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[Q] Should I root my samsung captivate?

So I've been reading all these articles about rooting the Samsung Captivate and they all seem to say that rooting gives you the equivalent of admin access and basically its really useful.
What I want to know is if it is safe? I'm not really good at these things and I'm afraid that if I root it I might just screw up my phone because I don't understand what I'm doing. Also I've read that rooting your phone can sometimes render your phone unusable...is that a serious issue for the captivate?
I mainly want to just be able to have a complete backup, and be able to download apps from third party websites. (I have AT&T) I think rooting lets you do all that.
Also, I see all this talk about ROM's or something and I really don't understand what that is.
If i root my phone, will it wipe any data I have stored on my phone, like contacts and apps or something? Will I still be able to receive software updates from AT&T?
Please help...Thanks sooo much!!!

Hello there,
In first place, ROMs it's the name we usually call for the OS images that you run in your phone. You have the manufacturer ROM, with (probably) operator stuff in it. You can have a very different OS image, with different layout, more options (there are beautiful things around like CyanogenMod), etc. So, installing new ROMs sometimes is like installing a new Android OS on your phone (not exactly but something like that).
Rooting your phone doesn't clean your data, but it's always a good practice to do an application/data backup. Backup software: Titanium Backup (i use it and i really like it).
By adding an Android Recovery loader, you will have the possibility to make a nandroid backup which really allows you to keep EVERYTHING! (that happens after you root the phone, of course).
Advantages of having a rooted phone:
* removing operator applications you don't like in the standard ROM
* run 'root-only' software
* installing new ROMS
* upgrading the OS version of your phone to higher than supported by the manufacturer (some features may not work in this case)
Disadvantages:
* you may void your warranty
* you may brick your phone
* you can be messing around for a long time before having your phone stable once again (if you are curious to keep trying different ROMS, and app2sd and other add-ons)
Bricking your phone may happen if in the procedure to root your phone you need to flash it. In my case, I have a LG P500 and had the Android 2.2.2 - to root it I had to flash a 2.2 version and that was the risky part (some people say that 1 in every 4 phones get bricked in this procedure which I find very exagerated!)
So read the procedures carefully and have your phone with battery full before doing any rooting procedures. Do things calmly, follow every single step and if your get unsure of something, stop, ask, and after that move forward. You will be really happy when your phone is rooted !!

thank you!

The previous responder was a little zealous with the warnings. I have a Captivate, which is rooted and running a custom ROM (CyanogenMod 7).
First, rooting will not brick your phone. In theory, you void your warranty by doing so, but it's really easy to restore to factory state.
I don't recommend a custom ROM for someone who has basic questions like you've just asked. I'd reccommend first trying to get root, and run apps like Titanium backup, SGS Tools, etc. Be careful, research what you're doing, and make lots of backups. So long as you can enter download mode, you can flash back to factory.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

I was right where you are last August. I agree with ADT who says that you should root first and then work with apps that require root. Titanium Backup has been the most valuable for me out of all of those.
The chances of bricking your phone when you only root it is minimal. I guess it's possible, but honestly, I cannot see how. There are 2 files that are required called Bootloaders. Think of these as the AT&T screen and then the Samsung screen in a stock Captivate. If you do anything that changes/replaces these, you stand a great chance of bricking your phone. You don't do this when you root, only when you do something like try a custom ROM.
When you root your phone, you won't really notice anything different at first. However, if you look at your apps you will see a new one called Superuser. It is the app that is needed to run "rooted" apps. Also, once you root your phone, you will be able to take advantage of Amazon's market which has a free app a day.
If you decide to "unroot", it can be done rather easily, and you will lose the ability to do things like run rooted apps and Amazon apps (including any you downloaded).
I would recommend that you read as many posts about rooting as possible before you finally make the plunge. Read, read and read again. Make sure you know what you are doing before you do it and the risk of damage is minimal. I have bricked my phone many times, including the power button not working and was lucky to get it back. I learned the hard way by not knowing to read, read and read again.
Good luck!!

One other quick point. If you decide to play with custom ROMs, I recommend you stick with the ones that run Froyo, not Gingerbread. The Gingerbread ROMs are just starting to come out and I believe are not for someone just starting out. The instructions are a bit more complicated and the chance of bricking your phone are much greater.
The Froyo ROMs are much easier to install. However, as said in my last post, I'd get used to rooting your stock phone first before going that way.

stick with froyo and play with custom roms. To install custom roms just flash the custom rom in the recovery mode.

