How to Flash a Custom Recovery on the Asus Padfone

Flashing a Custom Recovery on your Asus Padfone will enable you to install custom ROMs, Mods and all sorts of flashable content on your device. While these aren’t the only things you can do with a custom recovery, it offers you to make nandroid backups, wipe off the data on your device and so on. This guide shows how you can flash a custom recovery on your Asus Padfone device. So, follow it and get some recovery love on your device:

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must have done our How to Root the Asus Padfone procedure.

2. This will replace your current recovery with the TWRP Recovery.

3. Your device needs to have at least 60% of battery life left.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. GooManager — QR Code (Google Play Link)

III. Flashing a Custom Recovery on the Asus Padfone:

1. Get the GooManager app installed on your device by following the download link given above.

2. Once it’s been installed, launch it from your App Drawer.

3. Press the Menu key and select Install OpenRecovery option.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

5. And you’re done!

Excellent! You’ve successfully flashed TWRP Recovery on your Padfone and this enables you to further customize your device with various custom ROMs!

How to Root the Sony Xperia L running 15.0.А.2.17 firmware

The Sony Xperia L has been available now for more than three months now and for those waiting for a rooting solution for this mid-range device featuring a 1GHz dual-core processor and a 4.3 inch display, stop waiting as it is here.  The procedure itself is pretty easy and you should be off to installing root-only apps in no time!  Read on then if you want to root your Xperia L.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  This procedure works on any Sony Xperia L with a locked bootloader and running 15.0.А.2.17 firmware; do not try this on any other device or firmware as you may end up bricking your device.

2.  Back up everything you feel is important before you start.

3.  Charge your device to 75% or more before you begin.

II.  Necessary Downloads

1.  Xperia_L_ROOT_15.0._.2.17_2.zip [Link available in this post]

2.  remountrebootfix.rar [Link available in this post]

III.  Rooting the Sony Xperia L

1.  Enable USB Debugging on your device.  You can do this by heading to Settings > Development Options > USB Debugging and checking the tickbox next to it.

2.  Enable installation of non-market applications.  To do this, go to Settings > Security and check the Unknown Sources tickbox.

3.  Connect your device to your Windows PC using a compatible microUSB cable.

5.  Extract the Xperia_L_ROOT_15.0._.2.17_2.zip file that you downloaded above to a folder on your desktop.

6.  From the extracted folder, double-click on run.bat to run the rooting tool.

7.  Follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the process to be complete.

At this point, you should have partial root.  Open up your app drawer and check to see if you have the Superuser or SuperSu app installed.

8.  Extract remountrebootfix.rar to a folder on your desktop.

9.  From the extracted folder, double-click on supersu.bat if you have the SuperSu app or superuser.bat if you have the Superuser app installed.  Confirm root access on your device when prompted.

10.  Reboot your device.

How to Install TWRP Recovery on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100)

Next step after rooting your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is, flash a custom recovery image. While the root-access lets you install root-only apps, a custom recovery will let you install custom ROMs as well as all sorts of flashable content. This provides an opportunity to change the appearance of your device completely without paying a penny and you don’t have to be a geek to do that. It’s as simple as going through a few clicks and you have a custom ROM installed on your device. Sounds interesting? huh. Let us show you how you can install TWRP Recovery — a custom recovery — on your Galaxy Note 2.

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must have rooted your device before doing this procedure. You can check out our root guide to root your device.

2. This will replace your current recovery with the TWRP Recovery.

3. This works for the GT-N7100 model only.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. TWRP Recovery Image (Download the latest version having .img as extension)

2. Fastboot

III. Installing TWRP Recovery on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100):

1. Download and place both the files onto your Desktop.

2. Unzip files from the Fastboot archive to your Desktop.

3. Turn ON the USB debugging option on your device by going to Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>>USB debugging.

4. Once it’s been enabled, connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.

5. Launch a Command Prompt Window on your Desktop. To do so, press and hold the Shift button on your keyboard and right-click on any empty area on the screen, then select Open command window here.

6. Type in following command into the window replacing recoveryfile.img with the actual name of the Recovery Image you downloaded:

adb push recoveryfile.img /sdcard

7. Next issue the following command. Again, replace the recoveryfile.img with the actual name of the Recovery Image you have.

adb shell dd if=/sdcard/recoveryfile.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9

8. It’ll install the recovery on your device

9. Once it’s done, reboot your device.

10. You’re all set!

Excellent! Your Galaxy Note 2 has been successfully equipped with the TWRP Recovery and it can now be loaded with custom ROMs!

