Hi guys,
I have a question Is there a Risk of losing the IMEI or EFS Folder at Flashing.
If yes how to backup/restore them?
Thanks in advance
mischa_martin
Such potential risk existed, some time ago, on Spica, during flashing ealry versions of custom roms. I havn't hear even rumors about such things on Ace 2.
But nobody knows...
The easiest way, as far as I know, is just to copy EFS folder and backup it on PC.
it depends on what you are flashing.. if you are flashing an entire firmware then there could be a risk. If flashing only ROM/Kernels then I don't think there's such risk.
Related
TO MINIMIZE THE CHANCE YOU LOSE YOUR IMEI, BE SURE AND ROOT/CWM USING THIS METHOD:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1739426
AND ONLY FLASH ROMS INTENDED FOR USE ON YOUR MODEL
**UPDATED 7/16/12**
questions we are trying to answer:
- what versions of clockworkmod, if any, are prone to causing IMEI problems?
- what rooting methods, if any, are prone to causing IMEI problems?
- what ROMs are causing imei issues, and on which models? is the rooting/cwm method related?
- where is the IMEI stored on the phone, and most importantly
- is it possible to back it up, and restore it once corrupt?
RESTORING AN /EFS BACKUP DOES NOT APPEAR TO RESTORE AN IMEI AT THIS TIME.
TO BE SAFE, USE THIS GREAT SCRIPT BROUGHT TO YOU BY DROTHENBERGER AND SFERNANDEZ:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28528532&postcount=38
You will need Cygwin (http://www.cygwin.com/) for the script.
Original post by sfernandez detailing the partitions: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28519596&postcount=39
IF YOU HAVE THIS ISSUE, PLEASE FILL THIS OUT AND POST. THANKS PINOYMUTT:
1. CARRIER VERSION:
(ATT, TMo, Sprint, Verizon, Bell, etc.)
2. ROOT METHOD:
Exact method you used to root, please link to the thread if possible
3. CWM INSTALLATION METHOD:
Again, please be specific. Examples include the ADB/DD method, flashing via ODIN, etc.
4. CWM VERSION:
Which CWM are you using -- the Sprint version or one of the Clockwork ones?
5. ROM(s) FLASHED:
Did you flash any ROMs after the above, and how did you flash it?
6. WHEN DID YOU FIRST NOTICE IMEI WAS GONE?:
It helps if you know which step may have caused the issue
7. OTHER NOTES:
RULES
1. Please READ THE ENTIRE THREAD BEFORE POSTING. There is way too much info in here for me to summarize.
2. ALWAYS READ THE THREAD BEFORE POSTING
3. If your phone is working properly and your IMEI is intact, and the method you used to root and install CWM has already been detailed by another member, WE DO NOT NEED TO KNOW IT ALSO WORKED FOR YOU. LET'S TRY AND KEEP THE THREAD CLUTTER DOWN
4. No arguing or bickering over stupid crap. Keep that to PMs.
5. READ THE THREAD BEFORE POSTING. THANK YOU.
original post:
If you have flashed a new ROM on your phone recently and have found difficulty or impossibility in getting cellular or data service, chances are you have corrupted or deleted the file that stores your IMEI. i'll try to answer a couple of common questions and detail methods i used, and why i think they failed
What is an IMEI?
your network identifies your phone by its IMEI. once i had "lost" mine, AT&T's network would not provide service to my device, even after getting a new sim card.
How can I check if mine is corrupted?
your IMEI is a 15-digit number under your battery. dialing *#06# should display the same number under your battery. if you get a different number or something like 0 / 00, you have corrupted your IMEI.
Changing the APNs
marginally effective at best. your phone is not registering on AT&T's network as a device it should send data to, so it doesn't matter what APN you use.
flashing to stock rom
did not work for me. probably because this probably doesn't effect the /efs partition, where the IMEI is stored.
use CWM / nandroid restore
from what I can tell, a standard backup does not back up the EFS partition. you need to use something like EFS pro to backup your /efs directory (where the IMEI is stored). restoring my phone to a previously stable and working save did not restore my IMEI
editing nv_data.bin
no one has been able to find this file on the SGH-i747
using a terminal / AT interface
it looks like the IMEI is encrypted and causes a stack overflow when you try to query it. notice how i can query my IMSI (edited) fine, but querying the IMEI causes a stack overflow. pic:
http://imgur.com/uZxZL
i probably tried a few more things i can't think of right now. moral of the story is... approach unstable roms with caution, and BACK UP YOUR EFS PARTITION!!!
anyone had any luck restoring a busted IMEI? :highfive:
EFS pro has not been updated to the correct partition for i747, so currently that method to backup/restore will not work.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
thanks for the info. will copying the entire /efs directory to my extsd using root explorer work?
