[Guide]How to flash a ROM on a 2.2 Captivate

[AdamOutler]

Introduction
I've put together a video on how to flash a rom. It includes Rooting, Backing up data, Flashing a kernel, Flashing a rom, and troublehooting bad flashes.

Warning
Before you go and flash a ROM for the ultra-fast speeds, kick-butt graphics and awesome sound upgrades... Realize that the risks are real, it is possible for you to black-screen-brick (hard brick) your phone. Here is a real-world example:phone won't turn on. At this point, only JTAG recovery will be effective. I will be posting a video on JTAG soon enough.


You may feel more comfortable stopping after rooting and titanium backup, and not installing a ROM at all, that's OK.

How-To
If you are installing a ROM, then select the ClockWork Mod flashable zip you want and copy it to your phone's internal memory before you watch the video. I did not cover this in the video as there are many options. Team Komin recommends Andromeda3, but you may select any Captivate ROM.

Here is the video which I have prepared on flashing a custom ROM.

Flashing Toolbox
Windows Drivers - select the proper driver for your setup
32 bit: http://www.mediafire.com/?0b45zo7o75rc5d5
64 bit: http://www.mediafire.com/?3dh4d6up72me9re

Files
*SuperOneClickV1.7 - http://files.teamkomin.com/Andromeda/Tools/SuperOneClickv1.7-ShortFuse.zip or http://www.mediafire.com/?kr649t97dd116cd
*Odin3 1.7- http://files.teamkomin.com/Andromeda/Tools/Odin3 v1.7.exe or http://www.mediafire.com/?dy2ix2icags19qr
*Ursa Minor - http://files.teamkomin.com/Andromeda/Tools/UrsaMinor.tar or http://www.mediafire.com/?a1i0boby6em54eo
*Andromeda3 - http://files.teamkomin.com/Andromeda/Andromeda3-Final.zip or http://www.mediafire.com/?vpu22j478j4542a


Recovery Software
*Odin3 one-click 1.0- use only in case of emergency, this can damage your phone -http://www.multiupload.com/XAZUYNXSC1

Tips, Tricks, Good to know

• If you have a standard computer setup and you see your phone connected to a port higher then COM6, reboot your phone and your computer before flashing anything.
• Phone--!--PC is just a download mode. If the computer does not recognize the phone, reinstall drivers, reboot and pull the battery out, then try again.
• Odin is only used for initial and/or recovery modification. After using odin to flash a new kernel sucessfully, you will only need ClockWorkMod (CWM) to flash most kernels and ROMs. CWM is accessed by pressing and holding the 3 button combo.
• If your phone displays Phone--!--PC and does not register a COM port on your computer follow the directions below
  1. remove the usb cable, battery, sdcard, SIM.
  2. wait 10 seconds, then insert the USB cable.
  3. press and hold the 3 button combo while you insert the battery
  4. continue to hold until phone's screen goes black twice and release power button.
  5. timing is critical, it may not work the first time. Keep going until you see the COM port is connected properly.

Disclaimer: All materials presented are for informational purposes. This video is not an authorization, advertisement, nor a suggestion to flash your phone with custom firmware. In no event shall I be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, spcial, exemplary, or concequential damages, including but not limited to loss of data, business interruption or damage to equipment. This information is released AS-IS with no written or express warranty or liability.

 

[welchertc]

Thanks for the guide adam, I'll be using this tonight. Could you possibly update this with a section on how to go back to a stock kb1 build? That would be great.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

 

[AdamOutler]

That's the link at the bottom. Odin3 1-click is a KB1 build. It will bring you back to stock KB1.

 

[Pirateghost]

That's the link at the bottom. Odin3 1-click is a KB1 build. It will bring you back to stock KB1.

Thats JF6, not KB1.....