How to Root the Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia Z is one of those rare smartphones that have got a root method before the device could actually arrive in the hands of the customers. You can call this smartphone a powerhouse as it’s got a Quad-Core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, much more than what you would normally find in Samsung or any other smartphones. Jelly Bean comes preloaded on the device and there’s a planned upgrade to Android 4.2, a bit of more than JB. Root access has been achieved on this device by modifying the Chainfire’s custom kernel and we’ve put down the entire procedure to root the Sony Xperia Z just below. Follow it and get your device rooted.

I. Before You Begin:

1. This will void the warranty of your device. However, you can reinstate the warranty by unrooting the device if there’s any unrooting procedure available.

2. You must have unlocked bootloader of your device. You can do so from here.

3. This is intended to work on firmware version: 10.1.A.1.350.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Modified Kernel (Download link’s available in the first post)

2. Insecure Kernel (Download link’s given in the first post)

3. Fastboot

III. Rooting the Sony Xperia Z:

1. Place all the files you downloaded to your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the Fastboot archive to your Desktop. You’ll get fastboot.exe along with some other files.

3. Plug-in USB cable to your PC but not to your device.

4. Turn OFF your device.

5. Reboot the device into Fastboot mode. To do that, simply hold down the Volume UP button and connect the other-end of the USB cable to your device.

6. Launch a Command Prompt Window on your Desktop. To do so, hold down the Shift button on your keyboard and right-click on any empty area on the screen, then select Open command window here.

7. Type in following command into the Command Prompt Window:

fastboot flash boot Z_DooMLoRD_CF-Auto-Root-ported_FW-350.img

8. Next, issue the following command:

fastboot reboot

9. Your device should boot up and you’ll get a notification on your screen saying that the device will reboot in 10 seconds.

10. Once the device reboots, unplug it from your PC.

11. Now hard power off your device. To do that, hold down the Power button and the Volume UP button for about 15 seconds.

12. Get your device into Fastboot mode by holding down the Volume UP key and plugging-in the USB cable.

13. Open a Command Prompt Window on your Desktop. It’s simple, just hold down the Shift button on your keyboard and right-click on any empty area on the screen, then choose Open command window here.

14. Issue the following command using Command Prompt Window:

fastboot flash boot Z_DooMLoRD_insecure_FW-350.img

15. Once it’s done, issue the following command:

fastboot reboot

16. Once your device boots up, head over to Google Play and download the BusyBox app.

17. You’re rooted now!

How to Root the Sony Xperia M (C1905)

The Sony Xperia M was released last month and can be called a mid-range smartphone as it features a 4-inch touchscreen display, a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM and a 5MP camera.  Rooting this device is bound to get something more out of it and if this is what you want, go head and read the guide below.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  Back up everything you feel is important before you start.

2.  Charge your device to 75% or more before you begin.

II.  Necessary Downloads

Framaroot-1.6.0.apk [File attached to this post]

III.  Rooting the Xperia M

1.  Connect your device to your PC and copy the Framaroot-1.6.0.apk file you downloaded above to your device’s SD card.

2.  Use a file manager app (Astro or ES File Explorer, for example), navigate to the location of Framaroot-1.6.0.apk, and install the application.  Make sure you have enabled installation of apps from unknown sources by going to Settings > Security and ticking the Unknown sources checkbox.

3.  Go to your app drawer and open up the Framaroot app.

4.  Select Install Supersu.

5.  Select Gandalf on the next screen and wait for the success popup.

6.  Wait for the phone to reboot.

HOW TO ROOT THE ASUS PADFONE

The Asus Padfone bridges the gap between a smartphone and a tablet and lets you enjoy both the worlds. With the release of the device about a year back, the world got a choice to choose their next Android device. To look at the specs, the Padfone’s got a 1.5GHz processor, 8MP shooter and all generic functions you would see in a normal Android device available out there. There’s some good news for the owners of this device, they now have a root method for their device. A root method means a lot to those users who always seek to customize their device according to their needs, and looks like it’s going to be a reality. Our guide below covers how you can root your Asus Padfone and get the most out of it. So, follow it and get your device rooted:

I. Before You Begin:

1. This will void the warranty of your device. However, you can reinstate the warranty by unrooting your device if there’s any unrooting procedure available.

2. This works on Windows based PCs only.

3. You should have appropriate drivers installed on your PC. If you don’t, get them from here.

4. You must have unlocked bootloader of your device.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. DebugfsRoot (It’s attached in the first post)

III. Rooting the Asus Padfone:

1. Place the DebugfsRoot archive onto your Desktop.

2. Unzip files from the archive over to your Desktop.

3. Turn ON the USB debugging option on your device by heading to Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>>USB debugging.

