This is a FAQ posted by Livy over at the Dev-Team blog
Mad props to her for writing it all out.
If you find any factual errors, please reply so that I can edit it if possible. Also please comment if anything is missing that you think should be covered. (This is the first draft and it’s most likely not absolutely perfect. 
)
Q: When is the windows xy version of the PwnageTool going to be released?
A: There has never been a windows version of this specific tool. Don’t wait for it, it’s not likely there’ll ever be one.
Q: There seems to be some labeling wrong in PT, it says iPod touch 2G and iPhone 3GS!
A: That seems to be simply that, some wrong text . Those devices are not yet supported!
Q: I jailbroke with the new tool and everything is fine, but my carrier logo/name is missing!
A: This seems to be a small bug in PT. Please read up on the comments, someone posted advice on how to edit a plist on your phone to possibly fix this.
Q: I jailbroke and encountered problems with no signal or the phone not activating!
A: This might be due to the advanced expert options set in the custom FW you used. Try going through them again, paying attention if you enable or disable “Activate” depending on what you need. Try a different, fitting .ipsw if you downloaded it. Please read comments that describe the same problem you have, it’s often possible to resolve these problems!
Q: Will my baseband now NOT be updated when I jailbreak with the new version of the tool?
A: Yes, as long as the settings are set correctly in PwnageTool it will preserve your BB but update your FW.
Q: Can I upgrade/downgrade my FW and JB without losing Cydia and my Apps in Cydia?
A: No. There are backup solutions available in Cydia though that might help you make it a bit more convenient.
Q: I found this website and it says it can unlock iPhones even with 3.1!! So why can’t you????
A: These websites are mostly scams and just out to get your money by giving you false hope. If not, then they still can’t do anything that the Dev-Team also can’t. Guess where they get the tools from, with which they “unlock” your iPhone? … Do not listen to them, and do not pay them.
Q: What is new in 3.1? What is the difference to 3.0/3.0.1?
A: Please visit the Apple Website to find out about any new features in 3.1. Seriously, it’s not that hard to find!
Q: I have an iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 2G or 3, can I jailbreak/unlock it with this new tool?
A: No. Those devices are not yet supported. Please see the above Blog Posting from the Dev Team.
Q: Can I update to iTunes 9.0?
A: It won’t affect *already jailbroken* devices. (You can also deinstall and reinstall an older version of iTunes should there be any problems.)
Q: I only want to JB, not unlock, can I use the tool for that now?
A: Yes you can, follow the instructions in the official Dev-Team posting regarding your specific device. (Not for 3GS!)
Q: I have no Mac! How can I jailbreak my device?
A: You have to get someone with a Mac to create a custom FW for you. You can also try to find one that fits you (there are several options within the tool) from the internet, but be careful and try to download only from credible sources.
Q: How do I restore the pre-pwned FW I got now? (For windows users, if you can run the tool directly the process may be different.)
A: You can do a backup if you wish to, then use shift/option-click with the restore button in iTunes and select the pwned firmware, restore to it, then get your data back on your device.
Q: OH NOS my cat accidentally updated my iPhone to 3.1 while I was helping an elderly woman across the street. Can I unlock now?
A: Nope. Sorry. It might take a while … you were warned.
Q: I can’t restore to anything except 3.1!!!!!
A: All restores on the 3GS and newer devices need to be signed by Apple. You will not be able to restore to anything except the latest firmware version.
Q: Can I downgrade my 3GS if I have an older iTunes version or keep it disconnected from the intarweb?
A: No. Apple stopped signing any files except for 3.1 for the 3GS, this has nothing to do with your iTunes version. Disconnecting will also not work, several people have tried and reported this.
Q: How can I downgrade from 3.1 with my device that is NOT a 3GS?
A: DFU mode, click+restore.
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… Disclaimer also: this is NOT an official FAQ by the Dev-Team!!! …
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Q:Will that downgrade my 3.1 baseband?
A: No.
Q: When will the unlock for 3.1 be released? Will the Dev-Team EVER unlock the 3.1 BB? Do they work on it?
