Captivate stuck in landscape Mode and Desktop Home

[kingtz]

So I have a Captivate running 2.2 (official ATT version). Unrooted and no fancy launchers.

All of a sudden, it gets stuck in Desktop Home. When I exit Desktop Home, I'm taken to the home screen, but it's stuck in landscape mode. When I press HOME, I get taken back to Desktop Home. I tried rebooting the phone - didn't work. I even tried turning it off and taking out the battery, it didn't work. Finally I tried installing Launcher Pro from the market, but I can't get it to load as I can't press my HOME key (this still takes me to Desktop Home).

How can I fix this? Thanks in advance.

[cstart]

There are a few other reports of this and in most of the threads I came across there was no solution posted short of doing a reset. For at least myself and one other, connecting the phone to a computer corrects it.

[md227a]

Try this

Menu>settings>Applications>running apps>find TWlauncher > clear defaults force stop

And let me know if that works.

[foxbat121 ACE - Wizard]

are you using it with the dock? Or just using it standalone? Do you have a charge/usb cable attached.

[tpflum]

Two days ago, I picked up my Captivate (stock with 2.2 upgrade using Kies mini  a month ago) only to find it in landscape mode.  It happened once several days before and the only way I found to get back to normal was to remove the battery, put back in and restart.

This time nothing fixes the problem and there are several other symptoms.  Here's a list:

When unlocking, screen is in portrait mode.

As soon as it is unlocked, it goes into landscape mode.

Display setting 'Auto-rotate' is checked.  Unchecking and rechecking has no effect.

The home screen for app 'Mileage Tracker' is in portrait mode, all other screens are in landscape.  No auto rotate

'Talking Tom' is in landscape.  No auto rotate.

The home key now takes you to the 'Desk Home' screen.

If you are in an app or actually using the phone and want to start another app by going to the app menu, you can't because the Home button takes you to the Desk Home screen.  You can get to the app screen with the back key but that closes the app you are in.

You can power down by holding in the right power button but cannot power up again.  The first time you press the power button after a shutdown, the phone vibrates but doesn't power up.  The phone is unresponsive to any button presses after that.  If I remove the battery for a second and put back in, the phone will automatically power up with no button pushes.  It restarts with the 'Desk Home' screen displayed.

The USB port is no longer recognized by my computer and in fact the computer reports a problem with the USB connected device.

If a call comes in, most of the time speakerphone automatically comes on.

Everything else seems to work OK.  Can call out and receive calls.  Bluetooth works.  Gmail works.

So has my phone bit the dust and need actual repair or is it a software problem?  Since I cannot connect to my computer I can't back up and don't want to reset the phone unless absolutly necessary.  Any ideas?

[tpflum]

AT&T had me reset the phone and the symptoms are they same.  They decided to replace the phone.

[foxbat121 ACE - Wizard]

Captivate 2.2 ROM added the support of two Samsung docks (Desktop and Car). These docks use a special resisitor to short two of the PINs of the microUSB port to tell the phone that it is docked. The driver in the new ROM will then automatically switch the phone into either Desktop Dock mode or Car Dock mode. Once in either of the modes, Home button is remapped to launch Dock apps and the screen is landscape mode by default. You also have the option to route audio video the microUSB port to the audio port on the dock.

It doesn't work very reliably in my experience because I use this with my car dock daily.

It sounds like either there is a software bug that accidentally makes your phone think it is in docked mode or the microUSB port isn't functioning properly (can't reliably detect the correct resisitor value on the PINs or lack there of). I suspect the later is the case (which won't cause you any problem in 2.1 ROMs because there is no such dock support).

[tpflum]

That explanation makes sense.   A problem with the USB port could cause all the symptoms I,m seeing based on your discussion of the docking process using the USB port. 

