How To: Root a Donut Phone (Android 1.6)

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Ok, just to make this a little easier for everyone I figured I would do a video of how to root a stock Donut phone from beginning to end (all the steps are already on the site but I figured I would put them together in one post to make life easy).

I. Get Back to Cupcake

G1 Unroot Process

myTouch Unroot Process

Magic Unroot Process

Most of the procedures entail either putting the IMG.nbh file on the sd card and booting into bootloader and flashing it OR connecting the phone via HTC Sync to the computer and running an RUU to get back.

II. Root The Cupcake Phone with One Click Procedure

G1/MyTouch One Click Process

Magic One Click Process

All of the 1 click rooting procedures are putting the Flashrec.apk file and a recovery image on the SD card, installing Flashrec and then using it to flash the new recovery image. You WILL NOT have internal root access after this procedure (it only allows us external root access from recovery) so you MUST goto the next section to finish.

III. Load a Custom ROM

G1/MyTouch Load a ROM Process

Magic Load a ROM Process

All of these procedures consist of partitioning the SD card then putting a ROM on the SD card and then loading the ROM. In the case of the G1, you also have to update the radio and SPL (if you do not have the current version, if you do then do NOT load them again).

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  • SideshowMelleMel

    I thought this is what I would have to do, but your “putting is all together” post definitely made me sure of it! Thanks so much, I will be rooting very soon now that I’m sure.

    My only question is – is there a way to back everything Donut up first? (the CM Recovery image only allows you backup – but that will be a Cupcake backup)

    • Hello SideshowMelleMel,

      Your very welcome!
      As for the backup, you should just save everything on your sd to your computer just in case and make sure your phone syncs with Google to save your Contacts, Calendar, and Mail and then you’ll never lost that.
      If you are concerned with getting back to donut, you can use a custom ROM to do that (recommended) or just unroot to cupcake and call TMo and have them send you the Donut update (say you still havent gotten it yet).

  • VR

    @Unlockr

    i have had my phone rooted for some time now. (using the one click process from v1.5) it worked flawlessly! for some reason when i tried this process from firmware 1.6 on my friends phone, i cant seem to get it back to RC29. when i get to the bootloader screen, it says there is no file. i tried downloading the nbh from multiple sites and still no progress. why is this?????

    • Hello VR,

      It can only be that the file you are downloading needs to be extracted first and then put the SD card and make sure it is not in any folder and is name correctly when on the sd card.

  • VR

    @unlockr

    yeah i double checked everything. i guess ill just keep trying until i get it to work i

  • Hi there, first of all I really want to thank you for all your support, I’ve been reading your page for some hours and you’re simply great.

    I’m using a T-Mobile My Touch 3G in Mexico, I bought a code from a e-bay seller and it worked perfectly with Telcel (Biggest carrier in Mexico) I’m considering to root my phone, but now I’m not sure my phone will still work with my Mexican carrier, do you know something about this? The main reason to consider rooting my phone is to get a ad-hoc connection at home (maybe for multi-touch, too), is this (rooting) the only way to get that?

    Thanks in advance.

    By the way, I’ve already got donut update (curiously I got it OTA through Telcel’s network)

    • Hello Rafa I,

      Thanks!
      Yes rooting is the only way to get those features and TECHNICALLY rooting should not effect your SIM unlock at all (and even if it did you could put the code you got back in to reunlock it, assuming you didnt throw it out). So you should be fine.
      Use this procedure (and the 3 it links to) to get root and ready to go 🙂 Good luck!

  • It’s working! =) It seems I have all what I got before plus a world to discover! =)

    Thank you very much!

  • Luis

    Hi, I kinda rushed through the first part in the first section with loading the original SPL to the G1. I did not realize that the phone was stock and just needed to skip to loading the nbh file.

    When I now go to the rainbow screen, it doesn’t go any further along in the process to where i can load the nbh file.

    Does loading that SPL somehow screw up the process?

    • Hello Luis,

      No, just read the reported issues and make sure you unzip the dreaimg.nbh file from the zip folder and put it on the root of the sd card (not in any folder) and this it is named exactly dreaimg.nbh (not dreaimg.nbh.zip or anything like that). Good luck!

  • Nesta

    Hey guys, i have a question:
    I have an European(Dutch T-mobile G1, sim unlocked,Build number DRC92), i want to root it, but I have updated to Donut.
    Does this method work for my phone?

    Thnx in advance

    Grtz Nesta

  • KJW

    Hey,

    I accidently locked my unrooted G1, got the “Too many pattern attempts” screen, and if I enter my real, correct gmail details it doesn’t let me in.

    I know if I root my phone it’s just a simple matter to unlock it with some SQL commands via ADB – My question is, would I be able to actually root my phone now that it’s password locked?

    Thanks,

    K

    • Hello KJW,

      Shouldn’t be a problem. Follow this procedure and the phone will no longer be pattern locked after the first video (downgrading to cupcake) so then you can do the next 2 procedures without an issue.

  • Emil  Begtrup-Bright

    Very nice overview, thank you! It makes the process less frightening when you are new to this.

    However, I have a HTC Tattoo, and I am unsure that I can use this guide with my phone? I have been looking for an answer on this question all over the net, but can’t find a good answer?

    • Hello Emil,

      We are actually not sure if it will work on the Tattoo (we don’t have one). So if you want, try the How To Root the MyTouch in One Click procedure and let me know if you can get the recovery image on the phone (worst that will happen is it will block you). Don’t do this donut procedure, just go straight to the How To Root in One Click for the MyTouch.

  • Nesta

    Allright then!!,But how do I downgrade to Cupcake if I don’t have the recoverymode loader installed?

    Grtz Nesta

    • Hello Nesta,

      Read the directions… you don’t need any recovery installed 🙂

  • Nesta

    Hi,
    last question 😛 :
    First I need to downgrade to Cupcake,, I have to skip the SPL part, right?But don’t I need an European Rom for the downgrade?

