files instead.
AFAIK UK Firmware does not exist indeed. Only DE, TW, US and WW I believe :)
.BAT should also be fine, no worries there.
Thanks for the reply Freek, might want to add that to the guide as some people having issues with 64bit issues. If it was not for your guide I would not have got my ROOT back after the .21 update.
Many thanks to Viperboy, wolf849 & bpear96 for their exploits and hardwork!!
when i open vipermod primetime and try to instal unlock tool and flash CMW it doesnt seem to work when i restart and try to get into CMW it just has the adroid on its back with a red triangle and !
could you help
its the prime 201 btw im still downgraded. i wanted to find out if it could be done before i upgrade
CMW is not necessary for rooting. Only install it if you know what you’re doing.
Thank you Freek for a great tutorial. Will this method work on the US Slider SL100 with the new ICS 9.2.1.21 update? I’ve been searching the internet for awhile now and cannot find a tutorial specifically for this model. I’m almost regretting buying this model. I love the Asus brand tablets but cannot find much on the Slider SL100 model. Any help or sugestions would be appreciated. Again great job on the tutorial, look forward to hearing from you.
Hi Mark.
As far as I know, nobody has tried this method yet on their Slider, at least no-one in the topic at XDA-Developers has. So I don’t know at this time.. sorry!
Hey man, thanks for tutorial. I finish update my TFP to .21 with root, using your tuto.
All clean and funcional.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
TY TY TY!
The tutorial is awesome, explained, with screenshots, etc, nice!
Saludos from Venezuela.
Thank you very much
Awesome…you saved me many hours of frustration. I still need to upgrade the firmware to the latest, but so far everything is working like a charm. You totally rock!!!!
Cheers from Canada
Was almost all the way home!!
When I saw in vipermod the conflicting xx.11 and me being on .15 I started searching for answers thinking I had the wrong tool.
Found this tutorial and man I wish I would have seen it sooner. Would have saved me a lot of time.
Nicely written step-by-step instructions.
!!THANK YOU!!
Nice tutorial!
But I had a problem and I need help please.
I followed all of your instructions, but when i was supposed to install the correct drivers, the computer did it before me.
It didn’t showed the message ‘Device driver software was not successfully installed’ like you did, it actually installed the drivers successfully and when I tried to install the ViperMod’s drivers like you do, and it told me that ‘the best driver software for your device is already installed, windows has determined the driver software for your device is up to date’. And I was afraid to continue, thus this problem might interfere me in the rest of the downgrade.
What should I do?
Thank you, and sorry for my bad English…
Should I erase the drivers that the windows installed? It would harm my PC?
Here’s a picture:
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/5809/62112774.png
Just continue the tutorial, i got the same menssage (b)
;)
Oh OK thank :)
But how could it work if it doesn’t use the viperMode’s drivers?
Like Humberto H says, you can proceed with the tutorial. I assume you have installed these drivers before on your computer when using ADB in the past or something?
These aren’t ‘special’ viperMode drivers or something. The drivers you are installing are just the generic ADB Drivers for the Transformer tablet :)
amazing work , thank you
well, cant thank you enough, you saved me a lot of headace. Thanks a million for you taking your time to solve this :-)
Very very good description, followwed it and it worked like a charm
Nolan
Great job. Couldn’t have made it more simple. Worked a dream. Many thanks!
I spent two days trying to root my daughters TF 101, nothing worked until I found this post. the instructions were clearly presented easy to follow and most important acurate. Thank-you for taking the time to do this
Thanks Alot !! I tried many different ways to root my tf101 and none of them worked, but this one ! Very easy to do and take half an hour.
Thanks again.
I tried numerous time but everytime downgrading using prime tool 1st option. the first boot only lasted a min and just went back to andorid lockscreen. basically it didnt move the blob to android system folder. and there is no second reboot. the downgrading process failed. please someone advice.
thanks
The blob itself will not be moved. After downgrading, it will still be in the same place.
What firmware version are you now running?
Thank you so much for this guide! It was easy to follow and it really helped clear up a lot of questions a noob (such as myself) may have ;)
Thank You very much!!!!!
Its very good!
Tutorial of great quality, congratulations!
Worked in my Asus TF101 perfectly.
Awesome tutorial!!!
Probably the most detailed and the easiest to understand I’ve ever seen :)
Do you have any suggestions for a good ROM + a tutorial how to flash it?
Thank you!!!!!!!!
I haven’t looked yet into custom ROMs nor ways to do it. I do know you need ClockworkMod to flash a custom ROM, but you will need to unlock your bootloader for that as far as I know.
now (yet). Currently I don’t have any plans on flashing a custom ROM or writing a tutorial for it. Sorry!
i did it, thanks a lot!! Best Wish…
Thank you that was an exceptional tutorial. I’ve been waiting for this for some time and you made it one of the easiest roots I’ve ever done, even with having to downgrade. Kudos.
Worked like a charm on my TF101, thanks very much.
It worked like charm in first try.
Tnx!