It's not the EFS folder but the correct block partition in the dev folder.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
thanks for filling me in on this, still an android nub compared to you guys... did some digging and found this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-1689623.html
is that info still relevant/correct?
Not sure but cant hurt to do a full backup of all the blocks until someone can confirm that it's the same with the s4 version of the galaxy s3.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
can anyone confirm if using root explorer to backup /dev safely backs up your IMEI?
how can you do a backup of all the blocks on the phone?
I have not used this yet but you should read this thread and give it a try.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746665
nunyabiziz said:
I have not used this yet but you should read this thread and give it a try.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746665
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks ill check it out
On my older captivate backing up the efs folder worked. Then if you loose the imei, restoring the folder or nvdata file fixed it. I'd backup the efs folder just in case.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
EFS Pro DO work with the S3. (I haven't try restoring my EFS, but backup went fine)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1308546
What did you to loose IMEI? What ROM did you flash or what did you do wrong to cause this? Better to learn from somebody's else mistakes then your own.
When I had the problem on my Samsung Captivate, the EFS was wiped out when I converted from a CyangonMod rom to a standard Captivate based ROM. I didn't actually lock down what caused the issue (since I could easily fix it by restoring the nvdata.bin file - which I just kept handy on my external SD card and PC as well). I think it might have been when I ran a one-click ODIN to restore back to the RFS file system to install one of the custom Captivate ROMS. The only issue I ran into was the IMEI was different than what it should have been, but no usability issues at all. So moral of the story is, it's possible it can happen any time you flash a new ROM, backup your EFS folder and keep it in a safe place (I believe it's just the NVDATA.BIN file you need because that's all I restored), and enjoy the variety of custom ROMs these developers are building (because they are great!).
That's my $.02
EDIT: Oh and the Nandroid backups don't backup the EFS folder, so don't think a CWM backup will save you.
to those of you suggesting to back up nv_data.bin... just tell me where it is and i'll be glad to. i was no able to find it anywhere in /efs or /dev
artisticcheese said:
What did you to loose IMEI? What ROM did you f
flash or what did you do wrong to cause this? Better to learn from somebody's else mistakes then your own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am pretty use it happened when i flashed redruM onto my phone like a dumbass thinking [GSM Universal] meant it would work for my device
On the Captivate flashing a 1-click ROM would fix the issue. I have the issue too, but I really do not know what to do about it, I have looked all around the /efs partition, and I'm not sure where it could be.
DemonWav said:
On the Captivate flashing a 1-click ROM would fix the issue. I have the issue too, but I really do not know what to do about it, I have looked all around the /efs partition, and I'm not sure where it could be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't mean to discourage you, but i had to get a new device.
one thing that i wanted to try but could not was to take a stable EFS backup from an SGH-i747, locate the IMEI and change it to my own, and restore my /efs folder with those files. i'm not sure if decrypting the IMEI is possible, or if even getting to that point is possible.
if anyone has any ideas on how to extract an IMEI from an EFS backup feel free to PM me. i'm interested in experimenting on my personal backup (from my second device)
Ultimately if anyone should lose their IMEI or bork the EFS partition...these guys can fix it. They are very reputable and have fixed my Captivate back in the day....they now offer fixes for this device now. Its only 30 bucks and keep them in mind instead of paying 200 for insurance claims.
NO SPRINT OR CDMA models.
http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/
Well I will be getting a new phone on the 10th, but until then I would really like to figure out how to restore the IMEI. Who knows, it might not be possible at this point. When I get the new phone I will definitely be backing up my /efs directory, first thing. I completely forgot to do it, and it cost me.
How are you guys backing up the efs partition? Just a simple folder copy? Or a complete cwm backup?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
I just bought a tmo S3 off of ebay and i want to know the best way to prevent this. I have been reading to use twrp. Is it safe to root? And if i back up my efs partition using dd and then corrupt my imei can i just restore the whole efs partition?
Just read and research. You'll have a more better idea of what to do by reading the other users experiences.
Here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1794657
I think i will just do a complete backup of all partitions and stay on stock rooted until more info is discovered.
Just got an S3 and I absolutely hate the unpolished and laggy Samsung skinning of Android. I want to flash CM10, but would like to know what I should back up first in case some critical information gets lost. This is a virgin phone, no apps or user data need to be backed so no need to worry about that. However, I would like to know how to back up IMEI, device ID, etc. Is it enough just to back up the /efs partition? If not, what else should I be backing up?