    Grtz

  • rashel

    hey theunlockr,
    i am having so much trouble trying to root my mytouch. 1st my phone is on 1.6 and i tried to bring it back to cupcake but it doesnt bring me to the reboot option when i press volume down and power. it just brings me to , with no action taking place.

    2nd i always get backup failed.
    3rd when i press home and power i get !.
    please help
    thank you

  • Emil

    So just to be totally clear, even though the guide explicitly says that I need to go back to Cupcake, and that I shoulnd’t root the phone with Donut installed: I should just go ahead and try anyway?

    And what about custom ROMs, can I use them with my Tattoo? Which one should I install? Fx, Tattoo has a radio, which most other androids don’t, so I guess I can’t use cyanogenmod? There seems to be a black hole of no information on the Tattoo in the modding community, most likely because it’s not widely distributed yet.

    I’d be happy to test and see if it works on my tattoo, but I really want to be sure that I don’t break my phone while doing it! So sorry about all the questions. Hopefully it will help other Tattoo owners.

    • Hello Emil,

      Yes, I would suggest trying to use the Flashrec.apk and load the recovery image. In all probability it wont work, but it can’t hurt to try (it’ll just say failed when you try). Thats it.
      You should go back to cupcake etc if it doesnt work, BUT at the moment we do not have access to a Non Donut version of the Tattoo ROM. If you want to do a little searching, here is what you need. You need the original Tattoo ROM (cupcake) OR the original Tattoo RUU (pre version 2.73). If you can find those, post a link here and I’ll get t work on a procedure for you ASAP.

  • GGG

    hey unlockr i tryed to un root my mytouch 3g for tmobile using your video and i get to th hboot screen and it scans but dosent give me the option to activate the update

    • GGG,

      Please post this in the technical support forums of the site so we can help without clogging up the comments. Thanks for understanding.

  • BigzIzKing

    im back to rc29 but it wont update to cupcake and im doing it the write way

  • does I. Back to Cupcake, work with a german unrooted phone?

  • Emil  Begtrup-Bright

    • Emil,

      Nice work! I will look at them today and get a process ready if there is enough info in them.

  • Emil

    Good that it might be useful! Forgot this one, from HTCPedia:

    http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=930&highlight=tattoo

    • Emil,

      Ok checked and the first ones you sent were trying to get Android onto Windows Mobile devices, so no go. BUT the last thing you sent looks like what we need.
      Can you check something on your phone though? Can you goto Settings > About then look at the Firmware version and tell me what the number is there? Use the contact us form instead of the comments here so I don’t miss it.

  • Biigz

    im sorry 4 that post i made myself look stupud becuase it does work

    • Biigz,

      Ya, watch the temper next time will ya 🙂 Just ask for help if you’re having issues, so long as your nice about it, I’m happy to help.
      Glad you got it to work though.

  • Klas

    I try to downgrade from 2.73.405.5 to the version included in Hero Unroot Process, but after some thinking the Update Utility states:

    “The ROM Update Utility cannot update your Android phone. Please get the correct ROM Update Utility and try again”.

    I’m a newbie and don’t understand this. What must I do from here?

    Best regards.

    • Klas,

      Look on our site for the How to Downgrade the HTC Hero so it can be rooted procedure and do that.

  • Klas

    It’s a Hero, btw.

  • Biggz

    WELL I DID ASK NICELY AND NO ONE SEEM TO ANSWER ME SO THAT WHAT GOT ME UPSET BUT YEA I GOT IT TO WORK AND THANKS

    • Biggz,

      Keep in mind that noone on this site gets paid to help anyone, so don’t get mad if we can’t get to you right away. Have you ever tried to ask a question on any other site about this stuff? If you have, you’d be in awe that we answer as much as we do here. Wish I could get to every question I reallllly do 🙂
      If anything, post in the Forums next time, theres more people helping (our AWESOME VOLUNTEER MODERATORS!!!) and they can usually get to stuff faster than I can.

      Glad it works though!

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  • jon

    can i go back to donut and still be rooted or is there a way to just root donut with out going to cupcake

    • Jon,

      You would have to go down to cupcake and load the do our root procedure there then just load a custom ROM that is based on Donut and you’ll have a Donut ROM with root. That is the only way to do it currently, but there are no downsides to doing it that way.

  • Just grabbed the feed… thanks for posting this.

  • jon

    thank you that help out alot

  • Kix

    hi im going to try this on my google g1 v1.6 donut.

    Just wanted to ask, does this automatically make the feature to save apps from the market to the sd card available? i always run out of space on the phone.

    Which bit do i partition my sd card, i have an 8gb card?

    found the apps2sd how to but its obsolete.

    thanks excellent post btw simple to follow

    • Kix,

      If you do all of these procedures and load a custom Donut ROM (I recommend Amon Ras from our Download section) you will have Donut (1.6) that you have now but also root access and it will automatically save apps2sd for you so long as you did the section to partition the sd card in the How To Load a Custom ROM section.

  • jon

    ok i rooted and put donut back on with the expansion pack but for some reason it wont let me turn it sideways to full key board and the setup keeps force closing help plz

  • Bee

    Hey, i’m still having problems with booting the spl. i keep getting the triangle screen like VR. I extracted and re-downloaded the file and nothing happens. I seriously need some help.

    • Bee,

      Please post in the Technical Support forum for you phone so we can help you back and forth without clogging the comments, ya know?

  • Emil  Begtrup-Bright

    Hi Unlokr,

    Did you get my message through the “contact us” formular about the Tattoo? Not to hurry you or anything, just want to make sure you got it.

    The firmware version is 1.6.

    Software version is 1.6.405.6

    • Emil,

      Sorry Emil, been really busy (and now I’m sick…), would you mind resending it if you have a copy of what you sent?

  • hy unlockr,
    do you now when/where there is a rooting access availible docu for the htc tattoo ( htc click ) device?

    • Vlip,

      At the moment there doesnt seem to be a way. BUT try the How To Root the CDMA Hero procedure, it might work on the Tattoo and there is no harm in trying.

