For those still struggling with this, or those just getting this phone and encountering issues, I have a solution for you (that I have not seen posted thus far, and with 90% less black magic - just average, everyday Office blood, sweat, and tears).
If you are just trying to get your contacts, and you can't get Kies to work, try this:
Go to your contacts in Outlook, then selects the contacts you want (ctrl+click if you just want certain ones, shift+click to mass selects, etc), then right click and go to "send full contact" and then "in internet format", and then send the email to yourself. Go to the email, save the contacts you wanted someplace you can find them.
After this, make sure your Captivate is either in "Mass Storage" connect mode or in "ask me" mode. Plug your phone in with the USB and open up the phone in explorer. In another window go to where you saved all those .vcf files and then copy them all to your phone.
Unplug your phone when you are done, then go to your contacts app. Open the menu->more->import/export->import from sd card->phone-> and then whichever option you want (I'd go with all).
Spent 5+ hours trying all the different suggestions (and every different permutation of settings and procedures I could derive from the various programs and dark rituals suggested) before I finally figured this one out. Hope this helps others - it preserved my contacts, pictures I had assigned them, phone numbers, birthdays, etc, without manually entering them for a day or two, or being forced to sync them with gmail (preventing me from giving them custom ringtones...) and saving me any more headaches with 3rd party programs or Kies or any other ridiculous witchcraft.
Again, hope this helps.
And if you have any questions, feel free to ask - hopefully I can assist.
If you are just trying to get your contacts, and you can't get Kies to work, try this:
Go to your contacts in Outlook, then selects the contacts you want (ctrl+click if you just want certain ones, shift+click to mass selects, etc), then right click and go to "send full contact" and then "in internet format", and then send the email to yourself. Go to the email, save the contacts you wanted someplace you can find them.
After this, make sure your Captivate is either in "Mass Storage" connect mode or in "ask me" mode. Plug your phone in with the USB and open up the phone in explorer. In another window go to where you saved all those .vcf files and then copy them all to your phone.
Unplug your phone when you are done, then go to your contacts app. Open the menu->more->import/export->import from sd card->phone-> and then whichever option you want (I'd go with all).
Spent 5+ hours trying all the different suggestions (and every different permutation of settings and procedures I could derive from the various programs and dark rituals suggested) before I finally figured this one out. Hope this helps others - it preserved my contacts, pictures I had assigned them, phone numbers, birthdays, etc, without manually entering them for a day or two, or being forced to sync them with gmail (preventing me from giving them custom ringtones...) and saving me any more headaches with 3rd party programs or Kies or any other ridiculous witchcraft.
Again, hope this helps.
And if you have any questions, feel free to ask - hopefully I can assist.
