bootloader problem? i've read EVERY thread!

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hi all, hope someone can help, been reading threads for days and this is about my fifth xda so i'm no newb.

it's an i-mate jamin i got for my father, ipl/spl 2.13.0001 (G4) bought second hand from ebay, seems to work fine running wm5 os 2.13 but won't send text messages, didn't think much of it since i was planning to upgrade to wm6.1, unfortunately NO KNOWN METHOD WORKS.

Here's what i've tried:

Two different windows xp computers, two different cables, re-install activesync, hard reset, multiple connection retries.
PDAViet temp step 1 from OS and Bootload, most common error is [264], tried NVID wm5, tried official IPL 2.20.0001 upgrade and official i-mate ROM, tried jump/soft/hard SPL, all go to white bootload screen but no further, sometimes the green LED will flash as a radio signal on this white screen but usually nothing.

It seems very much to me like the bootloader is not responding, can someone please tell me when you put the phone in the bootloader and plug the usb cable in, after it has said USB, if you then unplug the cable should the USB text dissapear? because on mine it remains..

when running hardspl.bat the only error on the script is;
cerun: program could not execute (0), after trying to run jumpspl, altho it DOES go into the white screen and just sit there, yes i've tried pressing the camera button.

I'm fresh out of ideas here! help please!

when i run Prophet_G4_IPL_v2.20.0001.exe after a hard reset (sticks on bootloader and give [264]) but before that it says upgrade from 1.2.0.0 to 2.20.

That first number doesn't seem right? is it possible the previous owner flashed a G4 ipl onto a G3 device? and how would I tell?