4. Once it’s been enabled, plug in your device to your PC using the USB cable.

5. Double-click on the RootDebugfs.bat file you extracted earlier to your Desktop.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

7. And you should be rooted now!

Congrats! Your Asus Padfone has been successfully rooted. You now have a new app called Superuser in your App Drawer that will help you to manage root-permissions on your device!

How to Root the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle

The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle is a dual-SIM Android device primarily available in India and can boast of features like a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 512MB RAM, an 8MP shooter and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS with a budget friendly price tag.  As with other Micromax devices, Micromax rarely updates them to any firmware other than what it came with and the A111 Canvas Doodle is no exception.  Rooting it could bestow it with a few more bells and whistles than the stock firmware, and the guide below will help you with doing exactly that.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  Back up everything you feel is important before you start.

2.  Charge your device to 75% or more before you begin.

II.  Necessary Downloads

Framaroot-1.5.3.apk [File attached to this post]

III.  Rooting the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle

1.  Connect your device to your PC and copy the Framaroot-1.5.3.apk file you downloaded above to your device’s SD card.

2.  Use a file manager app (Astro or ES File Explorer, for example), navigate to the location of Framaroot-1.5.3.apk, and install the application.  Make sure you have enabled installation of apps from unknown sources by going to Settings > Security and ticking the Unknown sources checkbox.

3.  Go to your app drawer and open up the Framaroot app.

4.  Click on Gandalf and wait for the success popup.

5.  Reboot your device.

And your A111 Canvas Doodle should be rooted!

How to Install ClockworkMod Recovery on the Huawei MediaPad

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must have rooted your device before doing this procedure. Please head to our How to Root the Huawei MediaPad procedure first, finish it, then return to this procedure and continue.

2. This should install the Test Version of CWM Recovery on your device.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. ClockworkMod Recovery Image (It’s attached there in the first post)

2. Fastboot

III. Installing ClockworkMod Recovery on the Huawei MediaPad:

1. Download and place both the files on your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the Fastboot archive to your Desktop. You should have adb.exe and fastboot.exe files on your Desktop.

3. Connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.

4. Open a Command Prompt Window on the Desktop of your PC. To do so, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard and right-click on any empty area on the screen, then choose Open command window here.

5. Type in the following commands into the Command Prompt Window you just opened. Press Enter after each line.

fastboot flash recovery recovery-5.8.0.9-HWMOD-eabi-4.4.3.img
fastboot flash recovery2 recovery-5.8.0.9-HWMOD-eabi-4.4.3.img
fastboot reboot

6. Your device should reboot after the recovery is installed on it.

Well done! You now have a working version of ClockworkMod Recovery on your device that will allow you to flash custom ROMs as well as backup current ROM. We recommend you to take a look at the original thread, there’re some important instructions given by the developer.

How to Root the Micromax Canvas HD (A116)

I.  Before You Begin

1.  You will need to have a custom recovery installed in order to flash unofficial zip files.  Use our guide on the same to help you.

2.  Back up anything you feel is important.

3.  Charge your device to 75% or more before you begin.

4.  Install the necessary drivers before you actually begin the rooting process.  This will prevent any unwanted breaks while actually rooting.  Use these drivers if you haven’t already installed them.

II.  Necessary Downloads

1.  Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip

2.  su-bin-3.1.1-arm-signed.zip

III.  Rooting the Canvas HD

1.  Connect your device to your PC and copy both Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip and su-bin-3.1.1-arm-signed.zip to your device’s internal SD card.

2.  Disconnect your device and turn it off.

3.  Hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power buttons until you see the screen where it asks you to press Volume Up for recovery.  Press Volume Up to enter recovery.

4.  Use Volume Up and Down buttons to navigate to ‘install zip from zip card‘ and press the Power button to select it.

5.  On the next screen, select ‘choose zip from SD card.‘

6.  Navigate to Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip you copied above and press Power to select it.

7.  Navigate to ‘Yes – install Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip’ and press Power button to start flashing.

8.  Go back to main menu.

9.  Follow Steps 4 to 8 but select su-bin-3.1.1-arm-signed.zip this time.

10.  Finally, select reboot system now.

You should find the Superuser app in your app drawer once you reboot your device.  If you still want to know if you are really rooted, go to the Play Store and install Root Checker to verify.

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

HOW TO ROOT THE HUAWEI MEDIAPAD

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must be running on the Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich.

2. You are going to void the warranty of your device by rooting it. Keep this in mind and go ahead.

3. Make sure that your PC has Drivers installed for your device.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Root Package (Download link’s given in the first post)

III. Rooting the Huawei MediaPad:

1. Download and place the Root Package archive on your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the Root Package to your Desktop.

