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Root rooting nexus 7? Yea or nay?

jans52

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Dec 13, 2012
2
0
Hello,

I have been browsing around looking for a new small pad, Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD. I have seen a Nexus for sale, rooted, with Paranoid/Android. I had no idea what this meant, but after long and careful internet exploration I think I understand.

Rooting basically means unlocking and allowing greater customization. P/A is a custom ROM. Now I probably would have been perfectly happy if I never knew about any of this.

My question is: Am I likely to get myself into big trouble on this device? I am not really tech phobic but my understanding/ability only go so far as a good ability to read and follow directions.

Will operation of this device with P/A be obvious? Any instructions to be found anywhere? It is on EBay so I am not certain of the apps, etc. at this time.

Any opinions??

TIA

Jans
 
Love my nexus 7 & enjoy the benefits of having rooted the tablet. Having said that, buying one used is one thing but buying one used with a custom ROM installed is another. Being that your new to it, but hey I learned lol. think of it this way, if you're really saving money on this unit is it worth the potential headache down the line vs a new n7? my guess is if you're asking you're already having doubts so stick with your gut feeling.
 
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Welcome to the AndroidForums, Jans! :)

You can take rooting as far as you want or need to...

The great and best thing about Nexus devices is that they are easily modified if you desire to.

I frequently run stock, but rooted. This simply gives me "administrator" access to things on my device that are normally kept secured from me. So, having root itself does enable anything--you have to explicitly ask for and grant root (superuser/admin) access to an application or take steps that are normally not available to users with bone-stock devices (i.e., not rooted and with a locked bootloader).

Additionally, Nexus devices are easy to return to their stock / factory state.

As far as how a particular custom ROM like Paranoid Android goes, you'll have to get support and information / documentation from the dev's website.

Your best resource and quality is a step you've already taken: carefully reading and researching--I can't stress how important it is to be informed about rooting-related tasks (you want to know what you are getting into ahead of time and how to deal with issues should (when) you encounter them).

Be sure to check-out the various sticky threads in the various all-things-root sub-forums--lots of great information there.

Cheers and best of luck!
 
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This is the first device I rooted, and haven't been too impressed with the results. yes, I like adblock, and custom ROMs, but this thing is so damn slick stock, it really didn't add that much rooting it.
I suggest starting off stock. You can read throught\ the instructions on how to bring it back to stock if you want to get the cheaper one, and try that if the instructions don't seem too daunting. We have a great community here (and all over the web) if you need help.
I don't often think it is worth saving a couple bucks on something like this (or a car) unless you know how to fix it already. maybe that would be better saved for your second or third device if you get comfortable enough.
Just my 2 pesos.
 
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Short answer: no, you're not likely to screw things up on a pre-rooted device. It's virtually impossible to 'brick' unless you go severely overboard tinkering with it, but nothing you can do on a user level can really hurt it. If you somehow can't boot into your operating system anymore, it's dead simple to replace with the stock firmware or something else.
 
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If you are going to start off stock absolutely unlock the bootloader as soon as you get it. That way if you decide to root down the the road you don't lose any data

I am curious, why unlock the bootloader at a minimum? Do they update the bootloader with OTAs like the EVO 4g did? I have just purchased a Nexus 7 and am debating on rooting or not. It is great the way it is. My phones I have always rooted to get rid of bloatware and for wifi tether but I don't see the need on this device........yet. :)
 
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I am curious, why unlock the bootloader at a minimum? Do they update the bootloader with OTAs like the EVO 4g did? I have just purchased a Nexus 7 and am debating on rooting or not. It is great the way it is. My phones I have always rooted to get rid of bloatware and for wifi tether but I don't see the need on this device........yet. :)

Having the bootloader unlocked gives you a few more options for recovering a semi-bricked device. Probably more important for non-Nexus devices or rather those that are not easily unlocked (i.e., you want that option in your back pocket when the time comes--rainy day, etc.).

These options typically lie in the ability to use several very useful fastboot commands (many of which are quite dangerous, but in the right circumstances can get you going again).

Yes, the bootloaders sometimes get updated when an OTA is released--there's been a couple for the various Samsung GNex devices (I honestly haven't paid attention to if my bootloader was updated on the last OTA for my N7).

:)
 
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Having the bootloader unlocked gives you a few more options for recovering a semi-bricked device. Probably more important for non-Nexus devices or rather those that are not easily unlocked (i.e., you want that option in your back pocket when the time comes--rainy day, etc.).

These options typically lie in the ability to use several very useful fastboot commands (many of which are quite dangerous, but in the right circumstances can get you going again).

Yes, the bootloaders sometimes get updated when an OTA is released--there's been a couple for the various Samsung GNex devices (I honestly haven't paid attention to if my bootloader was updated on the last OTA for my N7).

:)

Thanks for the quick reply. I am familiar and comfortable with using fastboot commands and adb. Is there a better method to unlock and root between the Nexus 7 toolkit or Wug's Root Kit? Wug's is more a GUI rather than the script style that the toolkit uses but wasn't sure if there were issues with one or the other.
 
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Thanks for the quick reply. I am familiar and comfortable with using fastboot commands and adb. Is there a better method to unlock and root between the Nexus 7 toolkit or Wug's Root Kit? Wug's is more a GUI rather than the script style that the toolkit uses but wasn't sure if there were issues with one or the other.

You are most welcome :).

I've honestly never used Wug's most excellent tool kit--preferring instead to do all of my root-related activities manually ;) :).

If you've got the proper adb and fastboot USB drivers installed, its pretty simple to issue the appropriate and corresponding fastboot or adb commands as required.

I think you gain a ton of knowledge, experience, confidence, and ability to assess and correct a problem when doing things manually vs. relying on a utility that does it all for you--and don't get me wrong, it's a bang-up and most excellent toolkit, but when something goes south, folks don't really know how next to proceed. No issues from what I know of or have heard.
 
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You are most welcome :).

I've honestly never used Wug's most excellent tool kit--preferring instead to do all of my root-related activities manually ;) :).

If you've got the proper adb and fastboot USB drivers installed, its pretty simple to issue the appropriate and corresponding fastboot or adb commands as required.

I think you gain a ton of knowledge, experience, confidence, and ability to assess and correct a problem when doing things manually vs. relying on a utility that does it all for you--and don't get me wrong, it's a bang-up and most excellent toolkit, but when something goes south, folks don't really know how next to proceed. No issues from what I know of or have heard.

I haven't used adb much since I stopped doing themes for the OG but I understand what you are saying. Manually is probably the way to go with it being a new device to me. Thanks again for the quick reply.
 
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I am curious, why unlock the bootloader at a minimum? Do they update the bootloader with OTAs like the EVO 4g did? I have just purchased a Nexus 7 and am debating on rooting or not. It is great the way it is. My phones I have always rooted to get rid of bloatware and for wifi tether but I don't see the need on this device........yet. :)

Most importantly I'd think... Unlocking is the one part of the rooting process that wipes your device.
 
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