READ ME BEFORE DOING ANYTHING TO YOUR PHONE OR STARTING A NEW THREAD!!!!!
The myTouch 1.2/Fender is a rather unique device. If you boot into fastboot you will notice that the following information is displayed:
Code:
Sapphire PVT 32A Ship S-on G
Hboot-1.33.0013 (Sapp31000)
CPLD-13
RADIO-2.22.23.02
Oct 21 2009
Let's break that down a little bit.
You see in the first line 32A...but this is very misleading. The myTouch 1.2 is actually a 32B device, just with 32A memory and controller, but it IS a 32B device for pretty much all intents and purposes.
Secondly, you'll notice S-ON. This means that remote security from the bootloader is enable. What does that mean for the user??? Simple, you'll never be able to run a remote fastboot command.
Second line, 1.33.0013. This is your SPL and the ONLY SPL that will allow the phone to function properly. This, as well as the radio, will always need to be the stock versions or you'll either brick your phone or never get a ROM to work.
Also to note, this is considered a perfected SPL. What does "perfected" mean? Remember the "S-ON"?? That is what makes it perfected.
Lastly, the radio, 2.22.23.02. There is actually now a newer radio, 2.22.28.25 available, however, I personally have noted no real performance gain/loss. Again, along with the SPL, you will never want to change this unless you absolutely know what your doing or an expert tells you to.
Now, on to the good stuff.
How do I root my phone???
The first few posts of this thread are the various methods to go about rooting the myTouch 1.2/Fender. The easiest and least dangerous method would be to use one of the one-click root programs such as Universal Androot or SuperOneClick. These methods will give your phone permanent root permissions (permanent until you do a factory reset or receive certain OTA updates later on down the road). The big deal here is that with root permissions you are able to download a nice little application from the Market called ROM Manager that allows you to flash a custom recovery onto your phone. The custom recovery is the bread and butter of modifying your phone. It allows you to flash custom ROM's, flash new kernel's for overclocking, etc.
What radio should I use?/What's the best SPL?
Simply put, don't mess with your radio or your SPL ever except for under very specific circumstances. Those circumstances being, your rooting your phone using the goldcard method or you need an engineering SPL to be able to run a command from fastboot. Even in either of those cases, this should be done very carefully and you will always need to revert back to the original SPL/radio. If you ever need to run something from fastboot and are thinking about flashing an
engineering SPL to do so, make sure you ask an expert first before proceeding. The number one reason for people bricking their phone is because they have taken it upon themselves to try flashing random file they've found via Google.
What ROM's can I use?
This is an easy one. Pretty much any ROM made for 32B phones that does not require a specific radio. I haven't personally tried this out, but I've had reports from a few people that just about every ROM for the G1 not requiring a specific radio works for the 1.2/Fender. Worse case scenario if you flash a ROM that isn't going to work, you'll get stuck in a boot loop and will just need to flash a new ROM or restore a backup.
What is a backup?
A backup essentially saves the state of your phone. For those computer savvy, it's like creating an image of a hard drive. The easiest way to create a backup is via a custom recovery. Both ClockworkMod and Amon Ra's recovery's include backup applications (e.g. Nandroid, Bart, ClockworkMod). Immediately after achieving root, getting your custom recovery installed, and verifying that your ROM boots properly, you should create a backup. This way, if your phone ever starts going down the tube or you manage to hose something up with your ROM, you can simply restore your backup and be back up and running. This will not fix a truely bricked device however, so don't get your hopes up.
Is my phone bricked?
The basic definition of a bricked devices is one that will not boot into a ROM, will not enter the bootloader, and will not enter recovery. If you still are able to boot into any of the three mentioned, your not bricked and there's a chance to save your device. The problem is that when most people get close to this state (they can only get into fastboot for example) they'll go into a panic and start trying any and everything to get their phone back up and running. This is
NOT the thing to do. If you ever are stuck in a similar situation, please come ask for help and don't do anything else with guidance.
How do I get into the bootloader/recovery?
All of these steps are to be completed with the phone powered off.
For fastboot - hold back+power until your loaded into a white screen with the Android dude skateboarding.
For hboot - hold Volume Down+power until your loaded into a white screen with the Android dude skateboarding.
For recovery - hold the home button+power until your loaded into your recovery. For the stock recovery it'll be a triangle with an exclamation mark in it and an error pointing to a box. Hitting the home button again will get you the rest of the way into the stock recovery. If you have a custom recovery you will be loaded into a basic menu.
It's essential to familiarize yourself with these menu's. Before you do anything to start rooting, you should boot into fastboot and right down the information there and keep it somewhere. If your run into problems later on and you can still get into fastboot, make sure you get in there and right down what it's showing then. Make sure you include whatever your fastboot information is whenever your posting about a problem in the forums.
That's all I can think of for now. So good luck!