 

[bornjamerican]

Stock 2.2 you get from the update using kies mini.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

 

[timgcavell]

Dead Links

Hey could you repost the download links because none of them work anymore? Thanks

 

[AdamOutler]

Sorry, Team Komin's server is down right now, there are other sources on the internet. I will mirror on mediafire as soon as I can

 

[fireboss]

In a boot loop - Moved from Andromeda thread

Hi Adam, Just to get up everyone where we are. I had a flashing issue with Andromeda which resulted in the phone continuously rebooting; i.e. white screen Ursa Minor screen disembodied voice which I now think says missing operation, it definitely doesn't say backup operation, I've listened to it soooooooo many times. . .anyway I put the phone in download mode as you said - BTW this phone with phone off vol+vol then plug in USB and download appears. Holding the power button takes you -when the phone isn't loopiing of course- into recovery mode. I had already restarted the computer, - not a VM - restarted Odin 3 and tried to reflash. Pass! Reset and unfortunately I'm still in that loop can't get to recovery mode.
I removed the battery and USB. Held down all three buttons and with the USB cable connected put the battery back. I held through 2 screen goes black circuits. Second time up the screen shows a gray battery then goes black then I get the ATT screen followed by Ursa Minor and my now less than favorite voice. Doing the same without the USB cable I don;t get the battery but I do get the ATT splash screen between the two black screen and then that darling voice again. So that's where I am. Ideas please

 

[Stephenv1971]

Personally I would One-Click back to Stock. ROOT. Install CWM using Rom Manager. And then install Andromeda via CWM. (I usually skip re-rooting and just install from CWM via the update.zip from ROM Manager) See if that doesn't work... If it does, finish up by installing Ursa Minor #2 (or is it just Ursa Minor now?)

 

[BWolf56]

Great Work Adam! This is surely gonna help alot of new users!

On a other note, I'm concidaring to try A3 and was wondering if it's not exactly what I'm looking, can I flash over it (as it is really stock based) or am I better using Odin 1.7 again and flash another ROM?

Thanks!

 

[fireboss]

Okay so I was writing this reply saying "I tried that first thing and have tried it several times in various ways since. It hangs, never got a progress bar" I had just tried it again (20 minutes of nothing) and was going to post the log out of Odin but I had closed it out so I thought what the heck I'll run it again. Danged if it didn't work this time.
I know this sounds odd but I think the difference was that I had Odin One Click running when I put the device into download mode instead of starting it after. As I said the only way into download mode I've found with this phone is powered off hold vol+vol then plug in USB. This time Odin was waiting, found the port and when I clicked start it worked. Heaven only knows if that is a quirk or coincidence.
Now off to see if I can flash this rom.
Thanks

 

[AdamOutler]

^^ It can be tricky to get it into download mode, but there are several ways to do it on all phone. The important thing is that you get a sane COM port like COM8 or less on Odin3 1.7, and that you have download mode activated on the phone. Good to see that everything is working properly.

Great Work Adam! This is surely gonna help alot of new users!

On a other note, I'm concidaring to try A3 and was wondering if it's not exactly what I'm looking, can I flash over it (as it is really stock based) or am I better using Odin 1.7 again and flash another ROM?

Thanks!

Get ursa minor on there and you can do anything!

The ursa minor kernel with ClockWork Mod flashed through Odin3 1.7 will support all ROMs designed for our phone. Some ROMs are not designed for our phone (Cyanogen Mod, MIUI) and have work-arounds supported by the developers. I skipped the portion of downloading a ROM because you can pick a ROM yourself, this video just gives you the tools to do so. You are more then welcome to use the "UrsaMinor.tar" file as a ClockWork Mod springboard to other ROMs or kernels, I just picked my own team's ROM for the video.