  • Emil  Begtrup-Bright

    Hi again,

    no probs, I’m just grateful that you’ll help me and other Tattoo owners!

    – well you just asked for my firmware version, it’s right above you 🙂

    • Emil,

      The reason I asked is because the files you sent me have the same Firmware version so they wont downgrade you unfortunately, which means they wont help 🙁
      Try the How To Root The CDMA Hero procedure that just went up, it MIGHT work and there is no harm in trying. Let me know if it works!

  • my frimware htc tattoo = donut 1.6 / kernel 1.6.29-gf922713
    htc-kernel@and18-2 #117
    build number 1.67.405.6 CL#741718
    software version 1.67.405.6

  • david

    Thanks so much for this. It is so helpful!

    Once you root the phone can you use the phone after process II, will you be able to use the phone or do you have to install and updated ROM?

    • David,

      You must install a ROM, but you can just install a basic ROM (non Hero for example) and you’ll have regular android with all the benefits of rooting 🙂

  • Rainer

    I have SAPPHIRE PVT 32B SHIP S-ON G, HBOOT 1.33.0006(30000), CPLD-10, RADIO 2.22.19.26I. WHAT STEP SHOULD I DO? I’VE TRIED TO PUT THE SAPPIMG.IMG ON THE SD CARD AFTER FORMATTING IT, BUT IT COULD NOT THE FILE., TNX…

    • Rainer,

      Do the steps for the Magic, not the MyTouch.

  • in one click does not work,,, its patched somehow.

  • aktive

    do i need a data plan in order to do root my phone?

  • aktive

    do i need a data plan in order to root my g1?
    if i wanted to get the htc hero rom

  • Roldy718

    will i loose all the apps i downloaded from the Android market once i unroot the MyTouch 3G down to CUPCAKE??

  • jacob taylor

    Just wanted to say thanks for the all to easy methods. It is very cool to have them all on one page instead of questing thru xda. You rock!!

  • Ico

    This guide doesn’t make any sense to me. I have a STOCK G1 with Doughnut installed. When I click on the Downgrade The SPL link it tells me to SKIP THIS SECTION. Which would mean for me to go step 2 which is Root the Cupcake phone with one click. I can’t do that if I have Doughnut.

    ??? WTF?

    • Ico,

      Read step 1 of this procedure (How To Root a Donut Phone procedure not the How To Root the G1 procedure). And if you click on the link for the G1 Unrooting, do that procedure first then go to the next procedure.

  • Musik

    Ok, I have followed all of the steps above, in rooting my Donut G1. All is well, except for the fact that my internal memory on the phone is pretty much shot. I can’t even install apps from the market now, because there is only 50Mb left of memory. Every time i try to install an app, it says not enough memory, then cancels the install. What I don’t understand, is that during the process you have laid out here on this website, we wipe the phone, from the recovery screen, correct me if i’m wrong. Now before i started the rooting process, i had about 50 or so Mb in the internal phone memory. So now, i’m concerned with…was my phone ever wiped in the first place, or do i have random miscellaneous apps in my phone somewhere, that i can’t reach and delete (using linda file mgr. or any other that i know of). Thank you for your help in advance. —Musikal Future—

    • Musik,

      Please post ur issue in the Technical Support forums for assistance so we dont clog up the comments thanks!

  • Musik

    Another question: I didn’t partition the SD, well let me back up, i did, but it wasn’t recognized by my computer, so i couldn’t put a ROM on it. So i used a different SD card i had to put the standard Donut w/root on it, and loaded that. So i don’t have App2SD as of now> My question, is .. How come it wouldn’t be recognized by my computer after the partition. I tried on my MacBook Pro, and I also tried on my PC w/Vista. Neither of them wouldn’t recognize the partitioned SD card. Also, when partitioning, that erases everything on the SD card. Right?
    Thanks again, —Musikal Future—

  • tworrells

    it wont root, when go to Backup Recovery Image, it fails and says that phone type is EBI0/32B on my G1, Can anyone help me please.

  • tworrells

    It says Backup FAILED: Could not run command.

    • Tworrells,

      Did you do the first step and downgrade back to cupcake?

  • Bruce

    I can confirm the CDMA Hero root procedure does not work for the HTC Tattoo 🙁

  • Julian

    I have a rooted cupcake G1 that I rooted many months ago. it is running the jesusFreak 1.5.1 image and I’ve had no problems with it. The main root feature I use is of course the wifi tether. Now 1.6 is out (and my wife’s unrooted G1 picked it up) and it has the new google directions app that I’d like to try. so the big question is, since I loaded teh modified recovery stuff and all the modded stuff for loading 1.5, how can I upgrade to 1.6 without losing it all?

    • Julian,

      Just load a custom 1.6 ROM, there is definitely one that some dev created from the official ROM and added the navigation program in already. Also you can probably search for the Nav app in the market and just download it, no need to unroot.

  • flashy

    Hi,

    is there still no possibility to unlock a htc tattoo?
    I need to add my CA but didn’t get it to work

    Regards
    Robert

    • Flashy,

      Do you mean unlock or root? Unlocking is being able to use a different SIM card than it was intended to be used on the phone. For that you would need to purchase an unlocking code. Rooting is jailbreaking and allowing us to alter the system.

  • Macnasty

    Watz up,

    Is it normal for the g1 to exit itself out of mount? Every time i try to put the dreaimg.nbh on my phone it exits from my computer. Do i need to format my SD card?

  • HyDrO84

    @theunlockr,
    I just wanted to say thanks a million.
    I have the G1 and with this guide I was able to root and flash my phone in about 3 hours.
    This was my first attempt and these steps made it really easy for me to do.
    I am currently running the JACXHeroSki Hero ROM, and I must say that it is amazing, almost like buying a new phone without paying the money.
    Again thanks for this guide and keep up the awesome work!!!

