• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Root Stock Captivate owners...

Many users don't want to void their warranty. And the custom hacked ROMs are not risk-free or issue-free. They have quirks/bugs too.

And what is "easy" for you isn't necessarily "easy" for them.

And there are plenty of people who have permanently bricked their Captivates. You'll see their sad stories (and sagas of obtaining replacement phones from AT&T or Samsung) if you read this forum enough. I've been here since before the Captivate was released.

Flashing custom ROMs isn't for everyone, and this forum needs to remain friendly to all users, especially those for whom such advanced warranty-voiding activities are not suitable.
 
I can check email & rss feeds, surf the web, play angry birds, what else do I need to do that I can't already?

And after being on my 3rd captivate it finally has great battery life and stop turning itself off. I'm not going to screw that up.
 
Eventually I would like to try flashing a ROM. I truly appreciate all the stories, how-to's, and enthusiastic banter from all who have gone that route. Eventually- I would like to get rid of all the ATT crapware and $$$$ware that is loaded. I know what NOT to use- and thats ok for now.

I will wait for the stock release of Froyo first though- as I'd like to see or get a seat o the pants feeling on any differences or improvements. Will I see a GPS improvement... I dunno. Will I see ANY speed increase... I dunno. I want to try released Froyo first though.


Thanks-
Chris
 
Haven't seen the need to yet, as my Captivate is working fine, including GPS.

After official Froyo comes out, I'll consider rooting and ROM'ing primarily so that I can do a full backup, and quicken my boot-up time, which is about 3 minutes right now and is a PITA.
 
contradictions said:
How can you possibly make such a broad statement like that? There are already several reports of malware getting on phones in apps from outside the official Android marketplace, so why wouldn't custom roms be targeted as well?

Not trying to spread F.U.D. or anything, but let's not suggest to people that there is zero risk involved.
Click to expand...

Nobody is suggesting zero risk, but the people who put these ROM's together tend to work with a group of very knowledgeable folks, who are very good at finding out if there is a "nasty" hidden in the ROM. And, once that happens, all the credibility the person who has built up putting out ROM's is now down the toilet.

And, nobody is suggesting every APK out there is safe. However, when you have a community this size, you can bet those little nasties get discovered quickly.

It's the same reason vulnerabilities in Linux get fixed so rapidly (Generally, within 4 hours of exploit release), an enormous community is constantly checking.
 
I was reluctant, but I am happpy as hell that I did. What a difference. I was on Cognition 3.04, and am now using Paragon RC5....super fast! ANd I can do what ever I want. It's like a mobile PC, why not tear it apart and make it better?
 
For me, its kind of like a PC - Sure, it will work right out of the box and do most things, but you can ALWAYS improve.

I didn't get an iPhone for a couple reasons: (a) I despise Apple and their "Fisher-Price; Treat your customers like dumb sheep so they'll keep buying" attitude and (b) THEY SUCK.

However, after getting my Cappy and realizing that AT&T/Samsung still had my phone held prisoner under their control (updates, software, etc), I decided to flash to a custom ROM.

If you're like me, you will read the forums until your eyes bleed - That's what I did and I feel like I've finally got a good understanding of the process. Do I know it all? Hell, no. Will I ever? Probably not. However, the developers of the ROMs make things easy enough... If you have a basic understanding of the software needed to flash, and have a jig (best to have on hand before you start IMHO - Spend the darn $10!), you'll be fine.

My GPS never worked on 2.1 and although I didn't notice my phone to be slow, since upgrading to Andromeda 1.2, I can tell a big difference - It's rock solid, and now I have the WiFi goodies, 2.2, WORKING GPS (Locks 10 satellites consistently).... It was VERY worth it in my opinion.

If AT&T ever decides to allow the official 2.2 release, I may try it, but I don't think it will come close to what I've already got.

I modify - My cars, My Computers, (now) My Phone - Is there risk? Yes, but without risk, there is no reward...


Bah Bah Bah... not for me.
 
2 reasons- Fear and confusion. Obviously, the fear of having a very nice looking brick. Confusion is a bit of another story. I think that I have read all of the threads on ROM's, both here and on XDA, and I'm still confused. My phone has a build number of 1008. Do I have 3 button or not? Can I use Odin One Click or should I use Odin3? Some postings say that you need Odin3 for 1008 and up, others say 1010 and up. Everything says to start from JH6, but I have the JH7 update from At&T. Since my phone is stock, do I need to use Odin? Then, which Odin? One posting says to use Clockwork Mod, which is installed by ROM Manager, another says to steer clear of ROM Manager. The list goes on, but you can see what I am talking about.
I know that installing a ROM on a telephone out in the wild deals with an incredible number of variables. I just want to better my odds of not bricking a working phone.
On the other hand, I have rooted. z4Root. Unbelievably easy. So, I do have backups of my phone. I've also downloaded Serendipity and Paragon. Not sure which one to use yet, but, I'll study them. I think, for most on the forum, it is more of a case of "when I'll use a custom ROM" as opposed to "if I'll use a custom ROM". I still have a little patience left, waiting for the OTA upgrade, but it's going down quickly.
 
