Root Fastest kernel to date...

[peachpuff]

If some of you guys don't frequent the xda forums i figured i'd pass this on, one of the best and fastest kernels for the captivate was released recently. Its features are just mind boggling, 200mhz overclock(you can disable this with an app), 340mb total memory, hsupa, backlight notifications, universal lagfix and other speed tweaks.
You can download the kernel here, and if you want full froyo roms with the kernel built in you have six choices...

Doc's ROM
Tayutama's ROM
GeoMod ROM
Di11i's ROM
killer23d's ROM
Deviant's ROM

Here are some benchmarks, first is with jfs advance setting and the second is with advanced jfs + ext2 loop. The universal lagfix is what really makes the phone fly, even compared to the voodoo lagfix its a huge difference.

 

[arklogic]

How does this compare to the cognition 2.2 rom?

 

[peachpuff]

The newest 2.3 cogkernel is a bit behind feature wise imo, the only thing it really has is the voodoo lag fix but that only changes the /data portion of the phone, while the universal lagfix changes the /data /dbdata and /cache portions of the phone to ext4 or jfs + you can add an ext2 loopback if you wish.

With the setiron kernel you get 343mb of usable memory compared to 304mb with a regular kernel, you get overclock/undervolt support, backlight notifications using the lighted keypad, hsupa support, additional optimized speed tweaks and and of course the universal lagfix.

I added some additional roms to the original post, pick which rom/theme you prefer and install it, you won't regret it as the speed increase is phenomenal.

 

[CrimsonPride]

which of these seem to be the most popular/least glitchy. i would take time to read them all but ive been real busy with school and will continue to be, but would love one of these

 

[peachpuff]

I haven't tried them all, im on killer23d's rom and haven't found any issues. They're all pretty much identical roms with the same setiron kernel, its just the theme/apps that differ between them.

 

[ryandelman]

Installing Di11i's ROM ROM now. Will update with personal impressions after a few days of test driving.

-Ryan

 

[peachpuff]

Installing Di11i's ROM ROM now. Will update with personal impressions after a few days of test driving.

-Ryan

Make sure you enable the lagfix, i suggest No-RFS Advanced, its basicall the voodoo lagfix on steroids.

 

[arklogic]

Sorry, but how do I go about installing this, given the update.zip file? I've been looking for a walkthrough, but it looks like there are many different methods for many different roms?

 

[jamina1]

Sorry, but how do I go about installing this, given the update.zip file? I've been looking for a walkthrough, but it looks like there are many different methods for many different roms?

I would also like to know - how do we install these roms safely and reliably?

 

[peachpuff]

Each of the above authors has instructions on how to install these roms, if you follow them precisely you'll have no issues.
First you need clockworkmod recovery, once that is installed you have an option called install roms in it, you pick the zip file associated with the rom and let it reboot and install the rom and thats it, or you reboot into recovery mode yourself and pick and choose the zip file.

To get the wcdma 850 band working you need to flash another modem file with odin before installing the rom, again the instructions are posted in each of the roms. If you're not comfortable doing this then don't do it.

 

[Runic]

I want to install geomod's rom but I'm a bit iffy on the overclock. If he released a version without 1.2 OC id use it in a heartbeat.

 

[jamina1]

Each of the above authors has instructions on how to install these roms, if you follow them precisely you'll have no issues.
First you need clockworkmod recovery, once that is installed you have an option called install roms in it, you pick the zip file associated with the rom and let it reboot and install the rom and thats it, or you reboot into recovery mode yourself and pick and choose the zip file.

To get the wcdma 850 band working you need to flash another modem file with odin before installing the rom, again the instructions are posted in each of the roms. If you're not comfortable doing this then don't do it.

The instructions may be posted, but they aren't very clear. For example:

From Tayutama's rom: To install simply reboot into clockwork recovery, install from zip and upon reboot enter clockwork recovery again and select your lagfix. Flashing back to stock and master clearing is always a good idea too.

• How do you reboot into Clockwork Recovery?
• What do they mean select your lagfix? Do you need to download something extra?
• In my case, my phone will be *brand new* out of the box. Flash back to stock necessary in this case? How does one accomplish that if it is necessary?

You see, these threads assume they are speaking to an audience that understands them - they are not geared in any way to newcomers like myself. I don't want to deal with AT&T's crapware one bit and want to get it off the phone off the bat. I've done ROM flashing with my Moto Razr and I work in IT, but this is a totally different animal, and I don't want to brick the phone is all.

 

[ryandelman]

The instructions may be posted, but they aren't very clear. For example:

From Tayutama's rom: To install simply reboot into clockwork recovery, install from zip and upon reboot enter clockwork recovery again and select your lagfix. Flashing back to stock and master clearing is always a good idea too.

• How do you reboot into Clockwork Recovery?
• What do they mean select your lagfix? Do you need to download something extra?
• In my case, my phone will be *brand new* out of the box. Flash back to stock necessary in this case? How does one accomplish that if it is necessary?

You see, these threads assume they are speaking to an audience that understands them - they are not geared in any way to newcomers like myself. I don't want to deal with AT&T's crapware one bit and want to get it off the phone off the bat. I've done ROM flashing with my Moto Razr and I work in IT, but this is a totally different animal, and I don't want to brick the phone is all.

Suggestions:

1. If all you're looking to do (at least initially) is dump bloatware, you might want to just root the phone as a first step and go from there. No need to flash a custom ROM w/overclock kernel immediately. That would be like entering a toddler in a marathon.

2. The recommended ROM flashing thread to which you refer above comes from XDA which is a developer-geared website. In short, threads like that which are posted there rightly assume you have an indepth, upfront knowledge of doing these sorts of things. Their audience is mostly intended to be the "learned developer" not so much the "tinkerer enthusiast".

This phone is not some 4yr old flip phone; it's a mini-PC so if you don't know precisely what you're doing before you do it, peruse some of the threads on this and other Android sites and SCOUR the XDA site to educate yourself. Who knows, in the end, you might even decide that based on what you're looking to accomplish, ROM flashing is unecessary!

Just my $.02 and attempt to help.

-Ryan

 

[jamina1]

This phone is not some 4yr old flip phone; it's a mini-PC so if you don't know precisely what you're doing before you do it, peruse some of the threads on this and other Android sites and SCOUR the XDA site to educate yourself.

Indeed, which is why I'm frustrated - the last thing I want to do is break my new "computer." (Yes, I think this phone outclasses my current desktop..) But it seems like I'm coming to the party too late - most of the posts that would explain what all these abbreviated processes are are probably several months / years old by now, any of the ones I'd be able to find only vaguely reference what needs to be done exactly because most of the people have done it repeatedly.

Meh. I'll try my best - a few are more forthcoming with details, but in general they all seem to gloss over the important steps.

 

[ryandelman]

Each of the above authors has instructions on how to install these roms, if you follow them precisely you'll have no issues.
First you need clockworkmod recovery, once that is installed you have an option called install roms in it, you pick the zip file associated with the rom and let it reboot and install the rom and thats it, or you reboot into recovery mode yourself and pick and choose the zip file.

To get the wcdma 850 band working you need to flash another modem file with odin before installing the rom, again the instructions are posted in each of the roms. If you're not comfortable doing this then don't do it.

FYI- I didn't need to use Odin to flash the wcdma modem file; just drag and drop onto external SD and then chose the file from a list of zip docs in recovery.

By the way, I have some early returns on the ROM flash itself:

I think using ADW as the default "backup" UI skin was a mistake because although it appears cleaner and more crisp than LauncherPro, it's not nearly as robust in terms of customizeability, so I reinstalled my Launcherpro and all's well for me.

Device is very snappy, although I'm only getting a Quadrant score of about 1750; however, I know how wildly inaccurate those things can be, so I take for what it's worth that the device is still now way faster and runs more cleanly than with just Voodoo lgfx or even running Cog2.2.

Like having the option of jumping into ROM Mgr/CWM right from the dropdown menu presented when you hold in the power button.

Battery life is SLIGHTLY better now as well which is a pleasant surprise because I didn't expect the phone to operate more efficiently together with adding speed tweaks.

 

[peachpuff]

The instructions may be posted, but they aren't very clear. For example:

From Tayutama's rom: To install simply reboot into clockwork recovery, install from zip and upon reboot enter clockwork recovery again and select your lagfix. Flashing back to stock and master clearing is always a good idea too.

• How do you reboot into Clockwork Recovery?
• What do they mean select your lagfix? Do you need to download something extra?
• In my case, my phone will be *brand new* out of the box. Flash back to stock necessary in this case? How does one accomplish that if it is necessary?

