Possible Solution for Jailbreaking iPhone 3.1.2 on Windows

With the release of PwnageTool 3.1.4, the good news is you can upgrade to iPhone OS 3.1.2 and jailbreak it. The bad news is it’s just for Mac users. I’ve got tons of emails asking about how to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 on Windows.

Other than waiting for the release of redsn0w or sn0wbreeze (the Windows port of PwnageTool), is there any workaround to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 on Windows?

Okay, I know Windows users are eager to upgrade their jailbroken iPhone to 3.1.2. Here are a couple of options you can consider to jailbreak your iPhone on Windows. The trick is that the custom firmware file created by PwnageTool can actually be used on Windows.

Option #1 – Ask your friend with a Mac for help. That’ll be great if you have friends with an Intel Mac. Ask him/her to follow this jailbreak guide to create the custom firmware for you and transfer the custom firmware file to your PC. Just make sure you use the correct firmware file for your iPhone. Say, you are using iPhone 3G. You should download the iPhone 3G firmware (i.e. IPSW) file.

Option #2 – Search the custom firmware on the Internet. Due to license issue, it’s illegal to distribute the firmware file (or custom firmware file). But with the help from Google, you should be able to find the torrent link of the custom firmware. Try to Google with the following terms and use the torrent link to download the firmware:

iPhone 2G – use the term “iPhone1,1_3.1.2_7D11_Custom_Restore”
iPhone 3G – use the term “iPhone1,2_3.1.2_7D11_Custom_Restore”
iPhone 3GS – use the term “iPhone2,1_3.1.2_7D11_Custom_Restore”

Warning: Though option 2 will work, it’s not recommended for obvious reason. So, use it at your own risk.

With the custom firmware file (.ipsw), you can follow the below procedures to jailbreak your iPhone on Windows:

1. Download and install iTunes v9.0.1 (If you’re using iTunes 9.0, it should also work)

2. Connect the iPhone to your computer via USB cable

3. Sync your iPhone with iTunes to backup all contacts, SMS and other important data.

4. Next, close iTunes and disconnect your iPhone from your computer.

5. Put your iPhone into recovery mode.

Tip: To put your iPhone into recovery mode, first disconnect your iPhone from USB cable and power off your iPhone. Then hold the “Home” button and connect USB cable again. Keep holding the “Home” button until you see a dock cable pointing to the iTunes icon (or yellow triangle for older version of iPhone). Now you are in recovery mode.

6. Launch iTunes again. This time, iTunes detects your iPhone is in recovery mode. Now you can restore your iPhone with the custom firmware 3.1.2 that you have just downloaded. Simply hold the SHIFT key and click “Restore” button. Select the firmware 3.1.2 file (.ipsw) and click “OK”.

7. Now just have a cup of coffee and wait. iTunes will use the custom firmware file and restore your iPhone. Please do not touch your PC or disconnect the USB during the process. Just relax. It’ll take a while for iTunes to complete the restoration.

8. Once the iPhone is restarted, you should now have a jailbroken iPhone with OS 3.1.2 and Cydia installed.

9. As PwnageTool preserves the baseband version of iPhone 3.0, you can continue to use ultrasn0w to unlock your iPhone. You can check out this unlock guide for details.

Note: If unlocking is not your concern and you’re using an official iPhone carrier, alternatively, you can use blackra1n to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 on Windows.

Lastly, if you’re not comfortable with this workaround solution, you can wait for a more solid and official solution to jailbreak & unlock iPhone 3.1.2 on Windows. As always, feel free to leave comment and share your thought.

Standard disclaimer: Jailbreaking your iPhone is not recommended by Apple and you’ll probably void the warranty after jailbreak. So, jailbreak at your own risk.

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Tagged as: iPhone, jailbreak-iphone, PwnageTool, redsn0w

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Kamal October 18, 2009 at 1:02 am: I remember the iphone dev team once warning people against using custom firmwares because there is a possibility of bundling dangerous stuff inside the firmware to wreak havoc with the baseband and possibly take control of the phone to make calls by a third person. In any case option#1 will work fine or I bet its just safer to wait for Redsn0w…

2 Ims October 18, 2009 at 11:06 pm: How to save winterboard themes when upgrading to new firmware
Thankd

3 sha October 23, 2009 at 8:25 pm: not work this mithod
you must go to dfu mood

4 varun October 25, 2009 at 6:29 pm: i restore my iphone 3g with 3.1.2 but my phone got locked what should i do now plz HELP

5 Jet October 28, 2009 at 7:32 pm: hi simon… i had my 3GS updated to OS 3.1.2 using my friends Mac PC and unlocked it using ultrasn0w. it was updated and unlocked successfully. now, my problem is, after the phone was updated i somehow synchronized it with my friend’s Mac PC as new iPhone since he wants to transfer some apps to my phone. it was ok. then later on i synchronized my phone to my itunes (Windows PC). it did some synchronization but i was surprised after syncing coz i did not see my contacts, my music, my photos and my sms in the phone. they are not there. i don’t know why. and my previously downloaded apps won’t transfer to my phone though they are ticked. do you have some suggestions or solution that i have to do. thanks a lot for your usual support and assistance. looking forward to hear from you. thanks.