TUTORIAL - Jailbreak the iPad2 and iPad3 on 5.1.1 With Absinthe 2.0

These are instructions on performing an untethered jailbreak of your iPad on iOS 5.1.1 using Absinthe 2.0 for Windows.

This process works on the following iPads:

iPad1,1 – 2,1 – 2,2 – 2,3 – 3,1 – 3,2 – 3,3

iPhone2,1 – 3,1 – 3,3 – 4,1

iPod3,1 – 4,1

(Support for iPad2,4 will be added at a later date)



NOTE: This tool also works on Mac and Linux computers - simply download the proper tool for your system.

***Warning*** Before you continue make sure to do a backup of your device in iTunes as you may lose your Camera Roll during this process.

***Warning*** If your iPad2 is already jail broken, it is HIGHLY recommended you restore your iPad2 to stock iOS 5.1.1 using the DFU Mode and iTunes to restore (instructions here: http://www.ipadforums.net/showthread.php?t=52863). Do NOT follow the ReadMe.txt instructions from the Dev Team to "go to Settings - General - Reset - Erase All Content and Settings" as this should never be done on a jail broken iPad.

Step One
Download the latest version of Absinthe from here: Absinthe 2.0 has arrived! | greenpois0n.com. As of this writing, the tool is version 2.0.1.

Step Two
Extract the downloaded archive

Step Three
Double click the absinthe-win-2.0.exe file from the folder that was just extracted. Note: For ease of use, run .exe files as an Administrator, either by default or by right clicking and selecting "run as Administrator"

This will create a new folder called absinthe-win-2.0. Note that in this photo, I put the .exe file on my desktop, then did step three



Open the newly created folder and launch absinthe.exe.



Step Four
As prompted, connect your iPad to the computer via USB. Make sure to remove any passcodes or VPN settings you've previously set. Click the Jailbreak button to begin



Step Five
The application will take you through several steps to jailbreak, to include beginning jailbreak … sending initial jailbreak data … sending final jailbreak data … waiting for reboot … and waiting for process to complete. Have patience and hang in there!

Step Six
You will be informed that the jailbreak is "Done"



Step Seven
In a few moments you will notice Cydia appear on your Springboard! Press it and Cydia will load. At this first launch, Cydia has to prepare the file system - and then it will close automatically. This is normal behavior.



Step Eight
If you restored your iPad to a fresh iOS, connect your iPad to iTunes and right click to select "restore from backup." This will not affect your jail break or your iOS 5.1.1, it is just to put all your "stuff" back on the iPad.

Step Nine
Enjoy your new jailbreak!

Let us know if you have questions or concerns.

Marilyn

 

Oh, bless your heart! Thanks for noticing that I forgot the link. My bad. I've now put it in. Appreciate the heads up...

To find out what version of iPad you have, download the free app from the App Store called "Linpack." When you first open it, you'll get something like this:



The part I circled is the identifier for your particular iPad.

Given that you got yours before March 16th, the odds are pretty good that your iPad is good to go. But, since it costs nothing to check, give it a whirl.

Good luck on the jail break and thanks again for the edit tip.

Marilyn

 

As scudder pointed out - can't hurt to try. Others have successfully jail broken the iPad without "cleaning" it up first. I have no time estimate, however, because I did mine from a fresh restore...

All you have to lose is a bit of time should it not work because you'll have to start from the beginning with a clean restore. Again, just make sure you have a good backup before you start any of the process.

But, hey, if it works - time saved!

Do us a favor, though? If it does work (or not), could you come back and let us know? May help others in making the same decision. Thanks.

Good luck.

Marilyn

 

Just know that this jailbreak is a first for iOS 5.1.1. And, it's a first for the iPad3, which we are discovering is a bit different "under the hood" because of the retina display (at least).

If a tweak doesn't work properly, the odds are because it needs to be updated to run on iOS 5.1.1 or the iPad3. That updating needs to be done by the developer and we never know when (or if) and upgrade will be released. All you can do is wait. This includes tweaks like Winerboard, which aids in the theming of the iPad. The new retina iPad has different files, to include file names because of the retina capabilities. I'd venture to say that it will be quite a while before any theme is available for the iPad3. Heck, the ones for the iPad1 and iPad2 are pretty thin on the ground, let alone the retina iPad!

Long story a bit longer - we all need to have a bit of patience while the developers work to upgrade their various tweak. Hang in there.

Marilyn