Thank you Very much . I just got my TF101 and am in love with it. I have been looking for a way to root my ICS TF101 but to no avail, until now!! I haven’t tried it yet but will do so tomorrow when I get home from work. Thanx Again!!!
Worked a treat on my TF101.
Many thanks, great job.
Bravo !
Thanks heaps. Worked perfectly. You are a hero !!
Hey, thanks dude.
This process worked for me on the second attempt after actually bricking my TF101 the first time around. :(
However it was totally my own fault that I bricked the TF101 because I wrongly assumed after the first reboot that something had gone amiss when the TF101 ended up at the pre-downgrade desktop…….so unpluged it.
I didn’t realise that was supposed to happen and that I needed to just leave it a little longer.
This is the section I should have taken more notice of:
“DO NOT DISCONNECT YOUR TABLET FROM YOUR COMPUTER DURING THIS PROCESS! Disconnecting your tablet during the downgrade or rooting process can break your tablet and turn it into a unless (but very expensive) brick!”
For anyone else, if you inadvertantly brick your device (mine was actually boot looping), then there is a really useful thread here to unbrick the TF101:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=22974401#post22974401
The comments 7 and 9 from ‘dreamboxuser’ are what got my TF101 working again.
Thanks again OP.
Sorry to hear that, but at the same time thanks for reporting back you got it back to life again.
Next time, please read the instructions more carefully. After all, I didn’t write those warnings for nothing ;)
Yet another thank you. This worked flawlessly starting with the latest firmware release from ASUS for the TF101, 9.2.1.24.
thanks much. I saw this a bit too late, now that I am on .24
But i have to say, you have done an awesome job!!
I’ve got reports that this should also work on .24. Feel free to try it out!
Thanks so much. This was just what I needed and the process worked perfectly. You are the MAN !!!!!!!
Looks great but is there a 32 bit version of viberMod?
This version is not compatibel whit my pc.
What error are you getting? Is it that a directory could not be found? If so, I think I can fix that by editing the script. 64 bit has a different Program Files directory than 32 bit does. I think that’s the problem
De versie van dit bestand is niet compatibel met de windows versie die wordt uitgevoerd.
controleer de systeeminformatie van u computer of u een 32bit of 64 bits versie van het programma nodig hebt.
Probeer het .bat bestand te runnen ipv het .exe bestand
Try running the .bat file, instead of the .exe file.
Thank you very much, bro! us_epad-9.2.1.24-20120503 successfully rooted! Cheers!
Thanks for reporting! Awesome to hear that this also works for .24!
Thanks so much for this great guide. I shared it on my Google+ stream because I have a few people who were looking for the process too.
Thanks!!! Thanks! I can’t thank you enough!
Worked perfect on my Transformer Prime.
thanks a lot!
worked perfectly.
very easy to understand.
A big thank you for compiling these simple directions.. I am rooted and without your directions I’d still be swimming around in the XDA forums, confused by all the conflicting info I was finding in 100 different threads.. Thanks!!
Great tutorial. Easy to follow and very detailed. Covered all my uncertainties and worked like a charm. Thanks for your hard work and contribution to the community. Keep it up!!
Thank you for this excellent tutorial by “Freek” blow by blow detailed instructions which make the process simple and uncomplicated. Well recomended for all Transformer Prime users. 10 out of 10.
Thanks to the writer for by far the most simple, effective and well written tutorial on the web.
My only complaint is I wasted 15 minutes looking at other solutions and did not come across this until page 3 on google search results!
I really can’t help that, sorry ;)
You rock, I had some issues with the drivers for some reason but finally uninstalled them several times and started over and it worked like a champ. I really appreciate all that you have done. YOU ROCK
thx for your hard work!
thx for your hard work!
Thanks for the kind comments everyone! I’ve been told that this process also works for Transformers running .24. So if you’re running .24, feel free to try it out. If it does work, please do report back!
Bedankt voor de prachtige uitleg! ;3
Thank you very much ! Good job !
Awesome tutorial! :D
Worked perfectly, but my prime didn’t have the com.asus.pc….. so i just closed the other one and it worked :)
People worrying if the tutorial works, it does xD
Excellent tutorial – worked flawlessly.
I got to step2, then it says “device not found” (TF101 starts rebooting), then the message of “… 3-10 minutes”, but then “”device not found” again. The TF101 reboots within a minute. Any ideas? Thanks.
Did you install the drivers correctly? Is USB Debugging enabled?
I already had the drivers and yes, I have USB Debugging enabled.
Removed ASUS Sync and Splashtop from both TF101 and Win7 laptop, not those errors are gone, but still reboots within 30 seconds without upgrading.
Awesome tutorial and excellent explanation. Thank you so much. I read several other tutorials but I failed to do that until I found your article. Finally, I can root my TF101 ICS.
* Note: I’ve got a bit of problem after the second rebooting, i.e. after moving FW data. My Asus keeps on saying “unfortunately, Exchange Services has stopped.” But no worry, after I upgrade my firmware to the latest one, the problem has gone.
Brilliant!!!