Thanks

[custombill]

Hi all. Just had this problem with my Captivate out of the blue this past weekend. Happened right after taking it off the charger over night.  I've had this phone since Jan. with no problems. Spent all day yesterday speaking w/ AT&T & Samsung reps. and finally doing a hard reset to no avail.  After reading Foxbat121's discussion of the mini USB port pin issue I took the phone out to the garage and blew out the port with compressed air thinking maybe some debris might be shorting the pins and causing the phone to think it was connected to the dock. It immediately fixed the problem! I would think an aerosol can of electronics cleaner or such might work as well. Can't believe it was such a bizarre problem. Hope this helps, Bill

[nohow]

BIG KUDOS TO "CUSTOMBILL"!!!

Had the problem show up a couple days ago with Home Desk.  Read many, many, many, posts in all the Samsung blogs. No solutions are working and people are spending HOURS and DAYS blowing away the OS, reloading, sending their phones back, blah, blah, blah.  Two quick shots of air in the USB and everything is back to normal. : )

Hope some AT&T Tech reads this...Here's how this problem appeared:

heard a beep sound. i thought it was a missed call. but when i walked over i saw that my phone turned on by itself?
it gets weirder....it was showing a blue screen with a clock and some settings like alarm and daily brief etc.
by doing a search i found out this screen is a program i dont remember seeing on my phone as an application before,

its as if it suddenly appeared
it is a samsung home option and it has added an application, at least i dont remember it....for a car option. I definitely know this, i have never seen nor opened that program ever in my phone use. didnt know it, or the car home option...existed. it has two screen choices for this.

but the odd part is that when i tried to exit it, my screens were all in landscape mode and would not use the built in accelerometer to go vertical. Further odd was that i would hit the home button and instead of going to my middle screen out of 7 it would go back to the samsung 'desk home' screen.

so to sum up....it turns on by itself...with me ten feet away...shows a screen and app i have never even known i own...much less use or have opened...it is stuck in landscape mode and will not go vertical.

it has not been dropped recently and did the FROYO update a month ago. but it has been working perfectly normal til now.

Take Home Message Here: Keep your USB port and charger connectors CLEAN!

[kyleAlcobas]

nope, still didn't fix this issue for me either. Same exact problem.

I used a tire air compressor and blasted my usb port, i even saw dust fly out of it.

But I still cannot connect my device to a computer, or switch back to portrait mode, somebody please help.

[foxbat121 ACE - Wizard]

---

kyleAlcobas wrote:

nope, still didn't fix this issue for me either. Same exact problem.

I used a tire air compressor and blasted my usb port, i even saw dust fly out of it.

But I still cannot connect my device to a computer, or switch back to portrait mode, somebody please help.

---

You have a hardware problem. If it is still within 1-year, go get your free replacement from AT&T warranty. Otherwise, you need buy a new phone.

[kyleAlcobas]

Well, I've worked around the problem slightyl as far as benig stuck in landscape mode, I used Orientation Control and forced portrait mode. I just installed GoLauncher, but I want to make my home button launch golauncher instead of desk home, is this possible? I've tried via the prefernces in GoLauncher to no avail

[timbuk2okc]

Where is orientation control?

[timbuk2okc]

(amazing this post is over a year ago and we're still seeking answers) I'll get a can of air and try it, but I don't think it's related to two captivates being unable to connect to any Windows 7 PC.  One of them worked once until upgraded to Gingerbread, now won't connect to a PC.  Screen was locked in Landscape mode on the upgraded one, did three factory resets and so far it  has lasted an hour without reverting back once again to landscape. .  I think after I charge it or plug it into a USB port, it will go landscape, although it has done it before without connecting to anything.  However, I no longer get the error message for car docking or tethering message. I didn't reinstall Alarm Clock Pro thinking that may be doing something, as when my phone goes to sleep and I open it, the alarm clock screensaver is in landscape mode and I didn't even have it running.  Then everything is stuck in landscape mode.  My hair is turning grey over these captivates.

[timbuk2okc]

Don't waste your time with Samsung, been there, done that.  Even had one under warranty that when they received it, they then claimed it was NOT under warranty, but it was.  They do not back their products, I'd recommend another brand. I've spent enough time on these Captivates to justify buying a phone store.