[MeMO Pad 7 General] sutekh137:
Manual Update from .161 to .182 -- Summary

Hey all,

I just wanted to summarize my situation and success with manually updating to firmware version 182. I have an ME176CX, and the firmware for ME176C worked fine.

MY SITUATION:

I was rooted on .161, and had removed some bloatware apps. When I tried to update to .182 OTA, it downloaded the file, tried the update, but failed. I was still on .161, still rooted, and manually checking for updates told me I was already updated. This was a common scenario for several folks who posted.

WHAT I DID TODAY:

1. Backed everything up, with data, via MyBackup Pro. Also backed up my Angry Birds data via "adb backup".

2. I downloaded the .182 firmware file (WW version) from this link... OK, wait, this is nuts. I swear that this morning the link to WW .182 was available on the ASUS site! Now I am not seeing it! GAH! Anyway, you need to get the .182 WW zip file downloaded, the one with "ME176C" in the title.

3. Unzipped the zip file and it extracted to another ZIP file, this one was called: UL-K013-WW-3.2.23.182-user.zip

4. Copied the above file to the root of my external SD card (I used "adb push" to do so, but you can use whatever file transfer methodology you want).

5. Turn off the tablet.

6. Turn tablet back on. Exclamation point icon displayed in the upper left when it booted back up, asking if I wanted to update from the downloaded update file. I said yes, and let it run.

7. *SPECIAL NOTE* -- The update went FINE, no reboots needed. It paused for a long time showing no progress here and there, perhaps as long as 10 minutes. But I let it run, the tablet rebooted several times and showed several progress bars, and it made it. Upon the final boot-up it did the application optimization thing I recall seeing during previous (OTA) update.

WHERE I AM NOW:

-- Confirmed that firmware is now 3.2.23.182 #1.

-- The update DID NOT ERASE ANY OF MY DATA. Everything on the tablet is as I left it, including apps, settings, and data.

-- The update DID reinstall a bunch of bloatware I had removed: Facebook, Google+, eMusic, Zinio, Kindle, etc., and they all showed up as needing updates immediately in Google Play (I'm keeping them this time).

-- The update DID remove my root access. I verified this by trying to use the root explorer in ES File explorer (system directories come up empty or inaccessible), and by using Root Checker.

-- When I manually check System Update, I get the "server busy" error.

-- I'll probably stay unrooted unless something comes up that I need it.

The big items of note (compared to what I have read from other folks):

-- I was able to download the .182 WW file from ASUS support, though now it is gone again.

-- I did not have to reboot a stuck installation -- the manual update went fine; have patience.

-- I did not lose any data.

-- The update brought back all the system apps I had removed.

-- Overall, the update process was exactly the same as an OTA update as far as I can recall the update to .161.

Hope this helps anyone else thinking about (or doing) an update from .161 to .182

Thanks,

sutekh137

PS. You can also find the WW .182 firmware file at: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Tablets/ASUS/ASUS-ME176C-MeMO-Pad-7-Tablet-Firmware-3223182-WW.shtml

PPS. I went ahead and rooted with the latest RZF APK, and that all went fine, too.