If you're frustrated trying to get Froyo via KIES, take heart: you're not alone, and it's not your fault. KIES is an incredibly buggy piece of software that really shames SAMSUNG. Furthermore, it does not even support the latest version of Windows (7 has been out for a year, even in Korea) let alone other operating systems.
I gave up and resorted to hackery after days of messing around trying to persuade KIES to either:
* Properly install on a Windows PC
* Launch after installation
* Connect my SGS
* Let me install FROYO
This is after testing KIES on the following:
* A Windows 7 VM in OSX under Parallels - 32-bit Ultimate EN (partially successful)
* A native Windows XP machine, DE (failed)
* A second native Windows XP machine, DE
* A Windows 7 32-bit notebook, EN (failed)
So quit wasting your time with this piece of junk software - and go down the alternative route. As a bonus, you'll get rid of the clunky, slugging Vodafone logo screens when your SGS boots - the native graphics are way cooler.
And funniest of all, I saw some new native wallpapers - somehow Vodafone Germany saw fit to delete some of those lovely panoramic images ... maybe there was a T-Mo shop showing up in the corner of one of them?
The one thing you will need to do before trying to install FROYO is to make sure your battery is fully charged.
I bookmarked the key sites in my hacking trip - which was successful, by the way. I now have a lovely SGS running FROYO, aka firmware version 2.2. And, by the way, I also managed to lose all those bloat applications that Vodafone inexplicably adds - for example, WTF would want to play just 14 pieces of Tetris, or one round on a Monopoly board? I ain't reaching for my wallet on the strength of a compelling and exciting game where - gasp - I just got to play 14 pieces. Vodafone - you are just a dumb pipe sometimes.
The bookmarks:
nesjo's samsung Bookmarks on Delicious
My favorite, and the one that worked for me,
Pathik Shah Live, seems to be offline. I'm suspicious. Good thing that Google has cached the page ...
Install Android 2.2 Froyo on Samsung Galaxy S | Pathik Shah
Closing comments: Yeah, I now have the Asian software build. But everything works, and if you think I'm bothered by not having the German or English build, you're confusing me with someone who gives a crud.