You're right guys. I mean, changing the bootloader is the risky part of the process, not the rooting itself. But the risky part is flashing a ROM (if that's needed to root the phone)...
In my case I had to downgrade my phone (LG P500) before applying root, so it was risky from the start - anyway, depending on the phone model, rooting / installling bootloader can be more or less risky...

Samsung. Couldnt he always ODIN back?
Sent from my ADR6300

Need help understanding Android :)

Hi,
I am switching from blackberry to Android and have a few questions to all the knowledgeable people here.
so.
1. What does it mean the the bootlogger is locked or something like that? And how does that affect the functionality of the phone
2. what does rooting mean? and what does it do?
3. On the HTC sensation are you forced to use the Sense UI?
4. What does Vanilla mean? I saw the G2X is Froyo Vanila
5. If you "Jailbreak" a phone with Android does it void the warranty?
6. If your phone is locked does it block you from certain applications
7. What does custom ROM mean?
Thanks I have more but for now thats enough lol.

I do not have amazing knowledge of android either, but i read and try to learn as much as i can.
Below is my try to answer your questions.
1. What does it mean the the bootlogger is locked or something like that? And how does that affect the functionality of the phone
It's called bootloader. Every phone has locked boot loader which means you can't go down to the system level and back up your ROM or basically do anything at very basic system level.
2. what does rooting mean? and what does it do?
Rooting means unlocking the bootloader. Kind of Jailbreak. By rooting the phone you can access the system files and tweak the system files to your likings. Most of the android phones come with some apps already installed on it(bloatware). You can remove those apps after rooting your phone. You can install different ROMs other than your phone shipped with. CM7 is one of the custom ROMs. There are plenty others.
3. On the HTC sensation are you forced to use the Sense UI?
Yes. You can definitely root your phone and install some custom ROMs. But every new phone takes some time for development. Its not like within a week you are going to get custom ROMs.
4. What does Vanilla mean? I saw the G2X is Froyo Vanila
Vanilla is sth which comes directly from google without any customization. So G2X is stock android. Froyo(2.2) is the version of android. G2X is soon to get Gingerbread(2.3) update.
5. If you "Jailbreak" a phone with Android does it void the warranty?
Jailbreak term is for iPhones. You do not jailbreak android phones. You ROOT android phone using some programs. And yes it does void your warranty BUT you can always unroot the phone and get back to the stock to get your phone replaced or get it back under warranty.
6. If your phone is locked does it block you from certain applications?
It all depends. Let's say your phone has pretty bad battery life. You saw an app called battery calibrator from market which helps to calibrate you battery. Now you can't use that app until and unless you are rooted as that app needs access to the system files. So only the apps which needs access to the system files will not work. But nobody is going to block you from downloading it. it's just that it won't work if you are not rooted. So the direct answer to your questions is ANROID is open source. Nobody is ever going to stop you from doing anything with your phone.

johnnyp500 said:
Hi,
I am switching from blackberry to Android and have a few questions to all the knowledgeable people here.
so.
1. What does it mean the the bootlogger is locked or something like that? And how does that affect the functionality of the phone
2. what does rooting mean? and what does it do?
3. On the HTC sensation are you forced to use the Sense UI?
4. What does Vanilla mean? I saw the G2X is Froyo Vanila
5. If you "Jailbreak" a phone with Android does it void the warranty?
6. If your phone is locked does it block you from certain applications
7. What does custom ROM mean?
Thanks I have more but for now thats enough lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Hard to gain root/hack
2. Just like jailbreaking pretty much. It allows access to things the common user shouldn't have access too.
3. Yes and No. You can download one of the many launchers from the market and while they will change what your device looks like on the surface, some underlying features of Sense will still remain in the background.
4. Vanilla means "Stock Android" (No skins like Sense)
5. Android doesn't have Jailbreaking, it has rooting and yes it will void the warranty but it's easy to undo encase you need to send your phone back.
6. I am assuming your talking about a locked bootloader and no it doesn't mean you can't have access to certain apps.
7. A custom ROM is something a developer cooks up. It is usually a version of Android with extra features that runs better than what came on your device.