  • Bing

    I have one Tattoo too. I will really appreciate your efforts to help us root the tattoo! thx/

  • Todd

    ok, i don’t think this is any kind of relevant but just tried to root my ‘My Touch (formatted the sd card, have 4.1 ROM and i downloaded and installed the apk) now when i try to backup recovery image it immediately says ‘Backup FAILED’..

    what should i do..?

    • Todd,

      You need to downgrade back to cupcake first.

  • Todd

    yeah i figures it out just before you posted..

    thanks..

    well now i have another problem.. : /

    i forgot to load the recover img as i was running the apk program, not know then that i didn’t i went and applied the zip so now when i boot it doesn’t go anywhere past the green ‘mytouch’ screen..

    should i put the nbh file back on the SD and load cupcake again or is it bricked now..?

    • Todd,

      I would unroot and start over, its not bricked dont worry.

  • Todd

    thank you so much!!

    now to get an SD adapter..

    let you know how it goes when i finish..

    Props to TheUnlockr.com

  • Todd

    ok, so i redid everything and this time remembered to put in the recovery img but it seemed like it didnt do anything.

    i expected a wait when flashing the custom img (recovery-RA-dream-v1.2.3.img) but it finished in a couple seconds. – dont know if thats normal

    so i did that the booted and applied the updated zip (update-cm-4.2.5-signed), once that was done i rebooted and now im still only getting the green ‘mytouch’ screen..

    please help.. again.. lol

  • is there a number i can call so someone can help me figure this out..?

    if anyone wants to help heres my email-
    nirvana422@hotmail.com

  • jonut

    Hi unlockr, i have a tattoo and it’s kinda sorta driving me nuts how to root it.

    I’ve been reading up on the conversation between you and Emil, and it seems that you an older version of the Tattoo ROM?

    Perhaps it could be one of them here? One of them is 1.56.405.1
    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=591746

    Hope it helps 😐

  • Žiga Cibic

    I have a never before rooted G1 on donut and when i try to load the dreaimg.nbh by starting the phone with camera + power combo, i get thenot allow error. I have a continental phone and any help would be appreciated.

  • Žiga Cibic

    Tried that allready, i get the could not run command error

  • Faded

    I would just like to thank The Unlockr for all of your tutorials and step by step process of unlocking, unrooting, rooting and loading custom roms to the HTC’s.

    We need people like you in our life. Awesome job + You rock.

    Thank you very much,
    Randy

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  • Jatan

    Hi Unlockr,
    I have a couple of questions about rooitng my phone. I was wondering how I would upgrade back to 1.6 after I root my phone? How would I get multi touch in the browser on this phone? And is there a way to switch between different operating systems on the phone?

    • Jatan,

      When you load a custom ROM they can be based on 1.6 or even 2.0 so once you load a ROM you are back to whatever Android version you choose.
      Certain ROMs have multitouch built in, you would have to check the feature list for the developers ROM on his ROMs page.
      Different versions of Android you mean? You could flash as many different ROMs as you want 🙂
      Good Luck!

  • Josh

    Hi Unlockr, I just purchased a g1 today and I was wondering does it come stock cupcake or dount. I want to root it but im not sure if I need to get cupcake or if its already on cupcake.
    Thanks, josh

    • Josh,

      Goto About in the Settings, if it says Firmware 1.5 its cupcake, if it says 1.6 its donut.
      Good luck!

  • Jatan

    Thank you unlockr. This website is the best

  • Jatan

    Sorry Unlockr but I have one more question. How would I switch between different ROMs? Can I install many different ROMs on my sd card and flash any one ofthem any time I want or do I have to have one ROM on my sd card at a time and to flash another ROM I have to get rid of it and put a new one on?

    • Jatan,

      Yes you can. Just put the new ROM on the SD card like you did the first ROM and boot into recovery, wipe data, and flash that rom instead. You can do that as much as you want.

  • Tom

    My device, an HTC Tattoo, has 1.6 donut but I can’t find a rom for it and stuff to root it 🙁

  • Micutz

    Hello,
    if my HTC Magic has the following properties:
    * firmware: 1.5 (cupcake)
    * HBOOT-1.33.0010
    can I make an update to a 2.0 version(eclaire) or at least to a 1.6 version (donut)?? If yes, how should i do it, so i don’t transform it into a brick??
    Thanks!

  • Micutz

    I wasn’t very clear with my wishes.. I would like to root a Hero ROM into my Magic! Is that possible? If so, what version would you recomand! Thanks again, and sorry for bothering you!

  • dusan7

    I have as well Tattoo and waiting for a solution to become it rooted. Please help us to find some way.

  • brandon h

    hey unlockr
    i recently tried to root my donut 1.6 mytouch 3g everything is good until i try to backup and it always say backup failed why is that when everything else is right

    • Brandon H,

      Did you skip the downgrade to cupcake procedure? 🙂

  • tornado8282

    I have htc magic vodafone version.im new here n wanted to find out whats the diff between rooting a fone n flashing a phone?my phone firmware version is 1.6?thanks

    • Tornado,

      Rooting a phone means gaining root access which means allowing us to change anything we want on the phone without being blocked.
      So we use the root access to flash a custom rom, which has a bunch of features that the dev has put in.
      Thats the basic jist without going to much into detail lol

      If you have 1.6, you have Donut, follow this procedure to continue.

  • Hamad

    I have a Tmobile Mytouch 3g with 1.6 firmware
    How do i try to get my phone to have Arabic language
    support so i could read and write in arabic. Do i have to rooted to get the support.

    Can you Please explain to me what does rooted, ROM and cupcake and Donut terms mean ?

    Thanks You

    • Hamad,

      Read a few comments up and i explain rooting in a nutshell.
      As far as getting Arabic on your phone, you should call HTC and see if they have a language pack first.

  • hamad

    Thanks for Replying
    That mean if my phone is straight from Tmobile its considered a Donut phone Correct ?
    If so that mean i only need to root the phone to which means jailbreaking it.
    After Rooting the mytouch 3g then i could install Custome themes or Roms which one do i do next is istalling roms or once rooted thats it .
    Thanks

  • Alex

    What’s you mean by Donut and cupcake?? I’m new at this.

