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How to Jailbreak Your iPhone Using Absinthe 2.0.4 (Windows) [5.1.1]

This seems so much easier than rooting my Samsung was. Then again iOS by default is simpler so I'm not surprised. I'm wondering how to downgrade iOS for some of the themes I like (via iSpirit), and if there's any way I can put my own wallpaper on the lock screen of the themes. Can anyone answer those questions for me while I wait for my iTunes to update (painfully slowly)?
 
Download lock screen you want on you PC. Put it in to the folder of you choice. Connect your phone to iTunes and sync photos with that new folder, so that lock screen appears in camera roll of your phone. Than set is as lock screen and you are done.
 
Wait a minute Thomasjtsi. The readme for Abisnthe says to just this.
 
Hey, guys (and gals). I have a couple of complete n00b questions, and I swear I've done nothing but search for the answers for days, but can't seem to find exactly what I need. I'm looking to jailbreak an iphone 4 running 5.1.1. Currently, it has about 500 pictures and 200 songs. Only about 7 installed apps. Most of what I've read tells me to make a complete iTunes backup of my phone first. That's fine. I also read about how to make a TRUE backup of my pictures, as apparently the iTunes back-up is data only (or something) and might screw up my camera roll.

Anyway, some things I've read tell me to go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset all Settings before attempting the jailbreak. Other things have told me to Erase All Content and Settings. With the amount of media I have (as stated above), do you think this is necessary if attempting an absinthe jailbreak?

My next question...after I make the iTunes backup perform the jailbreak (whether I reset settings or not) and want/need to perform a restore from that backup, most of what I've read says that doing so will ALSO update the ios and there's basically no way around that. But...wouldn't doing so ruin the jailbreak? Or is there another way to bring my settings back in without restoring from the backup and updating my ios?

Basically, I guess what I truly need is a thorough, step-by-step process, being completely (obviously and devastatingly) new to this. If there's some other program out there (not absinthe) that doesn't require a backup and restore and will preserve the 5.1.1, I guess I'd like to know that, as well.

Or if I'm missing something extremely simple, that would be good, as well. :)

Thank you all SO MUCH for any help/guidance/patience you can send my way.
 
Jailbreaking does not install a fresh copy of iOS on your device, it simply adds on to it. It is, however, recommended that you jailbreak a device that has a fresh copy of iOS on it first, to give yourself a fresh start so not to keep any problems that you may have had in the past.

Try not to use the Settings.app method of resetting your device. In many cases, it can cause major problems or problems that could easily have been avoided when restoring using a DFU mode restore on iTunes. To back up your data, either manually back them up by rooting your device and manually copying and pasting/dragging and dropping to your computer. Or you can sync your camera roll to your iTunes, then perform a backup by right clicking your iPhone's profile on the left-hand taskbar, and click Backup.

If you're looking to jailbreak on a clean copy of iOS 5.1.1, you'll need the SHSH blobs to do so. When restoring to an iOS that's no longer being signed by Apple, you MUST use SHSH blobs or you can't restore to them. If you don't have blobs, your only available iOS restore is to iOS 6.0.1 for the iPhone 4, which is the latest version. For SHSH blobs, you'll have to manually save them on non-jailbroken iPhones during the open window period where Apple was still signing that iOS, so if you did not save your blobs manually back when iOS 5.1.1 was the latest iOS firmware, you can no longer save them, and your only option is to restore to iOS 6.0.1.

Before we can instruct you on your next steps, you'll have to inform us on which of the following you want to do:
  • Jailbreak your iPhone 4 without first restoring to a clean firmware
  • Jailbreak your iPhone 4 after first restoring to a clean 5.1.1 firmware
  • Jailbreak your iPhone 4 after first restoring to a clean 6.0.1 firmware
Note that for option 2, you'll need blobs. Since you haven't jailbroken before, they won't be on Cydia's server, and if this is the first time you've heard of blobs ever, then you did not save them manually when they were available, so your only options would really be 1 and 3.
 
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Thanks so much for your reply. I'm guessing that since I don't have saved blobs, I'm stuck with options 1 or 3. From what I've read elsewhere, option 3 leaves me with a tethered jailbreak option only, correct? Also, I'd much prefer to stick with the 5.1.1, so let's go with option 1.

I know that this will probably be time-consuming, but again...I'm hoping that maybe 500 pics plus 200 songs plus 7-8 installed apps doesn't constitue "that much media" (I'm having difficulty figuring out exactly what is meant by "a lot" of media in the forums I've been browsing) and I won't end up completely screwing up my phone in any JB attempts.

Again, if there's a good, thorough walkthrough/guide out there somewhere and I've simply missed it, please feel free to point me in the right direction. Everything I've found simply tells me to back up the phone, do the jailbreak, then restore. To someone like me, that's all a bit vague. And again, the problem has to do with the restore afterward, which will then force me to 6.0. Yuck.
 
