iPhone 2G only reads previous owners dead sim

[boston44]

First of all I would like to say I do own an iPhone 3G, but bought this 2G also. It turns on and you can browse everything fine when using the sim card from the previous owner I bought it from, however when I put my sim in it goes into recovery mode. I tried restoring and updating to no avail.. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[asheesh]

....

Use a fresh, unregistered SIM card. It will go into restore mode once you insert it and turn the phone on, go ahead and activate it using iTunes. Unless you restore it to factory settings the old owner's content will still be there. The first gen iPhones are a little different, they're not like the 3G and 3G S in which you can freely swap SIM cards.

 

[boston44]

So if I wanted to sell/give it as a gift, I would need a blank sim to erase the previous owner's contacts? I can't give it to someone with a crappy phone now and have them put their at&t in and then it works w/o data plan? Thanks.