[How-To] All-In-One Guide For Asus Infinity (TF700) [25/03/2013]

** All-In-One Guide For Asus Infinity (TF700) - Rooting/Unlocking/NvFlash/Custom Recovery Install/Recover from Soft Bricks/Downgrading Firmware/Factory Restore/Various Tips &Tricks **

Warnings:
* I'm NOT responsible for any damage caused to your device by using these tutorials so use them on your OWN risk.
* Don't use the TF101&TF202 NvFlash solution/files or you will end-up with a very expensive brick.
* UPDATE [23/09/2012] AndroidRoot.mobi team released their tool to make NvFlash working on our device.If you want to unlock your bootloader and stay safe than i strongly advice to use this tool after unlocking,and before starting the "happy flashing" of custom roms and stuff,getting access to NvFlash will make your device BrickProof
* If you intend to use NvFlash please STAY AWAY from the 9.4.5.30 UPDATE

***This is a collection of guides collected from different threads on XDA Forum so credits goes to the original posters and all the people that shared precious knowledge here on XDA.Big THX to everyone.***

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*** Rooting Your TF700 with Debugfs automated root ***

*This method works only with ICS roms
Note: Rooting will NOT void your Warranty!!!
Before you start make sure that:
* USB Debugging is activated (on your device go to Settings/Developer Options/USB debugging)
* Unknown Sources is activated ( on your device go to Settings/Security/Unknown sources )
* Make sure no other Android device is connected to your PC
* Make sure Asus Sync Tool is not running on your PC

========= Rooting procedure =========

1) Create a folder on your desktop an name it " TF700 Rooting " (you can use a different name but i will use this name in this guide)
2) Download Asus USB drivers and Debugfs automated root from here
3) Extract the downloaded files to TF700 Rooting folder
4) Power ON your device and connect it to a USB port on your PC
5) If Windows is asking for the drivers point the driver installer to the Asus USB drivers in the TF700 Rooting folder ... if not, install the ADB drivers from Windows Device Manager (if you don't know how to do it then you better stay off from rooting your device)
6) Open the TF700 Rooting folder and run RootDebugfs.bat (right click --> Run As Administrator)
7) Select option "1" and press "Enter"
8) Follow the instructions on-screen

DONE, if you did everything right your device will be rooted.


*** Rooting Method For Unlocked TF700T Devices ***

*This method can be used to root UNLOCKED devices on Jelly Bean.

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*** Unlocking with Asus Unlock Tool ***

Warning: Unlocking WILL VOID the Warranty for ever and that's NO WAY to get back to a ORIGINAL condition/state.Also thats no reson to complain with Asus on this because the improper use of the Unlocked Bootloader could really damage your device (eg. bad kernel,bad overclocking ,flashing wrong stuff ... etc) .So read people,read and instead of flashing first and asking for help later just do the opposite,ask/read first and then flash.
Also,after UNLOCKING your bootloader you WON'T BE ABLE to receive OTA updates anymore,but you we will still be able to update your firmware manually ,using the latest Official version available on Asus site.

** Why unlocking? **
Unlocking the bootloader will give you more freedom to "play" with your device and more options to make it better.Here's why:
- Fastboot Mode will be now available (used to install recovery and more)
- You can install a custom recovery (you can install custom roms, do nandroid backups,etc)
- You can install custom roms (improved user experience)

Here's the Guide To Unlock Your Bootloaderhttp://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1795156

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*** TF700 NVFlash tool ***

** What's this? **
NvFlash it's using "low level" access to your device (via APX mode) and it's the only tool that can help recover even from hardbrick but it's not provided or supported by Asus in any way,on the contrary,they are trying to do their best in order to stop us from using it,so basicaly without working NvFlash the only way you could recover your device from a hard brick would be sending the device to Asus and pay them for the repair.
But AndroidRoot.mobi team managed to get NvFlash working on our Infinity so you now have the possibility to make your device BrickProof,so a big THX to them.

Just follow the links bellow and please stick with the guide that AndroidRoot.mobi team provided,you will be just fine.

XDA original thread - [TOOL][BRICKPROOF]TF700 NVFlash release!
AndroidRoot.mobi team blog - NVFlash for Tegra3 – Transformer TF700T

Need Help with NvFlash? - Ask Here

TIPS/TROUBLESHOOT

* You are trying to flash the AndroidRoot bootloader but your device doesn't get recognized by Windows?
* Your device is recognized in Windows Device Manager but your FastBoot commands are failing?
* Your device is recognized in Windows Device Manager but you can't get Wheelie or NvFlash to work?