johnnyp500 said:
Hi,
I am switching from blackberry to Android and have a few questions to all the knowledgeable people here.
so.
1. What does it mean the the bootlogger is locked or something like that? And how does that affect the functionality of the phone
2. what does rooting mean? and what does it do?
3. On the HTC sensation are you forced to use the Sense UI?
4. What does Vanilla mean? I saw the G2X is Froyo Vanila
5. If you "Jailbreak" a phone with Android does it void the warranty?
6. If your phone is locked does it block you from certain applications
7. What does custom ROM mean?
Thanks I have more but for now thats enough lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does it mean the the bootlogger is locked or something like that? And how does that affect the functionality of the phone=
Its a bootloader, and to keep it simple lets just say if its locked it makes it alot harder for the devs to do what they do.
what does rooting mean? and what does it do?=
rooting means to gain root access. think of it as being an admin on your pc compared to being on as a guest account. It allows you to make changes that you are normally not able to
On the HTC sensation are you forced to use the Sense UI?=
Untill you have rooted your phone you are but once your rooted you can flash (install) a rom that is not sense based or "senseless"
What does Vanilla mean? I saw the G2X is Froyo Vanila=
it refers to the UI
5. If you "Jailbreak" a phone with Android does it void the warranty?=
You Jailbreak an I-phone and Root an android. Its the same thing and it does void the warranty
If your phone is locked does it block you from certain applications=
no,
What does custom ROM mean?=
it means someone put alot of time and hard work into making your devise run better, faster, and smoother. Not to mention look and sound different.

[Q] Confused about Root, ROM, OTA, etc.

Sorry guys but I am very confused about some fundamental basics in the Android customization world. I understand that rooting a device simply unlocks it with optional enhancements. Installing a ROM changes system properties for customization or further enhancement.
Where does kernal fit in?
If Asus releases a new OTA firmware, do I have to reverse the rom AND root before installing the OTA update? Or do I simply have to reverse only the rom before the update? Or do I simply have to reverse only the root before installing the update?
I used BRK's pure root method on my Transformer last week. I've been thinking about installing Revolver or Prime roms on my Transformer, but I am reading that Asus is releasing a new firmware OTA over the next week or two, which leaves me a bit lost on what to do. Do I reverse the root before getting the OTA? Do I keep the root and get the OTA? Do I apply Prime/Revolver rom before the OTA? If I apply Prime/Revolver now, do I have to reverse that before getting the OTA?
My end goal by the end of this month is to get the latest firmware AND have Prime/Revolver rom on my tablet. Please advise on the simplest, straightforward method. Thanks for everyone's patience.

IMO.......(I said mine). Wait until the custom roms come out based on the current update. Hopefully it will solve some of the stupid bugs 3.2 introduced. Then install CWM and then a custom rom of your choice. I recommend Prime but thats what I use. Try them both or just stay stock with root.
No need to due all the switching back and forth since the ASUS update will be the basis of the new custom roms. One overwrites the other

A kernel in basic term link OS and software to phone's hardware.
Usually when Asus release an update, doesn't take very long for one of the dev to
incorporate it into a custom ROM. If you want to run Prime or Revolver I say go ahead and flash it.

Does that mean I can leave my root alone and just continue to apply updates from whatever rom that I use? So new Asus firmware updates will be incorporated into roms? For example I can expect to get Asus updates through prime or revolver, and never have to download directly from Asus again? That's assuming revolver and prime continue getting developed of course.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

They mean rather than getting OTA updates from ASUS, wait a while after an official update has been released by ASUS and keep checking the Prime and Revolver threads for an updated version from the devs.
The updated custom roms will include the ASUS update.
But it means waiting longer for each update, as you will have to wait for the XDA Devs to incorporate the new ASUS update into their custom prime or revolver roms.
But it means you can leave ROOT alone if you want.
ROOT is not specifically "Unlocking" the device, it is giving the user, and apps ROOT Access to the ROOT Filesystem. So apps that need to access or modify the filesystem, can. Stock non rooted devices such as mine, have no access to the root filesystem - which is good and bad.
Good because you have much less chance of bricking the device, and you continue to get OTA (Over The Air) updates.
Bad because certain very useful programs can not be used, such as Adblocking apps.
Personally I find official updates, and a stock device have more advantages than rooting it and having to use custom roms which may have multiple problems and no official solution.

Ok ill put it in easy to understand terms
Kernel = Bios
rom = windows
root = file write access.

drksilenc said:
Ok ill put it in easy to understand terms
Kernel = Bios
rom = windows
root = file write access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. Good way to put it for new users, since everyone understands Windows.
The kernel is like a manager. It is what starts all the hardware and software of the tablet. It makes everything you click and do work. All the underlining things you don't see happen is mostly the kernel.
Rom is just the OS. The user interface, the apps you use, etc. It's the same as Windows or Mac OSX. (not the same functionality, but the same concept/idea)
Root is a bitter-sweat deal. It allows you to customize your device more and use apps like Titanium Backup, Adblock, and other system improving apps. The bad thing is, if you don't know what your modifying in the root system, you could mess up your device. Usually a backup restoration can fix this or you can find help here. I got my first Android phone, the Droid 1, on a Wednesday, by Saturday I was rooted and running roms. Like everything, rooting has its risks, you just have to be careful and smart. Don't download sketchy apps that ask for root access. I try to only use root apps that are mentioned on XDA or from a trusted dev. (usually someone on XDA)
I mentioned back restoration. That is done from a custom recovery. The one we use is called ClockworkMod. Essentially what it is, is a installer and backup combo. Through it, we can install roms, themes, and system edits. We can also backup our current system, so that if anything goes wrong, we can go back to before we hit that problem.
When Asus updates the firmware, it's better to wait for a dev (in our case, Roach) to release a prerooted version. Just makes it easier for us, since we can just flash (install) it without having to go back to stock and all that jazz.
Welcome to Android. Always nice to have someone new join our gang.

