How To Root Google Nexus 10 & Install ClockworkMod Touch Recovery

Google Nexus 10 rooted! Google seems to be churning up some very effective and potent Android devices this year with the likes of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, both of which have already gained root access. The Nexus 10 was not going to fall behind and why should it, it’s Google’s most prized tablet to date with a screen resolution and ppi density that out-specs Apple’s 4th generation iPad. If you are one of the lucky few who have ordered the Nexus 10 or have already got your hands on one, you can thank XDA-Developers forum member ‘Kidgoo’ for testing and coming up with the root method, and recognized developer, ‘Chainfire’ for the SuperSU zip and binaries. If you need a little push with rooting the Nexus 10, here are our top 10 reasons for rooting an Android device.

The rooting method, while not that lengthy a procedure, is not exactly the most convenient either. You will be required to use command prompt or terminal, so in case that is not your cup of tea, wait around for a simpler, automated procedure. For now, this method can be performed on Windows, Linux and Mac.

Before we begin with the method, please note that the official ClockworkMod recovery for the Nexus 10 has been causing the device to reboot in roughly 20 seconds when in recovery mode. Thanks to the efforts of XDA-Developers senior member ‘damien667’, there is now a fixed recovery image available for the Nexus 10 that has eliminated the reboot bug. For now at least, we will recommend you use the modded recovery and not the official one, till the latter is fixed. What’s ClockworkMod Recovery, you ask? View our comprehensive guide on what is ClockworkMod recovery and how to use it.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. AddictiveTips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Nexus 10 with an unlocked bootloader. Refer to our Android bootloader unlock guide for instructions on unlocking the bootloader.
• ADB with fastboot installed on your system. You should see our guide on what is ADB how to install it.
• Android Debugging enabled in Settings > Developer Options. Not sure how to? See our quick tip on how to unhide Developer Options in Android 4.2.
• CWM Touch Recovery 6 (modded).
• (https://download.chainfire.eu/282/SuperSU/CWM-SuperSU-v0.98.zip) CWM flashable SuperSU binary package.

Instructions

The guide will take you through flashing CWM Touch Recovery on the device, allowing you to flash the SuperSu binary package. Additionally, instructions to restoring to a pre-root condition will also follow.

1. To begin, download the CWM Touch recovery and copy the file to the ‘platform-tools’ folder where fastboot.exe is. For your ease and convenience, rename CWM Touch recovery to ‘recovery’.
2. Download SuperSU binary package, and copy it to the root of the Nexus 10 storage.
3. Put the Nexus 10 in bootloader mode. Power off the Nexus 10 and  with the volume down and voume up keys pressed, power it on as it enters bootloader mode.
4. Time to flash the recovery. In Windows, open command prompt, switch to the path where ‘recovery.img’ is and enter the following command:

   fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

   For Mac, navigate to the file’s location in the terminal and enter the following command:

   ./fastboot-mac flash recovery recovery.img

   For Linux, navigate to the file’s location in the terminal and enter the following command:

   ./fastboot-linux flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.1.6-manta.img

5. Boot the Nexus 10 into bootloader mode, and once there, use the volume keys to navigate to ‘recovery’ and hit the power button to select it.
6. If you booted into the recovery just fine, now would be a good time to make a Nandroid backup from ‘backup and restore’ so you have a safe point to return to.
7. Navigate to ‘install zip from sdcard’ > ‘choose zip from sdcard’ and select the SuperSU zip file.
8. Once the package has been installed, simply reboot the device.

Now, when the phone reboots, check your app drawer for SuperSU. If you find it, you’re device has been successfully rooted.

Restore To Pre-Root Condition From Backup

If you want to go back to how it was before you rooted the device, or are stuck in that infamous bootloop and are unable to boot into CWM Touch Recovery (like in Step 4 above), there’s no need to panic. You can still restore the backup you made in step 5 of the above method.

1. Boot into fastboot mode.
2. Boot into the CWM Touch recovery you copied to the platform-tools folder using the following terminal command:

   fastboot boot recovery.img

3. Navigate to ‘backup and restore’ and restore the backup you made earlier.

That is it; once the backup is restored, simply reboot your device and cross you fingers. Things should go back to just the way they were.

If you did, however, stick to a rooted firmware, you may want to look at our compilation of the top 15 must-have apps on a rooted Android.

For updates and queries related to this root guide head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

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Zayed Rehman

Studying Development Sciences in the humble pursuit of saving this world; making occasional contributions to the world of Android. | Find me on Google+

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