USB to PC Connection Issues / Kies Issues

(First time poster here)

Well, like many of you before me, I'm sure you've scoured the net looking for solutions to solve the Phone to PC connection issue.  However, I have yet to solve this issue.  I've installed the i9000 software (134mb) for Samsung Kies and I am still unable to connect to my PC. 

Samsung Captivate setting: Samsung Kies (not Media Player, USB, or PC Internet).
PC setting:  Windows 7 Professional

Samsung Kies does not recognize the phone when I connect via USB nor does Windows 7.  PC Internet: Win7 detects it as a device when connecting as PC Internet but it has a yellow exclamation mark on it and labels it as "SAMSUNG Android USB Remote NDIS Network Device" in the device manager. 
Mass Storage: Win7 gives displays a popup/notification with the following message, "One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it."  It is labeled as a "Unknown Device".
Media Player: Win7 doesn't do anything. No notification, no messages.

I'm somewhat computer savvy and thought I might be able to resolve this issue - unfortunately, that is not the case.   Any assistance with this matter is greatly appreciated.  cheers.

As a one week user of the Captivate and having researched connectivity problems at length, lessons learned:

You may need to manually mount the SD card(s) before you can see the data recognized by the PC

If, under Settings | Applications | Mass Storage (or ask on connection), your computer recognizes the drives perhaps with drive letters, but no data is there, the drive probably isn't mounted.  You should see a USB symbol at the top of the screen.  Hold your finger on it and a bar just below it will appear that you can drag down.   This opens up a menu option
USB connected"
"Select to copy files to/from your computer."
Select it, doh.

Another blue window will open up saying
'USB connected
---------
You have connected your phone to your computer via USB
Select "Mount" if you want to copy files between your computer and phone's SD card"

Select 'Mount'

This should allow your computer to see the data on the SD card.

Interestingly, there is the internal data module and an external microSD module.  Both show up as drive letters, even though I don't have an external microSD card installed.   When I do, I'd expect it to show up.

On a Windows 7 Pro 32 bit, I didn't need to load any Samsung Captivate drivers.  That may be the case on Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, but I'd already loaded the drivers mentioned below.  AT&T said that 64 bit wouldn't work, but it does, AT&T.

Actually, after wresting with this phone for a week and only occasionally successful without this explicit mounting method, a 40 minute call to Samsung 888-987-4357 when we had tried everything else, a final consultation with one of support's compatriots made this suggestion, perhaps obvious to them, but nowhere otherwise documented to my knowledge.

As far as Kies goes, I've tried on Windows 7 both 32 and 64 bit with drivers/software from Jan. 2010 (SGH-i897_Captivate_USB_Drivers_5_02_0_2) and May 2010 (usb_drivers_GalaxyS_x64) and didn't have luck.   I read elsewhere that the full Kies is not usable with AT&T because Kies allows you to control your phone and even, gasp, use it as a on-the-fly hotspot like MiFi, simulating tethering.  Since AT&T wants to sell you tethering for an added $45/mo., they made Kies agree to not allow it with the Captivate.  The message I get when Kies looks and finds the phone plugged in is that it doesn't recognize the phone and suggests using PC Studio.  I did kind of get that to recognize the phone, but doesn't have the feature set of Kies.   The Kies Mini 10082_8_1 is AT&T allowed just to do firmware updates.

The options are out there for rooting and perhaps allowing Kies to work and certainly to get more access to your phone, but I've not done that yet, pending Android 2.2 hoping toward the end of 2010, not wanting to have to run into trouble updating.  There are unsupported versions of Android 2.2 available as well.   

Before I dump any more, I'll just say that having to go through many hours of fiddling with this phone to do the basics of wanting to:

1. access to my data
2. sync directly to my computer through Outlook  (Captivate, as an Google Android phone, expects you to only use Google, so Google can collect data on you)
3. fight with software that turns out to not be allowed by AT&T
4. set up multiple email accounts (not done with setup yet)

My view is for what it cost $199 + accessories (screen protectors ought to come with it), having to fight with it, browse the forums for hours for potential solutions, talk to AT&T who were clueless (no drivers for 64 bit for example), talk to Samsung who were clueless about Kies, the support and instruction set for this and likely other phones are pretty amateur and not ready for primetime.

Another tip is that Skype does not work on the Captivate with Android 2.1, but is supposed to work with Android 2.2.   Perhaps that is best addressed in a separate message.

<rant>
I'm coming from an iTouch that I generally liked, but which refused to allow me to sync to my local computer at work AND at home, regularly wiped my data/media, messed with my contacts and calendar, and forced me to worry every time I sync'd that it would wipe my paid-for applications as well.   (I refused to buy music through the Apple store).  After 1 year, the battery wasn't holding a full day's charge and, of course it's not user replaceable (Apple), so after lots of agonizing research (obviously not enough), I chose the Captivate.    I find the Market (=Apple Store) has a lot of lame apps and phony free apps that are just demo, but there isn't the effort toward certifying them as Apple does with its apps.   A Hobbesian choice, freedom or control.

I'm not yet sorry I got the Captivate, but hope this information will help some others.  Cellphones in general are at best only as good as one's signal, so expectations are much lower for voice quality than a land line which costs 1/4 as much.  We must be paying all that extra for the frustrating extra features.
</rant>

Cheers,

Not Ready for Prime Time

thank you very much for your information. I just got the samsung Captivate and love it compared to the Iphone 3GS. I had all the same problems you did with the iphone and that is why i switched. most of the apps are free through the android market that I like. It seems the problem here is ATT not the samsung Captivate itself. Now I am bound by another 2 yr contract. I planned on rooting the phone in the future anyway, this is just another reason to root it earlier... everyone who buys a new laptop now has 64bit, to not produce compatible drivers for a 64bit system is ridiculous... but it seems ATT is behind it... Thank for the info. You saved me a ton of wasteful time... Rooting here I come...

Switching to media player mode worked for me as well.  No more please insert disk messages.

http://www.samsungCaptivateforum.com/samsung-Captivate-how-to/kies-issues-solved!/