Kernel, this one i posted on another forum
Originally Posted by life64x View Post
A kernel is simply a director for the computer in movie analogy. It controls the scripts( what gets done and how), the cast(Bluetooth , video, Internet so on), and production( who goes where, how and why.) it is the main software that gets loaded and talks to other software for hardware( such as video output, phone dialing drivers etc.). Every operating system is a kernel. ALL other software in the phone, no matter what is..is the supporting cast. In a nutshell, it is what guides, and makes computers work with other parts of it..both hardware and software.
A rom is a storage file for all the GUTS of the software, bootup stuff, stock or modified items dealing with user interface and other software. it is bundled together to make it one complete unit so you dont have to do files individual to install, tweak and what have you. This is a real bad description of what a rom is, but dont want to confuse you. Instead of having files all over the place, it is in a form much like a box.
"My end goal by the end of this month is to get the latest firmware AND have Prime/Revolver rom on my tablet. Please advise on the simplest, straightforward method. Thanks for everyone's patience."
Simplest reply to this is..
1. Install custom firmware pf your choice now.
2. When the newest version of your rom comes out. Install.

Thank you everyone. That was made clear as crystal. I will install a rom and get updates through them. I'm leaning toward revolver for ota updates.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

[Q] [Help] Help a n00b out.. :)

Ok, finally got my first Android phone, the SGS+, now what?
1). My version is KG1 and most on this forum are other variants. Is this code just regional or what?
2). Rooting. This allows me to have full control over the system. What will this help me with? (Except OverClocking)
3). Custom ROMs. These little "toys" transform your phone and make it better (in a nut shell). How do you flash a ROM and how do you restore to Stock SGS+ FW?
4). Recovery Mode. I heard you need to replace it with a better one in order to OC and change ROMs. How do you do that exactly?
These are the main ones also,
5). My phone is slow at times... I think I have too many apps running at once (After reboot I have 220mb RAM used from 350mb). I think I should Hard Reset and see if that will work?
6). 2.3.3 -> 2.3.4. I can not find the Samsung Page where to get the upgrade (I heard that it`s called 2.3.3 but it`s 2.3.4 and bla bla bla)
So, I would apreciate it if you could help me a little,
Thanks in Advance!

I have the exact same question as you, so thanks anyone who can answer this hopefully.

crisdorya said:
Ok, finally got my first Android phone, the SGS+, now what?
1). My version is KG1 and most on this forum are other variants. Is this code just regional or what?
2). Rooting. This allows me to have full control over the system. What will this help me with? (Except OverClocking)
3). Custom ROMs. These little "toys" transform your phone and make it better (in a nut shell). How do you flash a ROM and how do you restore to Stock SGS+ FW?
4). Recovery Mode. I heard you need to replace it with a better one in order to OC and change ROMs. How do you do that exactly?
These are the main ones also,
5). My phone is slow at times... I think I have too many apps running at once (After reboot I have 220mb RAM used from 350mb). I think I should Hard Reset and see if that will work?
6). 2.3.3 -> 2.3.4. I can not find the Samsung Page where to get the upgrade (I heard that it`s called 2.3.3 but it`s 2.3.4 and bla bla bla)
So, I would apreciate it if you could help me a little,
Thanks in Advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Regional firmware, yes...you should stick to it or you might find gsm/3g problems...unless there's a custom firmware like CM7 which is universal like
2. Rooting? lots of advantages...one of them is to install "chainfire3D" get "tegra 2 plugin" and play most of tegra 2 games with high quality graphics...you can use titanium backup to permanently remove systems apps or backup your apps..e.t.c
3. No custom firmware is available, it's a shame, yes it is for the devs specially...ironic..but there's a tool called "odin multidownloader" it helps you flash firmwares...you can get your stock firmware from "samfirmware.com"
4. No such recovery is developed...the name for that recovery is "Clockworkmod" which is not yet developed for this phone. Shame on devs :/ using that you can backup whole firmware so you can restore it incase your device doesn't bootup properly (quite straightforward) also you can install custom firmwares in a .zip format which i really like because that way, you will never mess up your phone or brick it...well exagerated there but it's the best and easiest way to flash a custom firmware
5. Hardreset doesn't get rid of your system apps...you can delete them by rooting the phone then installing titanium backup from market which is free.
6. get 2.3.4 rooted from here....i'm using it and it has no problem whatsoever:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1260707
Another good thing about 2.3.4 is that there is a battery drain bug in 2.3.3 which is fixed in 2.3.4 so i strongly recommend you to flash that...
Press thanks if i helped you

