Default OS for ThinkPad Tablet is Android 3.1. Like the Blackberry Playbook, users are not allowed to use Google Play. So we need to get root access for ThinkPad Tablet to get freedom to install Google Play or other great Android apps. Now let’s rooting Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet step by step: ( Some one click rooting tutorial may not work for newest version TinkPad.)
Note:
- Make sure you know the risk to root ThinkPad Tablet. Any loss should be undertaken by yourselves.
- This tutorial is conducted under Windows 7 64bit system.
- Follow us step by step. Skip any steps may cause failure.
Rooting Preparation
1) Prepare a storage card
ThinkPad Tablet has a three-in-one card reader slot. You must have an storage card and make sure it has more than 6MB free space. I uses mini MMC in this tutorial.
2) Download firmware with rooting bug
Download the firmware which has a bug for rooting from here. If you uses non-English version, you can find firmwares here: http://download.lenovo.com/slates/think/tablet1/. No matter which ThinkPad Tablet model you are using, this firmware will be OK. (Android 4.0 may can not use this file.)
Just copy the zip file to your Storage Card root folder. DO NOT UNZIP THIS FILE. Then put the Storage Card into your ThinkPad Tablet.
3) Download root patch.
Get the ROOT file from http://good.gd/1981854.htm. Unzip it to you PC. You will get the folder called “yareftpt”.
4) Enable USB debugging on your ThinkPad Table
Go to Settings->Applications->Development and Check the box for USB debugging.
5) Install the latest Lenovo ADB driver on your PC.
a) Download ADB driver from Lenovo.
b) Install it by following steps below:
i) make sure enabled USB debug mode and connect your ThinkPad Tablet to PC.
ii) open Device Manager on your PC.
iii) find the ThinkPad Tablet under “other devices” and right click it. update driver to the ADB driver from Lenovo.
v) then you will see the Android Phone device under Device Manager list.
If you can not see the device, you should skip this step and jump to step 6.
6）Enter Recovery mode
a) Keep USB connecting and close the ThinkPad Tablet.
b) Restart tablet. Click volume up few times when you see white Lenovo logo. And you will be led to Recovery mode. You will see this interface: ( DON’T MAKE ANY OPERATION ON THINKPAD TABLET NOW)
Start rooting
This seems some complicated. But it is actually very easy if you can follow my steps. You are suggested to copy and paste following commands to command window.
1) Run a command window on your PC
Find the yareftpt file you have just downloaded. Press “Shift” and right click on the yareftpt folder. Select “Open Command window here”. Then you can use Linux command to operate ThinkPad Tablet.
2) Create a bug on ThinkPad Table.
a) your thinkPad Tablet should remains Recovery mode.
b) Press volume button to select “apply update from external storage” and then click power button. You will se an “Installation Aborted” alert.
c) click volume button to select “wipe cache partition” and click power button. Wait till it finished.
3) Rooting started
Input following commands only 1 row a time. NOTE:
- Do not copy more than 1 row once
- Press “Enter” after inputted 1 row. Make sure there are no error alert like no device or not found. Then continue.
- If you see a alert, it should be some steps you did wrong. If you see a “no device” error, you must go back to install the ADB driver.
adb shell "/system/bin/mkdir /data/local/pwn" adb shell "/system/bin/mkdir /data/local/pwn-bak" adb shell "/system/bin/cat /system/etc/install-recovery.sh > /data/local/pwn-bak/install-recovery.sh.orig" adb shell "/system/bin/mkdir /cache/recovery/pwn" adb push su /cache/recovery/pwn adb shell "/system/bin/rm /cache/recovery/log" adb shell "/system/bin/ln -s /system/etc/install-recovery.sh /cache/recovery/log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/chmod 777 /cache" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/mount -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 /cache" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/chmod 777 /cache" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/mount -oremount,rw -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 /cache" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/chmod 777 /cache" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/chmod 777 /cache/recovery" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/chown root /cache/recovery/pwn/su" >> /tmp/recovery.log" adb shell "echo "/system/bin/chmod 4777 /cache/recovery/pwn/su" >> /tmp/recovery.log"
4) After all command finished. Select “disable battery discharge” on Tablet and click power button.
5) back to command window on PC and input following command:
adb shell "/system/bin/rm /cache/recovery/log"
6) select “reboot system now” and press power button to restart table.
You will see an error alert. This is actually what we want. Click “OK” to continue.
7) Continue the following commands ( still once a row )
adb push Superuser.apk /data/local/pwn/Superuser.apk adb push busybox /data/local/pwn/busybox adb push su /data/local/pwn/su adb push pwn-in.sh /data/local/pwn/pwn-in.sh adb shell "/system/bin/chmod 777 /data/local/pwn/pwn-in.sh"
Continue with the following command:
adb shell
You will see a symbol “$”. Continue:
/cache/recovery/pwn/su
When the “$” turns to “#”, it means you get a temporary root authority.
TIPS: If you can not successfully root, please try to flash a CWM Recovery and try this root tutorial. See: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1458212
Continue following commands:
/system/bin/mount -oremount,rw /system cat /system/xbin/su > /data/local/pwn-bak/xbin-su
8) Done 
a) You will see an error alert like this:
/system/xbin/su：No such file or directory
This means rooting is nearly done. Continue with following command:
/data/local/pwn/pwn-in.sh
You will get the instruction:
you should ...
3. Unroot
You are required to unroot ThinkPad tablet before sending it to warranty center. You need to open ADB shell command window like root.
Input following commands:
adb shell su
Approve the authorize of execute root access.
Continue with following commands:
mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/system /system rm /system/app/Superuser.apk rm /system/xbin/su rm /system/bin/su
Then restart your ThinkPad Tablet. It should be unrooted now.