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
Before tinkering significantly with my T889V I did what any conscientious flasher would: backup my EFS.
I did so with the EFS Pro program, both the tar and image methods. The "usual" way, which would have done the trick on most recent Samsung devices. I could just as well have just done it with ADB, tar and dd instead. Update: The latest versions of EFS Pro now support the required NV item backups we need.
I started flashing modems, knowing that this sometimes led to trouble, but with the peace of mind that I had made backups... How wrong I was.
The absence /efs/nv_data.bin didn't click as unusual and I got myself in a bit of trouble.
The Note 2, as well as some other recent LTE-capable Samsung devices (North American SGS3 variants for one) have Qualcomm modems for which merely backing up the /efs partition on your phone is insufficient.
I finally got my phone back in operation after many attempts and more time than would have been necessary had I caught this before flashing.
Check these threads out for proper tools and procedures:
[TOOL/GUIDE] Full NV Backup and Restore [SIMPLE] [08-03-2012]
[WARNING! + GUIDE] Backup and Restore IMEI / NV Data Procedure for GT-I9305
[TOOL] Updated! 08/03/13 - EFS Professional v2.0.26 - With Qualcomm NV Tools!
The guides may mention using RMNET + DM + MODEM in the USB settings, which doesn't exist on the N2; any mode with DM (a.k.a. diagnostic mode) like RNDIS + DM + MODEM or DM + MODEM + ADB should work.
Goodbye,
Darkshado
Did you try flashing back to stock with odin. And reset flash count
http://www.andromods.com/unroot-loc...y-note-2-to-stock-rom-firmware-with-odin.html
Remember, the phone has to boot properly for Triangle Away to work in the first place. (A quick glance at my previous posts will tell you I'm familiar with many of the usual Samsung and Nexus procedures.)
With CWM I tried:
Restoring a Nandroid backup
Restoring my /efs tar backup
Restoring my /efs img backup
With Odin I tried:
Flashing back to stock
Flashing the I317M stock ROM (in case it would have accepted the EFS NV stuff there due to official LTE support)
The "Phone Clear EFS" toggle, which is usually a big no-no.
My latest lead is to get reacquainted with QPST and see where that goes. (Last time I used it was many years ago to get ringtones and J2ME games on my Bell Mobility, blue, CDMA, SPH-M510 flip phone.)
Darkshado said:
Remember, the phone has to boot properly for Triangle Away to work in the first place. (A quick glance at my previous posts will tell you I'm familiar with many of the usual Samsung and Nexus procedures.)
With CWM I tried:
Restoring a Nandroid backup
Restoring my /efs tar backup
Restoring my /efs img backup
With Odin I tried:
Flashing back to stock
Flashing the I317M stock ROM (in case it would have accepted the EFS NV stuff there due to official LTE support)
The "Phone Clear EFS" toggle, which is usually a big no-no.
My latest lead is to get reacquainted with QPST and see where that goes. (Last time I used it was many years ago to get ringtones and J2ME games on my Bell Mobility, blue, CDMA, SPH-M510 flip phone.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man I used the qpst tool to try to backup my note 2 (bexause ot worked so well on the s3) however it didnt work.....on ly generated a 240kb file which is not correct.
However I did use mskip toolkit and backed up my efs partition and IT generated a 10 megabyte file I believe so I think that worked successfully.
Try it out and see what you think. Id like to hear back from you as well and see if you got similar file size to see if this process in the toolkit made proper backups.
We really need more people aware of backing up efs and they need to feel more comfortable by doing so. Therefore if we can nail down a good solid backup method and get it stickied it will save a lot of broken hearts.
The current fix it process here is to just refer them to another phones forum to read how to use qpst to back up efs. (S3 forums)
This isnt acceptable. Reason being it can confuse those that are already apprehensive about doing anything to their phones already! Case and point: Think of all the people that you see post threads struggling to decide whether or not to root. Like its going to blow their phone up!
But like I said I am suspicious that qpst is not making proper efs backup files.
I would like like to collect others thoughts ideas CRITICISM and suggestions about this matter.
Thanks in advance for helping others out!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
I can't get to DIAG mode at this point...
