Is My aTV Flash (Black) Actually Saving My 5.3 Signatures?

I purchased the latest version specifically to save the 5.3 signatures on a just purchased Apple TV -- something that seems impossible to do with Seasonpass. 

However, when I choose the option in maintenance to "Backup my Firmware," no backup seems to occur.

Unlike the "Completed Successfully" message I receive when choosing "Manage Backups" from the same menu, there is no similar confirmation that the firmware signatures have been saved.

And when I check the iFaith and Cydia servers, they also show NO saved 5.3 signatures for this Apple TV.

When I check a different Apple TV with saved signatures earlier than 5.3, I can see these saved versions listed on the aTV Flash -- where nothing appears for the 5.3 with signatures ostensibly saved.

I would hate to realize once Apple stops signing 5.3 that this aTV Flash actually is no better than Seasonpass at saving 5.3 signatures.

Can other aTV users comment?

James?

 

I agree with you Maxie

Run iReb and Pwn ATV in DFU mode.  Run iTunes. Alt + Restore.  iTunes will restore ATV to 5.3 vanilla.

When on 5.3 unjailbroken, run iFaith 1.5.9 dump blob in the ole fashioned way...

Run latest Seas0npass and jailbreak on 5.3

tip: Put ATV into DFU mode while SP is downloading IPSW as it is very picky if you wait for it to prompt you to enter DFU mode... resulting in your having to run SP again.

I do accept thay 6.1.4 is downloaded from Apple and uploaded to Cydia but it doesn't show up in iFaith so I prefer to do a belt and braces job, for my own peace of mind.

Cheers

Thanks much, Ian.  I've spent more time on this than I would care to admit -- and I am still unable to save signatures.

The process of using iREB and iTunes to create a "vanilla" blob goes fine.  But after finally getting iFaith to continue past the "exploitation" phase of the dumping process, these "successful" efforts always end with the message: "One or more flash images on the device do not contain a SHSH blob!"

I've tried this on multiple units running 5.3 -- and always get this message.  Either all my units can function perfectly with the missing blob, or this iFaith message I receive is not accurate. 

If you say that you have successfully used the process you recommended to dump 5.3 blobs, I would like to continue trying...

Is there something I'm missing in my efforts that results in this error message?

And I'd like to "thank" James and Firecore customer service for completely blowing me and my issue off.  Neither e-mails, voicemail messages (no one at Firecore EVER picks up), nor posting for James here gets any kind of response. NOTHING!   It is hardly the way to do customer service, Firecore!  I purchased this software from you last week -- and you encouraged me to write and call with questions.  Yet you simply ignore all my form messages from your website -- as well as voicemails to your sales number.  You folks should be embarrassed.

Hi Maxie

Since the untethered jailbreak of 5.3 was issued I have jailbroken maybe 200 Apple TVs using the method I detailed above and I have never received the message that you refer to.

That is not to say that I have never, ever received that message.  I did used to, particularly when trying to dump blobs on units running (mainly, and oddly) 5.0.2 firmware.  But since using 5.3 to jailbreak, not once.

On how many units have you experienced this problem?

Having re-read your post, I was not referring to vanilla blobs, but to vanilla firmware.

You PWN the ATV using iReb and then use SP and ALT + Restore using the vanilla IPSW file in the my documents/seasonpass/downloads folder NOT the patched IPSW with the letters SP in the file name that lives in the directory in the my documents/seasonpass folder.

You're awesome, Ian!  Thanks so much for your follow-up which exposed my error. 

Although your instructions were incredibly clear -- particularly about needing to dump the blobs from the NON-jailbroken version of 5.3 -- I managed to screw them up.  

Your speculation that I was using the "SP" restore file was brilliant.   And by following your instruction to navigate to the "Download" folder under Seasonpass I was able to create the original non-jailbroken version of 5.3 -- and successfully dump the blobs which are now verifiable on the Cydia server (although the aTV Flash still does not show the saved version ).

Your instructions here on how to save 5.3 signatures are extremely valuable -- and something which all 5.3 users should note and follow immediately.  There will be a lot of moaning and groaning once Apple stops signing 5.3 and people realize how valuable those saved signatures can be.

Firecore is doing a true disservice to its customers by leading them to believe that the aTV Flash Black is automatically saving their 5.3 signatures.  

And why Firecore cannot create a version of Seasonpass that CAN save 5.3 signatures is a real mystery.  However, as free software -- and software that works incredibly well at jailbreaking 5.3 UNTETHERED -- I am extremely grateful for all that is available.

Still, paying customers for the aTV Flash should not be mislead:  I bought the aTV Flash Black specifically to use for saving my firmware signatures -- something it does not do.

And it goes without saying that Firecore customer service that ignores both E-mails and phone calls and offers none of the support advertised is just plain wrong and unprofessional.

I think perhaps they (Firecore) have other fish to fry right now.

My worry is that we still don't have an iFaith that can stitch a 5.3 blob to a vanilla IPSW, or a version of Sn0w that will even download a 5.3 IPSW.

One thing I'd like to know is that if you use iFaith to fetch 6.1.4 from Apple and dump to Cydia, will that be sufficient to use with SP/Sn0w/TC when Apple stops signing 5.3.

If not I foresee a bloodbath.

You can create a stitched 5.3 ipsw using ifaith but it isn't jailbroken when you restore it. What Firecore needs to do is to update its Seas0npass to be able to fetch 5.3 ifaith blob in order to rejailbreak when apple stops signing 5.3 firmware.

Apple has been very generous of still signing 5.3 since July 2013.

I have already asked this question in this thread : http://forum.firecore.com/topic/12042 but firecore isn’t replying.

You can do that yes. You could then use TC to make a jailbroken Apple TV2 if you had the patched IPSW that is produced by Seas0npass, which means that if you want to be safe rather than sorry you need to save the patched IPSW every time SP makes one, in a folder with the blobs for each Apple TV.

You’d then be able to rejailbreak any Apple TV2 that you had jailbroken by that method. But as for any you’d want to buy for stock…

Are you sure this jailbroken Ipsw created by seas0npass is also a stitched Ipsw 

[quote="iyeow"]

Are you sure this jailbroken Ipsw created by seas0npass is also a stitched Ipsw 

[/quote]

Yes, it's process is:

1. Download generic firmware

2. Extract blobs from ATV

3. Insert (stitch) blobs into firmware

4. Use that created file to jailbreak ATV

Be aware though that that created file is ONLY good for that particular ATV. As Ian82 wrote... save that created file somewhere else if you intend to jailbreak another ATV, otherwise the first one will just be overwritten. Or rename it to that ATVs serial number for identification.