Root Where to start?

[jamina1]

So my Captivate arrives in the mail tomorrow, and I want to put Froyo on it, but SO MANY OPTIONS.

Since I'm new to the party, many of the threads have lingo that I just don't understand... is there a very thorough list of instructions on how to flash your phone reliably? Considering the phone will be *brand new* I figure I better do it before I put all my contacts / apps / data on there.

But many of these threads have all sorts of abbreviations and processes that I just don't understand, nor do they include links to extrapolate steps or explain what the hell they're saying.

• How does one flash to JP6 (and what IS JP6?)
• Odin, Clockwork, Master Clear, etc - what are these, where do you get them, what do they do?
• I see many instances of "install lag fix of choice" how does one do this
• Also references to "install the modem of your choice" - to me, modem is hardware - to what are they referring in regards to the device itself?
• I think based on looks, I want to go with [ROM][FROYO] Tayutama's 1.0.3 Lite Rom/Setiron's 1.2 Kernel with Extras - xda-developers this rom, but most of the posts on here are asking how they made it, and are not into how they installed it. It gets very technical very quickly, with familiar people talking about stuff they understand. I'm brand new...

I'm a quick learner, and very technically minded so I'm sure once its all explained that I'll understand and pick it up, but for now its all Greek. And I will really want to get rid of that AT&T bloatware, so... help!

 

[LukeOlson]

I'll answer the couple of things I do know! I'll let others answer the rest.

Odin is a way to get everything back to stock in case something goes wrong (and you screw something up). Here is a great tutorial on using it. (I had to use it because I got rid of all the AT&T bloatware and then needed to exchange the phone for a new Captivate. It worked great.)

As far as lag fixes go, the easiest way I've found is to install RyanZA's OCLF 2.0 from the market. It will root the phone for you and then install a lag fix for you.

The easiest way to get rid of the AT&T bloatware is to first root then install Titanium Backup from the market. After this is installed, you can uninstall all of the bloatware. Careful though, because even though it may look like you can create a backup of the bloatware using Titanium Backup, it won't let you re-install bloatware from the backup. So if you need to restore all of the crap (cuz you need to exchange your phone or something), use Odin.

I hope somebody else can answer your other questions!

 

[Jack45]

I'm a quick learner, and very technically minded so I'm sure once its all explained that I'll understand and pick it up, but for now its all Greek.

Wow. I read your post and my immediate reaction was "gasoline, meet match." I have no doubt that you're a quick learner, etc., but IMO stay away from all that you wish to do at this point. Await Froyo, and by then you'll have a greater understanding of the device's capabilities and, once you update "normally," you'll be able to decide whether futzing with the under-the-cover stuff is actually worth the effort and learning curve.

Also, check out (and become comfortable with) the contents of http://www.capfaq.com/w/FAQ.

 

[jamina1]

Wow. I read your post and my immediate reaction was "gasoline, meet match." I have no doubt that you're a quick learner, etc., but IMO stay away from all that you wish to do at this point. Await Froyo, and by then you'll have a greater understanding of the device's capabilities and, once you update "normally," you'll be able to decide whether futzing with the under-the-cover stuff is actually worth the effort and learning curve.

Also, check out (and become comfortable with) the contents of FAQ - CapFAQ.

I had much better luck going on Youtube and watching some videos that explained the procedures (I'm a much better visual learner). Added benefit? Didn't have to actually do anything on the phone until I was comfortable with it.

As it was, once I understood exactly how Clockwork recovery actually worked, it was fairly simple. I had a stock rom standing by in case everything went south, but I've got Tatuyama's Froyo Rom on my captivate - plus I even did the kernel!
No issues so far. Had to futz with the GPS a little bit this morning, but its working great today.

 

[Jack45]

I had much better luck going on Youtube and watching some videos that explained the procedures (I'm a much better visual learner). Added benefit? Didn't have to actually do anything on the phone until I was comfortable with it.

As it was, once I understood exactly how Clockwork recovery actually worked, it was fairly simple. I had a stock rom standing by in case everything went south, but I've got Tatuyama's Froyo Rom on my captivate - plus I even did the kernel!
No issues so far. Had to futz with the GPS a little bit this morning, but its working great today.

I'm impressed. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool! I'll know who to turn to when I want to live life on the edge.

 

[sremick]

Odin is a way to get everything back to stock in case something goes wrong (and you screw something up). Here is a great tutorial on using it.

The Odin "1-click" is not a perfect return to "stock" nor is it a silver bullet that will work in every situation. Hacking is a 1-way street.

 

[LukeOlson]

The Odin "1-click" is not a perfect return to "stock" nor is it a silver bullet that will work in every situation. Hacking is a 1-way street.

Unfortunately he's right. You might not be able to receive OTA updates after using Odin. But in my experience, it has been good enough if I need to exchange the phone for one reason or another and need the stock stuff on there.