Thank you Mschw006. This is just how I felt last night ...er, um this morning at around 2:00 AM. I never had a fraction of this much trouble with either iPhones (3GS,4), iPad 2, or various BlackBerrys. I was cussing up a storm when I went to sleep after all the time I wasted on Kies. Yet, you out classed me in the amount of Kies wasted time it appears.
I feel your pain man. I'm on my second attempt with a newer samsung cable from my uncles verizon s3. Hopefully this works. 1st attempt failed though.