The phone bootloops right after it shows the lock screen, but before adbd starts (even a wait-for-device reboot recovery command doesn't work). Or earlier than that now for reasons unknown.
So no logcat or ddms either to see exactly what causes it.
I would have tried toggling airplane more, but the bootloop is way too fast for that, and I am unaware of any way to toggle it from recovery.
I could possibly comment out some lines in init scripts and such via CWM, tried one or two but no luck so far.
I'm kicking myself for not paying attention to the fact there was no nv_data.bin in the /efs backup, it should have tipped me off...
Thanks for your help,
Darkshado
Darkshado said:
I'm kicking myself for not paying attention to the fact there was no nv_data.bin in the /efs backup, it should have tipped me off...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really not familiar with the whole process but can we just copy the efs folder using a program like root explorer?
k1ng617 said:
I'm really not familiar with the whole process but can we just copy the efs folder using a program like root explorer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No because it messes up the permissions when you copy for some reason...I couldnt get the thing back to normal
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 07:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------
Can someone try to make a backup using mskips toolkit found in the original development forum? Efs is just so important.
Or better yet what should the permission s be set to?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
ssCISengineer: permissions could be fixed, from what I've gathered merely copying the /efs partition isn't enough this time around.
UPDATE : I followed guide you gave at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1946915 and backed up my phone nvram. I have a qcn file now.
I also checked my efs backup and there is no nv_data.bin in it.
I have following backups
1) TWRP stock backup with EFS
2) TWRP only EFS partition backup
3) Toolkit EFS backup.
4) Full efs directory copy.
If you are right then all that backup is useless and will not restore lost efs.
Questions
1) Did you figured out how to really take backup on this device.
2) What are options if efs cannot be recovered ..can samsung service centre do this with a fee ?
Here it's the question. Do we even know if the imei is in the efs folder. The us gs3 it wasn't. I've asked multiple people to try the method posted by but people won't do it it would be nice to have a definitive answer where the imei can backed up from??
Edit: here's the post. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804123..... here so a link to the nv generator.exe from the post as the link to download is no good... BTW personal drop box.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
hkfan said:
UPDATE : I followed guide you gave at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1946915 and backed up my phone nvram. I have a qcn file now.
I also checked my efs backup and there is no nv_data.bin in it.
I have following backups
1) TWRP stock backup with EFS
2) TWRP only EFS partition backup
3) Toolkit EFS backup.
4) Full efs directory copy.
If you are right then all that backup is useless and will not restore lost efs.
Questions
1) Did you figured out how to really take backup on this device.
2) What are options if efs cannot be recovered ..can samsung service centre do this with a fee ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest with you ,i really dont know if qpst is even generating a viable backup, as I have no way to test it.
But, when i do try to make a qcn or a backup USING qpst (like we did for the galaxy s3) i get some absurdly small file, which leads me to believe that it is NOT a viable backup....like 110kb. Also once again i just dont have any way to check it, as this definetly isnt my area of expertise.
im going to try to run qpst today again, maybe i didnt select the correct com port
however how large are the QCN files you are generating using qpst? How large are the backup files you are generating using toolkit?
that will help me see if maybe its just something im doing that is wrong.
Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 11:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------
deeznutz1977 said:
Here it's the question. Do we even know if the imei is in the efs folder. The us gs3 it wasn't. I've asked multiple people to try the method posted by but people won't do it it would be nice to have a definitive answer where the imei can backed up from??
Edit: here's the post. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804123..... here so a link to the nv generator.exe from the post as the link to download is no good... BTW personal drop box.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly, a lot of these guys think that they are all backed up and start flashing some of those frankenstein buggy craptastic roms and come back crying to tmobile and samsung about a replacment handset. Id like to organize a guide that ACTUALLY does work to backup imei. Not send people to the GS3 forums just because thats the easiest way to do things, when it could be dead wrong (which i suspect it is) and disastrous. Remember that the GS3 i believe chipset is different from the exynos one and they had lots of problems tracking down that imei location.