Freek,
Awesome work.
And hereby confirmation that it works on a TF101 with 9.2.1.24
Finally a working method.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Hi,
I have an old Windows XP 32-bit version on my PC. Judging by some other comments here, does that mean this method won’t work for me???
It worked on mine with 32-bit Windows XP.
Try running the .bat file, instead of the .exe file. Some people reported that this fixed their problem.
OK will give it a try. But I’m stuck on step 2: when I connect the tablet to my computer, the computer recognises a new item is connected but it doesn’t show up in the Explorer. as a result I can’t copy the blob file.
How do you make the tablet show up in Explorer without installing some drivers first? Have I forgotten some settings somewhere?
Had the same problem until i upgraded the “Windows Media Player” to Version 11, after connecting, the MTP screen prompt turns up with the “show files in Windows Explorer”wich enables the transference of files. Maybe you need to allocate the MTP in “Device Manager” to the Drivers in the Primer tool download as described in Freeks tutorial above.
THANKS!!! confirmed working on 9.2.1.24.. Got mine rooted finally,,
Thanks for confirming that it does work on .24 as well.
great tut!! finaly and with your help I made it! now time to install debian.. and other roms! thanx!!
32bits compatible pls !?!? :)
Try running the .bat file, instead of the .exe file…
Fantastic! Worked on the TF201/ Windows XP 32 bit.
Open the “windows batch” not the “exe.” for the prime and primer tool otherwise you get an error.
Thanks for the work and thumbs up to all the developers!!
BIG thanks.
Excellent instructions! Very clear and concise. This worked fine on my TF201 even with it being unlocked using the official from Asus. I also rooted using the newer version 4.6 and it worked fine. That file can be found here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1427125. Everything worked great and I am now rooted on 9.4.2.15. I also protected root with OTA rootkeeper. However, it has been 3 days and the OTA firmware update to .21 is not coming even when I check. I grabbed the file from Asus support online and upgraded. However, I went to restore root from rootkeeper and it would not work. I ended up redoing the instructions and am back to rooted on 9.4.2.15.
Works for me, (TF101 with 24 FW)
but have proplem with mail foceclose.
Got it after downgrade+root.
Try deleting and re-adding your mail account
I also had problems with my mail.
The problems where gone after I updated to the newest version again (With saved root ofcourse)
Nice Guide! appreciate that!
I try this method with my Tf101 with 9.2.1.24 and it does not even give my tablet enough time to restart before it tries to move the files. It says error device not found after the initial restart.
Did you enable USB Debugging? Did you install the drivers? Have you stopped Asus PC Sync and Splashtop Remote?
Great job on the tutorial…I have been looking for a way to root my tf101 since the latest update and this process was easy and pretty quick for someone like me, who isn’t very knowledgeable about rooting.
Thanks again and great job!
Firstly, I want to thank you for writing such a detailed guide as this one.
Now the problem: I have a TF101 and I rooted it 1 month ago, but I lost it when I updated to .21 because I forgot to install the OTA RootKeeper.
So at the moment my TF101 is unrooted and its FW is WW_epad-9.2.1.21-20120413 (I didn’t update to .24 yet, even though the system keeps saying that there’s an update). I tried downgrading twice following all the instructions in this guide, even triple checking them, but step 3 in viperMOD, “Moving FW data… (this will take 3-10 min)”, lasts only 10 seconds, then the tablet reboots without downgrading.
However, since I already rooted it before, the drivers are already installed and when I connect the Transformer to the PC it is automaticaly recognized as a storage device and is listed as “ASUS Android Composite ADB Interface” under “ASUS Android Deviced” in Device Manager, so I didn’t install any new drivers.
I don’t know what to do… What am I doing wrong?
Thank you again and I hope you can help me :)
Sorry for the bad english
Im having the same issue, so im waiting for help on that as well just on .24
Did you unlock your bootloader when your rooted your tablet before?
Reading the comments below I found out the problem was that I had killed Asus Sync and SplashTop just on the Transformer, not on the PC.
Just closed them all and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the guide :)
What must I do, after sucesfully root, if I dont want to loose the root in case I made a soft reset?
Install OTA RootKeeper and Protect root.
prachtige uitleg. heel duidelijk.
Ik zit alleen met een probleem. Ik kan mijn root acces niet terug krijgen nadat ik hem heb geupdate naar .21
Ik weet 100% zeker dat ik hem op .15 geroot heb en dat dat ook gelukt is. Ik weet ook 100% zeker dat ik een back up van mijn root heb via rootkeeper. Maar wanneer ik hem geupdate heb naar .21 en ik ga terug naar rootkeeper om hem terug te halen. Dan krijg ik een heel ander schermpje. Ik kan namelijk de volgende knoppen indrukken: protect root, backup root, restore root, delete su backup.
