Bought used jailbroken 3GS, won't activate after restore

Question

Bought used jailbroken 3GS, won't activate after restore

Just bought a used 3GS that was jailbroken by the seller. We tested the SIM card in the phone and the AT&T network showed right up no problem. We didn't care to have it jailbroke, so I brought it home and did a restore on the phone. The phone rebooted and behaved like a new phone. Asking language, location, WiFi network, etc. I noticed that during this process the top showed that it was searching for the phone network.... it stayed in that mode. I went to the activation screen and it sits there forever and then comes back with a message saying the activation server is unavailable.

So... I connected this to iTunes to activate.... and iTunes says that the SIM card is not in the phone (it is).....

Anyone have this problem? And better yet... a solution

iPhone 3GS, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Aug 25, 2012 1:42 PM

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Answer 1

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Aug 25, 2012 1:44 PM in response to Doug Stringham

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3424

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Answer 2

Aug 25, 2012 1:48 PM in response to Doug Stringham

If the phone was jailbroken to unlock it there is no authorized way to get it working again. Usually the phone is hacked to unlock by replacing the baseband with an iPad baseband. But the Restore doesn't replace the baseband, only iOS, so you end up with a phone that has incompatible software versions on it. There may be solutions that cannot be discussed in an Apple hosted forum. Google is a useful tool.

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Answer 3

Aug 25, 2012 1:51 PM in response to Doug Stringham

Return the phone if possible, you don't want anything to do with a device that is jailbroken. Buy one that is not jailbroken, or if not, unjailbreak the one you have. Due to the fact it was hacked you may need to restore in Recovery Mode: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808.

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Answer 4

Aug 25, 2012 1:53 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

Yeah.... I've been trying the recovery without luck. I've been trying to return it to an unbroken state.

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Answer 5

Aug 25, 2012 1:56 PM in response to Doug Stringham

Not much I can recommend if Recovery Mode fails. That can happen if jailbroken. I would just keep trying.

Did you buy it on eBay? Any hope of returning?

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Answer 6

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Aug 25, 2012 1:57 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

stevejobsfan0123 wrote:

unjailbreak the one you have.

Perhaps you missed the part of the OP's post where he/she states that they have already restored the phone.

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Answer 7

Aug 25, 2012 1:59 PM in response to wjosten

Very kind of you to point that out, yet he later states:

Yeah.... I've been trying the recovery without luck. I've been trying to return it to an unbroken state.

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Answer 8

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Aug 25, 2012 2:01 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

It's either restored or it's not...the OP states it is, but won't activate.

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Answer 9

Aug 25, 2012 2:03 PM in response to wjosten

Yes... I got the restore to go through the entire process. Then it boots up with a new iPhone screen. But it never brings up the AT&T network or the like.

I'm looking into what Lawrence Finch posted earlier.

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Answer 10

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Aug 25, 2012 2:06 PM in response to Doug Stringham

If nothing in the support article I provided you a link for works, this could very well be your problem. Apple warns that jailbreaking an iPhone may mean the phone can never be restored with a stock iOS & activated. This is sometimes why jailbreakers just through in the towel.

Good luck.

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Answer 11

Aug 25, 2012 4:34 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

OK... so this was apparently jailbroke with Absinthe. So... I went to their site and followed their instructions in their YouTube video on how to restore this phone back to original state. I followed the instructions exactly. Which is what I had done previously. However... here's what happens.

It starts with the 'Connect to iTunes' screen. Which I did.... it downloaded and restores 5.1.1 to the iPhone. The iPhone reboots and now comes up with the screen like it's a new phone. Asking for language, location, location services off/on, WiFi network (which it sees and logs into just fine)... and then it gets to the authentication screen and just sits until it gets to a screen that says the server is down. If I try to authenticate it through iTunes it says the iPhone is missing a SIM card (it's in there and been reseated a few dozen times... and was working prior with the jailbreak). The phone shows it's in constant search for the AT&T network and never connects.

So I'm stuck in this position of not being able to authenticate.

:-/

I've not dealt with jailbreaks before, though I'm a fairly technical sort of guy. I've done a good couple hours of research to find an answer and have tried a few different things with the same result.

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Answer 12

Aug 25, 2012 4:35 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

Bought it from a guy locally. Everything seemed to be working under the jailbreak just fine. This is for my son and he didn't want to deal with the jailbreak... so I decided to take it back to original state.

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Answer 13

steve359

Level 6

17,169 points

Aug 25, 2012 4:40 PM in response to Doug Stringham

I would get my money back.

Most jailbreak discussions are pulled by the moderators because they refuse to recognize their mistake.

You have received some help from the forum because you are trying to undo another's mistake. But still you will not get much more technical help than you have received.

Just start with a fresh factory-original model.

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Answer 14

Aug 25, 2012 4:45 PM in response to steve359

Not sure if that's possible... but we shall see.

That's true... I'm not trying to use the phone as jailbroken... just trying to return it to it's original state as originally designed.

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Answer 15

steve359

Level 6

17,169 points

Aug 25, 2012 4:53 PM in response to Doug Stringham

We see that, and respect your honorable intentions ... just that "getting back" is not always possible.

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