How to Root (and Unroot) the Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-I500)

The Samsung Mesmerize is (or was?) a mid-range CDMA device that was released back in October 2010 on US Cellular and features a 1GHz, a 5MP camera, and a 4-inch touchscreen display.  While it did start out with Android 2.1 when it was released, the device did see itself updated to Android 2.3.4 and later Android 2.3.5 recently.  The guide below will show you how to root this device and enjoy all the benefits of rooting from this aging device.  Once you are done here, make sure you check out our guide on installing ClockworkMod Recovery to be well on your way to flashing custom ROMs.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  Back up anything you feel is important.

2.  Make sure you have charged your device to 75% or more before you begin with this procedure.

3.  This procedure should work on any Samsung Mesmerize running Gingerbread 2.3.4 or 2.3.5.

4. Disable any anti-virus software on the computer as it may stop the program from running. (Thanks Baughmankr for the suggestion!)

II.  Necessary Downloads

1.  SuperOneClickv2.3.3-ShortFuse.zip

2.  PdaNetA350.exe [Installs necessary Android drivers]

III.  Rooting The Samsung Mesmerize

1. Double-click on PdaNetA350.exe to install the PDANet drivers; select Others when prompted to select the manufacturer during installation.

2.  Extract SuperOneClickv2.3.3-ShortFuse.zip to a folder on your desktop.

3.  Enable USB Debugging on your device.  To do this, go to Menu > Settings > Applications > Developer Options and tick the USB Debugging checkbox.

4.  Connect your device to your PC and if there are any drivers being installed at this point, let Windows 7 do so.

5.  From the folder you extracted above, run SuperOneClick.exe.

6.  Click on Root.

Once the procedure is done, your Samsung Mesmerize should be rooted!

IV.  Unrooting the Samsung Mesmerize

1.  Follow the same steps as in Section IV until Step 5.

2.  Click on Unroot.

V.  Flashing Custom Recovery (Optional)

If you would like to flash a custom recovery image in order to flash custom ROMs, head to the next procedure to learn how to do that.

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.

This is part of our Android How To’s. We have how to’s on rooting, loading ROMs, and tons of other tips and tricks for your specific device or for Android devices in general! For all of our Android How To’s, head here.