Tablets have become an important part in our daily lives not because they are sleek and sexy but rather they bridge the gap between a personal computer and a smartphone. Among the many tablets out there is the ViewSonic gTablet that features an enormous 10.1 inch touchscreen and blazingly fast 1.0 GHz dual-core processor.

The ViewSonic gTablet has impressed a lot of consumers for being priced cheap and yet possessing decent hardware. If you own a ViewSonic gTablet, you can tweak it to your liking if you have root access and ClockworkMod Recovery installed.

Rooting can be a daunting task to newbie users who are not yet familiar with Android. But, thanks to flashable ZIP packages, you can easily root your tablet and install ClockworkMod Recovery.  Users who have rooted their devices in the past already know the many benefits that you can enjoy. For starters, rooted users have the option to install custom ROMs, scripts, and even install powerful applications that require root access.

This article describes how you can root your ViewSonic gTablet and install ClockworkMod Recovery on your tablet.

Disclaimer

• Rooting your tablet and installing custom recovery may void your warranty.
• This guide is provided for educational purposes only and we do not guarantee that it will work in your specific circumstance.
• The procedure in this guide may cause dysfunction or damage to your device.  We shall not be responsible for such effects.  Use this guide at your own risk.

General Requirements

• ViewSonic gTablet
• Fully charged battery or at least 70% battery left
• Backup of your personal files and data

Method 1

1. Download the rooting package from here (ClockworkMod_Gtab_v08.zip, 3.8 MB) and save it to your PC.
2. Unzip the ZIP package to a folder on your computer.  You will get two items: a folder named “recovery” and a ZIP file named “update.zip”.
3. Connect your ViewSonic gTablet to your PC.
4. Copy the “recovery” folder and “update.zip” to the root of your tablet’s internal memory (i.e., internal SD card, not the external microSD).
5. Disconnect your tablet from your PC.
6. Switch off your tablet completely.
7. Reboot your tablet into stock recovery. You can do this by holding down the “Power” button while keeping the “Volume Up” button pressed.  The tablet will try detecting any update files and you will see “Recovery key detected” displayed on the screen, at which point you can release the buttons.  If the recovery key is not detected, try selecting “apply update.zip” from the recovery menu and flash update.zip.
8. Wait for about a couple of minutes for the whole process to finish.
9. At the end of the installation, your tablet will already be rooted and will have ClockworkMod Recovery.

Method 2

Note: Use this method if the first one doesn’t work for you.

1. Determine your tablet’s firmware version, as follows:
   1. Click the Menu button and navigate to Settings > About tablet > UI version.
   2. Check whether your firmware version starts with either 1.1 or 1.2.  Take note of this version number.
2. Install your tablet’s USB drivers on your computer.
3. If you are on Windows XP, install the latest Microsoft .NET Framework distribution.  This is needed by SuperOneClick.  You may get .NET Framework from the Microsoft Support site.
4. Download SuperOneClick 2.3.3 from here (SuperOneClickv2.3.3-ShortFuse.zip, 10.14 MB).
5. Extract the ZIP file’s contents into a folder on your computer.
6. Enable USB debugging on your tablet (Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging).
7. Connect your tablet to your PC.
8. Launch SuperOneClick.exe.
9. Click the Root button in SuperOneClick.
10. Close SuperOneClick.
11. Disconnect your tablet from your PC.
12. Download one of the following:
    • ClockworkMod Recovery for gTablet running firmware version 1.1 — Download from here (cwmod08.1.1.internal.zip, 3.82 MB)
    • ClockworkMod Recovery for gTablet running firmware version 1.2 — Download from here (CWM3028.1.2internal.zip, 4.21 MB)
13. Unzip the ZIP package to a folder on your computer.  You will get two items: a folder named “recovery” and a ZIP file named “update.zip”.
14. Connect your ViewSonic gTablet to your PC.
15. Copy the “recovery” folder and “update.zip” to the root of your tablet’s internal memory (i.e., internal SD card, not the external microSD).
16. Disconnect your tablet from your PC.
17. Switch off your tablet completely.
18. Reboot your tablet into stock recovery. You can do this by holding down the “Power” button while keeping the “Volume Up” button pressed.  The tablet will try detecting any update files and you will see “Recovery key detected” displayed on the screen, at which point you can release the buttons.
19. ClockworkMod Recovery will start installing.  Wait for about 5 to 10 minutes.
20. Your phone will reboot after installation is finished.

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your ViewSonic gTablet and installed ClockworkMod Recovery on it.