Ook worden de volgende vakjes weergeven: divice rooted, root permission granted, filesystem supports root protection(aangevinkt), Protected su copy available. (er is er dus maar 1 aangevinkt)
Dus ik druk op restore root en ik krijg de melding root restored(er gebeurt verder niks). ik kijk vervolgens of ik mijn root inderdaad terug heb maar nee. geen root toegang. Ook de vakjes zijn niet aangevinkt. Weet jij misschien waar het probleem ligt? Ik kom er namelijk niet uit. heb alle stappen meerdere keren doorgenomen maar elke keer kom ik op het zelfde resultaat.
TF201
Staat SuperUser op je tablet?
jazeker.
na updaten staat het vakje bij rootkeeper: Protected su copy available niet aangevinkt!!! (ik weet zeker dat ik er een back up van heb gemaakt!)
THANKS MAN, it work even on my unlocked asus prime TF201.
Thanks, worked beautifully
Thanks. This forum appealed to me vs the others and was extremely easy to follow. Great Job
Men All I have to say is Thanks Aswome Job!!!!! You are the man and I appreciate the time you spend on this tutorial.
Many thanks.
You may want to add that you cant have any asus sync software running or poossibly instaled on your computer. Took me multiple tries till I figured out to remove it
Followed your instructions, found asus sync and webstorage on my computer and it worked.
Killing Asus Sync should do the trick, but I’ll add it just to be sure asap.
Thanks.
Works wonderfull with TFT101 ww 9.2.1.24
very good thanks.
Thank you for writing this wonerful guide and compiling all the information. After some time and with the help of joker I am not running .24 rooted.
Now*
THANK YOU!!!
I was nervous as I have had my prime only 2 days but everything worked perfectly.
The part where windows does not recognize the device and you manually update the drivers from the viperMOD zip file does not work for me. windows recognizes the device and installs the drivers automatically. Is this a problem? I followed the steps exactly up to this point.
Nevermind, I found a question similar to mine in the comments.
Where did you find it or what is it? I also have the same problem that might be my issue(s) with rooting. Thanks.
if windows recognizes the device and installs drivers automatically, you can just continue as normal. you only need to do that particular step if windows DOESNT recognize the device.
hope this helps, it worked for me
Thank you double thank you triple thank you!!!
I just cant believe it only took you 4 hours to figure this out :). It took me nearly an hour using the guide.
Hi,
first of all thanks for this great tutorial.
I just have got a question.
I have a Transformer TF101G with Buildnumber: IML74K.WW_epad-9.2.2.4-20120424. Can I still use your method?
Can I use this FW WW version: https://freek.ws/transformer/TF101/WW_epad-user-9.2.1.11.zip for downgrading?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Gervinho
I’ve successfully followed your guide after running into the wall while running .21. I went from frustrated to rooted and happy within an hour. Clear and concise.
Thank you for writing this!
EXCELENTE!!!!
I hace my TF101 Rooted with firmware 9.2.1.24
It works also starting from that firmware.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
I finally took the time to root my Prime and thanks to your guide it was a simple procedure!!
I rooted my tf 201 9.4.2.15 then i update OTA to .21, now i want to unroot it, just use tool, isn’t it?
You Rock!!!!!!! This is the only usable tutorial i’ve found on hove to root this build. Thank you again
thank you so much!!
i was looking for this guide!! all the other ones were too outdated so i couldnt root my tf101.
Thanks again!!
Nice tutorial! I was searching XDA for a clear tutorial, until i searched for the .15 blob i found your site. very good, thanks!
Thanks!!! It worked!!!
I’ve never had root on my TF101, and I went from 9.2.1.24 -> 9.2.1.11 -> root -> OTA root keeper -> 9.2.1.24 -> restore root!!!
yay!!!
.24 rooted after disabling sync and splashtop on computer (not just the tf101)
thanks, now on to dual boot ubuntu
Thanks man, very useful !!
Hi thank you for such a well written comprehensive tutorial.
I have firmware 9.2.2.4 on an asus tf101g. Will this method work for me or has blocked me again?
Thanks again,
Rob
Sorry but it doesn’t work for mine as i had a TW_epad_-9.2.1.24-20120503 version. I tried your methods 3 time and it doesn’t work at all. Anyway, thanks for the guide.
I don’t have any TW blob files, so that could be the issue.. Or do you have your own TW blob?
j’ai suivie le tuto a la lettre et tous c’est passé nickel me voila donc enfin avec une prime tf201 en 9.4.2.21 rootée !!! merci beaucoup pour ce super tuto bravo a toi!
Thanks for this excellent tuturial, I’ll try it at home. Like we say here in Venezuela: it’s a shot to the ground, you can not miss it
Many thanks! Now I can edit hosts file, so my NAS no longer appear as IP number but as the name I given to it.
Bedankt Freek, werkt perfect
I tried this method with an Asus transformer TF101G firmware 9.2.2.4. It did downgrade me to 9.2.1.11. I used the recommended version above. I had boot loops until I did a wipe. Then I found the 3g disappeared and would not work at all. Perhaps the blob is for a tf101 and not a tf101g?
I recovered by putting 9.2.2.3 zip file (downloaded from Asus) on the sdcard then clicked install and I am back to normal.
