Wug's Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit makes it a doddle

[Hands0n]

Over the years with Android, since the G1, I have variously been unlocking Bootloaders and Rooting OS to liberate the Android device and subject it to my own whims. Although we're working with a single OS each manufacturer has implemented their own method of locking these things down for the average mortal. Some have gone further than others, like Motorola back in 2010/11. And some have bowed to public pressure to soften their locking to be mostly superficial, like HTC did in 2011. You still have to do a bit of work, but it isn't at all difficult.

But it has always seemed a bit odd to me that the Nexus devices (Google Nexus One, Google Nexus S and latterly the Samsung Galaxy Nexus) have been somewhat hardened against rooting, although they do make unlocking the Bootloader simple bizarrely that voids the warranty. A bit of fiddling around and you're in.

It all got a whole lot simpler
On January 4th 2012 a developer called Wug released to the world version 1.1 of his Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit. I have used it today and have to say that it is simply amazingly simple to use and install, more on the latter in a moment.

The toolkit itself and the instructions to use are very straightforward. It is just a matter of following a logical sequence of; Backup Data, Backup Apps, Unlock Bootloader, Root, Flash Recovery, Restore Apps, Restore Data. These are mostly achieved by pressing a series of buttons in sequence on the app, although a little Windows file manipulation is required.

Installing was a chore ...
Mostly thanks to Windows 7, and probably the weakness of an Atom CPU in the Netbook, the install of this toolkit took simply ages. I hasten to add that none of this was the toolkit's fault.

I had not used the Netbook for a few months, so Microsoft had a zillion updates queued up for it. I thought it best to go through those first, just to save any install problems. So at least 90 minutes later I was ready to commence.

Downloading the app took simply ages because of the apparently low speed from the mirror file site. The primary links do not work, giving up an HTTP 404 error. So, if you want a speedier download I have placed a copy of the installer on DropBox here --> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30820287/Gne...1_GSM.sfx_.exe

Wug's installer is totally user friendly, popping up DOS Command windows with information telling you exactly what to expect and do each step of the way. This developer is going to go places with such fine attention to detail that is often overlooked by the vast majority of developers.

At one step the installer will want to install the Samsung USB drivers for the Galaxy Nexus, and this took the best part of 15 minutes. Part of the fault is with Windows 7 insisting on searching for the drivers on the web. They are, however, already on the disk having been included in the toolkit installation routine. So you can speed things up a bit by forcing Windows 7 to abort searching the web, where it will then find the drivers on the disk. And there is one step what requires you to manually point the installer to the directory where the drivers are located. All of this is very clearly guided by the installer's pages.

Go for it!
This toolkit can be used by anyone who is used to operating a Windows application and capable of following instructions, as given, to the letter. So Android root novices and highly experienced alike can make use of the toolkit. For me, it was a delight to just be able to get the job done without any of the hacking and slashing.

So, if you've wondered what its all about or considered rooting your Android device then you've almost no excuse for not doing so now Give it a go.

Putting it all back
Oh, I nearly forgot, the toolkit will also restore your Galaxy Nexus back to factory specification, unrooting and locking the bootloader.

So thats okay then.