Help A Few ?'s For The Pro's....Help!

[gicuenitro]

Hey guys(and gals)...I have officially had my captivate for 5 days and I have a serious crush on the phone but I have a few questions for the pros(you guys) about a few things. Maybe you can help me out. I sure would appreciate it.

1st..The reason why I decided to post this thread in the first place was because I woke up this morning to a phone that would not turn on plugged in or un-plugged. I could not get it to wake up or turn on until I pulled the battery and tried it again. It seemed to have a few hiccups starting up but has been running fine ever since. Any ideas what that was about? Is that worth bringing to at&t's attention while still within my 30 days?

That leads to my next question. Only 5 days in to my warranty with at&t. Exactly how paranoid about problems should I be within those days? I read the at&t book and it told me to charge the battery fully while the Samsung one(that I downloaded later like the rest of you) told me to run it down all the way like I am used to doing. Is there a possibility I severely hurt the performance of the battery out of the box by doing what the at&t manual said? Is that not that big of a deal?

3rd. Also a question regarding my warranty. I am very interested in rooting the phone. I am not a genius, but I would consider myself smart enough to do a proper job. Is rooting something I would want to do while I was still within my 30 days so I have some back up? Will rooting make it impossible for me to "un-root" and return and replace in the 30 day period? And if I do decide to root, is there someone that can explain the benefits and additional applications or a site or forum post that can do the same?

Wow, what a load of questions. And I am sure I have a few more. So much for a few or a couple. Thank you very much for taking the time to listen to my crap and help an android newb out. It has very quickly become a very large part of my life because of the illness I am suffering from and I cannot afford replacing it so I want to make sure I cover my butt. Anyways...thanks again.

 

[Jack45]

First, welcome!

>>> I have officially had my captivate for 5 days and I have a serious crush on the phone...

Good for you.


>>> I woke up this morning to a phone that would not turn on plugged in or un-plugged.

Exchange it.


>>> Is there a possibility I severely hurt the performance of the battery out of the box by doing what the at&t manual said?

No.


>>> Is rooting something I would want to do while I was still within my 30 days so I have some back up?

YES...and back up to an external SD card using Titanium Backup. If you need help with its operation let us know. See this for specific external SD card backup help:

Goal: Instruct Titanium Backup to automatically store your backup files on an external SD card so that restoring the backups in the event you need to exchange your phone becomes a convenient task.

Resolution: In Titanium's preferences change the backup folder name to sd/TitaniumBackup. Don't forget to delete the existing backups and TitaniumBackup folder that is, by default, internal to your phone. Then create your "portable" backup.


Although some store folks don't know a phone root from a tree root, playing it safe would suggest un-rooting after you've backed up and stored your SD card with its backup.


>>> Will rooting make it impossible for me to "un-root" and return and replace in the 30 day period?

No.


>>> And if I do decide to root, is there someone that can explain the benefits and additional applications or a site or forum post that can do the same?

Search, please.


>>> It has very quickly become a very large part of my life because of the illness I am suffering from and I cannot afford replacing it so I want to make sure I cover my butt. Anyways...thanks again.

Sorry about your illness. We're here for you.

 

[Sledutah]

Congrats on the phone. I'm not a pro, just a user
1) Was the battery dead when you got it going again? If it was, then you might have a program uploading/downloading data during the night and drained the battery. If it was not dead, then keep an eye on it. If it happens a few more times then I'd take it back and get it replaced.
2) To calibrate your battery (& software), charge the phone completely and then let it drain until the phone turns off. Do this 3 or 4 times and the battery will last longer. The phone will shut off before the battery is completely dead, so you won't hurt anything.
3) Here are some links regarding how to root/unroot. The first link is a easy 1 click root, 1 click unroot.
[PROGRAM] Updated:One Click Root/UnRoot (Mac and PC) - xda-developers
Other Reference material.
[REF] *** Captivate Bible (directory) *** [REF] - xda-developers
Also, lots of good information on this forums.

 

[Jack45]

http://androidforums.com/members/sledutah.htmlSledutah's advice regarding the battery is sound. I have this knee jerk "thing" about phones that either won't turn on or turn themselves off. Just keep an eye on your 30 days.

 

[gicuenitro]

Jack and Sledutah...

Thank you for replying so quick and with such helpful info. I am very excited to explore the root possibilities. Just so I am clear on what you are saying. I should...

Backup phone using Titanium and an external sd card by the method u explained below and then I should be ok to explore rooting options while still allowing me to un-root if I run into an employee with half a brain?

There was a charge after I did a batter pull on it. It just would not wake up, power on/off no matter what I did or where I plugged it in. Like I said, seems to be ok now, but I will take your advice and keep an eye on it. I just have to play this 30 days right. Even with it, it is hard for me to physically make it in to at&t to do this stuff.

That is also a reason why I tend to ask to be pointed in the right direction a bit jack. I don't mean to be a beggar or expect everyone to do the work or search for me, I just figure It wont hurt to ask. And I also have found a lot of stuff that I am not sure I can trust. A few different methods of doing things and a few apps that work better than others. So, I ask..;]

Thank you those kind words as well. I appreciate it.

 

[gicuenitro]

After playing around some. I downloaded the titanium backup app and got the external card setup but the app is telling me I need to have root access first. Is that normal? Do I root and then backup the rom? ::

 

[Jack45]

After playing around some. I downloaded the titanium backup app and got the external card setup but the app is telling me I need to have root access first. Is that normal? Do I root and then backup the rom? ::

Titanium requires your device to be rooted so that it has access to all apps and settings that are otherwise protected. You will not be backing up the ROM with Titanium (which is only necessary if you're going to try out different ROMS - not an issue here).

 

[gicuenitro]

Thanks for clearing that up jack. So, with the method provided, I should do a simple backup of contacts and media though kies or something similar? From there I can follow the one click root, backup apps and system data using titanium and from there I should be set unless I need to one click un-root to replace the phone. That sound right? I know...I am a bit slower than most...lyme is wreaking havoc on my brain.

Another question for you if you have the time. After I do this, and gain su etc. Is there a thread out there for someone like me that would explain the few basic things to do after rooting? I have heard of removing att-ware, but I personally worry about replacing it if I need to and I cannot seem to find the instructions for removing by renaming for that reason(which sounded better to me). Also heard of lag fix(which confusues me...slow sometimes, but this thing often acts like a rocket ship speed wise), busybox?, enabling of sideloading etc... I just cannot seem to find a well put together thread. Any thoughts?

Thanks for putting up with me Jack! ;]

 

[Jack45]

>>> So, with the method provided, I should do a simple backup of contacts and media though kies or something similar? From there I can follow the one click root, backup apps and system data using titanium and from there I should be set unless I need to one click un-root to replace the phone.

Sounds good. Of course Titanium will perform a thorough backup, but it can't hurt to do a "simple" backup before you root.


>>> After I do this, and gain su etc. Is there a thread out there for someone like me that would explain the few basic things to do after rooting?

There are apps that require rooting to be functional and, as you already know, backup programs require root to do a proper job. Check out the sticky Captivate - All Things Root for some good information.


>>> I have heard of removing att-ware, but I personally worry about replacing it if I need to and I cannot seem to find the instructions for removing by renaming for that reason(which sounded better to me). Also heard of lag fix(which confusues me...slow sometimes, but this thing often acts like a rocket ship speed wise), busybox?, enabling of sideloading etc.

I suggest you take it slow for now and not do any of this until you determine whether you need to exchange your phone. Let's save this for another day. Your primary goal shoud be to have a solid backup on the external SD card for subsequent restoration to a new phone should it come to that. Meanwhile, feel free to use the Search function for greater exposure to those topics that interest you.

 

[gicuenitro]

Perfect. Thanks again so very much for pointing me in the right direction. I definitely do not want to push the issue by getting in over my head. That's for sure!