Yes, iOS 6.0 and 6.0.1 for the iPhone 4 is only tethered as of now, at least until the gold master release of iOS 6.1.

If you want to be safe, just back it up using iTunes and sync them to iTunes.

Jailbreaking on iOS 5.1.1 is the easiest jailbreak you will ever see (aside from the old JailbreakMe for iOS 4.2-4.3). Download Absinthe 2.0.4 below

Windows : http://cache.greenpois0n.com/dl/absinthe-win-0.4.zip

OS X : https://sites.google.com/site/greenpois0nabsinthe/absinthe-mac-2.0.4.dmg?attredirects=0&d=1

Once it's downloaded extract everything onto your desktop or onto a folder, then run 'Absinthe' as an administrator (if you're using a PC). Plug your iPhone in, and click the Jailbreak button when it says so, and boom. You're done once the process bar is done loading.

Well basically just follow this guide. Go back to the first page and there you go. Colorful pictures and nice details on how to do it. I believe links are also on the first page as well. I've listed the direct links so you don't have to scroll around :)
 
Hello, sorry im off subject, but i just joined and can not figure out how to start a thread of my own. some help please?!!
Thanks!
 
So, then....(sorry) I WILL back everything up first, yes? By right-clicking the phone profile and selecting Backup? Nothing changes there. And no need to make a separate photo backup using Image Capture or anything? After doing the backup, I WON'T reset any content settings from my phone, right? I'll just leave everything on there as is. Can you verify that this step is correct?

Then I'll download, extract, run Absinthe and let it do its thing. (that's the easy part)

Then everything should be fine, yes?

And then...if anything is lost, I simply have to resync the device (from iTunes), is that correct? I don't actually have to do a full restore? I guess that's maybe where I was getting confused, and it's more iPhone/iTunes terminology than jailbreaking terminology. I didn't realize (maybe) that I could resync the content without restoring.

Okay, one more thing...if I have purchased apps, should I go through the "Transfer purchases from iPhone" step in addition to the backup, or will the backup take care of that?
 
So, then....(sorry) I WILL back everything up first, yes? By right-clicking the phone profile and selecting Backup? Nothing changes there. And no need to make a separate photo backup using Image Capture or anything? After doing the backup, I WON'T reset any content settings from my phone, right? I'll just leave everything on there as is. Can you verify that this step is correct?

Then I'll download, extract, run Absinthe and let it do its thing. (that's the easy part)

Then everything should be fine, yes?

And then...if anything is lost, I simply have to resync the device (from iTunes), is that correct? I don't actually have to do a full restore? I guess that's maybe where I was getting confused, and it's more iPhone/iTunes terminology than jailbreaking terminology. I didn't realize (maybe) that I could resync the content without restoring.

Okay, one more thing...if I have purchased apps, should I go through the "Transfer purchases from iPhone" step in addition to the backup, or will the backup take care of that?

Yes that's the idea. You can always restore from a backup. Right click and restore from backup or something along those lines depending on iTunes version. Always perform a transfer purchases from iPhone during every back up of your device, which would be regularly like biweekly or if there are many changes to your device constantly, then weekly or whatever. Your data shouldn't be touched during a jailbreak like I mentioned since earlier. it's just adding to your phone.


Sent via my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I guess that goes back to my original question, then (and I apologize again). Some of the other things I've read have stated that - if I "restore from backup," Apple won't give me the option NOT to automatically upgrade the firmware. That's what I was worried about the most. If that's not the case, and I can restore from backup without it pushing an update on me, then we're good to go.

Maybe I'm reading too much and making this more complicated than it needs to be. Wouldn't be the first time I've done that.

And btw...thanks again, if I hadn't mentioned that yet. :)
 
It shouldn't force you to upgrade. The only time that would occur is if you back it up in iOS 6, downgrade back to iOS 5 and try to restore that jailbreak. Because they're on different thresholds, you can't use the newer back up on an older iOS because there may be differences in formatting and such


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 
 
Is it possible to use absinthe on I devices which have taken ios7, sorry for sounding dumb but mainly I root androids and unlock both platforms looking to take on requests to job on ios7 but not too sure which method is best for semi- or un-tethered job on new ios7

Sent from one of my mobile Devices in between Clinicals/Dev testing or detailing
 
Is it possible to use absinthe on I devices which have taken ios7, sorry for sounding dumb but mainly I root androids and unlock both platforms looking to take on requests to job on ios7 but not too sure which method is best for semi- or un-tethered job on new ios7

Sent from one of my mobile Devices in between Clinicals/Dev testing or detailing

If you're one to essentially hack and exploit mobile OS', you should know that it doesn't work for several reasons.
 
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