JailBreak/Unlock any iPhone (Tutorial for Dummies)

Today we shall see how to Jailbreak or Unlock an iPhone. This article is written on demand and is for a novice user. Please go through the entire article before attempting to jailbreak your idevice.

Firstly we need to understand what exactly the terms 'Jailbreak' and 'Unlock' means.

Jailbreak - Only applications authorized by Apple ca be installed on an iDevice (iPhone/iPad/iPod). What about those applications which were rejected by Apple ? hence the Jailbreak. Jailbreaking an iDevice would allow unauthorized applications to be installed. Now one might ask, why install these applications if they are not authorized by Apple ? Arent they harmful to the device ?. Well, these applications unlock certain useful features blocked by Apple, for example if your iPhone is Jailbroken you would be able to install an application which would allow Bluetooth transfer (Feature blocked by Apple). Although i wouldn't disagree the fact that certain softwares could harm your device, such as overheating or battery drain. Hence install only the applications which are required.
There are two kinds of Jailbreak, Untethered and Tethered. The term Untethered would mean one would need to plug in the phone to a computer in order for the phone to turn back on. Tethered would be the opposite hence no complications.

Unlock - AT&T being the official carrier for iPhone in the US, What must one do to use a different carrier ?
Unlocking enables you to use a different carrier.
There are 2 types of unlock, Factory Unlock(Hardware) or the Software Unlock. Its better to have a hardware unlock, in which case you can update the Phone Software (iOS) as and when it is available.
Software unlock depends on the version of firmware installed on your iPhone, hence a direct update of the phone software updates the firmware on the phone which locks your phone back to that carrier. The Software unlock is updated on irregular basis, hence one must be careful not to Upgrade the firmware.
'ultrasn0w' is the application used as a software unlock.

Activate - Any phone must be first activated using the official Carrier sim card (Activation process is throught iTunes). There are certain other Sim cards such as Phonebook Sim and the Geneve Sim card which have now been patched after iOS4, so if you are looking for an older version of iOS you can use any of these Sims.
The term used by the tools to bypass this Activation procedure is called 'Hacktivate'

Before we proceed further a few things need to be kept in mind. Always go for an Untethered Jailbreak and if given an opportunity for a Hardware unlock.


How To (For Software Unlockers ONLY):


There are many tools which Jailbreak and Unlock an iPhone. I prefer Sn0wbreeze.
One must look for the following in any tool

• Untethered Jailbreak
• Hactivate the iPhone
• Must NOT upgrade Firmware. (To preserve the Unlock)

Sn0wbreeze has all the features above, for software unlockers preserving the baseband(Firmware) is very important.

redsn0w also can be used, but it doesnt meet the above requirements all the time.

Every iOS version released has a different version of the tool to Jailbreak it. Redsn0w can be a Tethered or an Untethered Jailbreak and it would also update the Firmware on your phone, Software unlockers MUST stay away from redsn0w. Hence, we shall see only Sn0wbreeze further on.

As mentioned earlier each version of the Jailbreaking Tool is specified to the version of iOS eg., Sn0wbreeze ver 2.7.3 would Jailbreak only 4.3.3 version of iPhone software.

A few requirements we need before we proceed.

• Latest Version of iTunes installed.
• Phone Software images (IPSWs)
• A Jailbreaking Tool.

(Download Links available at the end of this article)

Sn0wbreeze creates a custom image hence it doesnt prevents the firmware from upgrading.

Lets follow the steps below to Jailbreak the device.

Create Custom Image (IPSW)

Download the required version of the idevice software.

Download the required version of Sn0wbreeze.

Open sn0wbreeze and browse to the image downloaded previously.

Once the image is loaded, you will get the following screen.

Select 'New Bootrom/I dont know'


On the next screen select 'Simple Mode', when prompted to activate phone click yes.

The process of creating a custom image would then start.

Once done its all about following the onscreen instructions.

Follow the onscreen instructions to install the custom image on the phone.

If unable to use the set of intructions, open itunes hold Shift key and click on the Restore option, browse to the custom file created (Desktop).

This would install the Custom image.


You might encounter certain errors mainly while installing from iTunes, dont worry google that error code and you shall find a fix for the same.

Once done Software unlockers would need to install ultrasn0w to use a different carrier.
Click here in order to unlock your phone.