    • Alex,

      They are different versions of Android. Cupcake is 1.5 and Donut is 1.6.
      Goto Settings then About Phone and you’ll see Firmware – and a number after it, either 1.5 or 1.6 most likely.
      If you have 1.6 follow this procedure, if you have 1.5 go straight to the How To Root in One Click procedure.

  • bodacosta

    First of all, congrats to this great site. I read a lot about rooting the G1 here in Germany, I wonder has anyone tried this method with a continental (german) G1?
    Seems to me that most rootings are done with a rather complicated goldcard method.

  • Shaun

    You make reference to a “Stock Donut” phone. What exactly does that mean? I am getting a replacement phone sent to me this week. I imagine it will have Donut on it when it arrives. Does that make it a “Stock Donut” phone? Thanks.

    • Shaun,

      That is EXACTLY what I mean by Stock Donut phone 🙂 Good luck!

  • matthijs

    Is Android 1.5 supporting screen resolutions like 240×320 QVGA ?? If not than the roll back or down grade trick to 1.5 won’t work. As far as i know the tattoo never had 1.5 installed….

    Anyway, hail to the guy trying to root the tattoo cause unrooted Android is booring.

    • Mtthijs,

      There is no way to root the tattoo at the moment sorry.

  • Radu

    Hi Unlockr,

    I am trying to root my 1.6 g1 and the first instruction I need to follow is actually unrooting it. Well my g1 is not rooted and installing the cupcake nbh fails with the error 28002 “not allow”. You mentioned in another reply that this could happen because the phone is not rooted. And I agree, the phone is not rooted 🙂 So is there a resolution to the “not allow” issue when downgrading to cupcake?

    • Radu,

      The procedure is Unroot/Downgrade to Cupcake. Doesn’t matter if you have root or not the procedure should get you back to Cupcake so you can root the phone.

      The .nbh file you load is not cupcake it is RC29 then you can update to cupcake at the very end of the procedure.
      If you get the not allow error, try redownloading the .nbh. Then format your SD card to Fat32 instead of just Fat (or vise versa if that doesnt work). Then place it on the SD card again and boot into bootloader mode (turn off the phone, turn it back on by holding down Camera and Power). Then see if it works this time.

      Good luck!

      Any other issues, please post in the technical support forums instead of here in the comments so we don’t clog them up with back and forth, thanks for understanding!

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  • Elf

    Hi guys,
    I’m going to apply this procedure to my Italian Vodafone HTC Magic (32B, so the same hardware of a MyTouch 3G), but, since in case I need to send my device to technical assistance I would need the stock ROM, first I would like to backup it, is there a way to do this without Nandroid Backup?
    Thanks 🙂

  • bobbyshen

    have u found the way to root tattoo?
    i’m wait for it so long time
    thx

  • terrence

    wait i’m just alittle confused….what if you had just turned on your phone and it happened to upgrade and you DID NOT root it when it was on Cupcake then should i still do the unroot process or something else…sorry for your time, i just want to make sure i get this root right since it’s my first time =D

    • Terrence,

      Regardless of how you got to 1.6 (if you are not rooted) you need to downgrade back to 1.5 then root then upgrade back with a custom ROM.
      Just follow these steps and you’ll be fine. Good luck!

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  • Revan

    Unlockr,

    I couldn’t get the one touch rooting to work. I have a g1 and went through the steps of removing donut and going back to cupcake. Can I just go back to the stock donut firmware?

    • Revan,

      Were you able to get back to cupcake? If so then just do the one click root or ask for help in the forums.

  • Revan

    Unlockr,

    Yes, I was able to revert back to cupcake using the DreaIMG.nbh file, however, When I tried the one click root, I couldn’t proceed. Am I supposed to use a certain apk file type? I used flashrec-1.1.3-20091107-2.apk as per the link on theunlockr.com. My phone wouldn’t let me past that point. Any Ideas??

  • Revan

    I also completed the first step in it’s entirety. Right now my phone is running on firmware 1.0 (I started over), RC29 build. 2.6.25-01843-gfea26bo kernel.

    • Revan,

      You skipped the last step. Get to cupcake…

  • revan

    Unlockr,

    Actually, I did get back to cupcake. It still didn’t work which is why I started fresh. Card is fat32, went back to cupcake. Even tried other sites/tutorials. Can I just get back 2 donut?

  • Revan

    I’m back to cupcake now, and still having the same issue as before. I can’t get the one click root to work.

  • Revan

    When I get to the Linda File Manager step, nothing happens when using the Flashrec.apk.

    • Revan,

      You need to make sure the Flashrec.apk is a .apk. Alot of computers try to make it a .zip (so itll be Flashrec.apk.zip), if this is the case, delete the .zip off the end by clicking rename in Linda.

  • Revan

    Unlockr,

    U rock.

    • Revan,

      As do you my friend 🙂 Thanks!

  • Karam

    I hope you can help me. I bought a used Dream, it has 1.6 Donut but it is not rooted. How can i revert to 1.5 cupcake so i can root it?

    Thanks for any help!

    • Karam,

      Follow this procedure. It tells you how.

  • Karam

    When i run bootloader this shows up:
    00028002
    Not Allow

  • ステファン

    Hey, im going to try this properly later, but have been trying lots of different guides without any luck.
    Any clue if this will work for magic (ht-03A the ntt docomo from japan) with 1.6?
    THanks

  • Mark

    Guys from theunlockr.com,

    I have a G1, when i try to get it rooted with the one click, the Backup doenst work.

    So i figured i have to get back to cupcake, however, i dont get passed the rainbow screen .10. I am 100% sure the SD card is formatted and iN Fat32.

    need some help 🙁

    Thanx!

    • Mark,

      Reformat the card on your computer to FAT if it is Fat32 or Fat32 if it is Fat until one format works (not sure why but it fixes it).

