Database Develop

[SOLVED] Help to choose rooting method and backup method

Got my phone (AT&T Captivate, firmware 2.1-update1 version JH7, kernel 2.6.29, build eclair.UCJH7) on december 28 from a AT&T store (it even came with a pic taken december 20 ) and I've already been able to boot into download mode (power off, hold volume keys then plug usb) and into that menu used to install packages (power off, hold volume keys then power on). Guess my hardware and firmware are ok, so I may be able to recover my phone by myself in case things go south.
I've been doing my homework lately (been reading stickys, tutorials and faqs for 10 days) but I'm still confused about some procedures. I'm not going to list everything I've read here, but I would like someone to correct me if I've learnt wrong. I don't really need the easiest methods, I want to understand the options available and to choose the best ones (aka the hardest path).
First of all, it seems I need to root my phone in order to be able to create backups, carrier-unlock it and flash custom roms. But it doesn't make much sense to me, since rooting it seem to be enough to prevent it from receiving FOTA updates - and I want to make the most comprehensive backup possible, in such a way I could restore my phone to 'factory condition' if needed.
Second, I realize there are many ways, programs and guides to root the phone - the most famous ones, One-Click root/unroot and z4root, seem to be listed in the wiki (http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897), but there is also CLShortFuse's One-Click Root and Allow Non-Market Apps, which sounds interesting but I don't know if it is undo-able. So there are different ways to root the phone, but there is little to none information on what's the difference between these methods, which is 'better' and what difference does it make if I root it permanently or by some reversible method. Does it affect performance? How each of them work? I have no clue.
The mess gets even greater when it comes to creating backups. People mention different programs to make these backups (clockwork recovery, titanium backup) but I don't understand if they back up different parts of the phone. Some even seem to change the bootloader of the phone - shouldn't it be backed up prior to any modification? Do I flash these backups using Odin? Which programs should I use to have a full backup? Is there anything left I should back up manually?
I'll quit talking for now because I've already written a lot and I still have many questions; if I write all of them at once, no one will ever have the patience to read them.

Erk, a long post deserves a long answer
So first off, il tell you about recovering your phone. Since you just got it, you can go back to the store and play dumb to get a new one in case anything goes wrong. You can also use the 3 button combos to get into download mode and use odins back to stock to get back to your original 2.1 eclair firmware . To do that you would need to get into download mode. Now there are a couple ways to do this, and i can only explain two since ive actually used two. (Well 3 actually, but il get to the third after these 2)
The first method is using the 3 button combo which you should already know. The second method is using adb commands such as (adb shell, adb reboot download, adb reboot recovery, adb devices). The third way is building a jig. Thats basically connecting 301k 1/4 watt worth of resistors together and placing them on pin 4 and 5 on your micro usb slot. You can read more about that on the tutorial on how to build a jig for your phone.
To restore to your factory setting, odin's one click back to stock thing should do the job. It simple installs the stock 2.1 eclair all over again (without the root).
To root your phone, any method from the wiki should work. None of them are really "better" :S, they all do the same job and give you super user permissions. None of them root your permanently since you can always go back to stock using Odin's... It does not really affect performance, not to any extent i have noticed :S, and unfortunately, i dont really know how it works.
As for creating backups, Titanium Backup is the best solution. Whether you have the few extra bucks to spend for the premium one or simply want to use the free one, its one of the best tools out there. I personally use it and its one of the best. It backs up all the data (except for my text messages). It creates a folder on your internal memory which you can just copy to your desktop. When the time comes that you need to restore your backup, just copy the folder back into your internal memory, load up titanium backup. Restore it and voila .
I think ive answered everything, if ive missed anything, let me know
Edit : Forgot to mention this . If your truly interested in customization. Custom roms are the best there is a howto in the themes and apps section on how to install it. It comes pre-rooted (if that is the word to use :S) and theyre much better than the stock firmware. Im currently using serendipity v3.0 (flashed it yesterday)

supaphreek, guess I'll have to thank you twice: once for reading my enormous post, and again for you supacompleteanswer.
I'm being paranoid with recovery because I actually bought the phone in the US then came back to my country (Brazil), so I'm a few thousand miles away from the simple lets-return-this-thing solution.
From everything I've read, I believe the most instructive were the wiki at http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897 , the FAQ at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858765 , the PDF guide from user nbs11 at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761819 and the wiki at http://www.capfaq.com/w/FAQ. These contain most of the info a newbie user would ever need and I'd definitely recommend them to any newbie user who happen to be reading this. And for everyone afraid of bricking, it's a tremendous relief to know pretty much any mess you do can be reverted using download mode and Odin, so the first thing to test is if you can get into download mode using one of the ways described by our buddy supaphreek.
On the rooting matter, I found no discussion at all about which is better, so they should be pretty similar (though I have no idea which is the oldest version, I'd assume the recent ones might be a little improved). There is some discussion on what's the better lagfix and many of the cooked ROMs already come with some lagfix installed, but this is another story...
Once I get my phone rooted, it seems to be trivial to carrier-unlock it. There's even an app on android market for this, so I won't even need sideloading. Since all this procedure does is just give me a number, there's hardly any difference among all the unlocking procedures out there.
For the backup, I'll still do it using both titanium and clockwork, as suggested by nbs11 on the pdf I've linked on this post. Better safe than sorry, right?
And yes, I'm truly interested in customization and I'll go deep down that path, I'm just packing up my head with some knowledge to avoid being desperate if things eventually go fubar.
As a last question, is there somewhere I can get 1-click Odin with my exact firmware version? (2.1-update1, I897UCJH7, Kernel 2.6.29 [email protected] #2, build eclair.ucjh7) And how important is it to get the exact same firmware?
As I've done my research, I found 1-click odin with JF6 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989
I've also found the 'standalone' I897UCJH7 on this topic (where this guy even flashed succesfully his phone using old JH2 firmware without problems, so finding the exact firmware version might not be the greatest issue): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36 but this process is a bit more complicated and uses regular Odin and clockwork recovery. Nonetheless, from what I've understood, I can still use any old version of odin to flash JF6 then use my own clockwork backup, right?

Hmm, unfortunately, im not sure if there is a specific Odin for that firmware :S. However what you can do is use one that reverts you to any stock version, and then flash the version you want through clockwork mod

I'll do that. Thanks again!

Also if you one click to stock, you can OTA update to the most recent firnware. I suggest titanium premium if you are going to flash a lot of custom roms, it is a lot faster to restore and also syncs with dropbox
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Be careful trying to flash with odin. Some newer builds get instabrick flashing back to jf6 and must go with jh2 or newer.
So, you may want to invest a few bucks in a jig setup before blindly using odin.

Thanks for the tip, sixstringsg.
Newter55, as my phone is brand new I believe I may have one of these insta-brickable devices. If I happen to try flashing it with a recent rom, does it get recoverably bricked (fixed by flashing an older rom), or I'm left with a $500 paperweight?

You just need to use the correct firmware version of odin if you manage to get in trouble. Many people flash rom over rom, including myself, but it is highly likely that at some point you will need odin if you are flashing roms so it is best to ensure that you have that set up first. Look for the odin thread by c3popl (sp?) in development forum and you should find what you need. Read through that and look for others with your base firmware. Or look through q&a at the "help I bricked" threads . On my phone and posting links is a pita or I would make it easy for you.

If your phone came with JH7, follow this guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36
If you use one of the Odin one-clicks and brick your phone, you'll need a USB jig to recover.

You guys are awesome. Thank you newter55 and GGXtreme for this info! I hope I'll never need it, but I'll buy a cable and make a jig.
The news: I've rooted my phone using One Click Root / Unroot by TGA_Gunnman (for the record: it worked with my JH7 Captivate bought in 28 dec). Once I booted windows, installed dotnet framework 4 and the samsung drivers (easy too, but a pita), rooting was easy and failproof. However, someone using linux might find it easier to just download 1-click root, find the root.zip file in there, rename it as update.zip, put the zip in the internal sdcard, boot the phone holding the volume buttons and then 'install packages'. This way there will be no need to fight Wine nor install anything nor look for a windows computer with admin privileges.
Also unlocked my phone using SGS Unlock Tool, available in the Android Market. The unrooted option won't work, but once rooted it worked like a champ. Next step: I'll do the backups, and then... start messing up my new toy!

[Q] Froyo, From Leaked To Official

As the title says, this is what I'm trying (have been trying....) to do.
I got my Captivate for Christmas 2010, I can't remember what exact version it was running, all I know is that for a fact it was Eclair.
I wish I knew what stock I had on my phone and all that jazz, but the one thing I never read before flashing or rooting my phone was that I should root and make a Nand Backup before hand. Oh well right?
Anyways, basically here is what I've done to my phone:
I flashed ODIN-1-Click for the leaked Froyo JI6 - I897UCJI6-OCD-REV02-Low-designgears_1
had absolutely no problems, everything worked like a charm.
Next, I used SuperOneClickv1.5.5-ShortFuse and I chose "Root" and "Enable Side-Loading"
again, no problems.
From there, I proceeded to do the following:
-Install of TiBu, AdFree, Terminal, Root Explorer, SGS Tools, and Busybox
-TiBu Used to "Freeze" most bloatware on phone
-Terminal given #su root command and approved
-AdFree added, packages installed
-Within Terminal, added exception to WordsWithFriends to allow ads
-SGS Tools used to replace default Camera App to allow power button for capture
-Root Explorer used to replace TW_Touch tone to modified 5% audio level version...I'm sorry, but at the lowest System Volume this is just way too loud.
-Installed Go Launcher EX and made my phone look awesome
-TiBu used to Freeze TW Launcher
I don't think there is anything else I've done with my phone that is really worth mentioning. No Lag-Fix unless it was included in my JI6, but I do know that I have free Wifi Tethering.
Now, for those still following, after all this, obviously the Official Official (Not-Leaked) Froyo came out, not a big deal, because I probably would've gone crazy just using Eclair for 2 months (I kinda flashed my phone on the 3rd day of owning it after coming from basically a RAZR V3).
Soooo, in my attempts, to get the official version of Froyo (flame on me, I don't care), I have "Bricked" my phone twice on separate occasions trying to go clean.
By bricked I mean AT&T Boot Loop of Doom w/o the ability to use any of the keys. So hey wouldn't you know it, but I have a USB Jig now.
1) WTF do people mean when they say to Flash back to Stock? There are like 20 different things available, which one is stock? and what would mine have been new out of box at Christmas 2010?
The thing that Bricked me twice was JF6 which I though was stock, guess not, I'm not sure... I have no idea why it won't work for me or if I'm doing something wrong, or I got an incomplete download of it, it's title is: I897UCJF6-final-OCD-REV0. On the other hand, I have managed to get JH2 to work (idk wtf JH2 is, I don't hear it often, but it got my phone to turn on), Kies actually managed to recognize my phone, however I could not update it in Kies and if I remember correctly, Mini-Kies wouldnt recognize the phone.
And also JI6 also allowed me to recover from Brick-mode, which I Flashed to Originally, and obviously it wont show up in any Kies in any way/shape/form...
Anyways, if anyone can provide any info, help, or advice, I would really, really, REALLY, appreciate it.
What am I doing wrong?
Help?.......
Now aside from that, I know there is a pre-release version of KB1 running around, but has anyone managed to get a version of the Official February 24th KB1 out to the masses for download that doesn't involve Kies?

Sorry to bump this, but I'm still looking for any possible advice anyone might have. I've tried using the search feature but to no avail. I've found "similar" things to mine, however no one seems to either have the same problem I have or be in the same situation.
I apologize for it being such a long read, but I just wanted to thoroughly describe my situation in the chance that it would be able to further increase the capability of someone helping me.

Here you go, these are the two files that people mean when they say go to "stock".
2.1 is the "Official Stock" for 2.1 - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SBSMALFJ
2.2 is the "Official Leak Stock" for 2.2 - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QL6NX702
As far as I know, there isn't a Odin One-Click for the "Official" Official 2.2 yet.
If updates are free if you're with AT&T... How about just going to 2.1, then upgrading it by connecting to AT&T that way? Just an idea

Sounds like the build of your phone is 1010 or higher so odin jf6 likely won't work, but you found that out .
You can try this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36
You are already through half the steps, just flash jh7ota
Or you could modify your recovery and install clockwork and flash cognition 4.1.1 which its more our less stock kbi that is already rooted and debloated
Not sure of a cmw flashable kb1
CM7

Excellent! I totally forgot about that, thanks mcord11758!

Ok, somethin i learned when using kies to upgrade to 2.2. 1) USB debugging has to be on. 2) Make sure to UNroot your phone before trying to upgrade with kies 3) I also had the boot loop. Restarted in recovery mode and cleared all user data. That fixed it.
Also, think about upgrading to superoneclick 1.7
BTW, if you want CWM to work, you should shell root before regular root (reboot after shell root) and dont forget to enable nonmarket apps
GOOD LUCK!

@venomio: I already have those two files, but thanks for confirming that no one has released an official KB1 2.2. I'm glad to know I just haven't failed despite looking thoroughly.
@mcord11758: I actually hadn't thought about that. I thought that I'd be set with JH2 in terms of being allowed by Kies to update.....yeah no I was wrong obviously. I just figured the additional steps involved with the JH7ota would make Kies hate me more. But yeah, I think this may be my solution- although if for whatever reason it didn't work it'd just be really annoying. I've already had to revert to JI6 twice now hoping for the Kies update.
Out of curiousity, why in the world does JH2 work on my phone?
And what exactly does it mean to have a 1010 Captivate?
Still @mcord11758: Now I do have clockwork recovery installed (still on JI6 as I'm typing this), however for whatever reason, I can't seem to see any of the bonus features that it should provide in the recovery screen. I think I've read that this is a typical problem and I need to get 3e_Recovery or something, but I wasn't really sure how it worked or how to apply it. And the hold up I have on Cognition is the fact that I don't know how easy it is to revert everything back to default (like lag fix and stuff). Any info on these topics would be appreciated
@mrhaley30705: Yeah, I'm updated to SuperOneClick 1.7 now. 1.5 Just happened to be what I used originally, and for whatever reason wouldn't work any longer after further trying to flash things in these recent turn of events. Long story short, after a lot of pain trying to re-root, I realized 1.7 was out, got it, and it worked.
I will say that I have avoided the Shell Root as I don't fully understand how it works and I've gotten by using just the "Root". Isn't Shell Root un-reversable? I'm just worried about that since I'm attempting to get a Kies Update.
@Everyone/All: I really appreciate all the feedback big time. This has been a pretty stressful, long process even though at times it has felt fun and rewarding.
I think I'm going to do what mcord11758 said when I'm not at my girlfriends place. For whatever reason, if I need my Jig, I don't want her to see cuz she'll know I'm messing with my phone again. (She gets upset at me when I get upset at the phone). I'll leave you with a fun image that I saw from someone's sig once.
Btw, anyone who posted above this will have received thanks.
I hope that's not totally lame of me.

Update: It worked!!!!
I Officially have the Official final release of KB1 Froyo 2.2
I used the following as suggested:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36
Afterwords I followed:
http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa...ID=2&PROD_SUB_ID=557&PROD_ID=558&AT_ID=368733
And I was able to get Kies Mini to recognize the phone (unlike with JI6) and allow me to select Phone Upgrade (Unlike with JH2).
One big thing I've seen, is that my phone is missing the GMS Updates, I do not have google's GenieWidget (News and Weather).
I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, and I don't know if there is any fixes. I do remember though, that while I had JI6 installed, apk's of the GenieWidget I found around the web would not work.
I know it's probably lame, but I was actually hoping to get this, as I was trying to get it in JI6 as well.
Pic attached of my desktop showing Kies working.

Good stuff, great that you managed to get it going!

[Q] Unrootable Captivate - Please Help

As you are about to see, I'm new to this.
I have been attempting to root my Captivate. I have tried Galaxy One Click Root and Super One Click 1.7, among others.
My phone won't enter recovery mode. I have tried to install z4root, which the phone blocks. I've tried using sideload wonder machine, which doesn't work either.
I downgraded to 2.1....nothing. Reloaded 2.2....nothing.
Any advice would be helpful at this point, and please be specific, as I am slightly retarded.

It its rumored that Odin one click to jf 6 will actually get rid if the recovery/ download modes, maybe try flashing a cognition ROM
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

ryanmahan said:
It its rumored that Odin one click to jf 6 will actually get rid if the recovery/ download modes, maybe try flashing a cognition ROM
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not a rumor, it's a fact. Does not happen with all models.

What about full odin to jf6? I personally like to use odin every so often to master clear.
It would explain why superone click wouldnt root my phone lst time i master cleared, too. Ended up installing cwm and flashing straight to rom(which took care of rooting and 3rd party apps)

mrhaley30705 said:
What about full odin to jf6? I personally like to use odin every so often to master clear.
It would explain why superone click wouldnt root my phone lst time i master cleared, too. Ended up installing cwm and flashing straight to rom(which took care of rooting and 3rd party apps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said, I'm slightly retarded. Do you know of a forum with instructions for doing this? Everything else I've tried has just caused a face to appear on my phone's screen laughing at me.

When you use super one click, did you enable usb debugging?
Sent from a place my wife doesn't know about

The captivate is actually an extremely easy root process...
Download this file update.zip
Put it on your internal SD card (internal Memory) not your SD card you can remove
Turn off your phone
Once off hold both volume up and down and hold power until you see the AT&T boot screen then let go of all 3 buttons. You should see recovery mode soon. Select Reinstall Packages, congratulations you are now rooted.

Is that the modded cwm? I think he said he was on 2.2. Regular cwm won't work with froyo(signature verification errors). There is a modded one somewhere on this site that either replaces 3e, our fixed sig on cwm.
Sent from a place my wife doesn't know about

I think he downgraded to 2.1 again which is what you'll need to be on to use the method I described.

jayjr1105 said:
I think he downgraded to 2.1 again which is what you'll need to be on to use the method I described.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running 2.2
1-Downloaded and installed file update.zip to internal sd. Turned off phone. Tried to enter recovery mode. Got blank screen, att screen, blank screen, att screen, blank screen, etc etc.
2-Tried to install z4root. Blocked by phone. Tried to use sideload wonder machine, which can't detect the phone (in usb debugging mode and mass storage (tried both))
3-Tried Super One Click, which ran but did nothing.
4-Flashed to 2.1 and factory reset. Tried (2) again. Failed. Tried 1-3. Failed.
5-Flashed to a different version of 2.2. Started over. Failed.
I've been using some of the mobile tech videos, but everytime I get to the "Eureka!" phase, my phone just laughs at me.

use odin full version to flash speedmod kernel on 2.2, i even do this on 2.1, but on 2.1 you need the .zip file on the sdcard before you start because the phone will not boot with a 2.2 kernel, only enter recovery.
once on speed mod kernel you can either root and flash a kernel for att roms or flash a new rom without the need to root, the new rom will be rooted.
if you are on 2.2 you will need a computer one way or another, flashing back to stock can be a pain for those with the 3 button problem and it is way more time consuming than flashing a kernel, i have never used the tools out there but i don't know of an easier way than flashing a kernel via odin, especially if you intend to flash a 3rd party rom. also any time you flash a sbl.bin or boot.bin can be a dangerous situation. bad flashes that break the boot loaders aren't common but it causes enough "omg i bricked" threads to keep me from recommending it. there is a odin one click with a 3 button fix, if you use that once it will be fixed untill you flash a rom with odin that changes the bootloaders again. im not sure if there is a .tar stock rom for odin without the bootloader but that would be a good idea if there isn't.

you must not have the right drivers installed.
2.2 cannot be rooted by using an update.zip....you will need to get your drivers working and adb seeing the device....

