How To Re-Restore iPhone 4S, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPod touch From iOS 5.x To iOS 5.x Using

[evilsatan]

As you might already know, a new version of Redsn0w has been released which apart from many other features adds support for restoring to an older or same version of iOS 5.x firmware. So if for any reason you feel the need to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a firmware like iOS 5.x to iOS 5.x which Apple isn’t signing, the following guide should help you do just that.


Before jumping on the how-to instructions, it is important that you carefully read the low down below:

Apple A4 Powered Devices (iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th Generation)
Those who happen to own a device like the iPhone 4 or fourth-generation iPod touch that is powered by the Apple A4 CPU, they will always be able to restore to the older firmwares as long as they have the SHSH blobs captured and saved for the firmware that they are trying to downgrade to. Those particular devices will also always be able to benefit from a tethered jailbreak on those firmwares all thanks to the limera1n exploit. For downgrading these devices from iOS 6, check our downgrade iOS 6 to 5.1.1 guide, for jailbreaking, check our complete jailbreak iOS 6 guide.

iPad 2
For those who have an iPad 2 powered by Apple’s A5 processor and wish to restore to iOS 5.x from iOS 6, well the good news is that it is possible, provided you meet the requirement. The process relies on SHSH blobs being captured for both the 4.x and 5.x firmwares if you want to downgrade to 5.x from 6.0. If you want to rollback to an earlier version of 4.x or 5.x from 5.x, then only the 4.x SHSH blobs are needed.

iPad 3 and iPhone 4S
There is a new re-restore feature being added to Redsn0w for iPhone 4S and iPad 3 which allows these devices to be restored to any iOS 5.x firmware as long as they have SHSH blobs saved for iOS 5.x and that they have not upgraded to iOS 6. But if you have updated these devices to iOS 6, there is no way of going back, at least for now. It may not seem like great news but it does mean that if anything goes wrong with the device then a restore is always possible to a version of iOS 5 allowing a jailbreak to be performed once again.
Note: If you got to the current iOS 5.x firmware on your device via OTA method (not iTunes restore), you are not eligible for iOS 5.x-to-iOS 5.x restore feature.



Instructions:

Step 1: Download the latest version of Redsn0w and extract the contents of the compressed file to a familiar folder. (download links: Windows / Mac)

Step 2: Run Redsn0w and select Extras from the main menu. Make sure to run the application in Administrator Mode if using a Windows machine. Mountain Lion users need to start Redsn0w by Ctrl-Click on the icon and then selecting Open from the new menu.

Step 3: Navigate to Extras->Even More menu option from the main screen before selecting the Restore option.

Step 4: Select the IPSW option and select the iOS firmware file that you would like to restore to from within the navigation windows.

Step 5: Redsn0w will provide an alert if an additional firmware file is required. If it is then make note of the required IPSW and locate it on your machine. At this point Redsn0w will also prompt you to connect your device to your PC or Mac if you haven’t already.

Step 6: Thoroughly read all warnings and alerts before continuing on. The next step is to select your saved SHSH blobs that can either be located locally or remotely depending on your preference. Redsn0w will then stitch all of the required components together, put your device into Recovery mode, and restore the connected device to the desired iOS version.

Source

If you get a 3194 error try this (untested):

Spoiler:

Error 3194 to appear on your screen. When you are trying to downgrade your operating system from iOS 6. ITunes directly contacts Apple to know your current SHSH blob.This is a way of Apple trying to force its customers to always upgrade their iOS and never downgrade them making changing your operating system a one way road.

Thanks to Saurik, the founder of Cydia, there is a way to go around this by simply tricking iTunes into contacting Cydia’s servers instead of Apple’s servers. This only works if you have done the necessary preparatory steps and had the SHSH blobs saved for the iOS you wish to downgrade to. You will also need to download the latest version for TinyUmbrella.




Follow this step by step guide to fix iTunes Error 3194 for iPhone iPod Touch and iPad devices:


Step 1: First of all, close your iTunes if it is open. Then Download the latest version of TinyUmbrella according to your operating system Window or Mac (Download TinyUmbrella).

Step 2: Open the latest version of TinyUmbrella.

Step 3: Select “Save SHSH” and give TinyUmbrella some time to download to your PC all your SHSH blobs saved on Cydia’s server.

Step 4: Now click on the “Start TSS Server”

Step 5: Now go to the log tab and wait for “TSS Server Started!” and “TSS Accepting connections…” to appear. This is an indication that things are going the way they should. There is no harm in double checking though. You can do that by heading to browser and try opening this link http://gs.apple.com which should now redirect you to Cydia’s homepage.

Step 6:Then download iREB r5 (For iOS 3.x.x to 5.x.x). Now click on your desired device like iPhone 4,3gs, iPod or iPad, as shown in the image below.





Step 6:Then open iTunes Hold the shift button, then click on restore and select the firmware on which want to downgrade your iPhone, iPod or iPad.

Source

[Mario87]

Don't suppose this can also be used to upgrade a jail broken iOS 4.3.3 device to 5.1.1? Got one here (iPhone 4) that needs doing.

[evilsatan]

Not sure if this info is still valid but take a look:
http://www.digital-forums.com/showth...-downgrade-iOS

I just searched 'selectively upgrade iphone 4' in google and it seems my thread has got us to the top of google!!

[Mario87]

Not sure if this info is still valid but take a look:
http://www.digital-forums.com/showth...-downgrade-iOS

I just searched 'selectively upgrade iphone 4' in google and it seems my thread has got us to the top of google!!

Thanks mate, followed the instructions but I just got the usual "unknown error (3194) occurred" when iTunes tries to communicate with the Apple Servers. I did modify my hosts file as mentioned in the thread, have changed my hosts file more times than I care to remember today. Any way of doing the upgrade without having to get the IPSW signed over the net?

Can I use iFaith to build a pre-signed IPSW and restore with that? I have dumped the SHSH blobs using iFaith as detailed in the guide.

[evilsatan]

I've not tried like that before tbh mate, do you have the 5.1.1 blobs? If so the original guide says you can downgrade from iOS6 if need be but may have to use a tethered JB (I'd read into this more if I were you to make sure). I have updated the original post with this link but here it is, downgrade from iOS6:
http://www.redmondpie.com/downgrade-...using-redsn0w/

[Mario87]

That's the problem, I don't have 5.1.1 blobs. According to the link you posted regarding downgrading from iOS 6 it says...

If you don’t already have SHSH blobs saved for iOS 5.1.1, you are out of luck for now as Apple has stopped signing this firmware.

So seems like this phone is destined to remain on iOS 4.3.3 until the issues with iOS 6 are resolved and an unteathered jailbreak is out for it.

[evilsatan]

Afraid it looks that way, they tightened up the whole process much to my annoyance. I think it should be up to the user which IPSW to use.