The folks on XDA Developers are working day and night to help users explore uncharted regions on their devices. The site has practically become the de facto all-in-one information center that teaches users a wide variety of information—from installing custom ROMs, flashing new updates, and rooting devices.

Among the numerous Android devices for which devs have found rooting solutions is the Acer Iconia Tab A100. In this post, we present the rooting method in an easy-to-follow way for the benefit of our readers, both newbies and veteran Android users alike.

This step-by-step guide for rooting the Acer Iconia Tab A100 consists of two methods—an easy method and advanced (more complicated) method. Pick your poison.

General Requirements

• Make sure you have created a backup of your files and phone data.
• Charge the tablet's battery to at least 70%.
• Close all system tools such as antivirus software and firewall programs.

Method 1

This method works on all A100 builds. In order to root your device, you will need to download a ZIP file and a few apps from the Android Market.

Instructions

1. Download the rooting package (root.zip) for the Iconia Tab A100 from here.  Save the file to your computer and extract the ZIP file's contents.  You will get two files: “root.sh” and “su”.  Copy both files to /mnt/sdcard on your tablet.
2. Download and install the following apps (both available on the Android Market) to your Iconia Tab A100:
   1. Android Terminal Emulator
   2. Astro File Manager
3. Run the Android Terminal Emulator app on your tablet and type “sh /mnt/sdcard/root.sh” (without the quotes).
4. The script will automatically do its work. It will copy the su binary and install it in your device.
5. When the script finishes, download and install the Superuser app from the Android Market.
6. Run the Superuser app.
7. Tap the wrench icon on the upper-right corner of the screen.
8. Scroll down and tap “Su binary v… Tap to check for updates” and install the necessary updates.
9. (Optional) Install other root-only essential tools (e.g., BusyBox, Titanium Backup) for your rooted tablet.

Method 2

In this method, you will be rooting your device by typing commands on the command prompt or terminal of your computer. You will need the following for this method to work:

• ADB installed on your computer.
• Enable USB Debugging by going to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.

Instructions

For Linux

1. Download the su binary from here.
2. Connect your device to the computer via USB cable.
3. Copy the su binary file to /mnt/sdcard/ on your tablet.
4. Open a terminal on your Linux computer.
5. Change directory to where ADB is located.  (This is usually the /tools or /platform-tools directory inside the Android SDK installation directory.)
6. Type in the following commands at the terminal (press Enter after each command):
   • adb shell /system/bin/cmdclient ec_micswitch ‘`mount -o remount,rw /system`'
   • adb shell /system/bin/cmdclient ec_micswitch ‘`cat /mnt/sdcard/su >/system/xbin/su`'
   • adb shell /system/bin/cmdclient ec_micswitch ‘`chmod 6755 /system/xbin/su`'
7. Install the Superuser app from the Android Market.

For Windows

1. Download the su binary from here.
2. Hook your device to the computer via USB cable.
3. Copy the su binary file to /mnt/sdcard/ on your tablet.
4. Open a command prompt on your Windows computer.
5. Change directory to where ADB is located.  (This is usually the /tools or /platform-tools directory inside the Android SDK installation directory.)
6. Type in the following commands at the terminal (press Enter after each command):
   • adb shell /system/bin/cmdclient ec_micswitch ‘`mount -o remount,rw /system`'
   • adb shell /system/bin/cmdclient ec_micswitch ‘`cat /mnt/sdcard/su >/system/xbin/su`'
   • adb shell /system/bin/cmdclient ec_micswitch ‘`chmod 6755 /system/xbin/su`'
7. Install the Superuser app from the Android Market.

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your Acer Iconia Tab A100.