[Gen9 Android Development] Shano56:
Note: If you screw up your tablet doing this, it will not be covered under warranty. Hardware defects should still be covered. If you have found anything helpful, please click "thanks" on my post, and visit the original threads of our amazing developers and leave thanks there too! Before you go on, please BACKUP ALL IMPORTANT FILES YOU DO NOT WANT TO LOSE TO A SAFE LOCATION.

If you have rooted other android devices before, rooting your Archos G9 may be a little difference. Instead of rooting stock firmware, We first install SDE (special developer edition) firmware using official ARCHOS firmware. Once SDE menu is installed it adds an option in recovery to install developer firmware. This is when we install a modified firmware that has busybox and super user included. This guide is very safe to follow. Chances are most problems you run into are very easy to recovery. Please view the FAQ at the bottom of this post if you have questions or run into problems. Because we don't have to flash recoveries or mess with the bootloader like some Android devices require, and because all methods are universal to G9s, this rooting process is very safe and easy to follow. This guide is very easy: No need to install any drivers, root methods, anything! Not even ADB is required. So easy, your grandma could do it...? Quote from ARCHOS:

STEP 1: Install SDE

Prerequisites: You must own an Archos 80/101G9 and be on fimrware 4.0.1 (ICS) or higher.

Step 1: Download SDE firmware HERE

Step 2: Boot into recovery by holding the volume rocker up and pressing the power button simultaneously

Step 3: Select "Update Firmware"

Step 4: Plug your device into your computer using the USB cable that came with your device

Step 6: A new drive should appear in "My Computer", copy the file you downloaded "firmware_archos_it4.aos" to this device

Step 7: Press the power button and wait for the instalation to finish

STEP 2: Install rooted firmware.

Before you begin, you will need SDE installed. Please follow step 1 before you begin if you have not already. If you have SDE installed, you can continue. Any downloaded applications and personal media should remain untouched. Installing a new ARCHOS (Android) firmware WILL NOT remove the SDE firmware. In order to uninstall the SDE, boot into the recovery using the Boot Menu, select "Developer Edition Menu", then "Uninstall Developer Edition". Please download files to your PC hard drive.

Please visit the following thread by surdu_petru and download and extract:

- Stock_Root_4.0.25.zip - 206.48 MB

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1955910

Step 1: Power your device on

Step 2: Once your device is on, and your home screen is visible, plug your device into your PC. If you do not have ADB installed on your computer, skip steps 3-6 and follow step 6a.

Step 3: Open a command prompt on your PC and type

adb devices

Step 4: Ensure your device shows up so you know it's connected properly and adb is active

Step 5: Type

cd desktop

This is to change the directory to where you download the two files

Step 6: Type

adb push archos.ext4.update /mnt/storage

Give it some time to transfer, it is a large file and will take several minutes, you will be presented with transfer info once the transfer is complete.

Step 6a: If you followed steps 3-6, no need to follow this step. If you do not have ADB, you can simply copy archos.ext4.update to the root of your Archos storage (the main folder when you connect your Archos).

Step 7: Power off your device

Step 8: Boot into recovery by holding the volume rocker down and pressing the power button simultaneously

Step 9: If you see "Archos Boot Menu" or something similar, select "Recovery System"

Step 9: You should now see "Archos Recovery" with the following options "No" "Reboot" "Update Firmware" "Repair System" "Format System" "Developer Edition Menu". Select "Developer Edition Menu"

Step 10: Select "Remove Android Kernel" (if the option is present, if not, skip)

Step 11: Select Flash Kernel and Initramfs

Step 12: Copy zImage and initramfs.cpio.lzo to the drive that appears

Step 13: Reboot your device. Your device should now be rooted.

Frequently Asked Questions! (FAQ)

Will this guide work for my Archos 80 G9? For my 101 G9? I have Archos 101 G9 OMAP 4430. I have 250GB hdd model! I have turbo edition!

Yes this guide will work for ALL Archos G9 users. This includes 80 G9s and 101 G9s. This includes all 8gb G9s and 16gb G9s and 250GB G9s and 1.0 GHz G9s and 1.2 GHz G9s and 1.5 GHz G9s and OMAP 4430 G9s and OMAP 4460 G9s and board version V5 etc etc. ALL G9s!

Can I just drag the .zip file to the RAMDISK that appears when I flash zImage and initramfs?

No! Archos recovery cannot read ZIP files. You must first EXTRACT, then copy the contents of the extracted folder. NOT the folder itself. This means you will have two files on the RAMDISK, and no additional folders. If you don't know what a RAMDISK is, try Google or Wikipedia. If you get stuck in a boot loop because you forgot to extract archos.update.ext4 or drive.zip, you must follow the instructions below.

Help! I am stuck in a bootloop! Archos splash screen appears and keeps rebooting. I messed up when I was rooting, and now android will not boot! I accidentally formatted my device, and now I cannot boot into android.

This is a simple mistake and in 99% of cases it is easy to fix. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Download official Archos G9 firmware for ALL G9 tablets (aos file) HERE

Step 2: Boot into recovery turning your device off and then holding volume down + power at the same time

Step 3: Choose "Update Firmware"

Step 4: Connect USB cable to computer and tablet

Step 5: A removable device should appear (RAMDISK), copy the file you just download straight to that drive

Step 6: Press the power button once the file is done copying. DO NOT UNPLUG your device until it has finished updating and has booted back into android.

If you did not format your tablet or delete any personal media, your files should be unaffected.

Will I lose SDE menu if I update my tablet with official AOS or OTA update

As of the latest update, no official update from Archos has removed SDE menu. You should be fine, and your SDE menu should remain untouched.

This method may void your warranty if you screw up something software related. Your device will be marked and Archos can detect if you have this installed. If you wish to follow a slightly more difficult (possible dangerous) method, which will not mark your device, you can follow it here (note you will need ADB installed): http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1542058