Running Linux on Android is an old favorite. With newer and older projects ranging from full installations to the less involved chroot method, users on a large range of devices can run Linux. The only limits are what distros of Linux you can load. Mostly, it is Ubuntu or other Debian-based distros. Now, ASUS Transformer TF300T owners can install Arch.

The method has been around for a little bit, but has been refined through updates. XDA Forum Member cb22 released the method. Although it isn’t perfect, it’s definitely a solid start. Here is a list of things currently working:

Dual boot with Android.
Internal storage and MicroSD Card
X11, with compositing
Audio
Mouse and keyboard on the dock, as well as dock hotplugging.
Touchscreen
Playing videos (full 1080P works great.) using Xfce’s media player
Sensors (Light, compass, accelerometer, gyro). These are all exposed under sysfs.
Charging / Dock charging. This appears to be managed by the kernel.
USB gadget (as a RNDIS device for network access via USB)
CPU frequency scaling / Tegra LP core. The LP core is automatically used you can see its status in /sys/kernel/cluster/active (when that file reads LP) and its use is simply what the current CPU1 use appears to be.
WiFi, with NetworkManager
3G, on the TF300TG model, with NetworkManager
Battery (and dock) status in Xfce
USB port on the dock
Some sensible key remapping (Back -> Escape, Search -> Alt, Home -> Super)

The big things not working currently are rebooting from Linux, Bluetooth, and two finger scrolling. These also happen to be on the short list of things that are scheduled to be fixed. There is also a lot that is untested.

For installation instructions and more details, check out the original thread.

As device development continues on, there are more methods and guides to achieve all sorts of things. This includes new root guides for new firmwares, new recoveries as they get updates, and all sorts of other things. Thus, when searching for a guide to do something, users may be looking at an older, obsolete method. For ASUS Transformer TF300T owners, there is now such a new guide.

XDA Forum Member andoryuu3 wrote an all encompassing guide for people who may be getting a brand new Transformer TF300T for Christmas. The guide is pieced together from a number of methods found in a number of places. As androryuu3 explains:

Having recently purchased a TF300T with intent to customize the hell out of it, I ran into a big problem. There wasn’t one definitive guide for my general case, some of the steps I read weren’t completely clear, and I often had to put pieces together from multiple guides to get where I wanted. Halfway through the process it occurred to me that sharing my experience in form of a guide could give the community something I wish that I had when I began.

The process covers unlocking the latest bootloader, rooting the latest firmware, installing the latest recovery, and flashing the latest ROMs. If you just received your TF300T, or you’re about to get one, this is a guide you’ll want to see.

For more info, check out the original thread.

There are many reasons why someone would need to go back to stock. They may need to return a device for replacement, they might want to install an OTA, or they may have rooted their device and broken a necessary feature. Whatever it may be, a good guide to return to unrooted stock can be almost as important as the root guide for certain users. There is now a return-to-stock guide for the ASUS Transformer TF300T that works and isn’t very difficult to follow.

To get started, users will need to download the Android SDK to get access to ADB and Fastboot. From there, it’s a matter of finding the correct stock firmware and installing it. Users are directed to go to the official ASUS website to get the stock firmware, which may be different from user to user based on their SKU, and then use Fastboot commands to flash the blob.

While easy to follow, there are occasionally a few hiccups. As guide author XDA Forum Member Auliyaa explains:

For some reason, the transfer seems to fail from time to time, if so, just try again by going back to previous step.

Once everything installs successfully, simple reboot the TF300T and prepare to be back to factory stock.

For the full tutorial, check out the original thread.

As we’ve mentioned previously, when a new firmware update comes out, it’s not always certain that a new root method will be found quickly. Sometimes when a root method is found, it requires downgrading to an older firmware, rooting, then updating to a prerooted build of the new firmware again. This not only adds a number of potentially risky steps to what used to be an easy process, but can also be time consuming. This is the problem currently being faced by owners of the ASUS Transformer TF300T, as the current root method for newer firmwares involves downgrading to an older firmware first.

There is a new method, however, which can root the TF300T without downgrading. The process is a bit complicated, and requires users to have Linux installed. It’s also a bit different from the traditional root method. As XDA Forum Member miloj explains:

Story short: instead of getting write access to mmcblk0p4 to write a blob, I’m getting write access to mmcblk0p1 to write a single file, with suid perms.

Instead of downgrading, miloj begins by writing a single file to the TF300T, giving it root access. However, once rooted, users should immediately install the previously-covered SuperSU or Superuser from Google Play and update the SU binary to a more secure version so applications can’t play with your personal information.

For more information, check out the original thread.