You see, these threads assume they are speaking to an audience that understands them - they are not geared in any way to newcomers like myself. I don't want to deal with AT&T's crapware one bit and want to get it off the phone off the bat. I've done ROM flashing with my Moto Razr and I work in IT, but this is a totally different animal, and I don't want to brick the phone is all.

I was in your shoes too when i got my phone, now im flashing new roms on a weekly basis. Spend more time reading xda forums if you want to familiarize yourself with flashing, or even goto youtube and look for videos on how to flash a galaxy s phone.

FYI- I didn't need to use Odin to flash the wcdma modem file; just drag and drop onto external SD and then chose the file from a list of zip docs in recovery.

Ya there are various ways of flashing no doubt about that, odin definitely isn't needed but it is an option.

 

[Shelbster]

I just want to add my .02 here. The Captivate is my first Android phone, and I am by no means a developer. However, I do like to tinker, so I was drawn to flashing ROMs, etc.

I am still by no means an expert, so I would prefer leaving the step by step instructions to those who are more experienced.

I do have some advice for people who are thinking about flashing ROMs, modems, kernels etc. If the instructions on XDA seem too complex or not detailed enough, then you probably aren't ready to start flashing. I highly recommend reading...a lot....on the XDA boards before you start. Much of the instructions will make sense once you have read the posts and figured out what is going on. It may seem overwhelming at first, but every ROM thread has the same beginner questions asked and answered over and over again.

I can't stress this enough. Some reading and research now will save you a lot of pain later.

When I first tried to flash cognition 2.2, I ended up with a phone that did not work and only showed a phone and triangle symbol on it, nothing else. I had no idea what it meant, what to do next, or how to fix it. After spending time on the XDA boards I figured out how to use one click Odin back to stock, and the rest is history.

For better or worse, now Im a flash addict running Tayutama's ROM with Setirons Kernel.

If you understand the risks, these phones can do amazing things. Many of the ROMs I have tried are polished, smooth, and FAST. It can be a lot of fun to try out new configurations. Just try to walk before you run.

 

[jamina1]

I can't stress this enough. Some reading and research now will save you a lot of pain later.
...
For better or worse, now Im a flash addict running Tayutama's ROM with Setirons Kernel.

If you understand the risks, these phones can do amazing things. Many of the ROMs I have tried are polished, smooth, and FAST. It can be a lot of fun to try out new configurations. Just try to walk before you run.

Hey thanks for the advice! Yeah, I most definitely don't want to break the phone. A friend of mine said to check Youtube, and sure enough, there's plenty of videos on there with varying degrees of complexity.

Those helped so much more because I actually had something to look at and learn from, rather than vague instructions. Good advice, thanks!

 

[Shelbster]

One last bit of advice. Before starting to flash, I would make sure you can get your phone into download mode.

 

[jamina1]

Hey guys thanks for the help, I got my Captivate all flashed and working. Everything is great - Youtube videos showing the procedures really helped.

Now the only thing is to get my GPS working.

 

[Shelbster]

Hey guys thanks for the help, I got my Captivate all flashed and working. Everything is great - Youtube videos showing the procedures really helped.

Now the only thing is to get my GPS working.

You may be waiting a while on the GPS.

What ROM are you using?

 

[jamina1]

I'm using Tayutama's rom with the Seitron Kernel and JPP modem. From [ROM][FROYO] Tayutama's 1.0.3 Lite Rom/Setiron's 1.2 Kernel with Extras - xda-developers I believe.

The GPS was just being totally crappy and not locking at all. I haven't had a chance to test it (at work in a very large steel building) but I changed some settings and will see how I can improve the performance.
It has the Google supl settings as default, but it just isn't getting a lock at all.

I double checked it outside after a few reboots, and it seems to be working perfectly now. Got a fix in about 5 seconds.

 

[Shelbster]

I am using the newest Cognition. I am thinking of going back to tayutama's ROM. Not real thrilled with 2.4.

 

[peachpuff]

I am using the newest Cognition. I am thinking of going back to tayutama's ROM. Not real thrilled with 2.4.

Don't hold your phone back with cognition, sure its popular but feature wise its severely dated compared to the setiron kernel. Give one of them a try, you won't be disappointed i guarantee it... or your money back

 

[jamina1]

My boyfriend has a stock Vibrant, and I just rooted and installed the new Kernel last night. Do you need root to run Quadrant? Because I want to benchmark both our phones and see what happens