Most likely the above issues are the result of a missing or bad driver installation and the best way to fix is to manually uninstall the drivers from Windows Device Manager and manually install the drivers from the "Universal Naked Drivers" pack.
Also if you feel tired and it's late night ,maybe you should just get a good sleep and try NvFlash again tomorrow.

* You are trying to "bootstrap" NvFlash mode using Wheelie, but it keeps saying that "blob.bin is not found" when running "$ wheelie --blob blob.bin " command.

Just copy the "blob.bin" file from the "AndroidRoot" folder ,wich you can find on your internal storage and paste it in the same folder where Wheelie and NvFlash are located.

* When running the "$ wheelie --blob blob.bin " command on my PC with Windows7 i get an error saying " $ is not recognized as an internal or external command"

Just remove the "$" from the command,it's not used on Windows OS.

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*** Custom Recovery Installation ***

Warning: Don't use Rom Manager to install a CWM Recovery,it will soft-brick your device!
Note: ATM there's only TWRP Touch Recovery available for Asus TF700 but works great .THX to TeamWin for their work .
UPDATE (14/09/2012) : CWM Recovery is also available now.THX to dasunsrule32

======== TWRP Recovery Installation ========

TWRP recovery works on both ICS and Jelly Bean firmware and it's an unified version for 32GB/64GB TF700T
There are two installation methods,the easy way using GooManager app and the hard way using Fastboot or ADB commands.Let's see how both ways work.

** Using GooManager **

1) Install GooManager from the Play Store
2) Open GooManager and provide root permissions
3) Hit Menu (or the button with the 3 dots on your screen) and then Install OpenRecovery

** FastBoot Method **

1) Install Android SDK
2) Download TWRP Recovery blob and check the MD5 sum (don't skip MD5 check,is there to make sure the file is not corrupted)
3) Rename the downloaded file to twrp.blob and put the file in the same directory as your fastboot.exe (unless you have /platform-tools in PATH then you can flash from anywhere)
4) Turn off your device and boot to fastboot (power on while holding volume down, then select the usb icon and hit volume up to confirm)
5) Plug the device into your computer
6) Run the following command via the command line:
fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob

(more on fastboot http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Fastboot )

Here are more links/guides on how to install the recovery:
http://www.teamw.in/project/twrp2/105
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1798586

======== ClockworkMod Recovery Installation ========

** FastBoot Method **
1) Install Android SDK
2) Download CWM Recovery image from the original thread and check the MD5 sum (don't skip MD5 check,is there to make sure the file is not corrupted)
3) Copy the downloaded file in the same directory as your fastboot.exe (unless you have /platform-tools in PATH then you can flash from anywhere)
4) Turn off your device and boot into fastboot mode (power on while holding volume down, then select the usb icon and hit volume up to confirm)
5) Plug the device into your computer
6) Run the following command via the command line:
fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot reboot

(more on fastboot http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Fastboot )

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*** Factory Restore after a softbrick/Downgrade from Jelly Bean to ICS/Clean Factory Restore ***

When You Need This?
* if you get stuck on Asus boot screen (the one with the spinning wheel)
* If you don't like JB and you want ICS back
* if you want to get back to a clean stock firmware
Note: You need to have a working recovery (stock or custom) in order to use this method.

========= Recover /Downgrade from Jelly Bean to ICS/Clean Factory Restore with stock recovery =========

1) Download the desired Asus stock firmware (based on your SKU,eg. ww 9.4.5.26 ) *** to downgrade from Jelly Bean you need the 9.4.5.30 firmware***
2) Extract the .zip file somewere on your desktop (the result will be another .zip file,use it for step 3)
3) Rename the extracted archive to "EP201_768_SDUPDATE.ZIP" (without the " ") and upload it to a MicroSD card
4) Insert the MicroSD card in your tablet and use this button combination to Power ON and go to recovery --> Start the tablet by pressing Volume Down and POWER togheter for 5 seconds ,a message will inform you that you have 5 seconds to enter the recovery,press Volume UP before the 5 seconds expire.
At this point the device will go in recovery and should start updating your firmware .