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  • Mark

    Sorry to bother you again, I have formated the SD and another SD both ways either to Fat or FAT32. Every time I try the dreaming, I get checking.. not allow. and then back to the rainbow screen wih serial0.
    Any other ideas on how to get it done. Its a Tmobile G1 from holland now on 1.6.

    Please help 😀

  • Thomas

    Dear unlockr,
    After you unroot your phone and get it back to cupcake if you decide to get back to donut can you do it.

    • Thomas,

      Yes, you can wait for the OTA or call T-Mobile and say you are still waiting for Donut and they will resend it.
      To be honest though, there is no reason to unroot unless you are sending in for warranty. If you just want to get back to cupcake coming from a Hero ROM or whatever, just load a custom Donut ROM. They are faster, lighter (less bloatware) and have better features that the stock Donut.
      But up to you.

  • William

    Hey Unlockr, My G1 Is stuck at the logo screen and it wont let me do anyhing else. Ive tried to put it in recovery mode but it did not work. Please help me

    • William,

      Can you get to the recovery image (Holding Home and Power)?
      If so, then format the SD card, wipe data and re apply the ROM.
      If not, can you get to the bootloader screen (Holding Camera and Power)?
      If so, then do the how to unroot procedure to get back to cupcake and start again.

  • Hightree

    I’m in exactly the same situation as mark (dutch G1 1.6) with exactly the same problem.
    Tried formatting FAT and FAT32 multiple times -> “not allow”.
    The only difference is that when using FAT, the “not allow” message flashes by real quickly, while with FAT32 you can clearly read it.

    Beginning to fear that this method has been patched…

    • Hightree,

      What is the exact error on the screen with Fat32?

  • Derick

    Unlockr,

    Can I use cyanogen mod if I use this method to root my mytouch 3g? Also I’ve been reading the wiki for cyanogen but I have no idea how to install the google apps before I load the rom.

    • Derick,

      I don’t personally recommend Cyanogens ROMs since they are a pain to load (not his fault its because of the cease and desist he got from Google) there are plenty of others that do the same benefits without the headache.
      BUT if you really want to you can load his ROM with using this to root, but you would have to contact him or a support forum about how to load his roms correctly.

  • ralph perez

    hey im having problems rooting my phone ive downloaded the files and put them in my sdcard and for some reason its not working i have a mytouch 3g from t-mobile just need some help in how to do this im trying to install the hero rom

  • jose

    I unrooted my phone I jad the donut version before
    I’m on cupcake
    Will my phone automatically update to donut
    Oh and what is a OTA

  • dariiO.

    SAPPHIRE PVT 32B SHIP S-ON G
    HBOOT-1.33.0006
    CPLD-10
    RADIO-2.22.19.26I
    MAY 27 2009,19:06:41

    i now alot of people is having trouble unrooting their mytouch or putting it back to version 1.5… so for those people that has the sappimg file not reading on the mytouch, you have to set your memory card to FAT32. you could do this by going to the format option on the computer but before you do it make sure you format the sd card to FAT32 and not FAT(default), then copy the sappimg file and the mytouch should read it with no problem.

    i hope i helped. at least someone

  • David

    One more voice for the tattoo. Bump! Keep up the good work!

  • steven

    Hello, do you need to activate the phone again after you install a custom ROM? because I dont have data just wifi. thanks unlockr!!

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  • drone

    Any1 can help? Have german g1, which root method was complicated (goldcard) I was happy to read this. My radio was ok, and I left spl(because I didnt modify it)But nbh gives error2, and origin spl does not work(alt+w yes, but then reboot, alt+s does nothing(1 sec flash of loading but disappears) I need a goldcard, or dc7 and old hardspl?

  • cobra8210

    Does rooting ur phone stop u from downloadin 3rd party files(games,applications, etc)from the market place on the motorola cliq android phone? And does it make ur phone run faster?

    • Cobra8210,

      1. No not at all.
      2. No but it can. Rooting simply gives you access to ALL the files and permissions on your phone. To you that may not mean anything but to a developer (who makes a custom ROM for your phone) this means he can overclock the processor, setup system tweaks, give you themes, more apps, Wifi tethering, etc. So Rooting doesn’t give you these things but it allows you to download and install a developer’s ROM and that will give you these things.
      Alternatively, if you have root and dont want to load a whole ROM you can also download overclocking programs etc from the Market that say “only for root users”, etc.

  • ADRIAN

    i have a question.. i have donut 1.6 on my G1 if i back to cupcake i need 3G networtk to activate my G1 with the google gmail account? im scared cuz i have no 3G network in my area

    • Adrian,

      You do not need 3g to activate your phone, EDGE will work fine (you just need a data plan or a friend with a data plan, see our How To Activate the G1 procedure).

  • LeDigitale

    Hi Unlockr,

    I just got a new Vodaphone HTC Magic (32B – Australian version)and I want to root it, in order to install a custom ROM on it but I was wondering if I could create a backup of my original ROM Cupcake(1.6) and settings in case something goes wrong or I need to send the phone back to Vodaphone for any warranty issues?

    If this can be done, How do I do it?

    Thanks in advance and congrats on this site very useful information.

    • LeDigitale,

      Unfortunately, we are actually looking for such a program, mainly because you need it to root (since Cupcake wont let you root without downgrading). So you wont be able to root without a .nbh file for Vodafone to downgrade the Magic to 1.5 then root and bring it back up to Cupcake (or beyond).

  • dee

    Hi I want to root my phone for the first time and I wanted to know if I have to downgrade to 1.5 firmware because I have 1.6 firmware right now.

  • Tim

    Hi Unlockr,

    Just read your post to Thomas asking about downgrading to Cupcake, rooting then going to Donut. Do you have to downgrade to Cupcake in order to root? And I wasn’t quite sure whether or not you can upgrade back to Donut once you have rooted ( and still have root access).

    Sorry just a little confused!

    Cheers,

    Tim.

    • Tim,

      Yep, you have to downgrade to 1.5 then root and then load a custom ROM (which most are based on 1.6 or above).
      Good luck!

