Root Thorough, yet simple explanation please...

[martyr2k6]

First I just wanted to say, that I have used the "Similar Thread" tool and read through multiple threads to ensure that I don't duplicate someone else's. Nothing similar to what I have to ask...

So I love my Fascinate, but it is also my first Android phone... I am new to the scene, and I want to try out modding and rooting and theme-ing and all that good stuff. I am pretty good at following directions, as I was able to successfully root my phone on the first try (not the the instructions from here made it hard, or anything ) and even enable WiFi Tethering (which was lackluster with my first and only experience). But then I got lost...

I know that I definitely want to have my device's manufacturer default state saved so that, in a catastrophic event, I can always go back to the day I bought the phone and first set it up... Now, I don't know if I am a complete idiot or not, but I do know about the How To Return to Stock tutorial and it seems to unroot my phone and even undo changes that I made (wise or unwise as it may have been with my level of inexperiene) such as the Liquid Battery Icon mod.

I just need some clarification on these steps/procedures, or at least links to them so that I can spread the word when someone else like me comes in need. I tried to follow some of the guides from XDA and got a little lost, such as when folks were getting the three red error messages in recovery mode when trying to backup current rom using CWM.

Also, if I could get some suggestions to some helpful or nifty widgets that would make my experience more awesome or productive as well as some some theme information, like how to change my lock screen from that of the current Fascinate's to that of the stock android theme...

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated! :-D

 

[Gitykins]

The most common way to return to stock is to simply unroot and reflash with the stock kernel as that keeps pretty much everything, takes a verrryyy small amount of time, and, well, unroots.

People who were getting verification errors while in recovery mode were using unsigned update.zip or other ROM's and were not in CWM and probably installed it incorrectly. They most likely just installed from ROM Manager and though that they were done, but you actually have to do this: Clockworkmod installation how to for windows / *nix - xda-developers

That guide will install CWM correctly and allow you to use any ROM/kernel/package that you want for the Fascinate as it allows the use of unsigned updates and ROM's, as well as system dumps and backups.

That How To Return To Stock thread would get you to complete stock but I feel that it's basically a waste of time to reflash the whole dang /system when you can just reflash with the stock kernel and unroot. If you're returning it, however, you'll definitely want to get rid of CWM and that return to stock guide will do that for you.