QuickFreedom

We have officially moved to a new permanent address, www.PoweredByNerd.com! Please check there for the latest hacks, tech, and projects!

Jeff (The Brown-Eyed Albino)

Looks like the coders over at iPod Touch Fans have pulled an all nighter! One user, dancool999, has created what is said to be a Full GUI Jailbreak application. Last night, I had said that I was hesitant to try, but seeing as this little diddy has gotten so popular over the past few hours, I think it's time to try it for myself. Okay, so the main reason I'm trying this is because it says it supports custom Boot Logos, which was a big reason for me to Jailbreak. Also, since Apple is contending the legality of voiding your warranty, Jailbreak style, this is for educational purposes only. Right.
Enough of that, it's time to test this bugger out!

Here's what you'll need:
1. QuickFreedom - You'll actually need this to run it. Wierd, isn't it?
2. LibUSB - This comes with QuickFreedom.
3. Original 2.2.1 Firmware - Either download it here, or via QuickFreedom (easier).
4. Snacks - Occupy your spare time with delicious.

First thing's first, let's download the app. I've personally virus scanned this, so don't worry, it's clean.
It's a "Setup.exe," so we'll be installing this on our hdd's. Installation takes 58 megabytes, in case you were wondering.
Once you've got it installed, run the program. You'll be presented with a screen similar to this:


Just click the Jailbreak button. The whole thing seems a little more time consuming than needs be, but I won't complain. After all, I'm not the one who sat down and coded the whole thing. Next, you'll see a screen such as this:


If LibUSB isn't installed yet, go ahead and do that now, then restart QuickFreedom, and everything should be recognized.
Click "Browse" to locate the Original Firmware. If you haven't downloaded it, you can select the "Download" button, which will open a link in your internet browser to download the file. It's about 277 megabytes, so be sure to have room! Once you find your firmware, the program will copy it to the QuickFreedom directory. Not my favorite way of going about that, but once again, I didn't write the thing. Click "Next" when it's finished copying.

On this page, it gives you the option of wether or not to install "Installer," and if you want a custom Boot Logo. For this writeup, I'll be doing both of those, and using the provided PwnApple Logo.
Also, please note that my iPod Touch is not connected. It doesn't matter at this point if you have it plugged in or not, but I was using my Touch in other projects as well. In other words, I needed unplugged, you don't have to.
Alright, once you've chosen which options you'd like, click on "Create Firmware," and you should see some rather slow progress. This can take up to 20 minutes, depending on your PC, so it'd be wise to grab a snack right about now.


After your firmware has been patched, you should get a popup stating that it was successful. Let's move on, shall we? That means click next..

Now we'll need to plug in, and put the gadget into DFU Mode. I've written about this in an earlier post, but just in case, here you go again.
To enter DFU Mode: Hold the Power Button (on the top) and the Home Button simultaneously for 10 seconds exactly, then release the Power Button. Keep holding the Home Button for 15-20 seconds after releasing Power. If you don't, you'll end up in Recovery Mode, which is entirely different. DFU Mode = Hackable, whereas Recovery Mode = Factory Restore.
DFU Mode should look like the screen is completely off, without any sort of backlighting, until a specific code is sent to it, which would turn the screen white and backlit. If that's too hard to follow, it'll tell you how if you click on "DFU Instructions".


Once in DFU Mode, we're ready to hit the "Start Pre-Jailbreak" button. Your iPod's screen should turn white, and QuickFreedom should have "Applied the Redsn0w Patch," as well as putting it into "Pre-Jailbreak Mode". Press the "OK" Button, then Next.


Open up iTunes, and go to your iPod. Press and hold the Shift Key, and click Restore. What that does, is it tells iTunes that you need to locate a specific Firmware for this device, so it kindly opens up a browser to help you locate and load said file. Handy, eh?
For me, QuickFreedom placed the Custom Firmware.ipsw on my Desktop. Start restoring to the new Firmware, and relax for a couple minutes. Your fancy little device should show your custom Boot Logo for a few seconds, then it will go through the process of actually restoring it. This might take a while, so go have a snack.


Finished? Congratulations! Your iPod Touch should restart itself, and boot into the Jailbroken Firmware! You will, however, have to go through the setup process in iTunes, just like you did when you first got it. I'm sure there will be better, and faster ways of doing this, but now we know how one more thing works! Questions and Comments? Feel free to ask them here, or @ me via Twitter!

The Brown-Eyed Albino



EDIT: Please pardon, but tell me, of any mistakes. It's unreasonably late, I'm tired, and probably not thinking clearly. There's also a video describing the process at Ty's iPhone Help. His website is, well, helpful.