Note: Keep in mind that Windows doesn't show the known file extensions so most users don't have to put the .ZIP extension in the filename.


========= Recover /Downgrade from Jelly Bean to ICS/Clean Factory Restore with custom recovery =========

1) Download the desired Asus stock firmware (based on your SKU,eg. ww 9.4.5.26 ) *** to downgrade from Jelly Bean you need the 9.4.5.30 firmware***
2) Extract the .zip file somewere on your desktop
3)Rename the file to something like "recover.zip" uploade it to the root of your MicroSD card
4) Insert the MicroSD card in your tablet and use this button combination to Power ON and go to recovery --> Start the tablet by pressing Volume Down and POWER togheter for 5 seconds ,a message will inform you that you have 5 seconds to enter the recovery,press Volume UP before the 5 seconds expire
5) From the recovery menu press Install and select the "recover.zip" file ...wait until the install process ends and then restart your device.

Note: Keep in mind that Windows doesn't show the known file extensions so most users don't have to put the .zip extension in the filename.

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*** Firmware Downgrade & SKU Change ***

WARNING : Please keep in mind that this method is highly experimental on Asus TF700 but still was tested with success on TF 300 so should work on TF700 aswell, but you have to use the blobs for TF700 not the ones from the original thread. Use it on your own risk and please report here in any case.

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*** Volume&Power Buttons combinations ***

Use this buttons for getting access to Recovery,Fastboot ,APX ,to do a Cold Boot and Wipe Data.
Note: Make sure your device is OFF before using this.

** Boot To Recovery **
Press Volume Down + Power untill you see a white text on the screen then release the buttons and press Volume UP (you have 5 seconds to do it)
Note: This works for both Stock and Custom recovery.
Note 2: On Jelly Bean you will have to press Volume UP right after the four icons (3 icons if you are still locked) will show .


** Cold Boot - FastBoot - Wipe Data Menu **
Press Volume Down + Power untill you see a white text on the screen then release the buttons.Use Volume Down to navigate and Volume Up to confirm your selection.You have 10 seconds to make your choise,or else the system will do a Cold Boot by default.
Note: FastBoot mode is available only if you unlocked the bootloader.


** Boot to APX mode **
Press Volume Up + Power for 5 seconds,the device will vibrate and your screen will be OFF.
Note: APX mode is needed if you want to use NVflash.
Note 2: Press Power button for 10 seconds to exit APX mode

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Tips&Tricks / Frequently Asked Questions [18/08/2012 ]

**** Tips&Tricks / Frequently Asked Questions ****

[ Q ] I've just bought my device and my battery is empty/almost empty,do i have to charge it for 8 hours before i can use the tablet?
No,you don't have to wait 8 hours before start using your tablet just plug the charger and wait until it get to 10-15% of charge then you can start using your tablet.Mostly it will need 2 - 3 hours for a complete charge and you will see a green light led when the battery is full.

[ Q ] I'm planing to let the device charge overnight,is there any risk of overcharging and battery damage?
No,there's no risk of damage for your battery because once the battery is full it will stop charging so overcharge is not possible.

[ Q ] My battery drains very fast ,is there a way to improve battery live?
IMO battery life depends very much on the way we use our device so i guess there is no real answer for this.Many users are asking about battery life and how to improve so have a look at this threads:
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity Battery Life Discussions Thread
[HOW-TO] Battery saving tips

[ Q ] Do i always have to full discharge the battery before charging again?
Usually this is not needed for ion-lithium battery but if you do it once in a while it will help for better battery calibration.

[ Q ] Keyboard Haptic feedback doesn't seem to work even if that option is active
On your tablet please go to Settings / Language&Input / Android Keyboard Settings / Advanced Settings / and make sure that "Keypress Vibration Duration setting" is set to 60ms or more.

[ Q ] The speaker is not loud enough,it's there a way to make it louder?
Many of us are using Volume + and it works very well on TF700 so you should give it a try.Also you can find more info here

[ Q ] No Audio when watching an .MKV movie with the stock player
Many .mkv movies have DTS audio and this format is not supported by the stock player so you will have to use a 3rd party video player.Try BSPlayer,it supports DTS audio and many other formats.

[ Q ] I get very low benchmark scores
Go to Settings / Developer Options and disable " Force GPU rendering " option

[ Q ] My screen constantly adjusts brightness even if auto-brightness is disabled
Yes,that is a "feature" called Dynamic Contrast but not all of us like it.Follow the directions from this post to disable but keep in mind that your device must be rooted.

