Computer: How I Rooted my Acer Iconia A500

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How I Rooted my Acer Iconia A500

My Dedication to the Android Tablet “Acer Iconia Tab A500”

Last year I bought the tablet Acer Iconia Tab A500 with Android 3.0 (“Honeycomb”) preinstalled.

When I started up the A500, it immediately updated to Android 3.2.1.

I was quite staisfied with this 10″ tablet, I loved especially:

  • the fast processor
  • the nice display which reacts very fast and precisly to the finger guestures
  • the fully-blown USB host

The major weak point in my judgement is:

  • Can not be recharged via USB (but I found a car charger finally, that is kind of half of the solution)

Decision to flash the A500 ROM

My decision now not to treat my Acer A500 tablet as a professional working platform, but only as a kind of “toy” was influenced by:

  • Acer did announce to deliver upgrades to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwch = ICS) for April 27, 2012 but nothing happeded util now (26. May 2012)
  • Relevant Apps on the A500 requrie the device to be “rooted” (Titanium Backup, ClockSync, Cisco Any Connect)
  • My colleagues more and more are using iPads

So i now give to the A500 the status of beeing a “toy” while planning to move to the iPad some time during the year.

How I flashed the A500

The steps:

  • Honeycomb 3.2.1 (jargon: “HC3.2.1”) is not rootable
  • So we have to go back to an older Android version: 3.0.1
  • We have to download a appropiate ROM image, ……
  • Then install that older Android version (jargon: “flash the ROM” ) using the normal (jargon: “stock”) ROM update procedure (Recovery Mode) ……
  • Root that Android 3.0.1 with a tool named Iconiaroot-1.3.apk
  • Install CWM (= ClockworkMod Manager) which replaces the “normal” (jargon: “stock”) recovery procedures with more options. This requires a “rooted” Android version….
  • Decide which alternative Android ROM image you want to installl (jargon: “flash”)
  • Download that ROM image of choice
  • Install that ROM image (jargon: flash) by using CWM

In detail

General weblinks:

Downgrade your Android to version 3.0.1

  • Download file “downgrade_not_stable.zip” from http://netload.in/dateiExhRzE8Tbs.htm
  • Unzip and put file “update.zip” on the external micro SD-card of the Acer Iconia Tab A500
  • Power down the Acer A500
  • Power up the Acer A500 into it’s normal Upgrade Mode (Recovery Mode) i.e. you must hold the “Volume Down” key while pressing the power button. This will “Upgrade” (jargon: “flash”) the system ROM with the file “update.zip” on the external Micro SD.card

Root your Android 3.0.1

Install CWM

  • CWM stands for “ClockworkMod Manager”
  • CWM extends the actions you can perform in Recovery Mode
  • Download file ww-9.2.1.11-CWM-full-rooted.zip from: http://tegraowners.com/?cat=7
  • Install
  • use….

Chose a ROM, that you want to install (jargon: Flash that ROM) on the Acer A500

  • Thor A500 ROM V14.2
  • Download the ROM from http://tegraowners.com/?p=1272
  • Put the ROM on the external Micro SD Card of the A500
  • Reboot the A500 into Recovery mode (CWM)
  • in CWM:
    • Wipe data / factory reset
    • Wipe cache partition
    • Advanced –> Wipe Dalvik cache (Java Virtual Machine)
    • Intsall ZIP from SD Card
    • Select the ZIP file for flashing
    • …..

Jargon

  • ICS = Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0)
  • HC = Honeycomb  (Android 3.2.6)
  • CWM = ClockworkMod
  • Stock = the “normal” things delivered with a device by the manufacturer / vendor

The Image “Thor A500 ROM V14.2”

List of A500 ROMs: http://forum.tegraowners.com/viewforum.php?f=9

  • Is “rooted” so we can install all the apps that require root access rights, like Titanium Backup,…
  • Is Android 3.2.1 with pieces from ASUS
  • Tapping on “Recent Apps” produces a screen shot
  • “Quick Controls” can be enabled and disabled through the settings dialogue
  • ASUS battery icon (small and showing the charging percentage)
  • App QuickBoot is included
  • App AmazonKindle is included
  • App DriveMount is included
  • …
  • You can overclock and underclock the CPU
  • …
  • usb_huawei_3g patch: http://www.mediafire.com/?ahayl9c9586z4p9

Observations with this ROM:

  • Mount point for the removable Micro SD card is not /mnt/external_sd but /Removable/MicroSD
  • Mount point for the USB-drive is not /mnt/usbdrive but /Removable/USBdisk1

 

The image “Tegraowners ICS ROM v164 (thor & digetx)”

After that successful experience with flashing my A500 with the image “Thor A500 ROM v14”, I tried the next step….

Steps to flash the A500 ROM with is image: Same procedure as described above

Results:

  • My A500 now runns with a rooted Android 4.0.4 (ICS = Ice Cream Sandwich) very smoothly.
  • Since I wipped as recommended, I had to re-install all my apps.
  • To start that install thing I hab first to install the “Google Market Place”, how called “Google Play”. I found that in the download: …..

Applications

  • Titanium Backup now runs perfectly (required root access)
  • ClockSync now works perfectly (required root access)
  • Google Chrome Browser (required Android 4 – ICS)

Next thing to try:: HUAWEI 3G USB WebStick……

Weblinks: