Unlocking a 3GS on 4.2.1, 6.15 BB with ultrasn0w doesn't work

[AlexIW]

EDIT:
Please view the current issue at post #6.


Hello,
I've tried to help a friend to unlock his 3GS (with a new bootrom, according to redsn0w) by installing the 6.15 iPad baseband, which causes a lot of problems now.
Unfortunetly it didn't help, and after installing ultras0w the phone was still locked. So I tried to reinstall the FW, and now the iphone is stuck in a recovery mode loop.

When I try to reinstall any FW, I always get some iTunes error right at the start, or during the install process.
I don't have the SHSH blobs for 4.1 (my friend didn't save them before upgrading to 4.1.2), but I do have the blobs for 4.2.1 if they can help.
I tried google for some help, and the results aren't very optimistic - but they're also a few months old...

So, is there anything I can do to recover the iPhone?
At this point I don't mind losing the jailbreak or the unlock, I just want to see it working. Can I try to update it to the 4.3 FW? Is there any solution?

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Crystal-RX]

Hello,
I've tried to help a friend to unlock his 3GS (with a new bootrom, according to redsn0w) by installing the 6.15 iPad baseband, which causes a lot of problems now.
Unfortunetly it didn't help, and after installing ultras0w the phone was still locked. So I tried to reinstall the FW, and now the iphone is stuck in a recovery mode loop.

When I try to reinstall any FW, I always get some iTunes error right at the start, or during the install process.
I don't have the SHSH blobs for 4.1 (my friend didn't save them before upgrading to 4.1.2), but I do have the blobs for 4.2.1 if they can help.
I tried google for some help, and the results aren't very optimistic - but they're also a few months old...

So, is there anything I can do to recover the iPhone?
At this point I don't mind losing the jailbreak or the unlock, I just want to see it working. Can I try to update it to the 4.3 FW? Is there any solution?

Thanks,
Alex

1. The problem occur because the phone now have Ipad baseband, you can't install any Apple office firmware.
2. SHSH blob is specific for each phone. it can not be shared.
3. If you have Mac, build a 4.3.1 custom firmware and restore it with your friend phone. His phone can't be restored with 4.2.1 now.
4. When restoring it with this new customs firmware, make sure the phone is in DFU mode and not recovery mode.

Good luck!

 

[AlexIW]

I know, I meant to say that I saved the 4.2.1 blob for the phone.

I can try and find a Mac and make a custom IPSW, but how will I change the phone to DFU mode? It's currently stuck in recovery mode, and I don't see any way to change that.

Thanks a lot for trying to help!

 

[Crystal-RX]

I know, I meant to say that I saved the 4.2.1 blob for the phone.

I can try and find a Mac and make a custom IPSW, but how will I change the phone to DFU mode? It's currently stuck in recovery mode, and I don't see any way to change that.

Thanks a lot for trying to help!

Actually, it is easy. You can google search the instruction as well.

1. While the phone plug into your PC, Press & hold power button and hold button for about 10 seconds.
2. Let go power button while keep holding home button for a while more.
3. Your PC should detect Iphone at this time. The iphone screen should be dark. This is when Iphone is in DFU mode.

 

[nebo1ss]

You can restore the phone to 4.2.1 since you have the SHSH. Use pwnage tool to create a custom IPSW and also to put the phone in PWNED DFU mode. There is a count down method in pwnage tool that help you get in DFU successfully and it will also tell you when you get there. After you get to Pwned DFU close pwnage tool and open itunes and the phone should be detected. If not keep closing itunes and reopening until it detects the phone.

You then hold down the option key on the mac while selecting restore in itunes and select your custom firmware.

You phone will upgrade to 4.2.1 and keep the ipad baseband. You then run ultrasnow from Cydia.

 

[AlexIW]

Thanks for the help.
Eventually, I had trouble finding a mac, so I googled more and eventually found the exact solution to the problem.
Since 4.2.1, it's impossible to recover from the recovery loop using TinyUmbrella, but just a few weeks ago the TinyUmbrella team released a tool just to recover from this loop - FixRecovery. So I used it and got the iphone out from the loop, back to 4.2.1.


Now I still want to solve the original issue - not being able to unlock the phone.
As I mentioned, I currently have the 4.2.1 FW and it's SHSH blobs, and the 6.15 baseband.
When I install a custom IPSW of 4.2.1, without any activating tools, I get the "Insert SIM card to unlock screen" (and it doesn't except my SIM, of course).
I tried to make a tethered boot with redsn0w, and to jailbreak with the latest version greenpois0n - both of them launched succefully, but didn't work, I was still locked on the "Insert SIM" screen.
I also tried to make a custom IPSW with Pwnagetool, with the activation hack enabled, and it actually worked. I was on a working 4.2.1 with the 6.15 baseband, but after installing ultrasn0w nothing happened - it still didn't recognize my SIM card and showed "No service" or gave 1 reception bar (and of course all the calls failed). I tried to install SAM and play with it a little... It said that my phone is Hacktivated (although in a different info window, it claimed the phone isn't activated) and asked to disable the activation. After doing that.. Well, SAM was supposedly active, but needless to say, it still didn't recognize my SIM.
During all this time, iTunes refused to handle the iPhone too, claiming the SIM isn't valid. Just to be sure, I checked the phone with 2 different SIMs from different companies, and none of them work.

So.. What can I do? Why doesn't ultrasn0w work?

 

[Crystal-RX]

I see where your problem is. Redsn0w or Greenpois0n only jailbreak your phone. These tools don't unlock your phone.

Install Ultrasn0w from Cydia and it will unlock your phone. If you are in US and using T-Mobile, you need to disable 3G.

 

[Applejuiced]

Wow, trying to unlock with Ultrasnow without even installing it then saying it doesn't work?
If true I seen it all

 

[AlexIW]

Sorry Applejuiced, but I'm not that dumb.

I also tried to make a custom IPSW with Pwnagetool, with the activation hack enabled, and it actually worked. I was on a working 4.2.1 with the 6.15 baseband, but after installing ultrasn0w nothing happened

In short, installing ultrasn0w didn't change anything. It still didn't recognize my SIM. I tried to reinstall it a couple of times too.
I made sure that I had the 6.15 baseband by looking in the about menu.

And no, I'm not in the USA. I disabled/enabled 3G a lot of times, switched between airplane mode on and off - and nothing happened. It just keeps refusing to accept my SIMs.

 

[Applejuiced]

Ok just making sure
Not sure what the prob is, Ultrasnow works with that baseband. Maybe try a restore to custom firmware and do the whole thing over. Also make sure the sim you're trying to use works.

 

[AlexIW]

Ok just making sure
Not sure what the prob is, Ultrasnow works with that baseband. Maybe try a restore to custom firmware and do the whole thing over. Also make sure the sim you're trying to use works.

Yes, that's the whole problem... It should work, but it doesn't.
I tried to reinstall the FW a couple of times. I can only install a custom firmware anyway, because of the 6.15 baseband, and I get the same results every time.
I'm 100% that the SIM is ok, since it works on any other phone.

One thing I should note - it seems very odd to me that I can't even JB the iphone using redsn0w (I can't make a tethered boot with it) or greenpois0n.
The only way I managed to bypass the emergancy-call (=activation) screen is by creating a custom IPSW with PwnageTool.
Which is very odd, since greenpois0n should work perfectly with any 4.2.1.
I even get the greenpois0n boot logo after using it... But I still get the activation screen.

Before I started the whole thing and updated the baseband to 6.15, the iPhone was jailbroken with greenpois0n, and it worked perfectly (except that it was locked, of course).

Thanks again for trying to help!

 

[Crystal-RX]

I just have to check...The only way you can't jailbreak with Redsn0w or Greenpois0n is when you can't put your phone into DFU.

Did your power button or home button stop working?

 

[AlexIW]

No... They both work.
And I can put my phone into (pwned?) DFU, that's required to use redsn0w and greenpois0n. As I said, it seems they were both installed successfully... But they didn't bypass the activation screen.

 

[Crystal-RX]

Just one last thing.....

Are you sure you have a 3GS and not 3G?

I know it is a very simple question, but people are mistaken to use the wrong tool on wrong phone and it is end up not working.

 

[AlexIW]

Yes, I'm sure. Even rechecked it.
So is there anything I can try to do?

 

[eastercat]

Good point.
FYI: pwnage hacktivates, but I'm not sure that greenpoison or redsnow can.

You can't get access to a sim (active or not) that the phone was originally locked to? Ebay is your friend. From what I've read, hacktivation can sometimes cause issues.

Just one last thing.....

Are you sure you have a 3GS and not 3G?

I know it is a very simple question, but people are mistaken to use the wrong tool on wrong phone and it is end up not working.