UPDATE: after properly configuring com ports i NOW have a .qcn file that measures 268kb. This makes me feel a little better at it is more close to thie size i expected, but i still have no way to see what the file ACTUALLY contains....frustrated.
Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk 2
Did you try this tool to generate your IMEI ?
Mine is 268KB.....G3 forums says its 250 KB,...may be note 2 has more info so thats why liitle bit larger.
---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
[/COLOR]
ssCISengineer said:
To be honest with you ,i really dont know if qpst is even generating a viable backup, as I have no way to test it.
But, when i do try to make a qcn or a backup USING qpst (like we did for the galaxy s3) i get some absurdly small file, which leads me to believe that it is NOT a viable backup....like 110kb. Also once again i just dont have any way to check it, as this definetly isnt my area of expertise.
however how large are the QCN files you are generating using qpst? How large are the backup files you are generating using toolkit?
that will help me see if maybe its just something im doing that is wrong.
Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 11:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------
exactly, a lot of these guys think that they are all backed up and start flashing some of those frankenstein buggy craptastic roms and come back crying to tmobile and samsung about a replacment handset. Id like to organize a guide that ACTUALLY does work to backup imei. Not send people to the GS3 forums just because thats the easiest way to do things, when it could be dead wrong (which i suspect it is) and disastrous. Remember that the GS3 i believe chipset is different from the exynos one and they had lots of problems tracking down that imei location.
Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ssCISengineer said:
No because it messes up the permissions when you copy for some reason...I couldnt get the thing back to normal
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 07:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------
Can someone try to make a backup using mskips toolkit found in the original development forum? Efs is just so important.
Or better yet what should the permission s be set to?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a backup using the toolkit, tell me what you need me to look at and I will check my backup. I have a Nandroid backup and a separate backup of efs as well. I am happy to help.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
yes I just now got a .qcn file that measures 268 kb. SO mine and yours are now exactly the same.
But how do we know that the information we need IS actually backed up in that file. That "backup " could be absolutely worthless for all we know!
see what i mean?
Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk 2
I think we have to wait for someone with all these backups to lose IMEI and and then try restore ...Now I don't feel like flashing any ROM
Has anyone been successful at restoring their IMEI using their toolkit backup? I haven't flashed any custom ROMS yet, this is the longest I've ever stayed with stock ROM. It's still too new and with all the talk of lost IMEI number and development still so limited I haven't been willing to take the risk.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
?
Ok, I'm getting paranoid reading all these cryptic posts about messed up IMEI numbers and bad backups. This is my first Samsung smartphone so I've got no idea what's really being discussed here. In short, are you guys saying that having a clockwork nandroid backup is essentially useless? What am I missing here. For the record, I haven't flashed a custom ROM on my Note 2 yet, only clockwork and root.
erickdj said:
Ok, I'm getting paranoid reading all these cryptic posts about messed up IMEI numbers and bad backups. This is my first Samsung smartphone so I've got no idea what's really being discussed here. In short, are you guys saying that having a clockwork nandroid backup is essentially useless? What am I missing here. For the record, I haven't flashed a custom ROM on my Note 2 yet, only clockwork and root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All that i can suggest is make all the backups.. Hopefully you wont need them. i lost my imei on my gs3 bcuz i did something stupid. so
There we go more headache http://www.s3forums.com/forum/galax...pst-backup-your-nv-data-imei-us-variants.html
Anyone will already lost IMEI ..try and see what happens
The nandroid backup has its purpose, but the NV items, aka cellphone radio settings aren't stored in anything that CWM handles on this device.
Many Samsung devices typically have an /efs partition that contains a file named nv_data.bin (among others) that contain all the juicy bits. As discussed earlier, a tar or dd backup is generally sufficient. This group includes most SGS, SGS II and the non-LTE, international SGS III. The N7100 also seems to be in there.
But Samsung LTE devices: NA SGS III, NA Note II, International LTE devices like the S III 9305 or the Note II 7105 are significantly different.
I did the stupid mistake of flashing to a custom rom without backing up. Nowhere in custom rom instructions says to backup your /efs folder.