I will try again but with a different blob as I would not like to lose the 3g.
Thanks anyway,
Rob
Thank you very much!! ..perfect instructions!!!!
Well, just for the records: I did starting from WW_epad_-9.2.1.24-20120503 serial B90 and Windows 32 bits (using the .bat files) and man, it worked like a charm. Only issue was several applications force closing right after the downgrade but after upgrading everything went back to normal without any additional step. Thanks again
FANTASTIC!!!! THANKS!
Thanks for your meticulous guide. I’ve tried other methods which didn’t work. This one did!
The accuracy helps a lot, often guides are full of consenting remarks, which constantly leaves a newbe at loss. Yours didn’t !!
Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot, it worked like a charm.
I’ve just one question: can I install cooked roms on my (now) rooted but unlocked prime, or do I still have to use the asus unlocker to do that?
Ciao,
Francesco
Hey there! Excellent write-up. As many have stated, this method works great on .24 revision as well. I have a C30 serial number, which is the newest I’ve yet seen and nothing complains except for the force-closing of apps while running the old firmware. You should change the title to say .24 as well! Thanks so much.
oke heb alles nu weer inorde met OTA rootkeeper. draai nu de laatste firmware en rooted. Maar nu het volgende probleem. Ik wil hem opstarten in CWM recovery (heb de laatste recovery geflashed met rommanager). Bij het rebooten in cwm recovery, start hij gewoon opnieuw op met de melding (bij het EEpad logo) in de rechter boven hoek: blob signature verification failed. Weet jij misschien hoe je dit oplost? Wil graag een rom met cornerstone flashen.
I used your instruction which are great but I have a problem. I keep getting ECHO is off and Cannot connect to device. Could you help me?
Hey – thanks for the detailed guide – but im not sure what to do at the preperation step where i have to install the drivers – when i connect my tf201 to the laptop – with debugging enabled – theres no Asus Android Composite ADB Interface anywhere in device manager. There is Transformer Prime TF201. so i didnt continue with the rest of the tuturial – any help would be appreciated
amazing. it was a piece of cake. Thanks for this awesome tutorial.
Excellent tutorial. Thank you for taking the time to write this up and have all the needed files in one place. Very much appreciated!
thanks very much for this, could I be really cheeky and ask you to do one on installing ubuntu for android?
I LOVE YOU.
I’ve just got my Asus TFP 201 ww version with .21 firmware rooted.
Thank you for your excellent, utmost beautiful work.
Thank You!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Thank men. You saved the day.
Hello Freek! i have tried this but all i get is the last window and the prime does not seem to do nothing it stays on and will not downgrade any help please
es un exito… Gracias Totales…
sorry for earlier i was able to do the process completely THANK YOU VERY MUCH
you’r haven’t done all this work for nothing, i search a method or similar method for root my tf201 and with your tutorial it work’s perfetly, now i go make a ssh server,openvpn server,terminal emulator etc…
THANKSSSSS From France !!!
great tuto, thanks a lot !!
Many thanks for your excellent tutorial. I could not find ‘com.asus.pcsynclauncher’ to force stop it but it still worked great on TF101 with 9.2.1.24
I finished all of the steps and my prime is now rooted (Thanks!). Can I now delete the blob file on my prime to free up space?
Great ! Great 8
Many thanks
Clear tutorial
works like a charm
Thanks so much for this guide, it really helped me out!
Hey, YOU DA MAN! (Assuming of course that you are a man; if not, I sincerely apologise!).
I bought my TF201 recently in Hong Kong and very foolishly allowed it to upgrade from TW_ 9.4.2.15 to TW_ 9.4.2.21, before I realised that the new firmware version cannot (currently) be rooted. So finding your instructions after a long search of the web was absolutely fantastic. I initially had trouble finding a TW_ 9.4.2.15 build to downgrade to (I didn’t want to risk using the WW version), but I eventually found it here:
http://115.com/file/c2imnfbm
After finally getting all the required files downloaded, I then proceeded to follow your instructions. The only place I got stuck was when I omitted to install the correct driver from the ‘\viperMOD Primer Tool v4.5 – Modded by bpear_v3\Drivers\Android’ directory (since I’d already got the standard Asus driver installed). Once I fixed that, everything went smoothly.
So the great news is that your instructions do work perfectly, as long as you carefully read them and don’t try to rush things or skip over any steps ;-). Now I love my Transformer Prime even more, because I can get the full benefit of great apps such as Titanium Backup and Avast Mobile Security.
Thank you again for taking the time to share these instructions for the benefit of the Transformer community – your efforts really are very much appreciated!
Thank you!
I hope you know that you are an amazing person for spreading the message! Worked flawlessly! I was scared because reading xda, many posts said that 9.4.21 is only rootable if you unlock your bootloader. Thanks a million!
Thank you, excellent instruction! One problem though..
Well, I did not wait for ASUS update being available, just installed 9.4.2.21 manually on my TF201 using SD card method. After that OTA Rootkeeper did not work, said NO “Protected su copy available”. Did it a couple of times, downgraded to .15 and rooted again, will sleep on it, maybe the online update will finally pop up and work as promised.. I see at least one mentioning of the same problem above. Any comments?