For Hardware unlockers wanting to Jailbreak your Device, follow the RedSn0w (Only ver 4.3.3) process.

Update (01-Mar-2012)

Follow the same procedure as above for iOS 5.x.x just that we need sn0wbreeze v2.9.3 which can be downloaded from the links below. Once you have created your custom image please check out my next post to upgrade your iPhone (iOS 5.x.x ONLY)


Dowload Links:


iTunes
Original Software Images (IPSW)
Sn0wBreeze

Dell BIOS Recovery.

Hi
Here is a tutorial on how to recover from a Bricked Dell system.

Note: 

• Out of 3 Tests conducted on 3 different Dell models (Mini, Inspiron and XPS desktop), there was a 100% Recovery rate.
• The Recovery mite not work for you, read the Step 5 below for more info.
• This Recovery process wont harm an already Bricked computer.

Make Sure you read the instructions first carefully.

Pre-Requisites

• A working computer.
• A USB Flash drive.
• Phoenix Bios Crisis Recovery program.
• The CORRECT phlash16.exe program - 13 versions of PHLASH16.EXE included.
• Bios image for Dell System.

Operation - Recovery

Now that we have everything we require, lets proceed.

1. Download the BIOS Crisis recovery program. Download1 , Download2
2. Extract the compressed file.
3. Right-Click on WINCRIS.EXE and Run as Administrator, then click on start. (If you are using Windows7 64Bit then you mite wanna run it in Compatibility mode in order for it to open.)
4. Once a USB key is created you will find 3 files in it. BIOS.WPH, MINIDOS.SYS, PHLASH16.EXE
   
5. Download the Dell BIOS update file. Extract the XXXXXX.exe file (need WinRAR to be installed on the system.) Right click on the downloaded update file and click on extract, go to the extracted folder rename the xxxxx.rom file to BIOS.WPH and copy this file to USB flash drive and overwrite. Incase .rom file is not present in the extracted folder then we are out of luck. Not all BIOS updates have .rom file specified separately, the newer BIOS installation file has .rom file embedded into .exe file. Try getting the older versions. 
6. Once you have the USB key all ready, remove the battery and AC Adpt of the bricked PC.
7. Plug in the USB drive. Hold down the 'End' key for about 3 secs, plug in the AC Adpt and at the same time release the End key.
8. If you see the battery light is one with Red, wait a few minutes.(5-10mins)
9. If the laptop restarts automatically, the recovery was successful.

If the Above process does not work. Try the following.

1. Turn off the computer and disconnect it from its electrical outlet.
   
2. Go to a different computer that is working properly, and download the BIOS update utility for the computer from the Dell support website.
   

NOTE: After you download the BIOS update utility, generate the BIOS recovery utility. To generate the recovery utility, you can use any functioning computer. You do not have to use a computer of the same type or model as the malfunctioning computer.

1. Go to http://support.dell.com.
   

If this is your first time to use this website, complete the one-time registration.

2. Click Downloads for Your Dell.
   
3. Enter the Service Tag Number for the computer or select the appropriate Dell system.
   
4. Select the appropriate OS and language for the malfunctioning computer.
   
5. Select FlashBIOS Updates for the download category.
   
6. Click Go.
   

3. Follow the instructions on the screen to download the BIOS update utility.
   

NOTE: For some Dell systems, you are given a choice to create a diskette containing the BIOS update files or to download a file you can use from the hard drive. Select the choice to use the file that requires no installation mechanism, or application. This allows you to download a file that you can use from the hard drive.

4. Go to an MS-DOS prompt.
   
5. Change to the drive and file path where you downloaded the utility.
   
6. Type the command xxxxx -writehdrfile (where xxxxx is the name of the BIOS update executable file on the diskette) and press <Enter>.
   

This generates a file with an .hdr extension, and a message appears indicating that the .hdr file has been written.

7. Copy the .hdr file to a blank, formatted diskette.
   

NOTE: This diskette does not have to be bootable. All operations for the recovery utility are performed by the BIOS, and no boot files are required.

8. Insert the diskette into the diskette drive of the malfunctioning computer. Then turn the computer on.
   

The computer automatically regenerates the BIOS from the diskette.

9. Remove the diskette from the diskette drive so that the computer does not boot from the diskette the next time you start the computer.