sharp1114 said:
I'm running 2.2
1-Downloaded and installed file update.zip to internal sd. Turned off phone. Tried to enter recovery mode. Got blank screen, att screen, blank screen, att screen, blank screen, etc etc.
2-Tried to install z4root. Blocked by phone. Tried to use sideload wonder machine, which can't detect the phone (in usb debugging mode and mass storage (tried both))
3-Tried Super One Click, which ran but did nothing.
4-Flashed to 2.1 and factory reset. Tried (2) again. Failed. Tried 1-3. Failed.
5-Flashed to a different version of 2.2. Started over. Failed.
I've been using some of the mobile tech videos, but everytime I get to the "Eureka!" phase, my phone just laughs at me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds like you need the 3button fix first. there is an odin stock rom+3button fix, it should take you to 2.1 but you will get recovery mode. if that fixes the recovery mode 3-button combo and the phone boots you can put the rom of your choice on the sd card, then odin flash speedmod kernel and flash the new rom, warning the phone doesn't boot a 2.1 rom with speedmod kernel, i only do this as a faster way to get into cwm recovery, only do that if you intend to flash a rooted rom from 2.1.

Dani897 said:
use odin full version to flash speedmod kernel on 2.2, i even do this on 2.1, but on 2.1 you need the .zip file on the sdcard before you start because the phone will not boot with a 2.2 kernel, only enter recovery.
once on speed mod kernel you can either root and flash a kernel for att roms or flash a new rom without the need to root, the new rom will be rooted.
if you are on 2.2 you will need a computer one way or another, flashing back to stock can be a pain for those with the 3 button problem and it is way more time consuming than flashing a kernel, i have never used the tools out there but i don't know of an easier way than flashing a kernel via odin, especially if you intend to flash a 3rd party rom. also any time you flash a sbl.bin or boot.bin can be a dangerous situation. bad flashes that break the boot loaders aren't common but it causes enough "omg i bricked" threads to keep me from recommending it. there is a odin one click with a 3 button fix, if you use that once it will be fixed untill you flash a rom with odin that changes the bootloaders again. im not sure if there is a .tar stock rom for odin without the bootloader but that would be a good idea if there isn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a suggestion for a stable rom? I don't want to get to the point where I've got it working and throw a terrible third party on it. I'm just looking for device speed and controll over all apps, especially bloatware.

all of the available roms are stable. to be honest TiBu will remove bloat if you want it to.
Try them all and see which one you like. Pretty much all of the custom roms are better than stock. If you like to stay near stock but run more optimized, see Cognition. Otherwise see which one you like more. It's not a hard process if you read up on it.

sharp1114 said:
Do you have a suggestion for a stable rom? I don't want to get to the point where I've got it working and throw a terrible third party on it. I'm just looking for device speed and controll over all apps, especially bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is hard to go wrong with cognition which is a stock rom with some mods and bloat removed and tethering enabled, that will have the proper kernel and modem for the captivate which for me has great call quality, also the disadvantages of not having hsupa are overblown.
there is also andromeda which is the rom from the armani captivate and is well polished and complete, has some of the more useful samsung apps. this can be used with a 2.2.1 kernel ported from the i9000 for a slight speed boost (shows in benchmarks, may not be detectable in user experience) this has hsupa and is designed for the captivate
i9000 ports are newer 2.2.1 versions and all of the features work now so you may want a newer firmware version from one of those..
there are many 2.2.1 i9000 roms that are fully functional. that is more a matter of feature set and theme preference it is hard to say one is better than the other. id say for stable the speedmod kernel is about the best on an i9000 port, for experimenting with overclock or undervolt i hear that the kernel with paragon is awesome.
now it is odd that you say you flashed a different version of 2.2 but cant get into recovery, was that in odin? can you get download without adb commands?