Just to mention, I do have the bootloader unlocked
Thanks a lot! Very helpful and well explained!!
the downgrade worked on the newest firmware version of 9.2.1.24 thank a ton have been looking for weeks to find a root
Heyho!
I just tried this tutorial for downgrading my german Prime.
For this I used the blob of
DE_epad-user-9.4.2.15.zip
It can be downloaded from here:
part1: http://www47.zippyshare.com/v/53243411/file.html
part2: http://www47.zippyshare.com/v/7017331/file.html
Maybe you could add these links to your tutorial ^^
All steps worked fine an finally I’m rooted again!! :-)
Thank you for this great tutorial!
Thanks a lot for the detailed instruction. This is what I was looking for weeks. My fear having 9.2.1.24 on my TF 101 is also cleared now with the reply before mine.
It doesn’t work. I see “Step 3 – Moving FW date..” and nothing. I did everything from thil tutorial can sb help me?
Hi matix_mk,
Please see my posts above and below. Are you sure you have correctly installed the Windows driver from the viperMOD Primer Tool package before attempting the downgrade?
Thank you, friend, everything is super! I have everything turned out (This method is well suited for Asus TF101 WW 9.2.1.24 – 20120503 ROOT) I am very much looking for a working method, thank you again!
P.S. Greetings from Moscow, Russia, Siberia xD
UFUFUF tRololo I’m the driver of UFO xDDDD
Hey, my tablet refuses to downgrade, I did everything in the right order the exact way you put it in the tutorial but whenever i downgrade I get the eee pad screen (with no loading bar though) and then it says im done and my tablet reboots, but when i go to see if I am in .15 it always says I am still in .21 btw I am using the US version
and the moving fw date thing goes by in a couple of seconds instead of 3-10 minutes PLEASE HELP :(
Hey xyz25, what you described here sounds very similar to the problem I initially had (see my post above). The mistake I’d made was not to install the special Windows driver from the viperMOD Primer Tool package before I tried to downgrade. I was using the standard Asus driver that I’d previously installed – after I uninstalled it and installed the viperMOD version the ‘moving fw date’ process happened properly (it took some time rather than just a couple of seconds). Are you sure you have correctly installed the driver from the viperMOD Primer Tool package?
the best freaking thing ever. I myself was almost brought down to tears as i saw everything go according to plan =D. Thank You so much
Thank you for documenting this! Doubly so for doing it with adb and batch files… I was able to easily duplicate this on my linux desktop to downgrade to .15 so I could root using mempo and a simple script to cat/chown/chmod su to /system/bin.
“Echo is off” nothing happened.
Please help
so after this, we can install any ROM right?
Yes i did it… THANKs so much… it took me an hour or so.. its 11.53 pm in here// wew….
Hey man… Finally rooted my ASUS TF101…
When I started trying, it was in a FW number that doesn’t had a rooting process, so, I stoped trying =x
Now I have the TF101 at WW_9.2.1.24 rooted =]
Thanks (already tweeted with this website link). \o/
Just started using android a couple weeks ago so not very familiar with it yet your tutorial made the root process go without a hitch. AWESOME. Thanks a heap.
can we unlocked rooted Tf201 9.2.1.21? please help.. it seems it didnt unlock..
Thank you so much for this tutorial.Its the only one I found that clearly showed me how to root my prime without problems:)
Just wanted to express my gratitude. I’ve been worried about rooting it due to possible brickage and the picture-guide-for-idiots made me feel fantastic about it. Fairly spot on, and now everything running happily.
Flawless! Thanks.
Great sharing…appreciate it.
Thank you very much. I spent quite a few hours trying to root my Asus Transformer Prime using the Wolf’s Ultimate, but kept having issues. I finally found your post accidentally searching the Wolf’s post for an error message I received. Had I known of your tutorial in the beginning, I would have saved hours and hours of time. It worked great!
Thank you soo much for writing this, I’m just updating my TF101 again with root, and everything went flawlessly. Now I can get my xbox360 controller to work again with ICS!
Freek…. You ROCK!
This has to be the best written how-to on this topic, bar none.
Thank you; I now have a brand new rooted TF101, that had previously updated itself to the current firmware that isn’t yet rooted… downgrade, root, rootkeep, update, restore root… easy… FULL CONTROL.
Thanks again,
AzzA
Thank you….. The instructions were great and easy to follow. I have no experience at rooting and this was easy. Just follow the instructions and it was rooted and updated.
Thank you thank you very much!!
Your method is THE method!! With all due respect to other “superbrain” xda developers and friends, i have tryed so many methods untils yours…. I was wandering on the Net looking for a kind of chimaera when i felt down on your tutorial.
My tf101 was under 9.2.1.24 since last update and the exploit was closed in the hardiest way.
Then i followed step by step your tutorial and now, i can say….
i am the king of the world!!!
Thanx to you and to all of android real fans!!
