Jailbreaking the iPad on iOS 4.3.2 with redsn0w

I've got a Sydney to Singapore flight tomorrow and I was looking to fill my iPad with the usual international flight movies: a season of Law & Order (the classic seasons when they still used typewriters), some Comedy Central Roasts and a few movies I've been meaning to watch. Normally this would just be a matter of copying movies into the VLC iPad application, but, the VLC application has been removed from the App Store!

Fortunately, it's still available from the Cydia App Store. But this means you'll need to jailbreak your iPad. Normally I leave my iPad jailbroken, but I have a long flight and I want some entertainment...

Items required to jailbreak

1. redsn0w: you'll need at least version 0.9.6rc14. That won't mean much to you if you don't compulsively follow the iOS jailbreaking scene. In any case, just download it. It's available for both Windows and MacOS.
2. iPad firmware: this is the 4.3.2 firmware for the iPad. Not the iPad2 - I'm stubbornly holding onto my iPad1. You can download this here. redsn0w modifies this IPSW to contain a payload which contains magic.
3. iTunes 10.2.2. This is a no brainer. If you're using MacOS, use Software Update to ensure you have the latest version. If you're running Windows, find your nearest Apple Store and buy a Mac.

Now that we've got the tools, let's do it!

1. Use iTunes to update your iPad to the latest iOS version 4.3.2.
2. Run redsn0w and follow the instructions.
3. Done! You'll know if your iPad was successfully jailbroken if there is an extra icon labelled Cydia.

If you're getting the error message "IPSW not recognized", your version of redsn0w isn't new enough. If redsn0w crashes, chances are you've downloaded the wrong iPad firmware. Make sure the iPad firmware you've downloaded matches your actual iPad firmware. You can check your current iPad firmware in Settings > General > About.  If your iPad firmware is 4.3.2 (8H7) and you're trying to run redsn0w on a file that isn't called iPad1,1_4.3.2_8H7_Restore.ipsw, you'll run into problems.

This jailbreak shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes (except for downloading the IPSW - your connection speed may vary!) If the "Downloading Jailbreak Data" screen appears on your iPad for more than 30 seconds, something is wrong.

Anyway, I have to load up my iPad with some movies for my flight. Enjoy your Easter holidays!