ClearRom on ASUS TF700

You really need dedication to get it to this point… PHEW!

My ASUS Infinity TF700 failed to update the legit updates. Never went from 4.0 to 4.1 as they should. If you want to play with the device and install alternative Android distributions you need to unlock it, and the unlocked didn’t work. Discussions on XDA indicated that there could be an error on the unit. Unmatching MAC addresses between the ASUS repository and thg unit was said to be the reason.

I sent it back for repair (a so called “RMA”) and got it back updated. Then there was nothing to update to, so there was no way to know if updates would work. However, unlocking still didn’t work!

After a round of discussions with service I was preparing for a new RMA to make the unit able to be unlocked, and then it suddenly worked. After months of attempts to unlock it suddenly worked. A coincidence that I was discussing an RMA with support or not? I can’t tell but House MD told me the the probability that two rare events happen at the same time without being connected is small.

So, unlocking using the “official” tool. Having two factor security, giving my google account credentials meant giving an application password.

Next challenge was to install a custom recovery. I fetched a TWRP and none of the tools to do it automatically really wanted to work. The ADB connection worked and I could control the unit while in system mode, and booting to Fastboot (Start it holding VOL-. When the icons are visible, tap VOL- twice to go to the USB icon and press VOL+ to confirm) also worked fine but the fastboot command “fastboot devices” returned no device. Tried this on three different PCs (Win7).

What finally did work was testing the TF700T ADB Tool. If failed but after running it fastboot did return a device, so I could manually run the command to install the custom recovery. Please mind that I had downloaded a newer TWRP than the one in the package and that blob was renamed to “recovery.blob”.

fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery recovery.blob

And then FINALLY it worked. Booted to recovery (start it holding the VOL-, and confirm with VOL+) and made a nandroid backup to the external MicroSD.

Installed the kernal patch and system 3.4.1, and issued the TWRP to install both. I believe that failed as it it boot cyckled. Went back to recovery and did them one at a time and then it worked.

Installed the 3.4.4 path, booted back to recovery and patched that in as well. I’m done. It’s updated. It works. Today is a good day 🙂