Now in "About device" Baseband version is "Unknown" IMEI is "Unknown". I've searched everywhere for a fix and nothing. I tried the following:
Flash stock rom
Format /data and /cache
On keypad, dial *#7284# ....But i dont get the "Qualcomm USB settings" option so i cant try IMEI repair tools
I tried flashing different kernels and different custom roms
Apart from the IMEI problem, the Device cant access the 16GB internal memory. The stock rom flashes with no error, but when i go to
settings > storage: under "Device memory" its full with only 182MB used by some apps. I thought the memory could be bad, but after flashing
Perseus kernel and swapping external sd card for internal memory I can use the 16GB as external memory. I cant find a fix for that either.
INTERNAL MEMORY UPDATE: it seems that internal memory is mounting read only. Still trying to find a fix
Im currently on "T889UVALK8_T889TMBALK8_TMB" rom with Perseus kernel and using "11extsd2internalsd_gs3_fat32" to swap internal to external memory.
Side note: I bought the phone from a friend 2 days ago. Its the Tmobile version and I used cellunlocker to unlock to use it with AT&T. That worked, until I started messing with ROMS. No warranty available. I am desperately looking on how to fix this since i have no spare phone. Any help is highly appreciated and thank you for your time
Eri version: Unknown???
I am having a similiar issue on t889 7105. ERI version "not available". Everything else is okay. Searched everywhere . . .not addressed. Which is strange.
this sucks
gregniel said:
I am having a similiar issue on t889 7105. ERI version "not available". Everything else is okay. Searched everywhere . . .not addressed. Which is strange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant believe this issue hasn't been addressed
Unfortunately sir their just isnt much that can be done for you. If you read about imei loss without a backup its just about incurable. Sorry.
And the remedy for imei restoration without a backup is hit and miss at best as to whether or not it actually will restore your number. Your best bet is to use the search function and try and experiment with different ways of fixing it. Its not like there is much more damage that can be done anyways. You already screwed the pooch and basically have a functional brick.
No one is going to post a step by step guide for you though if thats what youre waiting on. This is a complicated fix and most members wont devote the time to walking you through it
And to the member that said he searched and found no Information. Well thats just not true. Ive read tons of threads and posts about it and know about SEVERAL backup and restore methods.
crap
janjannsen99 said:
Unfortunately sir their just isnt much that can be done for you. If you read about imei loss without a backup its just about incurable. Sorry.
And the remedy for imei restoration without a backup is hit and miss at best as to whether or not it actually will restore your number. Your best bet is to use the search function and try and experiment with different ways of fixing it. Its not like there is much more damage that can be done anyways. You already screwed the pooch and basically have a functional brick.
No one is going to post a step by step guide for you though if thats what youre waiting on. This is a complicated fix and most members wont devote the time to walking you through it
And to the member that said he searched and found no Information. Well thats just not true. Ive read tons of threads and posts about it and know about SEVERAL backup and restore methods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for confirming my fear, I was on denial. Im getting a new one on friday. How much do you think I can sell this one for, obviously as a tablet?
Developers need to take more responsibility around here with their threads. A simple "I'm not at fault" is sub par in my opinion. Users popping up with IMEI issues are becoming more a common thing. Didn't somebody make an app to back up your efs partition? Why is there not a link to said app in every ROM and kernel thread? This stuff blows my mind.
As there is a rampant influx of "noobs" watching YouTube videos about rooting their devices (most of which for the first time) with links to ROM threads, their needs to be an influx of responsibility taken by those who cook ROMs and feed them to the general public. The issues with the IMEIs being lost is not a small one. Your device is pretty much done for without a backup. Keep reading, keep trying, but since you had no idea that losing the ability to use your device's radios was even a possibility, not your fault.