Your hesitance is understandable and wise. I moved forward only after doing a TON of homework when I finally had it with Samsung in mid-December. I was driven. Folks that say that flashing a custom ROM is easy are those who also had their hearts fluttering and perspiration dripping from (pick the body part) during their first flash.
 
I've had my Captivate since August, and waited until January. I researched these forums, and XDA to death. Took the plunge and love it.
 
True that. Just wish I flashed a ROM earlier...

Once you have all the tools (Odin3, working USB drivers for your computer, Clockwork zip, and the ROM you want) it's a very straight forward and simple process.

That said I think I have avoided many common issues by not saving my phone (applications and data) prior to flashing. All my data lives in the cloud or is saved on my removable SD card. I don't mind spending 10 minutes re-downloading the apps from the marketplace...do have to start over with Angry Birds though :)
 
I guess the worst case scenario is if one bricks the device, which I've read is highly unlikely, you just wander down to the ATT store and pick up the Atrix (soon), or Inspire. I think the absolute worst case is $399 for the Inspire off contract-so not really a major issue

By the way, this guy "bay_wolf (I think) has created a real nice one stop PC application for the entire process, including flashing back to stock. That's what I'm going to use I think. It's on XDA developers forum
 
JavaBrewer said:
True that. Just wish I flashed a ROM earlier...

Once you have all the tools (Odin3, working USB drivers for your computer, Clockwork zip, and the ROM you want) it's a very straight forward and simple process.

That said I think I have avoided many common issues by not saving my phone (applications and data) prior to flashing. All my data lives in the cloud or is saved on my removable SD card. I don't mind spending 10 minutes re-downloading the apps from the marketplace...do have to start over with Angry Birds though :)
Click to expand...

I agree...once you do it and follow the directions, it's like baking a cake.
 
I've had rom's on my phone before. Reverted back to stock cause I was having many issue's with rom's, forced close's, crashes, bad reception, bad audio quality and malfunctions. that's just to name a few. I've been stock for a month, and I haven't had any major issue's.
 
The only thing my phone doesn't do that I was led to believe it would is the ability to be used as a hotspot. I will wait on the upgrade because I tried to do the hack and almost bricked my phone. You would think there would be a simpler way to do this than to have to do 20 seperate downloads!
 
hey guys the reason i havent done it is because i have read that the model number 1008 takes a while to do it and that it takes a special adapter to do it if anyone has this build model if someone can link me everything and you have done it then i would try it but if not then i am not rooting my phone
 
Degoins said:
The only thing my phone doesn't do that I was led to believe it would is the ability to be used as a hotspot. I will wait on the upgrade because I tried to do the hack and almost bricked my phone. You would think there would be a simpler way to do this than to have to do 20 seperate downloads!
Click to expand...


There is an easier way - the All In One (AIO) Captivate Toolbox. Works like a charm. Get it here:

[PROGRAM] AIO Captivate Toolbox 2.5 (Rogers Fixed!) *Beginners/Advanced Start Here* - xda-developers

Mike
 
I did a lot of reading before I flashed to Serendipity. As for warranty, I'm not too concerned - the last two desktop PCs I have purchased for my home, the minute I walked in the house and took them out of the box, I replaced the power supplies, added video cards and hard drives and memory and cd/dvd devices. Basically, I voided the warranty before I ever even turned on the machines. Ain't scared.

As for flashing a ROM, it helps if you have computer skills. I work on PCs as a side. I've replaced LCD screens and keyboards and hard drives on laptops. I've wiped other people's hard drives and re-installed operating systems. I've gone from Windows Vista Home Premium OEM to Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Utlimate on the machine I'm using right now, and never lost a bit of data. I've rescued many a PC from the grips of some nasty viruses. I do this for beer money on the side for others. I started with Radio Shack (Tandy) computers in the 80's, before Windows, only DOS, and I ran a Bulletin Board System (BBS) on a phone line with a 300 baud modem and then a 1200 baud modem - way back before the Internet - and everything was run by huge Batch files. My total hard disk space was 32 MEGABYTES. Way back in the day. Floppy disks (5.25" floppies). Long time ago.

So good computer skills is a must, in my opinion, if you want to flash a ROM. You have to be able to understand the workflow in order to pull it off - that comes from doing your homework. Even with my computer skills, I still did a lot of reading before I tried it.

It's not for everyone, and you MUST do your homework.

Good luck if you decide to try, but you will be rewarded if you do it right!

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom