iphone 3gs 32 gig restore problem

[drunkenlo]

Hi all. I've got a white iphone 3gs 32gig. It belongs to a friend and I was told it came from Japan. Its got 32GB on the back and the letters printed are chrome, which should be a clear indication it's a 3gs unit. I restored the phone to its factory settings and now it's stuck on the apple logo. The last firmware version it was on was 4.2.1. I've tried to use redsnow recovery fix to no avail. And then I noticed something. At the bottom of the redsnow window, it indicates the apple devices connected. To cut the long story short, redsnow detects the iphone as an iphone 3g and not a 3gs. Any suggestions on how I can proceed to getting the phone functioning again? Thanks guys.

 

[drunkenlo]

I've downloaded both 4.2.1 and 5.1.1 official firmware for iphone 3gs but when i try to manually restore using those ipsws, i get a "the iphone cannot be restored because the firmware file is not compatible". Could it be possible that this is actually an iphone 3g and not a 3gs?

 

[willerz2]

That would be because it's a 3G, and not a 3GS. 32GB 3G is a first I've ever head. If it says that it's incompatible rather than a 3194 or 1600 error, then that means it's incompatible and that you have the wrong IPSW for the iPhone model you have. RedSn0w doesn't lie. If it says it's a 3G, it's a 3G. If it's a 3GS, it'll say 3GS

 

[GazNicki]

Redsn0w won't lie to you. The back will have been replaced to read 32GB 3GS. There is only 2 ways to know if the phone is a 3G or a 3GS.

1) Open the phone up, is there a cable with a #7 on it in the bottom right of the phone? If no, then it is a 3GS.
2) Attach the phone to a PC and let software tell you what it is like redsn0w.

I would download the latest 5.1.1 for the iPhone 3G and not the 3GS and see how you go.

 

[drunkenlo]

Redsn0w won't lie to you. The back will have been replaced to read 32GB 3GS. There is only 2 ways to know if the phone is a 3G or a 3GS.

1) Open the phone up, is there a cable with a #7 on it in the bottom right of the phone? If no, then it is a 3GS.
2) Attach the phone to a PC and let software tell you what it is like redsn0w.

I would download the latest 5.1.1 for the iPhone 3G and not the 3GS and see how you go.

​Thanks GazNicki. So then I guess the only reasonable answer for this confusion is that the back was indeed replaced. Thanks for this. Now problem is, I'm searching all over the net for 5.1.1 for iphone 3g but it seems it only supports up to 4.2.1. I Downloaded the 4.2.1 and tried to manually restore via itunes but I'm getting a 1015 error. I tried to use redsnow to fix it but I haven't succeeded at all. Any suggestions?

 

[drunkenlo]

That would be because it's a 3G, and not a 3GS. 32GB 3G is a first I've ever head. If it says that it's incompatible rather than a 3194 or 1600 error, then that means it's incompatible and that you have the wrong IPSW for the iPhone model you have. RedSn0w doesn't lie. If it says it's a 3G, it's a 3G. If it's a 3GS, it'll say 3GS

So then it's a 3g. GazNicki cleared that up and I think he's right that the back must have been replaced. Any suggestions of how i should proceed? I downloaded the 4.2.1 for iphone 3g and tried to manually restore it via itunes but now I'm getting a 1015 error. Please help. Thanks.

 

[willerz2]

1015 is a baseband error. Chances are, the iPhone you have now was flashed onto the iPad Baseband, and by restoring it to 4.2.1, you're dragging the baseband back down. and that's not allowed by Apple since it doesn't recognize it as an iPad baseband but it does recognize it as a regular baseband. There are a few ways to fix this. The most common way is to use the IPSW for 4.2.1 for the 3G to create a custom IPSW to preserve the baseband (can be done so in RedSn0w > Extras), then put your iPhone 3G into PWNed DFU mode and restore using that custom IPSW you created so that it retains the 06.15.00 baseband but will restore a fresh copy of iOS 4.2.1 onto your 3G.

 

[GazNicki]

Why would a factory restore break the phone in the first place. Did you restore in iTunes or through settings on the phone.

Is the phone recognised in iTunes?

Is there a way checking the baseband in redsn0w?

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk 2

 

[willerz2]

Baseband can be checked on RedSn0w using the Identify function. You can brick your phone by restoring. During the restore process, if the baseband is in the process of upgrading, and you terminate it by any means or interrupting, you would brick your iPhone. Forcing a downgrade on your baseband if its incompatible with your device will brick it.