Fix the Tethering Bug resulting from the 2.3 Gingerbread update

**skulldroid67** · 01-14-2012, 07:47 PM

how to fix the Tethering Bug on the Samsung Captivate running 2.3 Gingerbread

Disclaimer! As in all things, YMMV this is what worked for me and how I fixed the problem on my device.

Many people have been receiving a Tethering Error Pop Up message on their Samsung Captivate mobile devices after updating to the 2.3 Gingerbread. I myself have been having this problem every time I unplug my device from a charge.

Here is how I fixed the problem without having to do a factory reset.

Plug the device into your computer (I'm using a laptop running on Windows 7 64-bit) via micro usb cable, next you will see "select USB mode"
don't select any option, instead hit the back button which will take you to your Home Screen

Now select settings --> wireless and network --> tethering and portable hot spots --> check USB tethering.

Now wait for Windows to install the device driver Samsung Android USB NDIS Network Device. Once the drivers are installed just disconnect your device from the computer. That's it, problem should be solved and no factory reset required.

Hopefully this will work for you too, please let me know how or if it works for you.

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-14-2012, 09:49 PM

That is all it took?

**skulldroid67** · 01-15-2012, 07:38 AM

Yea, that fixed it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-15-2012, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by skulldroid67

Yea, that fixed it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

Well I have a friend that just got her Captivate about a month ago. It's her first Droid and she isn't very computer savvy either. I might be doing the update for her and showing her what all to do, so this will still be helpful. Thanks!

**skshrews** · 01-15-2012, 10:26 AM

Worked

**crausch** · 01-16-2012, 07:05 AM

I tried it yesterday and I didn't see the tethering message pop up again all day. However, I turned my phone off last night to charge it. When I turned on and tried to connect to the WiFi at work, the message started popping up again.

**skulldroid67** · 01-16-2012, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by crausch

I tried it yesterday and I didn't see the tethering message pop up again all day. However, I turned my phone off last night to charge it. When I turned on and tried to connect to the WiFi at work, the message started popping up again.

Really, thanks for sharing that... So I guess now you are back to the regular pesky tethering pop up message...

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-16-2012, 02:43 PM

Am I strange or something? I never turn off my phone to charge it. I've heard that several turn it off to charge. Am I missing something? I also now don't turn off wifi since I'm connected to it most the time. Guess I need to set it where wifi goes off when I'm out and not around wifi, it would save on battery life.

**btswein** · 01-16-2012, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by Kelly Kearns

Am I strange or something? I never turn off my phone to charge it. I've heard that several turn it off to charge. Am I missing something? I also now don't turn off wifi since I'm connected to it most the time. Guess I need to set it where wifi goes off when I'm out and not around wifi, it would save on battery life.

I leave my phone on while charging unless I am calibrating the battery, but it's only off for 10 minutes til it charges to 100%. Obviously the phone charges faster if it is off though. There is an AT&T app in the Market called "AT&T Smart Wi-FI" that turns Wi-Fi on and off seamlessly when you're near a hotspot or your home Wi-Fi. Saved me a lot of battery.

**skulldroid67** · 01-16-2012, 07:14 PM

I almost never turn my device off while charging and since I rarely leave my home office I stay connected to WiFi almost exclusively.

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-16-2012, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by btswein

I leave my phone on while charging unless I am calibrating the battery, but it's only off for 10 minutes til it charges to 100%. Obviously the phone charges faster if it is off though. There is an AT&T app in the Market called "AT&T Smart Wi-FI" that turns Wi-Fi on and off seamlessly when you're near a hotspot or your home Wi-Fi. Saved me a lot of battery.

After I posted I went to the Market and got that app. I got rid of my home phone a couple of years ago, so my phone generally needs to be charged at the end of the day and I just plug it up while I sleep.

**crausch** · 01-17-2012, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by skulldroid67

Really, thanks for sharing that... So I guess now you are back to the regular pesky tethering pop up message...

Ok, here is what I determined...The fix you mention does seem to work as long as I don't turn off the phone. After performing the fix again yesterday I was able to connect to multiple WiFi networks without receiving the popup message. Just as a test, I turned off my phone for a few minutes, then turned it back on. The first WiFi I tried to connect to the tethering message popped back up. So, it looks like the steps above will work. Just keep your phone on. Otherwise you will need to repeat it.

As for the debate of whether to turn the phone off or not when charging, that is off-topic for this thread, but I agree it is not needed unless you need a quicker charge. It is just an old habbit of mine as I believe (just as with PCs) that over time memory leaks will eventually build up and cause strange things to happen. I always reboot my devices every so often to keep the memory clean and know that I have a stable environment.

**skulldroid67** · 01-17-2012, 11:10 AM

Thanks for the info, I've actually turned my device off, charging it up and will see how it turns out for me. At least this isn't a major bug but definitely a pesky one.

