Can I root my stock-Gingerbread Captivate without flashing a new kernel? I updated my AT&amp;T Captivate to the stock Gingerbread a few weeks ago, and I've had nothing but problems since -- hangs, lockups, and that constant TetheringManager crash.  I'm about to do a factory reset, but I'd really like to be able to back it up properly first, which of course requires root.

I've done a little research, and SuperOneClick definitely does not work in my situation.  I've seen some people refer to flashing a new kernel, but a) I've never done it, b) it sounds a bit scary, and c) I don't need anything else out of a custom kernel, other than root access.  Is that my only way forward in this situation?

(I found this similar question, but people seem to have ignored the "how do I root" part once they figured out that the OP didn't need to in the first place)
Unfortunately for us (not so much for manufacturers and carriers,) Gingerbread closed the exploits that were previously being used to gain root privileges on older Android OS versions.  This means that tools like SuperOneClick and similar will no longer work.  The only way to get root on Samsung devices with Gingerbread is to flash a pre-rooted image onto the phone with a tool like Odin or Heimdal.

Forums like XDA-Developers and Rootzwiki contain detailed instructions for flashing such an image (kernel only, full stock system, or a completely custom ROM.)