[ Q ] Minimum brightness level is to low when Auto-Brightness is ON,how can i change that?
If your device is rooted you can easly change the brightness level for Auto-Brightness mode,see this post

[ Q ] I'm having issues getting my MicroSD card to work with TWRP Recovery,possibile reasons?
That could me many reasons for this kind of issue but one reason could be a bad formatted card,see here

[ Q ] I have TWRP recovery installed and i would like to use an app to Reboot to Recovery,it's that possible?
Yes it's possible but NOT recommended because the application must send a custom command so if your recovery got corrupted somehow you could end-up with a bricked device...here's more info

[ Q ] I feel like i'm ready to try some Custom Roms now,are there any available?
Yes,our great user/dev are always trying to give us the bet for our device have a look at this Index thread

[ Q ] According to my battery stats,Wi-Fi connection drain my battery a lot,is this true?
Not really,the default battery stats are not accurate so probably it's showing wrong values so don't panic and read here

[ Q ] Stock recovery doesn't recognize my MicroSD card, any idea why?
Please make sure your MicroSD card is formatted in FAT32.

[ Q ] I don't need/trust the Asus Device Tracker service and i would like to disable it,is that possible?
Yes is possible to disable that service but keep in mind that is not yet confirmed if other services will be affected (OTA update or Bootloader Unlocking) and also your device must be rooted.You will find the disabling procedure here.

[ Q ] I would like to update the device via OTA update,any recommandation before i proced with the update ?
Some users reported isues (mostly boot looping or update failure) when applying and update on systems where system applications were disabled/freezed so i recommend you to enable these apps in case you have them disabled.

Manual ADB/APX Driver Installation for Windows OS

Manual ADB/FastBoot/APX Driver Installation for Windows OS

1) Put your device in Fastboot or APX mode or just boot normally (but make sure ADB debugging it's set on your tablet) for ADB and connect it to your PC
2) Open Device Manager and select the device
3) Right Click and select " Update Driver Software " and choose " Browse My Computer for driver software"
4) Now click on " Let me pick from a list of device driver " and select " HAVE DISK "
5) BROWSE to the folder where universal naked drivers are located and select "android_winusb.inf " if you are trying to install the FastBoot or ADB driver or choose " android_apxusb.inf " if you are trying to install the APX drivers.
6) After the installation is done reboot your PC

* If Windows give you a big red warning about the driver not beeing signed just ignore it and go ahead installing the driver.
*Also you should disable UAC if it's enabled.

cheltenham2004 said:

Very nice top job

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thank you guys for your kind words,i'm glad you like my "by users for users" guide and i really hope this will help people from damage/brick their device and also make moderators life a bit better cause i know this forum gets very messy with time and it's quiet impossible to keep track of every useful informations in here.

Thanks so much for the guide. I was using the LCD Density App and that thing jacked my Infinity up big time. I will never use that application again. It wanted SuperUser clearance to save the Pixel Density, then when I checked Save & Reboot, my Infinity never turned on again. It just got stuck at the ASUS screen and wouldn't turn off. If I tried to power down, it just turned back on and stuck at the first Asus Screen.


I used the following directions and was able to get back to stock firmware.
Thank god.


*** Factory Restore after a softbrick ***

When You Need This?
* if you get stuck on Asus boot screen (the one with the spinning wheel)
Note: You need to have a working recovery (stock or custom) in order to use this method.

========= Recover with stock recovery =========

1) Download the latest firmware from Asus site (based os your SKU,eg. ww 9.4.5.26)
2) Extract the .zip file somewere on your desktop (the result will be another .zip file,use it for step 3)
3) Rename the extracted archive to "EP201_768_SDUPDATE" (without the " ") and upload it to a MicroSD card
4) Insert the MicroSD card in your tablet and use this button combination to Power ON and go to recovery --> Start the tablet by pressing Volume Down and POWER togheter for 5 seconds ,a message will inform you that you have 5 seconds to enter the recovery,press Volume UP before the 5 seconds expire.
At this point the device will go in recovery and should start updating your firmware .



So yeah, thanks for this guide and beware of the Pixel Density Application. I know someone from here created it, but It could not have been more clear that it messed my tablet up since I had never had a problem until I gave it SuperUser Clearance then it never turned on again.