Update:
I was able to use this method to root the new ICS update. The thread has been edited accordingly.
----------------------------------------------
I was unable to find a single thread that detailed how to root the stock T-Mobile Springboard firmware and keep the boot and recovery partitions intact to allow future updates, so I have consolidated information from other threads and posts, as well as adding a little myself. Full credit goes to the users and thread OP's referenced in the post links below.
The usual warnings apply: Under no circumstances should anyone do this to their device. You are likely to brick your device and render it completey unusable. In addition, you will void your warantee with T-Mobile. So you will have an out-of-warantee brick instead of a nice, functional tablet. Turn back now while there is still time.
Before you begin, I obviously did this to my device without any problems. My device is running full stock T-Mobile Springboard firmware with the following:
Android version: 4.0.3
Baseband version: 314007
Kernel version: 3.0.8
Build number: S7-303uV100R002C201B035
I do not know if it will work on a device with any other version of the firmware. The following also assumes that you have fastboot and ADB installed and functional on your computer.
In describing how to boot into fastboot and recovery modes below, the description of the volume buttons is how they are while in portrait mode in Honeycomb....as this is where I first used this method. In other words, the volume button closer to the power button is volume up and the other volume button is volume down.
1. Download the CWM Recovery image from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=23601045&postcount=7
2. Download CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27678611&postcount=22
3. Copy the CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip file to an sdcard and put the card in your device.
4. Flash the CWM recovery image to your first recovery partition ONLY:
a.) Boot into fastboot by powering down the device and starting it back up by pressing the
volume up and power buttons at the same time. After the device vibrates, release the
power button but keep holding the volume button until it is booted into fastboot.
b.) Once in fastboot, flash the recovery image:
5. Press and hold the power key for 10 seconds to reboot the device. It will boot into the
T-mobile firmware.
6. Power down the device in the usual fashion.
7. Boot into recovery by starting the device back up by pressing the volume down and power
buttons at the same time. After the device vibrates, release the power button but keep
holding the volume button until it is booted into CWM Recovery.
8. Choose 'install zip from sdcard' -> 'choose zip from sdcard', then select the
CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip file you put on your sdcard above, then confirm installation.
9. Go back to the main menu and select 'reboot system now'. It will boot into the T-Mobile
firmware.
10. Shut the device down again in the usual fashion, then restart normally and boot into the
T-Mobile firmware again.
11. Now you need to get your stock recovery partition back and get rid of CWM recovery.
There are two copies of the stock recovery- one on each 'recovery' and 'recovery2'. You can
get back to stock recovery by extracting an image from 'recovery2' and flashing it back to
'recovery'. The following (using adb from your computer) will dump the image from recovery2
to your sdcard:
12. Take the sd card out of your device and copy this file back to your computer, then flash the
first recovery partition with this image as in step 4b above, but with your new recovery.img file.
You are now rooted and your recovery partitions are returned to stock.
I was able to use this method to root the new ICS update. The thread has been edited accordingly.
----------------------------------------------
I was unable to find a single thread that detailed how to root the stock T-Mobile Springboard firmware and keep the boot and recovery partitions intact to allow future updates, so I have consolidated information from other threads and posts, as well as adding a little myself. Full credit goes to the users and thread OP's referenced in the post links below.
The usual warnings apply: Under no circumstances should anyone do this to their device. You are likely to brick your device and render it completey unusable. In addition, you will void your warantee with T-Mobile. So you will have an out-of-warantee brick instead of a nice, functional tablet. Turn back now while there is still time.
Before you begin, I obviously did this to my device without any problems. My device is running full stock T-Mobile Springboard firmware with the following:
Android version: 4.0.3
Baseband version: 314007
Kernel version: 3.0.8
Build number: S7-303uV100R002C201B035
I do not know if it will work on a device with any other version of the firmware. The following also assumes that you have fastboot and ADB installed and functional on your computer.
In describing how to boot into fastboot and recovery modes below, the description of the volume buttons is how they are while in portrait mode in Honeycomb....as this is where I first used this method. In other words, the volume button closer to the power button is volume up and the other volume button is volume down.
1. Download the CWM Recovery image from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=23601045&postcount=7
2. Download CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27678611&postcount=22
3. Copy the CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip file to an sdcard and put the card in your device.
4. Flash the CWM recovery image to your first recovery partition ONLY:
a.) Boot into fastboot by powering down the device and starting it back up by pressing the
volume up and power buttons at the same time. After the device vibrates, release the
power button but keep holding the volume button until it is booted into fastboot.
b.) Once in fastboot, flash the recovery image:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery5.5.0.4.img
T-mobile firmware.
6. Power down the device in the usual fashion.
7. Boot into recovery by starting the device back up by pressing the volume down and power
buttons at the same time. After the device vibrates, release the power button but keep
holding the volume button until it is booted into CWM Recovery.
8. Choose 'install zip from sdcard' -> 'choose zip from sdcard', then select the
CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip file you put on your sdcard above, then confirm installation.
9. Go back to the main menu and select 'reboot system now'. It will boot into the T-Mobile
firmware.
10. Shut the device down again in the usual fashion, then restart normally and boot into the
T-Mobile firmware again.
11. Now you need to get your stock recovery partition back and get rid of CWM recovery.
There are two copies of the stock recovery- one on each 'recovery' and 'recovery2'. You can
get back to stock recovery by extracting an image from 'recovery2' and flashing it back to
'recovery'. The following (using adb from your computer) will dump the image from recovery2
to your sdcard:
Code:
adb shell
su
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 of=/mnt/sdcard2/recovery.img
first recovery partition with this image as in step 4b above, but with your new recovery.img file.
You are now rooted and your recovery partitions are returned to stock.
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