Perfect!!!
I’ve a TF201 unlocked, but without CWM or custom ROM and I followed the instructions step by step with success!
Thank you very much!
Freek, thanks a lot for this fantastic tutorial. I had been reading forums for a week now but never found a simple and clear tutorial until I accidentally found yours! You saved me a hours of surfing and reading. And the pictures are of a great help. Thanks for al your efforts and for sharing it with us. I hope for you that the Netherlands beat the Germans tomorrow at the E.C. Greetings from Belgium and thanks again !!!!
I have a TF201 and this worked great for the new 9.4.2.28 after going back to 9.4.2.15 and then updating. Thank you, this was straight forward and well laid out
Got the update to TW_epad-9.4.2.28 today for my TF201 (already rooted by the procedure here). OTA RootKeeper did its job and allowed me to restore root after the upgrade, so no dramas, everything worked as it should.
Good to hear from Tom above that Freek’s root procedure also works on an unrooted TF201 that is already running 9.4.2.28.
Thanks so much to all for developing this method. It worked perfectly on the Prime with .21. All us users who know just enough to want all the good things root gives, sure owe a big thanks to all you smart people that figure out how to get there.
Thx very much.
I followed the guide and have my TF201-C1-GR rooted but failed to OTA.
I manually factory reset, re-update firmware US_epad-user-9.4.2.15.zip downloaded from ASUS by SD method. But eventually, OTA is still failed.
Can anyone solve it?
hey man i made an account just to tell you thank you for saving me so much trouble. judging by the love you have received so far, many people feel the way i feel
thanks again
Worked like a charm on my TF101 starting from stock OTA 9.2.1.24. Thanks!
Great guide, but my tablet is on IML74k.DE_epad-9.4.2.21 (I mean DE as in Germany, and not US or WW). Will it still work? I really don’t know much about software but everything other than that seems clear. Well done!
Alexander,
Please see David’s post above from 3rd June for details on where to download DE_epad-user-9.4.2.15.zip. That worked for him, so it should work for you too.
THANK YOU !!! Great Tutorial !!!
Thank you so much. First up to date and complete guide I found. I was starting to feel desperate !
nice tutorial, i will definitely try it, but i was wondering: will OTA Rootkeeper protect my access to the root forever? or is there any chance that with new firmware updates they mightbe able to find a way to block it? also, do i have to restore the root acces at every update or just once?
Success !! Thank you very much!!
Device : TF101
Orignal Firmware : TW_epad-9.2.1.24
OS version : Android 4.0.3
The blob file for TW can be found here : v.9.2.1.11(TW) Firmware
(In Chinese : ????.11?????????? blob)
http://driverscollection.com/?aid=440135882016da370f45777ca44
and just follow your steps.
I am now upgrade back to .24 and use root keeper restore root.
Thank you very much!!
Thank you very much! Worked like a charm…. 5*!
Thanks man i tryed it out and was awsome how easy it was i hope u have success in all things you do THANKS AGAIN!!!
Hi,
Thank you for this but my TF101 is running ww_epad-9.2.1.27-20120615 and the downgrading stage goes step1 through step4 instantly and the tf101 doesn’t reboot.
The tf101 remains un-rooted.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Thanks. Worked like a charm.
I have the TF101 model with build number US_epad-9.2.1.27 it will not downgrade, therefore will not accept the rooting. I have followed all the steps, even turned off Asus Sync on the PC as well stopped all the apps running in the background on the tablet but will still not take. Have installed all the correct drivers even tried with the drivers from Asus’s site, still no luck. Does Asus Sync need to be uninstalled from the PC entirely to work? ANy suggestions or ideas. Or any other ways to root this build maybe.
Thanks
Freek,
Fantastisch, prima handleiding.
Bedankt!
this post worked like a charm on the us tf201 with only one exception: after downgrading, obtaining root and protecting it with ota rootkeeper… the device no longer sees the ota update for .21 (or .28). it just keeps saying no update available. it’s been 2 days and still no ota notification. i have tried with the .15 us blob file in the internal memory and without it. nothing seems to help. there are many reports about this problem here on this page and on xda but i’m not seeing any real solutions to this problem. the device does correctly show the serial number, so it isn’t related to that little problem either. any real solutions out there?
Thank you! You saved me hours on searching through countless forums! Your step by step guide is perfect!
Thanks for this very clear guide.
Firmware of my Transformer TF101 is at IML74K.WW_epad-9.2.1.27-20120615.
The steps I took:
– Downgrade to 9.2.1.11 (20120221)
– Rooting
– Upgrading to 9.2.1.24 (20120503)
– Regaining root right
– Upgrading to 9.2.1.27 (20120615)
– Regaining root right
Note 1:
The app ‘com.asus.pcsynclauncher’ is called ‘ASUS Sync’ on firmware 9.2.1.27.
After downgrade the app is called ‘com.asus.pcsynclauncher’ again. The app is standing below in the list noted as disabled, despite this fact I forced closed the program.
Note 2:
After regaining root rights the option ‘root permission granted’ is not on, but if you close the app and go back the option is on.