Dani897 said:
im not sure if there is a .tar stock rom for odin without the bootloader but that would be a good idea if there isn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use this method to flash back to stock. Supposed to be much safer that doesn't mess with the bootloader files. I have been using it for about 3 weeks now to flash back to stock. You CAN however still use the one click odin to master clear once you have flashed back to stock.
Back on topic... I would flash back to 2.1 using the above method and master clear to start fresh with this issue. Once that is done look for mobiletechvideo's 3 button fix video on youtube. But even if you have 3 button issues the Galaxy S one click root program should still get you into recovery. It doesn't always succeed in copying the update.zip file to the internal SD card but you can do that manually and just use the program solely to get into recovery. Make sure you have USB debugging on. After the stock flash and master clear it is off by default and samsung kies is on. You might want to invest in a Jig also since you have 3 button issues, it may save you hide someday.
As far as a good rom goes. Really all the 2.2.1 roms are pretty stable and fast. I'm currently using Continuum 4 with the paragon kernel and it floats and sips battery. If you like the stock look you can use cognition. If you like the green themed gingerbread look you can use Phoenix, Serendipity, Firefly, or Paragon which is my personal fav but hasn't been updated in a month.
Anyways good luck. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

oops, got double posted somehow

Thanks for all your advice and help. I finally got it rooted.
I've tried Cognition 4.3 and Paragon, both of which I liked. I like the appearance of Paragon, but the optimization just doesn't seem to be there. Cognition is great for customization, but I the appearance is just to 'stockish' for me, if that makes sense. Something in between would be nice. (Ideas?)
I plan to try Phoenix Unleashed, but i can't get it to download.

The reason why the programs are having a hard time seeing your cappy is because you need the Serial COM driver available only by installing Samsumg's software: Kies Mini... don't run the program just install it. Once you do this Odin and the Wonder Root program can see the phone. I had this issue.

Some Pointers Please on Flashing Original VZW MotoDroid?

Okay ... I have the Samsung Droid Charge and I'm quite comfortable flashing ROMS/Kernels/CWM Odin etc.
My wife has my old original Verizon Moto Droid (stock) and it is starting to act up a little. I'm thinking of flashing a ROM onto it to update things and see if it acts any better.
Like I said; I am comfortable using Odin and CWM on my Charge. What's different with the Droid? What will I need to accomplish the tasks? Is there an Original stock ROM available I can revert back to if things don't work out or she doesn't like it?
It looks like there's a Windows based app instead of Odin? I am running Win7-64 bit on my desktop.
Any pointers getting me headed in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
MERRY CHRISTMAS !!
Steve
Edit: Understand this is my wife's phone. I need to know what I am doing before I attempt it .... I screw up her phone and it ain't gonna be a Merry Christmas around the Chopstix household ... ~;-p

You could use superoneclick v 1.7 to root it, you can install cwm recovery on it and flash a rom, I would reccomend project elite for its great stability. If anything ever goes wrong you can sbf back to stock

I just Flashed Cyanogen Mod 7.1.0 on my stock OG droid and it rocks. Some pointers that I couldn't find in the rest of the forums:
Like mentioned above, you have to use superoneclick 1.7 (or revert back to 1.6 if the frk76 -the latest update- has put it self on the phone)
I used "mybackup root" (free in the market) to back up my apps and data (messages, call logs, pictures, and music). Worked great.
I logged into my google account to back up contacts, calendar, etc. Also worked great.
Here is the part that everyone has a problem with: Rom Manager.
The stock ClockworkMod Recovery (2.5.0.1) in Rom Manager does not work for the OG Droid. I was able to get it to work though by going to "All ClockworkMod Recoveries" at the bottom on the Rom Manager screen and flash ClockworkMod Recovery (3.1.0.2).
After that it was smooth sailing. Remember to perform a Nandroid Back up, do a factory reset/wipe data, and what ever else the ROM you are installing suggests you do. I had to do a recovery a couple of times figuring out that SPRecovery won't work for Flashing new ROMS.
Hope it works and Merry Christmas!!!

taptaptouch said:
You could use superoneclick v 1.7 to root it, you can install cwm recovery on it and flash a rom, I would reccomend project elite for its great stability. If anything ever goes wrong you can sbf back to stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sbf back to stock ... could you expand on that? I don't know what it is. The Motorolas are obviously quite different than the samsungs when doing this stuff ...
Edit: I am having trouble finding the links for downloading the superoneclick, CWM and the ROM. Odin isn't used on this phone? What will I use to install CWM? Project Elite sounds like the one I would want. Stability is key above advanced tools and eye candy. It's for my wife and it will be used as a phone and messaging only pretty much. Maybe a few pictures. I would want the market and all apps she might want to be still accessible.