  • ahmed

    hey i like your explantion a lot and how easy your steps are but i have a g1 and i got my phone to go to cupcake like the very first step you have and you guys said when your phone says update press okay i did and then it updated and then i downloded the file to go back to cupcake and it keeps saying con my phone installation aborted i put it to update and everything it just keeps telling me is bad do you have any ideas what i should do?

    • Ahmed,

      Redownload it, format the sd card put it back on it, then try again (also read the reported issues on all of the posts).

  • adrian

    MY G1 PHONE IS BRICK THERE IS A WAY TO FIX THE PHONE? I TRY THE RECOVERY MODE, AND FASTBOOT MODE BUT I HAVE NO RECOVERY MODE I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DOU DO SOMETHING WRONG WHEN I WAS ROOTING MY PHONE… JUST TELL ME IF THERE IS A WAY TO FIX TH PHONE IDK I TRY THE ADB SHELL BUT I CANT WORK LIKE THAT CUZ MY PC DONT KNOW THE DEVICE HELP HELP HELP?

    • Adrian,

      Can you hold Power and Camera and get to a screen? If so just do the How To Unroot procedure and load the dreaimg.nbh file.

  • adrian

    Nope y try to press the (camera + end ) or (home + end) but nothing work I try to use adb shell to run the recovery mode but i cant cuz my phone is stock in the black screen with the logo T-mobile G1… do u know another way i want my g1 back to the life pliz

  • Jason

    Hi Ive been trying to downgrade a friends mytouch to 1.5 but everytime i try i get a message that says the signature is wrong. Is this because its not the original sd card or is it something else i just missed? If it is the sd card is there a way around this to gain root as I do not have the original.

    • Jason,

      Redownload the Sappimg.nbh file to your computer then transfer it to your phone’s SD card. Then boot into bootloader and try again (sometimes downloads get corrupted).

  • Ron

    Hey, after my phone gets past the android sign, it disappears and then there is just a black screen. I’m trying to boot it on a new rom and it obviously isn’t working. So, any suggestions to make it work??

    • Ron,

      Reformat your SD card, wipe data, and reload the ROM.

  • NAbeel

    Hi,
    How to unroot without HTC sync .I have a G2 htc vodaphone touch .Htc sync isnt working i have tried many downloads and reinstallation but my phone just isnt syncing(except for mounting it works nicely). I bought my phone, sort of, second hand so i didnt get the official usb cable or anything nor a sd card. Is my phone hopeless to unroot or root. Plz help me,the unlockerguy!!! 🙁

  • NAbeel

    sorry phone is not a touch but a magic :S my baaad! sorry!

  • luis

    okk im a little lost with this.. so i have a myTouch 3G and i’ve never rooted the phone, my firmware version is 1.6, that means i have a Donut phone?!?!?!?!

    • Luis,

      Correct, you have Donut.
      Use the unroot mytouch 3g procedure to downgrade to cupcake, then use the how to root in one click procedure to root and then use the how to load a custom rom and youre all done. Then from then on you can load whatever roms you want by just putting them on the sd card, wiping, and reapplying the rom.

  • JC Fuentes

    Hi Unlockr, I have a question for you.
    I just got a mytouch3g like 2 weeks ago, I have been trying to unroot it, but i cant, because i have this motherboard version.

    SAPPHIRE PVT 32A SHIP S-ON G
    HBOOT-1.33.0013 (SAPP31000)
    CPLD-2.22.23.02
    Oct 21 2009,22:33:27

    I would like to know if Im able to root this device or not?, because i tried the 1 click method, but it did not work,that tells me that backup fail. I also tried the sappimg.nbh. it tells me that i have a wrong ID.

    Can you please help with this issue.
    Thanks.

  • JC Fuentes

    I’m sorry I made a mistake on the information about the motherboard, here is the right one.

    SAPPHIRE PVT 32A SHIP S-ON G
    HBOOT-1.33.0013 (SAPP31000)
    CPLD-13
    RADIO-2.22.23.02
    OCT 21 2009,22:33:27

  • john

    hi ther this all are new to me., umm ive been carrying a rogers htc dream firmware 1.5 and wow it freezes a lot and i want to root it…

    the above procedure… would it work for rogers (canada) htc dream firmware 1.5
    help plzz

    • John,

      Use the How To Root the G1 in One Click procedure on our site and follow all the steps listed. Good luck!

  • john

    do we need a data plan ????

    would WIFI work???

    • John,

      WiFi would only work if you use our How To Activate the G1 without a Data Plan procedure when you come to a point in the procedure that you need to turn on the phone after wiping.

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  • john

    umm jst to make everything clear.,.,

    my G1 is from canada and the carrier is ROGERS.

    it will work rite….,.

  • hoovnick

    Dear UnLockr:

    Since the HTC Eris is similar to the Magic/MyTouch, will the downgrade procedure work if I have downloaded the 2.1 leak for the Eris?

  • ralph

    Hi I recently tried rooting my g1 running 1.6 but had many of the previously listed issues that other users were having. Particularly problems with the radio install. At this point I just want to get the phone back to factory and let the T-mobile updates take it back up to cupcake. I successfully took it back to RC29 per your procedure (thank you!) but when the phone said it was ready for updating this morning the update failed and the phone is still at rc29. I then tried your update procedures to take it up to donut and then cupcake but failed. After bring the phone back to rc29 I did the one touch root. Is this what is preventing the update from installing correctly? Should I try rc29 again and not do the one touch root. is there a way to undo the one touch root with out having to do the rc29 backup again. It took many tries to get the rc29 file to take before getting past the rainbow screen and the error 10 message.

  • HUSSNAIN

    Well hello there mate i m getting big trouble wid my g1..its DRC92 …dont know that is it Us or Uk version and other thing is that i m updated to unroot 1.6… and got some keyboard problem like when i type

    y it type y9

    0 it type 60

    is this my fone problem or the os problem

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  • Reji

    I am trying to downgrade my mytouch running 1.6 to 1.5 in preparation for rooting it, but I can’t seem to get the sappimg.nbh file on the megaupload site (site says that the file was removed and I don’t see any letters/numbers to type in in the top corner, like a previous thread states). Yesterday I searched for this file at other sources and almost picked up a virus on my PC.

