Rooting Mecer tablet

[f_a_rodriguez]

Hi. I have a question regarding rooting of Android phones and tablets. Is there no "generic" root option where one can install the Android stock OS on any phone/tablet? Is it necessary to follow a different process and use different software depending on which phone or tablet one is trying to root?
The reason I ask is because I live in South Africa, and I bought myself a Mecer tablet running Android 4.1.1. Mecer is a local brand by a local company called Mustek. Now, I'm pretty certain they do not build the tablets here, but rather import them from China and simply rebrand them to "Mecer" once they arrive.
Now, my problem is that when I check for updates, it doesn't find any. And I doubt there ever will be. Being a South African company, I doubt Mustek are ever going to bother releasing updates for it. So, I was wondering if there was anyway to root the device to Android 4.2 or later? Every article I've read so far on rooting involves following specific steps depending on wether the phone/tablet it is a Samsung, an LG, a Sony, etc. Of course, there's no mention of a Mecer anywhere. So I was wondering if there isn't a generic rooting process/software that'll root anything?

Oh, and one last question. The tablet doesn't have a drop-down notification that one can swipe from the top to bottom of the screen. It's simply not there. Is this normal for Android tablets? I used to have an Android phone and it used to have the notifications bar. Is it not available on tablets? Or is there something weird with mine?

Excuse my ignorance....

Regards
Fabricio Rodriguez
Pretoria, South Africa

 

[patruns]

I'll answer your last question first. Yes, tablets should have a notifications area just like your phone so there may be either a software issue or a hardware issue. A factory reset might restore the function.

Now to the other issue. Rooting a device does not change the operating system. All it does is give the user (and apps) access to previously locked system files. It is not recommended unless you have a specific need for doing it. As to a higher Android version, there is no generic version that you can just slap on there. It has to be customized for the device and unless you are a coding wiz or it is a very popular device that someone else has already developed a ROM for you are stuck with what you have.

 

[Rezlo]

Thanks, you answered my one question. I can't upgrade from Kitkat on my Mecer either.
However, it has a very small internal memory and I can't install apps on the externa SD unless I root the tablet.
So my big question, is how do I root it?
Thanks.