Important: Be Careful with Latest QuickTime Update if you have Re-enabled DFU Mode in Mac OS X 10.5.6

Though  the simple steps to re-enable DFU Mode in Mac OS X 10.5.6 had helped few readers to re-enable the DFU mode in Mac OS X 10.5.6  which earlier prevented Mac from recognizing iPhone in DFU mode, making it impossible to jailbreak and unlock it using PwnageTool or QuickPwn, it had also caused serious problems for some of our readers.

At that time we had immediately updated the post warning users to proceed with caution and later to avoid it based on feedback from readers.

Wilson Rothman from Gizmodo who had followed the steps outlined by Gizmodo in this post via the same source that we had referred Hackint0sh ran into problems after couple of weeks. 

His Warning message:

"Be careful with that latest QuickTime update if you have run any "DFU fix" Automator scripts"

He also narrates his experience, how he resolved the problem and some tips for all those who might have used the hack or have faced the problem.

The 10.5.6 update for Mac OS X Leapord that Apple released in December prevented Mac from recognizing iPhone in DFU mode, making it impossible to jailbreak and/or unlock it using PwnageTool or QuickPwn.

Gizmodo like us had also published steps to Re-enable DFU Mode in Mac OS X 10.5.6 to Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone.

Wilson tried out this hack to re-enable DFU mode on his unibody MacBook Pro. He did not face any issue for couple of weeks, but disaster struck when he updated his MacBook Pro with the latest version of Quicktime.

He explains:

When my system restarts, I have no access to keyboard or trackpad. Not only do I not have access, I can't even plug in a mouse or keyboard. I could use those controls when booting off of a system install disc, but I couldn't get the installer to repair my OS, since it was "newer." The computer was borked.

Here is how he fixed his issue:

My solution was easy but nuclear: I turned an external 320GB drive into a boot disk, ran the migration tool to move every bit of data from my unibody MBP, then simply swapped drives. (Gotta hand it to Apple for that new swappable-drive design.) My machine is as good as new, and now totally up to date.

He highlights:

The now-mysteriously-missing original Hackintosh article mentioned that there were some issues with the unibody MacBook and MacBook Pros, but it never said that you should undo it after you finish jailbreaking.

He points to some other solutions such as:

• if you already ran the DFU script and haven't installed that Quicktime update yet, is try the method I have since discovered outlined in this Apple Support thread.

• If you still have access to your keyboard and mouse, you can copy the backup files (it should be under Backup_IOUSBFamily_kext_10_5_6 on your desktop) to where the automator script was, Install_IOUSBFamily_kext_10_5_5 on your desktop. Then, just run the automator script again, and it will copy those "original" files to the right location, then change the permissions correctly and reboot your machine.

• If you already ran the Quicktime update and you're unable to access any input (USB or otherwise), you can SSH into your machine and run these commands one by one. If you had trouble with the automator script, you can open up the terminal and do this too, manually. Note, some of these lines are too long, so they wrap to 2 lines. Make sure you copy it in its entirety. Commands are separated by empty lines inbetween.
  
  sudo rm -R /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBHub.kext
  You'll have to enter your administrator password here
  
  sudo rm -R /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBCompositeDriver.kext
  
  sudo cp -R $HOME/Desktop/Backup_IOUSBFamily_kext_10_5_6/AppleUSBHub.kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/
  
  sudo cp -R $HOME/Desktop/Backup_IOUSBFamily_kext_10_5_6/IOUSBCompositeDriver.kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/
  
  sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBHub.kext
  
  sudo chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBHub.kext
  
  sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBCompositeDriver.kext
  
  sudo chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBCompositeDriver.kext
  
  sudo rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.mkextprivileges
  
  sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions
  
  sudo reboot
  
  Your machine will reboot after prompting to update boot caches, and the files should be back to the standard 10.5.6 ones.

Some readers who had used the hack faced this issue even before updating to the latest QuickTime update, so we suggest we follow the solutions provided above. As always, please proceed with caution.

In case your Mac is not recognizing your iPhone in DFU mode, then you should use one of these to be on the safe side:

Use a USB hub in-between the DFU device and the Mac and insert/reinsert the iPhone’s USB cable.

Use a PwnageTool created .ipsw on Windows or

Use QuickPwn for Windows

As always, let us know if this helped in the comments.

Thanks Wilson for the tips and sharing your experience.

[via Gizmodo]