Thanks shad0wboss for the helpful information.
I do hope devs can make Custom ROMs and Custom Recovery a reality.
But until then, rooting will sufice.
Also, you said that you are using 2.3.4, is that a Universal or I should really stick with my regional-FW?

crisdorya said:
Thanks shad0wboss for the helpful information.
I do hope devs can make Custom ROMs and Custom Recovery a reality.
But until then, rooting will sufice.
Also, you said that you are using 2.3.4, is that a Universal or I should really stick with my regional-FW?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shouldn't be a problem since my stock firmware is also different than that one and everything's working fine...if it doesn't work out for you, you can always flash back to your stock firmware.

[Q] Need advice about flashing a new ROM?

Hey everyone. First of all, thank you very much for your help here if you're able!
Now, on to this:
I have a Droid 2 Global right now, rooted and running Fission ROM. (Recovery is ClockworkMod v5.0.2.3) Fission is, well, out of commission as it would seem, and I'm looking to upgrade to some Gingerbread.
Thing is, I haven't flashed more than one ROM onto this phone before and I'm coming from the HTC EVO 4G -- so I'm a little nervous about messing anything up as there was a much heavier amount of steps involved in rooting and flashing to this D2G than there was for the EVO!
Needless to say, I'm terrified of messing up. Here's my question:
1. If I load a new ROM onto my SD card, do a factory data reset, clear cache and dalvik, can I flash a new ROM from the recovery, no problems? Or would there be more steps needed?
2. This isn't as relevant I guess, but is it possible to unroot this phone safely and update to the VZW OTA Gingerbread? I'm probably not gonna worry about this if it's possible to just flash another ROM as asked in my first question, but it's worth noting.
Thank you guys so much, I've been super antsy with this phone lately. Any help is completely appreciated!

If you really want Gingerbread, with corresponding kernel patches and stuff, you have to update to VZW's latest firmware (4.5.608) as all modern Gingerbread ROMs use it as the base. They won't work on Froyo base.
The safest and cleanest way to get the phone to update is to flash an SBF image and then update to 4.5.x. Do note that this will clear any CDMA programming you probably have done to get it to work on Sprint Nextel. You'll need to reprogram the phone while still running 2.4.x.
Please also note that using custom ROMs is always a risk as there's always chance you'll need to flash an SBF to recover from a bad build, etc., so if to flash the phone to Sprint you need to contact Sprint themselves (i.e. you cannot do it yourself), this might turn into a real hassle.
Stock 4.5.608 is very stable and fast, especially with bloatware frozen.

Ah, sorry, I should have clarified further! It's on Verizon Wireless right now, so it's operating on Verizon still and has not been flashed to Sprint. (I had to go and change my provider logo -- if only I could have two!)
Also, thank you for your quick reply! I do have two more questions now, though;
1. If I flash another Froyo ROM, would I be able to do so in recovery off of the SD card? Rather, is it only Gingerbread that would need to be done with an SBF?
2. I was reading about SBFs earlier and was about to try the process, but I found that it was in .exe format. Would I need to be using a PC to do this? I have a Mac currently, though I would have access to a PC certainly if it were necessary (since it seems like this might be my best bet).

Regarding the OS question: there's sbf_flash utility available for both Linux and MacOS X. It's more easy to use, and is overall more “sturdy” (no problems with missing drivers leading to SBF process aborting in the middle).
Going through SBF is only required to update to Gingerbread (which is indeed highly recommended; Froyo ROMs are mostly outdated), because for that, you need a clean 2.4.330 system. If you can access ClockworkMod on your Froyo ROM, you definitely can install any Froyo-based custom ROM.

Thank you again. I think I will flash an SBF and update through VZW, it sounds like my best plan!
I'm searching to see if I can find the right SBF utility to download (for MacOS X), but I'm having a bit of trouble--do you happen to know where I can find it or have a link? In the meantime I will keep going through the forums!

http://blog.opticaldelusion.org/2011/04/universal-binaries-running-same.html