    Can someone point me at a definitive URL for grabbing that file, please?

    • Reji,

      Thanks for letting me know the link was down. Reuploaded it and changed the link, try again.

  • theezy

    when i hold the end key and camera key the red green blue white screen comes up it says
    dre100 pvt 32b
    hboot-0.95.000
    cpld-4
    radio-2.22.23.02

    sep 2 2008

    it goes to a white loading screen says “no image file”. then goes back to colored screen and says serial0 in then middle of the screen

    • Theezy,

      You need to format your sd card to fat32, then try again.

  • theezy

    how do i format my sd card to FAT32?

  • jedi

    FYI megaupload’s ‘ADS’ tried to give me a trojan. isn’t there a better site to upload the files to? pretty sure rapidshare is a much less bunk approach.
    plus i cant download from megaupload on the phone.

  • marc

    hi! having european htc dream g1 with 1.6 software. when trying to “downgrade” i always get the “not allowed” message in the rainbow screen and that’s it. tried the fat32 thing, re-downloaded the files, tried starting update.zip from the generic bootloader: all of it does not work. after 3 hours of trying and reading in fora i am sick and tired. i used to have a nicely rooted g1, now after recieving an refurbished device, i cannot root it anymore. sucks! thanx for help!

  • Roberto

    IHavee a Brand New Tmobile G1, it came with 1.5 but than I uprgraded to 1.6, but I was wondering does this method still work on my g1? And what are the pros and cons of the rooting the g1? Will it break my phone or mess it? And will I still be able to use 3G data, phone calls, texting and browsing when rooted and using a custom roms?

    • Roberto,

      Yes it works but look for the updated version of the procedure on the site (just easier to understand).
      no it will not mess up your phone and yes all features including 3g will work (check the ROM you want to use though for know issues using that specific ROM like no Bluetooth etc).
      Good luck!

  • Joop

    Sad that it requires a downgrade to 1.5 since that doesn’t work without a GoldCard (and I don’t know if that will work because I refuse to go through that mess).

    Wish someone would focus on a 1.6 root and leave 1.5 in the past.

    • TheUnlockr

      Joop,

      The issue is that the only way devs know how to root 1.6 is to downgrade to 1.5 where the there is an exploit for us to root with… Goldcard is actually pretty easy. Just follow our How To Create a Goldcard procedure on the site word for word. Shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. Good luck!

      • Glen Currier

        the only problem with that answer dave, is that the revskills website is no longer operational…If I had the ability (in a short amount of time) I would endeavor to do it myself.  But, as it stands, I lack the precise expertise…

  • DonJuan

    Every where that I’ve looked to download sappimg.zip, the .zip file is corrupt. I’ve downloaded it multiple times from several different sites. Any help there?

  • Purple

    Can’t seem to access steps 2 and 3. Is it just me?

  • I do all that is in the instructions but when i wanna install the spl it says:
    E: no signature (5 files)
    E: verification failed…
    What did i wrong?

  • aceccy

    does this work on firmware 1.6?

  • y3kgin

    so you mean 1.6 can’t be rooted it’s self you have to use 1.5 if you want a rooted phone.

    • Y3kgin,

      No, you have to downgrade the G1 or MyTouch to 1.5 then root them then upgrade back to 1.6 or higher.

  • Cricket Chris

    I’m trying to figure out how to root my Zio android which is on donut, help me please. Thank you

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  • salman

    PLEASE HELP ME…. i HAVE htc dream g1,,with 1.6,,its DRC92,,i downloaded da dreaimg.nbh file and put it in my sd card,,when i go into da bootloader,,it displays 3 colors den says checking..somthing else and then says NOT ALLOW**..den goes back to da 3 colours screen and says serial 10…wt to do please help..and i also tried to simply put in da cupcake rom,,wdot using da dreaimg.nbh file but when i try to update it it says installing updates and den says faild to install,,please help…I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT U TELL ME DA SOLUTION AT MY maiL ADDRESS.. maani94@gmail.com… hope to revieve ur mail as i dont use my pc more often but do check my mail regularly via my phone mail..please help..

  • AQEEL

    Could someone please tell me if this tutorial works with a mytouch 3g that came with android 1.6…PLEASE HELP ME

  • Darris

    what about a devour?

  • Arash Aliz

    Killing ADB Server…

    OK

    Starting ADB Server…
    * daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
    * daemon started successfully *

    OK

    Waiting for device…

    OK

    Pushing rageagainstthecage…
    1464 KB/s (0 bytes in 585731.000s)

    OK

    chmod rageagainstthecage…

    OK

    Running rageagainstthecage…
    ROOTED

    Getting mount path…
    /dev/block/mtdblock0
    OK

    Remounting system with read-write access…

    OK

    Pushing su…
    547 KB/s (0 bytes in 26264.000s)

    OK

    Pushing superuser.apk…
    1364 KB/s (0 bytes in 196521.000s)

    OK

    chmod su…

    OK

    Remounting system with read-only access…
    mount: Device or resource busy

    OK
    and not rooted what is my problem

  • Ron

    hi i would like to root my acer e120 android 1.6? Can i use mytouch unroot process? Thanks

  • mubeen ejaz

    PLEASE HELP ME…. i HAVEGOOLE G1,,with 1.6,,its DRC92,,i downloaded da dreaimg.nbh file and put it in my sd card,,when i go into da bootloader,,it displays 3 colors says checking.. and then says NOT ALLOW…den goes back to da 3 colours screen and says serial 10…wt to do please help..MY EMAIL mobi_zaje@ymail.com

  • Brandon

    would this work on a htc tattoo?

  • is this still working and can this procedure flash the cyanogenmod7 rom? pls reply.. 

    thank you and more power..
    🙂

  • will this work in HTC TATTOO?

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