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This is XDA Developers, and we like our devices a certain way. We like them unlocked, rooted, and free to do with as we please. However, very few devices are ever released in this condition. Thus, our large community of dedicated developers figure out a way to do it. After all, it’s happened again and again and again. When Windows RT came out, it wasn’t 100% open either. There were security features in place that prevented users from installing unsigned .exe files. This, of course, means that users can’t install much outside of the Microsoft App Store. Now, there’s a jailbreak tool to get around it.
XDA Forum Member clrokr observed the exploit first and XDA Senior Member netham45 wrapped it up in a nifty little tool. Called the RT Jailbreak Tool, it allows users to sign unsigned applications on their Windows RT devices. This is a pretty big deal since most of the fun applications are unsigned.
Using the tool is pretty simple. It comes in a zip file that must be extracted first. Once extracted, users run the .bat file included to make a menu open. There are a few options: Users can install the jailbreak just one time, have the script apply the jailbreak on every login, or uninstall the tool. You may notice it says that it can install it just once. One caveat—or possibly one advantage—to this exploit is that it is goes away upon a reboot. In other words, it’s quite easy to remove if you wish to go back for any reason.
There are some other fun facts that come with this tool. It won’t let you run apps like Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc. You can still only install RT applications. Installing a jailbreak doesn’t make traditional x86-64 applications suddenly compatible with ARM. However, apps that are open source and can be compiled for ARM processors will work. An example would be the growing list of ARM-compatible apps being ported from desktop apps being worked on already. In addition, there are also links to help people with things like lib problems and compiling their own apps from source.
There are a few issues as well. Some people who try this may get a BSoD. This has been tracked down to something that happens only in the first couple of minutes after logging in. So if you try it and get BSoD, wait a few minutes after the next reboot and try again. It is also suggested that you make sure you are fully updated via Windows Update. Also, since it allows unsigned .exe files to be installed, there is always a risk of a virus. So be sure you trust the source of the unsigned apps.
If this looks like something you want to do with your copy of Windows RT, then check out the RT Jailbreak Tool thread for more details.
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