Greetz en de groeten.
Thanks, the guide was so helpful,
Best Regards
Thanks! Very clear tutorial!
thanks!
You may have answered it already, but can I still fallow the steps with the bootloader already unlocked. I Unlocked the bootloader using the Asus bootloader unlock tool from asus itself. I am running .28 firmware as well. So I guess my question is my bootloader is already unlocked and I have .28 firemware installed with this still work?
Also great page, nothing out there with this much detail and work put into. TY
Ok so I fallowed the steps before you or someone replied, and now my bootloader is locked and the asus unlocker app is giving me network error. I have read its possibly a server error or something on Asus end. Anyway not sure any input is good input. TY again
Thanks!
Thank you, success on TF201, US 9.4.2.28
Worked like a charm on TF201, 9.4.2.28 US, Thanks for your work
Thank you dude !!!!
great tut, tks so much!
Hey Freak.
Already used your method once to great success. But I had to send my unit back for repair so unrooted. Do you know if your method will work with the WW .28 firmware backwards?
Thanks. :)
Worked like a charm!! =)
Thank you very much
great, simply great… come in italy, u got a free beer
I with tf101 and builN 9.2.1.27 and i cant change the windows drivers when in debugmode because windows doesn`r let me change me the original from asus. It seems asus has created one driver for the new buil number any ideas?
see this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1689193
this is so much easyer. I had no problems and it took 5min
Hey thanks i want to try and install ubuntu this thing but never got the time to do it .. so i would like to thank you .. for taking your time to do this … :)
remeber keep doing it :) you do a amazing job plus there are some of us that apreciate all you do … :)
See ya arround ….
Thank you very much for this FANTASIC tutorial.
Successfully downgraded TF101 v.27, rooted and upgraded again to V.27.
Just to note: viperMOD Primer Tool v4.5 – Modded by bpear_v3.exe, did not want to run as a valid Win32 app, so I just ran the batch file instead, and it worked.
I need to upgrade FW twice, since the first time it only stepped it up to V.24, then checked for updates again, and it found V.27
SUPER JOB!! Thanks sooo much
Thank you!!!!!
You, sir, have written the best guide for rooting I’v seen so far. This method is also a lot easier than anything I’ve seen. Thank you very much for everything.
Amazing.. best tutorial on rooting I have ever seen and used.
Cheers Amigo, good work
Hi there, simply turned into alert to your blog via Google, and found that it is really informative. I’m going to be careful for brussels. I will appreciate when you continue this in future. Numerous other people will likely be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!
Thanks a lot. It was very useful.
awesome mate!!! simply awesome….works like charm….thanks very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent instructions, very clear and easy to follow. I have spent a lot of time on google trying to get information on rooting my device before I decided to actually give it a try. Your guide is the best I found. Worked for me on the first try without any hickup. Well done! Thanks very much!
Outstanding piece of work. This is how technical instructions should be written. I tried several other procedures and none of them worked. This procedure WORKED the first time. Again, a sincere THANK YOU.
Thank you!!
Thanks so much… excellent, clear instructions, worked great!
‘thank you”…i will try this after my transformer was fully charged,, :)
1. THANK YOU
2. Maybe some people had my problem too: while using the downgrading tool I got messages as protocol lost and such. For those I suggest them to put a pause statement before line 398 @adb wait-for-device, and wait until your tf101 gets to the lock screen.
This tutorial was extremely useful. After hours of trying to root my TF101 with the latest firmware, this tutorial put together all the necessary steps. Now, lets see if I can upgrade to Jelly Bean.
hey
you really did great work there, thanks for that :)
however i’d like to add some notices:
1: launch .bat files instead of .exe, as you described (both times..)
2: launching the Primer Tool (to downgrade) i got to “protocol fault” and “device not found” errors – although i followed every steps carefully. SOLUTION: turn off wifi :)
i wish there were some tutorial from You installing custom ROM-s :)
sadly this doesn’t seem to work anymore :(
I am aware that my fileserver is down, sorry about that. I am working on it..
Please try again now. All files are back online!
I am aware that my fileserver is down, sorry about that. I am working on it!
All files are back online!
Bedankt man! Super duidelijke instructie!!
Brilliant. Too bad I don’t have a windoze box to do this with. I guess I’m stuck with this damn unrooted Asus tf101. I will never buy anything by Asus again.
‘Thank you’ !!!
First, I want to thank you for this guide. I’ll be rooting my TF201 / 4.0.3 / 9.2.1.21 next weekend.
I have a few questions I would appreciate you answering.
Is it absolutely necessary to take the tablet out of the dock?
After rooting, when I update, will the update bring it back to 9.2.1.21 or will it update to JB with whatever the latest version is? Is there a way to just get back 9.2.1.21? What do you recommend?
Thank you for the wonderful work. I was able to to root my TF101 by following your instructions. You rock!
Thank you for the easy to follow direction. It work!
dank je wel,
het werkte prima ,bedankt voor het maken van deze tutorial !