ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T: Flashing TWRP Recovery 2.1.5

Owners of the ASUS Transformer TF300T are in for a special treat as the tablet is finally getting a custom recovery in the form of the TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) Recovery 2.1.5.  TWRP Recovery is a custom recovery built from the ground up, is easy to use, and features a lot of customization tools that users can benefit from.

Based primarily on the recovery images from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), TWRP Recovery is loaded with all the standard recovery options but with added modifications such as a fully touch-driven interface to navigate instead of the traditional button pushing. The user-interface is fully coded in XML and is completely customizable by setting themes.

However, TWRP Recovery is currently a work in progress, with some minor issues that still need weeding out. Continue reading the rest of the guide to learn more on how you can install TWRP Recovery on your ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T.

Warning

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the ASUS Transformer Pad, model number TF300T.  Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
• The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only.  There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
• Use these instructions at your own risk.  We shall not hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
• Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.

Requirements

• ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T with unlocked bootloader
  • See our guide on how to unlock the bootloader of your ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T.
• Fully charged tablet or at least 70% battery charge left.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
  • For backup tips, check our guides on how to sync your data to the cloud and how to create local backups of your mobile data.

Instructions

ADB/Fastboot Method

For this method, you’ll need a Windows PC, with the Android USB drivers installed on the PC.  To install the drivers, just download and install the ASUS Pad PC Suite from the official ASUS support site for the tablet.  Make sure that the PC Suite is not running, not even in the background, as you perform the steps below.

1. Download the following files and save them to your PC:
   • Fastboot (Fastboot.zip, 404.46 kB)
   • TWRP Recovery (openrecovery-twrp-2.1.5-tf300t.blob, md5sum: 184a0f164fba5abe22f6e2931a6a2924)
2. Extract the Fastboot.zip file and place the extracted files inside a single folder. You should acquire 4 files, namely:
   • adb.exe
   • AdbWinApi.dll
   • AdbWinUsbApi.dll
   • fastboot.exe
3. Rename the downloaded openrecovery-twrp-2.1.5-tf300t.blob file into twrp.blob (for easier reference).
4. Copy or move the twrp.blob file to where fastboot.exe is located.  You should have a total of 5 files by now.
5. Switch off your tablet.
6. Boot into Fastboot Mode by pressing and holding down the Power and Volume Down buttons until you see the message “Press Vol Up to enter RCK”.  Release the buttons when you see this message and wait for about 5 seconds.  A new menu appears. Press the Volume Down button to select the USB icon, then press the Volume Up button to confirm your selection within 10 seconds, or else your tablet boots into Normal Mode.
7. Connect your tablet to your PC via USB cable.
8. On your PC, go to the Fastboot folder and open a command prompt window. You can do this by pressing the Shift key on your keyboard and right-clicking on the empty white space inside the folder, then selecting “Open command prompt here” from the context menu.
9. Enter the following command at the command prompt to install TWRP Recovery.
   • fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery twrp.blob
10. After installing, disconnect your tablet and reboot.

Terminal Emulator Method

This procedure is an easy one to perform.  You will need the Android Terminal Emulator app installed on your tablet for this method to work.

1. Download the TWRP Recovery file (openrecovery-twrp-2.1.5-tf300t.blob, md5sum: 184a0f164fba5abe22f6e2931a6a2924) from here and save it to your computer.
2. Rename the file into twrp.blob (for easier management).
3. Copy twrp.blob to your tablet’s internal SD card (i.e., /sdcard).
4. On your tablet, launch the Terminal Emulator app.
5. Type the following commands and press the Enter key after each line:
   • su
   • dd if=/sdcard/twrp.blob of/dev/block/mmcblk0p4
6. After the last command has been entered, restart your tablet to complete the installation.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed TWRP Recovery on your ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T. You can now install custom ROMs, hacks and kernels using the custom recovery.