I have an iPhone 3gs 3.1 that was jail-broken with blackra1n.

I would like to update my firmware to 3.1.2 and keep jail-broken. I don't think its as simple as updating via iTunes then jail-breaking again... this is why I'm here. I obviously have a few questions and am looking for some direction in doing this. Can someone please suggest the steps that need to be taken to complete this task?


The computer I hook up to is running Windows Vista 64 and Linux (Ubuntu).

Is there a way to keep my contacts through this process? I already know how to pull my videos/photos from the phone. Are there any negative aspects to doing what I want to do?


Thanks.

Originally Posted by twingod

I have an iPhone 3gs 3.1 that was jail-broken with blackra1n.

I would like to update my firmware to 3.1.2 and keep jail-broken. I don't think its as simple as updating via iTunes then jail-breaking again...

That will work.. it's not recommended (you may experience more instability and apps from Cydia don't survive the upgrade properly)

Originally Posted by twingod

I obviously have a few questions and am looking for some direction in doing this. Can someone please suggest the steps that need to be taken to complete this task?


The computer I hook up to is running Windows Vista 64 and Linux (Ubuntu).

Is there a way to keep my contacts through this process? I already know how to pull my videos/photos from the phone. Are there any negative aspects to doing what I want to do?

Sync your contacts to your computer's address book via iTunes. Then you can sync them back again.

Use your Vista box running x64 and use redsn0w redsn0w 0.9beta3 [iPhone Dev Team] with this guide (for redsn0w 0.8 but essentially the same) iClarified - iPhone - How to Jailbreak Your iPhone 3GS on OS 3.0.x Using RedSn0w (Windows)

Please don't use blackra1n (blackra1n leaves out useful jailbreak steps in the interest of being 10-15 seconds faster. Most people complain some time later and have to spend a lot more than 15 seconds finding out how to do something that should have been done by the jailbreak). Just because blackra1n worked for you last time is not a good reason to use it again, redsn0w is better.

It sounds like you have the early bootrom 3GS (no complaints about having to re-run blackra1n at each boot)

Negatives of this approach, by restoring you will lose any data you can't sync (including SMS messages, call history etc). There is no real simple solution for this. The two obvious options (use upgrade instead of restore and restore from iTunes backup) both can cause poor battery life and instability problems.