RT Jailbreak Tool
By Netham45, Version 1
An all-in-one program to jailbreak Windows RT tablets using the method recently released by clrokr
Installation
- Extract to a folder on your tablet, double-click 'runExploit.bat'.
- The first time you run the exploit (or if you ever uninstall the ModernUI component of the exploit) it will launch Powershell to install the ModernUI app. Follow all the prompts that it gives you during install.
Usage
- Boot your RT device and log in, allow it to sit on the desktop for about a minute.
- Run runExploit.bat, wait for it to do it's thing (shouldn't be more than 20 seconds or so)
- Press Volume Down
- Wait for runExploit.bat to finish, answer any prompts it gives. They should all be fairly self-explanatory.
That's it!
F.A.Q.
Q) I keep BSoD'ing! What's up?
A) I haven't managed to track down the cause of the BSoDs, except that they seem to happen when the exploit is ran within the first minute or so of the tablet booting and logging in. If you're getting BSoDs, boot your tablet to the desktop and wait 2 or 3 minutes before trying the exploit.
Q) Is this persistant across reboots?
A) No, it resets every time the device reboots.
Q) Will this work with all the latest updates, as of 01/10/2012?
A) It seems to for me, and other users are reporting it does.
Q) How do I compile apps for the Surface RT? It says I'm missing a bunch of .libs!
A) Visual Studio 2012 does not come with all the required ARM .libs for compiling most desktop apps. Please see THIS post by _peterdn for a useful utility for generating .libs and .exps from the .dlls on the tablet.
Q) Are there any precompiled apps for this available?
A) I've made a couple that I have compiled myself available. VNC Server/Client and PuTTY, Bochs
Update: Check out THIS THREAD for a list of all currently known compiled apps.
Q) Will Chrome/Firefox be ported over?
A) I don't see any major technical hurdles for those, but I probably won't be the one to do it.
Q) Can Microsoft patch this?
A) Yes and no. They can patch it through Windows Update, but since we have the ability to reinstall from recovery partitions we can revert any Windows Updates they release.
Q) Will this allow people to run viruses on my tablet?
A) Yes and no, if something malicious is compiled and ran while jailbroken it could act like a virus, yes. Once you reset, though, it'll be gone.
Q) Can any random Store app do this?
A) No, this requires tools and privileges that Windows Store apps can't possess. The appcontainer model that MS uses is very strict and good at preventing things like this from happening inadvertently. There's a number of things that would get rejected from the store working in this.
Q) Why would you want desktop apps? They suck for touch.
A) Mainly for the library of easily ported software, along with the things that metro apps just can't do. I agree, they're more inconvenient to use with touch, but that's the tradeoff for having a huge library of software. You also don't have to use desktop mode, the tablet still is quite good without it (Except the mail client). I also believe that since it's my device I should be able to do whatever I want with it, regardless of what MS says. Traditionally MS has leaned the same way with Windows, which makes it rather disappointing they chose to lock this platform down.
Q) Will this void my warranty?
A) Since it doesn't persist across reboots chances are the support center will never know, though it may be against the terms of your devices warranty.
Q) Is there any warranty for this program?
A) No express or implied warranty exists.
Q) Will I (The user) get my developer license banned?
A) It's possible, though I doubt that MS will do that.
Q) Won't you (Netham45) get your developer license banned?
A) Time will tell, I knew the risk when I posted this. I suspect that their banning system is more geared towards piracy, though, which this doesn't really enable.
Q) It's not working! What do?
A) Post in this thread describing what you're doing and the issue you're having, do not PM me.
Thanks to clrokr for finding the exploit, and to the numerous people who contributed positively in the [Q] Hacking Windows RT to Run Desktop Apps thread
Source plus Download: XDA-Dev
Comments