3G - Jailbreaking without power off or DFU mode - No Poweroff button

[craynerd]

Hello, first post on here but I`ve been reading for years.

I have an old 3G iphone which was on 3.1.2 and I JB using blackra1n about a year ago! The phone got slow, the power button broke and cydia kept crashing despite many attempts to correct the error via ssh and other methods posted online.

I wanted to have a new firmware install and "refresh" the phone so I installed 3.1.2 again and used blackra1n which doesn`t require a power off and puts the phone in DFU mode for you (my broken button!) However Cydia still crashed and besides 3.1.2 is old.

I posted on another forum which I`m a member of and someone recommended an update to 4.2.1 and a JB using Redsnow 0.96b5. Trusting the post I updates to 4.2.1, ran the JB and it told me to turn off the phone !! I can`t. (I was controlling power off and lock with SBSettings)

So now I`m stuck and don`t really want to do anything until I get more info. Could anyone tell me the best way to proceed from here. I know I could get the button fixed but the phone is already half dead having a broken connector 3 which I can`t fix so a repair is out of the question - the money I would put into a repair would get me half way to a new phone and besides it is a tatty thing. That being said, I use it to text and play on the internet and stuff, and I like the JB side.

So...I`ll stop woffling...any suggestions. I have been advised a restore to 4.0.1 and then a JB using safari over jailbreakme.com .

What do you think is best from here?

[zoolman88]

U have a 3G so that is good restore to 4.0 stock ipsw and then u might get a error at the end just knock the device out of recovery mode using tiny unberalla or idisco and then use redsn0w to jailbreak or if on AT&T use jailbreakme.com

[craynerd]

Cheers mate, will try 4.0 with jailbreakme. When i tried 4.2.1 with Redsnow I was asked to turn it off which I couldn`t do !!

Just curious, I noticed TinyUmbrealla will knock your phone into and out of recover but is there any software that will turn your phone off or put it in DFU mode?

[Orby]

You could try using a doctored IPSW to enter DFU via a controlled "DFU loop" but I really advise against that (to be used as a last resort only).

Though 4.0.x is a slow, painful death on the 3G (performance is pitiful), you cannot downgrade firmware like that without using DFU mode either.

[MichaelSe]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have your SHSH blobs for 3.1.3, you can downgrade in iTunes with TinyUmbrella without having to put into DFU mode. 3.1.3 still works with jailbreakme.com and has much better performance on the 3G than 4.0.x