How To Root CX-01 Android mini PC

CX-01 is a cool low cost Android mini PC (as low as $40), but unlike many other Chinese Android device it is not rooted.

Here are the instructions to root it:

  1. Download Unlock Root http://www.unlockroot.com/. NB: The download link does not appear to work right now, but the filename is unlockroot23.exe, so here are some alternative untested download links.
  2. Find Unlockroot\driver\android_winusb.inf in the directory where you install Unlockroot
  3. Open the file in a text editor, and add the following lines:
    • For Win 7 (64-bit):
      [Google.NTamd64] 64-bit]
      ;TCC8920
      %SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\Vid_18D1&Pid_DEED&MI_01
      %CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\Vid_18D1&Pid_DEED&Rev_0231&MI_01
    • For WinXP (32-bit):
      [Google.NTx86]
      ;TCC8920
      %SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\Vid_18D1&Pid_DEED&MI_01
      %CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\Vid_18D1&Pid_DEED&Rev_0231&MI_01
  4. Connect CX-01 to your PC via USB, it should then detect your new device. If it doesn’t simply press “fn” key on CX-01 TV Stick.
  5. Select the driver that you edited in Unlockroot\driver\android_winusb.inf
  6. Once the driver is installed, run unlockroot
  7. Press ROOT, then reroot device.
  8. Reboot CX-01 mini PC
  9. Done!

Thanks to Myxa78.

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38 Replies to “How To Root CX-01 Android mini PC”

  1. I’m not sure why you need to do this. I got mine already rooted – all I need to do is run “adb root” followed by “adb shell” and I’ve got root shell (I’m running Linux so I don’t need to meddle with that INF silliness), and from there I can install anything I need (supposedly – I haven’t done it myself).

    I’m however is very interested to know how to un-brick the device if needed; that’s the only thing stopping me from trying the custom kernel you posted a few days ago.

    cheers!

  2. my device is was rooted from box, and shell have #
    but many applications with root permissions said that device is not rooted, so i reroot device and now it’s ok
    un-brick very easy, you need FWDN V7 -v2.22 (firmeware download tool) and firmware for 4Gb or 8 Gb version

  3. @ myxa78
    Thanks Myxa,

    I googled for FWDN V7 -v2.22 and found a few links on mediashare etc but I’m not sure whether that’s the right one.
    Perhaps I’m pushing too much too – is there a similar tool for Linux? And (being the noob I am) – how do you get a copy of the firmware from the device itself? (I have the 8GB version) Thanks again.

    cheers!

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    [quote]

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    Pipo U1 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean DualCore Quad Mali 400 RK3066 /1GB/16GB /1280×800 IPS $152 on tiny deal dot com
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    [/quote]

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    ………………….Nexus 7……Galaxy Tab 7.7………Transformer TF700…………..Window N70………..Pipo U1……..Ainol Elf2

    Vellamo…………1,706……….1,215…………………1,573……………………………1,650………………..NA………………..NA

    Sunspider………1,711……….1,993…………………1,745……………………………1,829………………..NA………………..NA

    0.9.1
    GL Egypt…………63…………..47……………………..75……………………………….102…………………..NA………………..NA

    Off(fps)
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    benchmark table via @janesh (reformat tweaks by myself :)) [/quote]

    Guys pls add data further to the list.

  5. @jamesbond
    Thank you myxa78, I understand where you’re coming from. Anyway I’ve just received my Mele, so that will give me the distraction I need 😉

  6. ihave just received teh cx-01. i will be testing. i hope we can tweek te deice an difx all th bust that i have found.

    1 – power button does not work
    2 – google play crashes all the time.
    3 – no audio configuration available thought settings. (example: you cant make the device make sounds when you press click with the mouse)
    4 – no Bluetooth ( cant be added though a external dongle)
    5 – no external 3g modem cant be used.
    6 – low wifi signal.
    7 – memory improvements
    8 – (no root) this by default in all andoird devices 😉
    9 – CPU need to be tweaked to get the 1ghz that is told in the description

  7. I just got mine from DX yesterday, and it was pre-rooted and with USB debugging turned on by default. I just logged in over adb (adb shell), typed `su’, and I had root. I found it comes with iwlist/iwconfig, busybox, and a couple of other handy tools, but no sudo. I was able to mount /system as rw, so I’ll probably drop in a sudo later. The wlan chip seems to be RT8188, judging from the wlan.ko.

    Powering it on with the fn button held down boots it up with a different USB profile, probably bootloader (not fastboot). I don’t have a dvi/hdmi screen sitting around here atm, so all this tinkering is ‘blind’. It seems to have a small reset button next to the fn button so perhaps that’ll make it go into fastboot.

  8. @tatubias
    1. There is no power button on mine.
    2. I haven’t noticed this myself, but others did. There a solution on Pandawill forum, search for root cx-01 google play in google.
    3. –
    4 & 5 – Hopefully we can build the necessary modules since we’ve got the kernel sources
    6. I did not measure that, but it may explain the poor video streaming performance. How did you measure it, with iwconfig?
    7. –
    8. That’s why I wrote this page 🙂
    9. Datasheet says 833 MHz maximum, so those 1 GHz claims are pure marketing tricks. (if the chip is really TCC8925).

  9. The device has HDMI-CEC & somebody reported it to be working so I think it’s possible to turn off with the TV.

  10. @cnxsoft
    Here are some interesting strings from the rom:
    “Linux version 3.0.8-tcc (root@robin) (gcc version 4.4.3 (GCC) ) #104 PREEMPT Mon Jul 16 12:08:30 CST 2012”
    “build.id=CX1-V1.0-v12.05_r1-4096-8189-en
    ro.build.display.id=CX1-V1.0-v12.05_r1-4096-8189-en -20120716.120839
    ro.build.version.incremental=-20120716.120839”

  11. @Cnxsoft
    Thanks for responses.
    Do I understand that the device is pre-rooted?
    If not, would I be worth the instructions to root the device cx-01 with the Z902?
    Because the chips of Cx-01 is the TELECHIPS TCC 8920 and the chips of Z902 is allwinner 10.

  12. @killoman
    I have yet to see an AllWinner device that is not rooted. But if it’ not rooted, the instructions to unroot it would be very similar to the one above, except you can skip steps 2 and 3. If unlockroot does not work, then it can become pretty complicated to root a device.

  13. Hi
    I tried to root my cx-01 ( 8 GB) by connecting it to my windows 7, 64 bit Intel dual core laptop as you described above but when I try to install the edited ‘android_winusb.inf’ as the driver it says ‘no driver found’. I have noted that the first line in edited part says [Google.NTamd64] 64-bit], could it be that I need a different driver for Intel laptop? or is there something else missing
    please help
    thanks in advance

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