Thanks in advance
loonieryan said:
Just got an S3 and I absolutely hate the unpolished and laggy Samsung skinning of Android. I want to flash CM10, but would like to know what I should back up first in case some critical information gets lost. This is a virgin phone, no apps or user data need to be backed so no need to worry about that. However, I would like to know how to back up IMEI, device ID, etc. Is it enough just to back up the /efs partition? If not, what else should I be backing up?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read this and this.
It was pretty overwhelming for me at first, but get through it best you can.
It's easier to do the preventative backup rather than the post repair.
themadproducer said:
Read this and this.
It was pretty overwhelming for me at first, but get through it best you can.
It's easier to do the preventative backup rather than the post repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I've got experience flashing custom kernels and ROMs, so I should be ok. The only thing is that with every phone model what you need to back up is different, so I wanted to make sure I had the right stuff backed up from my stock S3 before I did anything to it.
So is an IMEI back up via QPST the only thing needed? What about device ID, and other details? Do those need to be backed up and how?
loonieryan said:
Thank you! I've got experience flashing custom kernels and ROMs, so I should be ok. The only thing is that with every phone model what you need to back up is different, so I wanted to make sure I had the right stuff backed up from my stock S3 before I did anything to it.
So is an IMEI back up via QPST the only thing needed? What about device ID, and other details? Do those need to be backed up and how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as your IMEI is backed up you should be OK. When I first flashed CM10 I made a Nandroid and backed up my IMEI. I have not had any issues with my IMEI or anything but I know people that have.
WattB006 said:
As long as your IMEI is backed up you should be OK. When I first flashed CM10 I made a Nandroid and backed up my IMEI. I have not had any issues with my IMEI or anything but I know people that have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so I'm clear, you:
1) Flashed CWM recovery
2) Did a Nandroid backup of the stock ROM and backed up IMEI
3) Flashed CM10
Right?
loonieryan said:
Just so I'm clear, you:
1) Flashed CWM recovery
2) Did a Nandroid backup of the stock ROM and backed up IMEI
3) Flashed CM10
Right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ever since i got my s3 never had to do anything do the IMEI... If you like wasting time i guess you can.. but if your smart with your phone you wont have to consider that extra step.. MAKE SURE U FLASH SGH-I747 roms only!!! and i mean ONLY... (tmo roms work too just make sure you change the apn settings) dont flash any other variants because they have different hardware. you will **** up the bootloader by flashing anyother variant.. Anyway back to the subject. I backup nandroid, then i use ultimate backup (like titanium backup just faster) its by jrummmy and thats it and im good to go to flash custom roms
amzi said:
Ever since i got my s3 never had to do anything do the IMEI... If you like wasting time i guess you can.. but if your smart with your phone you wont have to consider that extra step.. MAKE SURE U FLASH SGH-I747 roms only!!! and i mean ONLY... (tmo roms work too just make sure you change the apn settings) dont flash any other variants because they have different hardware. you will **** up the bootloader by flashing anyother variant.. Anyway back to the subject. I backup nandroid, then i use ultimate backup (like titanium backup just faster) its by jrummmy and thats it and im good to go to flash custom roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Offense Amzi,
but I only flashed STOCK OTA rom upgrades and some mods SPECIFIC to my i747m and I lost my IMEI a few months ago. I have tons of Android Flashing experience, and I did a lot of reading before I did my first S3 flash. My heart sank when it happened. When it happens, you lose your data connection and that's what tipped me off. And from all I have read up till now...no one knows why it RANDOMLY happens. So I would HIGHLY ADVISE to backup those files as per the link(s) I provided.
EFS corruption claimed my previous phone, an unrooted samsung proclaim. Lesson learned - Contrary to popular opinion, EFS backups are critical for all (rooted and unrooted) phones.
Now that I have a new GN2 I want to backup my EFS. There are several tools and methods that work for rooted phones, but none that apply to unrooted phones. It doesn't make much sense to me that the only way to ensure my phones continued functionality involves an act that will void its warranty. I will do what I have to do to prevent problems with my phone - but before I root it I figured I ought to double check here.
[Q] Is it possible to back up the GN2 without rooting it? If so, would you kindly explain how to do so, or point me in the right direction?
Thanks
I agree entirely and would also like to know the answer to this.
Is it possible to run a script/zip that executes the dd command in stock recovery to make an efs.img? This is one way that I could think might work and I have seen done with other phones.