3. Turn USB debugging ON on your device from Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>>USB debugging.

4. Connect the device to your PC using the USB cable.

5. Double-click on the Install Root.cmd file you just extracted from the Root Package.

6. Your device should reboot about three times. It is normal.

7. And you’re done!

Your MediaPad has successfully been rooted and the SuperUser app is now there in your App Drawer. It was so easy to root the device, wasn’t it?

HOW TO ROOT THE LENOVO S880

If you think the ThinkPad is the only device running ICS that Lenovo has in its inventory, then you’re wrong. The Lenovo S880 is there running Android ICS out-of-the box, features a 1GHz processor and backed by 512MB of RAM. Lenovo fans would certainly rush to get their hands on this feature-packed device and if you’re one of the buyers of this device, then you’d probably want to root it. Rooting is like unlocking the true potential of your device, in fact, it actually is. Once you do so, you can load root-only apps, modify system files and have the control over all the files on your device. Sounds interesting? huh. Here’s how you can root your Lenovo S880 smartphone.

I. Before You Begin:

1. This will void the warranty of your device. However, you can reinstate the warranty by unrooting your device if there’s any unrooting procedure available.

2. You should have appropriate drivers installed on your PC.

3. This works on Windows based PCs only.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Root Package (Download link’s given in the first post)

III. Rooting the Lenovo S880:

1. Download and place the Root Package archive onto your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the archive over to your Desktop.

3. Turn ON the USB debugging option on your device by heading to Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>>USB debugging.

4. Once it’s been enabled, connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.

5. Now double-click on the file named TPSparkyRoot.bat that you extracted from the archive to your Desktop.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to root your device.

7. And you should be rooted finally!

Congrats! Your Lenovo smartphone has been successfully rooted and to confirm the same, just look for the Superuser app in your App Drawer!

How to Install Custom Recovery on the Lava Iris 504Q

Now that you are rooted, the next step to get custom ROMs running on your Lava Iris 504Q is installing a custom recovery.  The guide below will help you install ClockworkMod Recovery (a very popular custom recovery) but beware though, this is not an official CWM release and you may face some glitches when using it.  If you are okay with this, then read on to know how to install custom recovery on the Lava Iris 504Q.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  You need to be rooted for this procedure to work.  Use our guide on the same to help you with this.

2.  Make sure that you have the necessary drivers installed for the procedure to work.  Use this if you are unsure.

3.  Back up everything you feel is important and charge your device to 75% or more before you begin.

II.  Necessary Downloads

1.  recovery.img [ClockworkMod 6.0.3.3] [Download link available in this post under the Recovery UPDATE section]

III.  Installing Custom Recovery on the Lava Iris 504Q

1. Connect your device to your PC and copy recovery.img to your device’s SD card (do not copy it into any subfolders, the path should look like sdcard/recovery.img)

2.  Head over to the Google Play Store (on your device or the desktop browser) and install Mobileuncle MTK Tools.

2.  Once installed, open up the app drawer on your device and tap on Mobileuncle MTK Tools to open it.  You should be prompted to provide root access to the app; tap on Grant.

3.  Tap on the Recovery Update option.

4.  The app will search and find the recovery.img file from your SD card.  Tap on the file to select it.

5.  Tap on OK on the next warning pop-up.

6.  Tap on OK to reboot into recovery mode.

Once your device reboots, you should have ClockworkMod Recovery installed on your Lava Iris 504Q.

How to Root the Lava Iris 504Q

The Lava Iris 504Q is a device available in India and for the price it asks, the device has some pretty nice features – 1.2GHz quad-core CPU with a gig of RAM, a 5-inch IPS touchscreen display and an 8MP camera.  The device currently runs Android 4.2 and with no news from the company about a 4.3 update, flashing a custom ROM is the way to go if you want a taste of the latest Google has to offer.  Before this though, you will need to be rooted and have a custom recovery installed; the post below will help you get the first part of that out of the way – rooting the Lava Iris 504Q.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  Back up anything you feel is important.

2.  Charge your device to 75% or more before you begin.

3.  Install the proper drivers before you start.  If you are unsure, run the file from #2 in the Necessary Downloads section below and then proceed.

II.  Necessary Downloads

1.  mt6589_rooting_pkg.zip

2.  Mobistel_Cynus_T1_Drivers_x86.exe

III.  Rooting the Lava Iris 504Q

1.  Enable USB Debugging on your device.  To do this, go to Settings > Developer Options and tick the USB Debugging checkbox.

2.  Connect your device to your PC using a compatible microUSB cable.

3.  Extract mt6589_rooting_pkg.zip to a folder on your desktop.

4.  From the extracted folder, double-click on run.bat to start the rooting procedure.

5.  Follow the on-screen instructions.

Your Lava Iris 504Q should now be completely rooted! Use an app like Root Checker Lite from the Play Store to verify if at all you need to.