sbf back to stock= making a Nandroid backup and recovering it in case there is a problem with your ROM install. Did you do that when you flashed Odin onto your Charge? As long as you have your stock ROM backed up, you can go back to it at any time. This can all be accomplished with CWM.
As far as I can tell, Odin is for Samsung devices only. If this is incorrect, someone please set me straight.
CWM is a utility inside the "ROM Manager" app, which is available in the Market.
Here is the Superoneclick Thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
I'm just getting started in the custom romming thing, so I couldn't recommend a good bare bones ROM. Good luck in your research!

jgoose said:
sbf back to stock= making a Nandroid backup and recovering it in case there is a problem with your ROM install. Did you do that when you flashed Odin onto your Charge? As long as you have your stock ROM backed up, you can go back to it at any time. This can all be accomplished with CWM.
As far as I can tell, Odin is for Samsung devices only. If this is incorrect, someone please set me straight.
CWM is a utility inside the "ROM Manager" app, which is available in the Market.
Here is the Superoneclick Thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
I'm just getting started in the custom romming thing, so I couldn't recommend a good bare bones ROM. Good luck in your research!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I haven't used nandroid even though some on Charges do. Odin isn't something you install on your phone. It is a computer based program that you use as an interface between the computer and phone to flash 'tar' files to your phone. ROMS will come in a file format with a .tar.md5 file extension and you use Odin to flash them. There are complete stock 'Odin' ROMS out there that you can use to flash your phone back to stock. This is the fail-safe route I have used when learning to flash that saved me from a few bricked phones. I am leery of flashing her Droid without having the same abilities available to me. A nandroid backup isn't going to do any good if the phone pukes half way through a flash and gets bricked. Or am I incorrect in that statement?
I've seen mention of a windows based app here that I assumed was something akin to Odin. Is there a fail-safe fall back to a stock rom for this phone should you need to recover from a bricked state? I'd hate to flash the wife's phone without knowing going in that I have the ability to recover from a bad flash.
CWM is stand alone on the Charge. You can install it with Odin or other methods such as adb (which I am not familiar with). But getting it through an app is fine too. I would assume there are then zip files available for updating to a more recent version of cwm after a version is on the phone. CWM is also embedded into many ROMs available so that when you flash a ROM via Odin, CWM is on the phone when you boot.
What is the button sequence for entering recovery on the Droid?

Power Key + X on the keyboard.
I assume you have a physical keyboard on this droid.

Don't let these guys scare you off. If you can flash your charge then you should have no problem with an og Droid . I just fixed my sister inlaws the other day . it took me 20 min. Here's a guide anyone could follow . Root Droid 1 - regardless of OS version (driod forums . net ) (I'm not allowed to post the link for some reason) And also I would recommend project elite or cyan 7, both work great.

[Q] Stuck on Android 2.1

K, so I got a Captivate today and it turns out it's running Eclair, so I try to root it from the Odin method here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1350266
Can't do that though. Why? My guess is because I'm still on Eclair. I was able to flash the TAR files and even flash a Gingerbread rom, but after I try to reboot, I get stuck at the black screen that says "Galaxy S SGH-1897" in white letters, then Samsung at the bottom. No matter what roms I try to flash, I get this same screen. Am I basically bricked or what? I've been rooting and flashing roms for about two years, so I understand that on the first boot after flashing a new rom, it takes longer than normal, but it's been over ten minutes now, which is ridiculous because even my OG droid would've loaded up by now. Should I try to use an unbrick method or is there another way out?

Quick and easy way to get around this (assuming you've correctly flashed the Gingerbread bootloaders) would be to grab a Gingerbread-based stock one-click rom from the sticky at the top of the Development forum. Make sure to grab one without bootloaders and with CWM recovery, and flash that. That will get you to stock, and give you recovery so you can flash custom roms more easily.

I honestly didn't know how to get it to work and tried that first, but since I couldn't get it to work (I know, I'm an idiot. I've rooted an Infuse and SGS II with the same method, but the files were set up different and stuff. Oops. ), I tried the other way, but it works now. Thanks!