Hi All,
Have just ran into something quite strange on my phone and would love to know if there is anyone else who has encountered this.
I have an N7105 running build DMB2 (Android 4.1.2). I rooted my stock ROM some time ago and everything has been travelling along nicely. With KitKat ROMs starting to show up now and my desire to avoid exposing my phone to the new stock 4.3 recovery with KNOX baked into it, I am considering flashing to a custom 4.4 and skipping 4.3 entirely.
This lead me to wanting to make an EFS backup after reading plenty of horror stories on how not doing so can ruin your day. I went and backed up my /efs folder and popped it on my PC. My natural allergy to simplicity then lead me to ask "Is it really that easy?" and found out that the nv_data.bin file stores all the important bits. My /efs folder DOES NOT HAVE an nv_data file of ANY description.
To cover bases: Yes I am rooted, I also tried 2 different file explorers (Solid Explorer and Root Explorer) to make sure it was not a visibility setting in one of them.
I always assumed that the EFS backup "apps" that you can get were just an automated means of copying the folder. Am I wrong in assuming this? Do they pull other data from elsewhere? Why is this supposedly super important file missing from my phone >.>.....
Cheers,
Sheik.
Nobody have any idea what the deal is here?
There is a thread on it somewhere. Because the n7105 has a separate chip for the lte the efs folder can't be backed up in the usual way. The thread had a tool to back up the nv_data bin. I think that's how I remember it
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Thanks for that. Nice to hear that its not some strange security trigger or me going crazy then. If anyone knows the post that sawdoctor is referring to I would love a link.
I am very hesitant to do any kind of custom ROM flashing without an IMEI backup. From what I have read, if I lose my IMEI data its possible that even flashing a factory image wont fix things is that correct? Even though I do have a Nandroid backup I am not 100% sure it contains the IMEI data in it because of the absence of a file. : \
I m using this thread to backup efs.
The only method works to back up N7105 efs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2049155
Sent from the corner of this rounded earth (N7105 v4.3, powered by LionROM)
Thanks for confirming this. Was not sure if this would work for phones with the nv_data file missing. In the guide it does say "This will back up all your phones NV Items and save them to the QCN Backup File.". And theres a total absence of NV files on my phone. lol. But being its confirmed working by people I can only assume its looking in places that I cant/have not. Will test it after I have done all my various RL tasks for the day. If there is other people who have done a full backup and restore with this method and confirmed it functional I would love to hear from you.
Cheers.
Sheikx800 said:
Thanks for confirming this. Was not sure if this would work for phones with the nv_data file missing. In the guide it does say "This will back up all your phones NV Items and save them to the QCN Backup File.". And theres a total absence of NV files on my phone. lol. But being its confirmed working by people I can only assume its looking in places that I cant/have not. Will test it after I have done all my various RL tasks for the day. If there is other people who have done a full backup and restore with this method and confirmed it functional I would love to hear from you.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried to restore, and all there. But I tried on 4.1.2.
Has never tried to restore on 4.3
Sent from the corner of this rounded earth (N7105 v4.3, powered by LionROM)
Just to make it that little bit more interesting I am going to be restoring on 4.4 if I do at all....Will probably keep this thread posted with updates because there seems to be very little info about this.
7105 nv backup
The 7105 is not like the 7100 model it has a completely different
frame behind the screen
a different plastic intermediate case
a different mainboard
the 7105 device also stores data in internal NV RAM which is not accessable easily
it is thought that the Qualcom tools or NV-Ram backup tools can backup these internal areas
BUT
it is possible to erase or damage the NV-Ram so that you cannot talk to the Ram to RESTORE the data
even when you have a backup
as a result even when you have a full NV Ram backup there is not yet a solution which
will ensure that a damaged NV-RAM area can be 100 percent sorted back to working if you are unlucky
just make sure you NEVER clear NV-RAM from Odin on a 7105
This is the kind of thing I was afraid of. Thanks to fibreoptix for sharing that. I am just glad that there is some method for backing it up. No idea how these chip-specific tools get released to us because I have no doubt its not intentional. I am glad that there is people out there willing to take them out of the OEM space and pass them to us so we can protect ourselves from disaster.
I dont know enough about this stuff to do anything but make assumptions, but I assume that this NV RAM that you mention is physically located in the SOC and not on memory anywhere. So I doubt that this will ever get any easier in terms of achieving a backup on any upcoming devices either. I guess all we can do is pray that various individuals keep releasing these OEM tools to us. In terms of the RAM becoming physically inaccessible and broken its not that concerning providing you can flash back to stock and get a warranty job.