**crausch** · 01-17-2012, 11:16 AM

Yes definately pesky. I am still waiting for G'bread on my Samsung Infuse as well. Maybe they will fix the tethering message problem in the Infuse update to 2.3.x and roll out a fix for the Cappy at the same time. It just worries me how long it might take.

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-17-2012, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by crausch

Yes definately pesky. I am still waiting for G'bread on my Samsung Infuse as well. Maybe they will fix the tethering message problem in the Infuse update to 2.3.x and roll out a fix for the Cappy at the same time. It just worries me how long it might take.

I did a live chat with Samsung, they didn't seem worried about this bug at all, just said to do a reset.

**skulldroid67** · 01-17-2012, 11:53 AM

Well I just powered back up and sure enough, there was the error! Oh well, I thought I was onto something with this but it never hurts to try. Still glad I did the update.

Kelly, how about you, I know you did the factory reset already. Did that take care of the problem once and for all?

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-17-2012, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by skulldroid67

Well I just powered back up and sure enough, there was the error! Oh well, I thought I was onto something with this but it never hurts to try. Still glad I did the update.

Kelly, how about you, I know you did the factory reset already. Did that take care of the problem once and for all?

Yup, seems to have taken care of it. I haven't had the problem again.

Also I had the random shut off a few times in the past. I haven't had that happen since I updated to GB and reset. I don't know if the GB update took care of that issue or if the reset took care of that issue.

**crausch** · 01-17-2012, 03:48 PM

I was really hoping that Samsung/AT&T would rollout a patch for this. I guess I'll be doing a factory reset. Before I do though, I need to find out just what I will lose.

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-17-2012, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by crausch

I was really hoping that Samsung/AT&T would rollout a patch for this. I guess I'll be doing a factory reset. Before I do though, I need to find out just what I will lose.

You will lose everything, but not things on an external SD card if you have one.

Some of the apps that you have purchased may or may not still be offered in the Market or may have changed up a bit now. I found that to be the case. Also, the market won't have all the apps you had, listed for you. You will also have the old Market. Here is a link to go to with your phone after, if the Market doesn't push the new Market update to you.

I did screenshots of my app drawer, so I knew what apps I had and they were saved on my card an still there, since my card wasn't touched.

If you sync your contacts, calender, etc with gmail, then all of that will still be there in your gmail and you just sync it to move it back to your phone. All settings will be back to default, just like it was when you first got the phone.

**skulldroid67** · 01-17-2012, 05:08 PM

Well technically even performing the update was supposed to erase everything, contacts, apps, etc. I didn't lose any of this after the update but I guess the tradeoff was getting the tethering bug...I still haven't reset mine. Not really any sense of urgency... I may end up rooting it anyway..I dunno..

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-17-2012, 05:21 PM

Right, Samsung did say you would lose everything when you updated.

Now I couldn't deal with that tethering bug, my OCD about things being correct won't let me sleep and have that error on my phone lol

**crausch** · 01-18-2012, 06:49 AM

Thanks Kelly for the information in previous post. I am thinking the same as skulldroid67 right now. I am holding off on the reset and I am checking into rooting the phone so I can freeze the tethering application. I understand that rooting carries some risks of it's own though. What I am looking into is if I can root it, freeze the tethering app, then un-root it. If it leaves the tethering app frozen when I un-root (which I suspect it should), then I may go this route since I shouldn't lose anything this way.

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-18-2012, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by crausch

Thanks Kelly for the information in previous post. I am thinking the same as skulldroid67 right now. I am holding off on the reset and I am checking into rooting the phone so I can freeze the tethering application. I understand that rooting carries some risks of it's own though. What I am looking into is if I can root it, freeze the tethering app, then un-root it. If it leaves the tethering app frozen when I un-root (which I suspect it should), then I may go this route since I shouldn't lose anything this way.

I HATE doing resets, but I was remembering the other day, back when I had a T-Mobile Dash (last reset I had to do) it was even worse. You would back up your contacts to your SIM, but the SIM made each number for a contact, an individual contact. Not so fun to redo the phone then. Having the Droid is 100 times better after a reset, but it is still work.

I'm still too scared to root my phone, so the reset was good for me lol

**skulldroid67** · 01-18-2012, 11:45 AM

I just did the reset...what a pain..this is more of a hassle than gaining Root! Ok so now my apps on the market say Installed.. and I can't reinstall any of them wtf?

**Kelly Kearns** · 01-18-2012, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by skulldroid67

I just did the reset...what a pain..this is more of a hassle than gaining Root! Ok so now my apps on the market say Installed.. and I can't reinstall any of them wtf?

oh well that's odd...

Did you also get the newest Market after reset or do you still have the old one?

Also, you haven't moved apps to your SD card have you?