How To Update iPhone To iOS 5.0.1 and Preserve Your Baseband Using Pwnage Tool & Redsn0w [COMPLETE GUIDE]
This method is separate from our normal tutorial on how to get an untethered jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1 from before. In the previous tutorial, we showed you how to jailbreak the software, but the steps will update your baseband on the iPhone. This would cause you to be unable to unlock your phone for use on other carriers, if you wished to do so.
These instructions will address the steps needed to update and jailbreak iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS on iOS 5.0.1 by means of custom firmware. The process is meant to help you update from a previous firmware, to iOS 5.0.1, but still keep your phone at a level which can be unlocked later. Please note that this doesn’t automatically make your phone unlockable. It would have had to be already unlockable before doing these steps.
If you already updated to iOS 5.0.1 via iTunes, then this tutorial is pointless for you to follow. Please use THIS ONE instead.
The following guide will show you how to use Two different tools: redsn0w 0.9.10b1 and Pwnage Tool 5.0.1. The tools are developed by well-known and trusted sources. You’ll find DOWNLOAD LINKS for everything you need in our downloads section. Once you have obtained the needed files, return here and follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. If needed, a written guide with photos is available below the video.
The tutorial is divided into sections. You do not have to do section 1 and 2. You only need to use one of the tools, not both. Just pick one, then move to section 3.
Okay… let’s get started!
Section 1: Using Redsn0w 0.9.10 to jailbreak and preserve baseband for unlock
Step 1: Download Redsn0w 0.9.10 via our Downloads Page along with iOS 5.0.1 for your device
Step 2: Launch Redsn0w. If you are on Windows 7 or Vista make sure to run as administrator
Step 3: On the main screen, select “Extras” from the two options
Step 4: From the huge list of options, select “Custom IPSW” near the bottom. This will be used to cook your custom firmware
Step 5: Select the iOS 5.0.1 firmware that you downloaded from Step 1. Click Open.
Step 6: Sit back and let Redsn0w make your custom firmware bundle.
Step 7: When all of the steps have been completed, Redsn0w will have placed a new IPSW file onto your hard drive, which contains Cydia. You can now proceed to restore your iPhone with that custom build using iTunes (see section 3). If you decided to use Redsn0w here to make your custom firmware, you can skip section 2, and move right to section 3.
Please also note that Redsn0w will not actually jailbreak your device with the custom firmware you created. It’ll just restore it without updating the baseband. You will need to proceed to jailbreak after you restore (which you can use redsn0w again for) by using THIS TUTORIAL HERE.
Section 2: Using Pwnage Tool 5.0.1 to jailbreak and preserve baseband for unlock (Mac Only)
Step 1: Download Pwnage Tool 5.0.1 via our Downloads Page along with iOS 5.0.1 for your device
Step 2: Launch Pwnage Tool. Copyright information is displayed, which you can move past.
Step 3: On the first screen, you’ll see three device categories. Select the device which you are using.
Step 4: At the top of the window, select “Expert Mode” and then move to the next screen using the blue button.
Step 5: Click Browse for IPSW, and select the iOS 5.0.1 firmware that you downloaded from Step 1. Click Open.
Step 6: You’ll now be presented with four options. First, choose “General” and continue with the blue button
Step 7: Here is where you can enable “Hacktivation” of the device. If you are using your iPhone on an unapproved carrier, and do not possess an original SIM card to activate it after you restore, you should LEAVE THE BOX CHECKED. If you are using your iPhone on an approved carrier, such as AT&T in the United States, you should UNCHECK THIS BOX and allow the activation process to carry on as normal. – Please note that I have no way of checking to see if Hacktivation works with this process myself. I don’t have access to a device that needs it. Use at your own risk.
Step 8 (not required): When you’re done, you can also visit the “Cydia Packages” section. This is where you select packages from sources in Cydia that you’d like to be pre-installed when you jailbreak. Packages that you recognize and chose to have pre-installed will not need to be installed after the jailbreak. You’ll already have them. Please only do this if you know what you are doing. This is briefly demonstrated in the video above.
Step 9: With everything set now how you’d like it to be, navigate back to the main screen (pictured above as well), and choose “Build” from the list of options. Click the blue button again.
Step 10: Here you’ll need to tell Pwnage Tool what you’d like your newly jailbroken, hacktivated firmware with the baseband preserved to be named, and where you want to save it. I chose to label mine as “PWNED” in the front of the name, just so I could identify it, but you can name it whatever you want. The name doesn’t matter.
Step 11: Pwnage Tool will now build you a custom version of iOS 5.0.1. You will use this custom copy to restore the device using iTunes later.
Step 12: When Pwnage tool is finished, it will immediately prompt you to place your device into “DFU MODE”, which is like recovery mode, except much better. This mode allows the jailbreak to be injected into the device, and it’s required in order to do this successfully. Follow the on-screen instructions to place the device in DFU mode.
- Hold Power and Home for about 10 seconds. If the device is on already, wait for it to shut off, and then count to 3
- Release the power button ONLY. Continue holding down the HOME button until your device is detected by your computer as being in DFU.
- If your screen turns back on, and you see the Apple logo, it means you didn’t hold the power button long enough. Retry.
Step 13: Once you are in DFU mode, proceed to Section 3 to Restore the device with the custom firmware.
Section 3: Restore with Custom IPSW using iTunes
Step 1: Make sure you’ve located your custom IPSW file, and know where to find it.
Step 2: With your device still connected to the computer, Open iTunes. You should see the section with details about your device (n/a is normal).
Step 3: If you’re on a Mac, hold OPTION, and Windows people should hold SHIFT. While holding those buttons, click RESTORE in the device section of iTunes (the section where your device information is).
Step 4: Select the CUSTOM FIRMWARE that you just created. Hit OKAY, and then confirm the pop up window.
If you’ve followed all of these steps correctly, iTunes will do the rest of the work for you, and you’ll end up with a jailbroken iPhone running iOS 5.0.1 with a preserved baseband. If you used Pwnage tool, your phone should activate itself upon completing the restore (if you wanted it to).
If you are on a windows computer, a Sn0wbreeze update may be HAS BECOME AVAILABLE from its developer, iH8sn0w. (Download via our DOWNLOADS section). You can use that tool in place of Pwnage Tool. The steps are similar. Redsn0w can be used by both Mac and Windows users. There is no difference between them in the case of Redsn0w.
If you’re all lazy and you have access to a torrent client, I’ll be hosting (for a little while) a hackitvated version for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, which you can also download from our download section. If you do not need hacktivation, do not use the hosted custom firmware from the downloads page. It’ll mess you up.
I’ll have that ready in a little bit. I hope this helped! :D
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