A: There is no ETA. There is a chance that it might not ever be unlocked. No one knows yet. Work on it? I think they do or will do, as it proves a significant challenge. (My personal opinion!)
Q: I had updated my iPhone to 3.1 through iTunes, can I unlock it NOW with this new tool?
A: Basically only 2G owners are safe if you did install a stock 3.1. 3G owners can downgrade their BB if they have a certain, quite old version of the bootloader, please google or check the comments for that. 3GS owners can do nothing at the moment.
Q: I didn’t get my iBEC & iBSS files on 3.0 or 3.0.1. Can I still get them? If I’m still on 3.0 or 3.0.1? What if I use an older iTunes?
A: No. No. No. (Apple stopped signing them, there is no way to get them anymore as of right now, and since 9/9/09.)
Q: I have a 2G/3G, do I need those signed files?
A: No, those files are/were only for the new 3GS and you’d only get them when you restored a 3GS.
Q: Can’t I just use someone else’s signed files?
A: No. The files are/were signed based on your specific device (3GS device!) and can not be swapped.
Q: Can I still store my 3.0/3.0.1 ibec/ibss files with Saurik?
A: No.
Q: DEV-TEAM plz answer and help me bla bla bla.
A: Rarely will you have any luck with such a request. They’re busy hacking y’know? They also happen to be human and have lifes and responsibilities just like YOU do, so please don’t bug them unnecessarily.
Addendum:
Q: I don’t know if I should leave “Activate phone” checked or not when creating my ipsw!
A: If you do NOT have an official carrier’s sim card, then no matter what, you will want to have that box checked. It also appears to be that you need an active official sim, it has been reported that old sim cards do not work, but you can still try it.
Q: I can’t find my ipsw on my Mac – it’s taking PwnageTool forever! I have waited like 135 seconds already!11!!
A: This process has been reported to sometimes take quite a while – up to 20 minutes (or more) for some users, this seems to be related to your HDD size/free space and the number of files you have on it. Also make sure Spotlight is turned on.
Q: I’m getting some kind of error 16xx when I try to restore my iPhone with my custom FW!
A: On Win: make sure you put your phone correctly into DFU mode, or try the iTunes restore mode, try different USB ports, try another FW than the one you downloaded. On Mac: try to use the PwnageTool itself to put the phone into DFU mode, it’s more likely to accept the FW then.
Q: I’m still getting 16xx errors! What else could I try?
A: These instructions below were written by thekayb and might help you:
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Just make sure you do the following to get into DFU mode. Hard reset your phone (Power Home) until the display comes on, should be USB iTunes picture from the sound of it. Then hold Power until the display is off (black). NOW, you can do DFU mode and get it recognized in iTunes.
1. Go to /Library/iTunes/Device Support and delete any file there (probably mentions recovery in the name)
2. Restart your Mac, Unplug your iPhone
3. Run PwnageTool all the way to the end or if you’re like me and have a a custom 3.1 IPSW already made, just do the DFU Setup all the way to the end
4. During the DFU Setup, iTunes will probably start up and yell about a phone in recovery mode. Quit iTunes when that happens the first time. Once Pwnage tells you to quit and open iTunes, do so.
5. Option – Click “Restore” and select the custom IPSW
6. For some reason, restoring a custom 3.1 took an incredible amount of time compared to previous breaks (like 20 minutes, all told) but it’s obviously worth it. Just let it sit until it’s done.
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After a little while on Google, here’s what I found. Kind of odd, but I guess it makes sense:
* Plug one end of the cord into your phone and the other in your computer
* Remove the cord in your computer, leaving the cord in the phone still plugged in
* Hold both the home button and on/off button on the phone
* Once the screen turns off, let go of the on/off button but continue holding the home button
* Plug in the other end of the cord in your computer while still holding the home button on the phone
* Once the apple logo appears, continue holding until you see the plug into iTunes screen on your phone
* Click restore (note: remember shift/option and choose your custom fw!)
