Stoopid TF101 Question of the Day!!!

[bleys2112]

Just ordered a refurb 32gb TFT101 on a CyberMonday deal and can't find much on this particular tablet (yes, I did actually search).... Is there any discernible difference between this and a TF101? In other words, will ROMs made for a TF101 work, or will I need to locate a custom build?

Thanks in advance!

 

[leeshor]

I can only guess that it may be an ASUS? If not then the answer is no, If yes then yes. Hope that was clear.

 

[Frederuco]

That is the first time I have seen it called the "TFT101" but I would give you a 99.9% vote of confidence that it is the same as a TF101 and any TF101 ROM will work on it.

 

[bleys2112]

I can only guess that it may be an ASUS? If not then the answer is no, If yes then yes. Hope that was clear.

It is definitely an Asus, you can follow the link in my original post if you care to see the detailed specs. I am just concerned about the possibility of different hardware/chipset configurations. I know I can make a backup once I get CWM installed to bail me out of trouble, I just prefer to avoid trouble completely if at all possible!

 

[bleys2112]

That is the first time I have seen it called the "TFT101" but I would give you a 99.9% vote of confidence that it is the same as a TF101 and any TF101 ROM will work on it.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I am thinking. I would just rather be safe than sorry!

 

[Frederuco]

The pics look exactly like mine that I have had for 18 months.

 

[bleys2112]

The pics look exactly like mine that I have had for 18 months.

That is good news for sure, thanks!

 

[leeshor]

Me, I missed the link all together. Now that WAS Stoopid.

 

[bleys2112]

Me, I missed the link all together. Now that WAS Stoopid.

Lol... no worries!

 

[Frederuco]

Me, I missed the link all together. Now that WAS Stoopid.

I was going to point that out, but I decided to take the high road for once.

Just don't expect it all that often!

 

[bleys2112]

I guess since I have two "super moderators" captive in this thread (muahaha), maybe I could ask for some advice on best practices in regards to rooting, installing recovery and choosing a nice stable ROM for the TF101! Some of the stuff I have read cautions against using superoneclick and clockworkmod recovery (which does take me a little out of my comfort zone, btw). In addition, it looks like there are some CM10 builds out there that are pretty hit-and-miss as well. I would really like to get jellybean going, but by the same token, I would choose stability over cutting-edge if that is the choice I am forced to make. I am a little surprised that there are no "sticky" threads on these topics and I guess I am just asking to get pointed in the right direction.

Thanks again, according to my tracking info it is waiting for me at home now... woot!

 

[Frederuco]

My friend, you are in luck.

The reason there are not too many threads on that here is because a lot of the cool kids (myself and leeshor included) are over at TransformerForums.com, a sister forum that is dedicated to [DRUMROLL] Asus Transformer tablets!

Also, it is tough to sticky threads on this because it is constantly changing.

With that said, one of the easiest ways to root is to use PERI:[TOOL] PERI-V0.4: One click root+recovery Fix bootloops+soft-bricks ALL ICS Firmware!

Using a windoze PC it will root and install custom recovery (CWM 5.x of some flavor). Honestly, I would HIGHLY recommend using Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP).

So, what I would do:

1 - Run PERI on your tablet.
2 - Boot up your current ROM. Install GooManager from the Play Store. Open, grant it SuperUser permission. Tap the menu button at the top right and choose the Install RecoveryScript. (This installs TWRP).

Now, the decision of which ROM to run. I am currently running Paranoid Android and it is crazy stable, and uber fast. I have also run TeamEOS for a while, and it is stable as well but I like some of the custom settings in P.A. (like the Phablet UI with pull down notificaitons and only 3 soft keys at the bottom). Some users have had issues with the CM10 v7 ROM, but most users that have had issues are with CWM and not TWRP.

Other JB builds:
JellyBro CM10 KANG
LiquidSmooth

It is hard to say which is best, each have their own options and baked in features by the dev, so you may hop around from one ROM to another to see what you like best.

Check out he Dev threads at XDA for the TF101 development: forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1107

Once you decide on a ROM, check to see if you need to install GAPPS (Google Apps). If so, be sure to download that. If you want a custom kernel, check that out (Two of the most popular are K.A.T. Kernel and Elite Kernel). Make sure the kernel is compatible with your ROM.

Back up your apps and such (I recommend Titanium Backup once you are rooted).

You do not have to wipe the /data/media partition (/sdcard) but I found it can be much faster after you do, so if you are going to wipe this be sure to back up all files from the /sdcard/ to another location (microSD, cloud, etc.).

Boot to TWRP (Hold VOL DOWN and POWER for 12-15 seconds until you see some white text. Release both and tap VOL UP within 5 seconds.

Once in TWRP, wipe the cache, then the davlik cache. You will want to wipe the system partition as well. Decide if you want to wipe the /data/media (Internal Storage) partition. If so, wipe this.

Then, install your ROM (If you wiped the data your ROM, GAPPS and kernel need to be on a microSD and install from the external storage). Then install GAPPS if necessary, then if you run a custom kernel flash that. Once that is done flashing reboot.

Next, enjoy some jelly beans!


To upgrade to future versions of the SAME ROM, you will want to download the ROM, wipe cache, wipe davlik, then flash your ROM (as well as GAPPS and kernel if required).

When changing ROMs you will want to wipe the system partition as well as the two cache partitions for best results.

 

[bleys2112]

Holy crap... you sir are a golden god, thank you! I can already tell (and I'm still stuck here at work, btw) that you just saved me a metric butt-load of headaches (and possibly a bricked device) not to mention that I am very confident that this is something I can pull off. I will definitely post my results in this thread. After that, I may have a look at your sister forum too. You are absolutely correct, it is my lucky day!

UPDATE: Followed your instructions to the letter and I was able to get everything going with TWRP (which may I add is very cool btw). Made a TWRP backup of OEM ROM and did adb pull of that to my laptop before doing a complete wipe. Followed up with a adb push of raymanfx's cm10v7 and the correct gapps and behold... it works! Now for some rigorous testing, yay!

UPDATE UPDATE: Well, that was anticlimactic! Many hangs, wi-fi probs, play store issues, etc. Going to try CM9 stable now
P.S. I did look at the PA distro, but it looks like source only, no binaries... Not sure if I am ready to bite-off that much yet!

 

[Frederuco]

This is the CM10/ParanoidAndroid ROM I am running: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1895458

Download the .zip, download gapps and flash.

And yes, TWRP is pretty sweet. Much better than the CWM 3.X that I started with a year ago. I like that you can queue up multiple zips to flash at once.

 

[bleys2112]

This is the CM10/ParanoidAndroid ROM I am running: [ROM][JB][PA:CM10 HYBRID] Unofficial ParanoidAndroid For the TF101 - [15/11] STABLE-5 - xda-developers

Download the .zip, download gapps and flash.

And yes, TWRP is pretty sweet. Much better than the CWM 3.X that I started with a year ago. I like that you can queue up multiple zips to flash at once.

Thanks you for that! I searched the thread, went to goo.im to look for the proper gapps where I located the PA distro and also looked under the dev's name but cannot find the correct gapps package. Am I missing something here, I feel very stoopid! Lol