 

[fireboss]

Okay so I was writing this reply saying "I tried that first thing and have tried it several times in various ways since. It hangs, never got a progress bar" I had just tried it again (20 minutes of nothing) and was going to post the log out of Odin but I had closed it out so I thought what the heck I'll run it again. Danged if it didn't work this time.
I know this sounds odd but I think the difference was that I had Odin One Click running when I put the device into download mode instead of starting it after. As I said the only way into download mode I've found with this phone is powered off hold vol+vol then plug in USB. This time Odin was waiting, found the port and when I clicked start it worked. Heaven only knows if that is a quirk or coincidence.
Now off to see if I can flash this rom.
Thanks

OK well I've confirmed that Odin One Click won't restore on this phone unless it is open on the Windows machine when I connect the USB port tot throw the phone into download.
I restored then went through the flashing process again. This time when when it rebooted it didn't loop but it wouldn't go into recovery. I used droid explorer to flip it to recovery mode. Inoted then that there was no adndromeda.zip package on the sd card. I assumed Ursa was supposed to pull that over because in the video it says to find it and install. In any case I drug it from the computer to Droid Explorer and then was able to find it and install the Rom. The unpack looked normal enough the system rebooted. I unplugged USB,gave it the three button fix roputine, and was back in the loop. No matter what I did it looped. The loop was slower this time and the voice clearly said Restore Operation. Not knowing enough to wander farther and unable to get into recovery now because Droid Explorer couldn't see the phone anymore I let Odin restore it. That's where I am now.
Suggestions?

 

[BWolf56]

Get ursa minor on there and you can do anything!

The ursa minor kernel with ClockWork Mod flashed through Odin3 1.7 will support all ROMs designed for our phone. Some ROMs are not designed for our phone (Cyanogen Mod, MIUI) and have work-arounds supported by the developers. I skipped the portion of downloading a ROM because you can pick a ROM yourself, this video just gives you the tools to do so. You are more then welcome to use the "UrsaMinor.tar" file as a ClockWork Mod springboard to other ROMs or kernels, I just picked my own team's ROM for the video.

Thanks! I'll try that out once I get home from work. The only thing I can say is that I wish that would've been up when I got my 1st cappy - would've saved me the trouble of having to Odin3 1 click

Once again, Great work!!

EDIT: This should be Stickied!

 

[AdamOutler]

fireboss: redownload all links above, it is possible that something went wrong with the download process and a bit is missing somewhere.
-copy the rom of your choice to your SDCard (Team Komin recommends Andromeda3, but any will work)
-put the phone into download mode and flash ursa minor tar file using Odin3 1.7
-let it run though it's operation until it boots normally.
-remove the usb cord, press and hold 3 buttons to reboot into recovery
-select zip from SDCard- Andromeda3.zip

 

[TRusselo]

i dont see a link, or file attachment or any mention of 3e recovery in OP

 

[BWolf56]

i dont see a link, or file attachment or any mention of 3e recovery in OP

Might already be in Ursa Minor? (correct me if I'm wrong Adam)

 

[mxracer101]

I know this sounds odd but I think the difference was that I had Odin One Click running when I put the device into download mode instead of starting it after.
Thanks

You should always start odin BEFORE plugging the USB cable into your phone. I have never had an issue with odin on any of the phones I've flashed if I had it running before going into download mode. I also always restart odin between the initial flash and master clear if I'm going that far.

 

[AdamOutler]

i dont see a link, or file attachment or any mention of 3e recovery in OP

Right Bwolf
No need to mess with 3e recovery. UrsaMinor.tar overwrites 3e recovery and gives you CWM so you can begin flashing immediately.

 

[AdamOutler]

You should always start odin BEFORE plugging the USB cable into your phone. I have never had an issue with odin on any of the phones I've flashed if I had it running before going into download mode. I also always restart odin between the initial flash and master clear if I'm going that far.

That works. The biggest thing is that you are in download mode and you have a sane COM port like COM5 or 6, not COM14. As shown in the video, COM14 lead to Phone--!--PC..

I may do this video again with heimdall. it worked well.

mxracer101, any chance you can generate a pit file? I'd like to make Andromeda3 into a full heimdall flash where you simply put the phone into download mode, select the files, hit start, and let the stock phone boot into Andromeda3.