Good luck. And sorry. You should have seen a link at the very top of the thread you downloaded your ROM from ... and this whole thing would have been avoided. Here is the link, which is always shared too late and after the fact. App is called andromizer forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2080009
This kind of thing shouldn't still be happening.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2080009
[DEV][APP][Andromizer] Android Customizing Tools (Note2 Specific Features Added)
Here's a link to one I used to backup mine. You have to pay to unlock the backup feature. It gives you way more piece of mind flashing
saseekutz said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2080009
[DEV][APP][Andromizer] Android Customizing Tools (Note2 Specific Features Added)
Here's a link to one I used to backup mine. You have to pay to unlock the backup feature. It gives you way more piece of mind flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you don't. The version I got here on xda, also same exact link I posted right before you -_- , allowed me to back up my efs partition with no issues
adam2508 said:
Thank you for confirming my fear, I was on denial. Im getting a new one on friday. How much do you think I can sell this one for, obviously as a tablet?
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Click to collapse
Well all is not lost. There have been reports of people restoring imei successfully.
Try and app called andromizer. If I remember right it had an efs backup and restore. Its an app
Second. Go to the tmobile galaxy s3 forum and find their thread about lost imei numbers. Use those tools and the method to try to write back your imei number. Ill try and find it
Edit. Heres the link. Try using those tools and those methods. THAT is the only method I have heard about to work AT ALL. So try it out
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801997
cobraboy85 said:
No you don't. The version I got here on xda, also same exact link I posted right before you -_- , allowed me to back up my efs partition with no issues
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Click to collapse
Damn.. Lol I was told wrong, my bad on the repost dude
Agreed
cobraboy85 said:
Developers need to take more responsibility around here with their threads. A simple "I'm not at fault" is sub par in my opinion. Users popping up with IMEI issues are becoming more a common thing. Didn't somebody make an app to back up your efs partition? Why is there not a link to said app in every ROM and kernel thread? This stuff blows my mind.
As there is a rampant influx of "noobs" watching YouTube videos about rooting their devices (most of which for the first time) with links to ROM threads, their needs to be an influx of responsibility taken by those who cook ROMs and feed them to the general public. The issues with the IMEIs being lost is not a small one. Your device is pretty much done for without a backup. Keep reading, keep trying, but since you had no idea that losing the ability to use your device's radios was even a possibility, not your fault.
Good luck. And sorry. You should have seen a link at the very top of the thread you downloaded your ROM from ... and this whole thing would have been avoided. Here is the link, which is always shared too late and after the fact. App is called andromizer forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2080009
This kind of thing shouldn't still be happening.
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Click to collapse
What would happen if i copied the /efs directory from the new one to this one?
Start a thread titled
Who has restored imei successfully
janjannsen99 said:
Start a thread titled
Who has restored imei successfully
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Click to collapse
The issue being you can't restore it without a backup.
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 PM ----------
adam2508 said:
What would happen if i copied the /efs directory from the new one to this one?
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Click to collapse
Never done it. If you have a new one, just make a backup of the new one and don't mess with it. Now you know to make a backup
Curious
I would like to prevent myself from making this mistake in the future. Are you talking about the same type of back up you would do in TWRP or CWM? Like a nandroid? I've never heard about the backup your talking about, but I have been seeing a lot of people talking about losing their IMEI number and it sounds like really bad news.
Ill give it a try
janjannsen99 said:
Well all is not lost. There have been reports of people restoring imei successfully.
Try and app called andromizer. If I remember right it had an efs backup and restore. Its an app
Second. Go to the tmobile galaxy s3 forum and find their thread about lost imei numbers. Use those tools and the method to try to write back your imei number. Ill try and find it
Edit. Heres the link. Try using those tools and those methods. THAT is the only method I have heard about to work AT ALL. So try it out
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801997
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try this tomorrow, i dont think that there is no fix at all. There is a fix for everything, just not yet discovered. Even though i will be getting a new phone, i still want to dedicate some time on fixing this one. If I find a fix, I might help someone else.
advice
Corrupt0387 said:
I would like to prevent myself from making this mistake in the future. Are you talking about the same type of back up you would do in TWRP or CWM? Like a nandroid? I've never heard about the backup your talking about, but I have been seeing a lot of people talking about losing their IMEI number and it sounds like really bad news.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dude, make sure you have a back up of everything. Especially of the /efs directory. I read a few posts about people having this problem even after restoring back from CWM. I will get into conclusions that CWM does not back up the /efs directory. Anyone wants to correct me or add to this?
A little clarification
adam2508 said:
dude, make sure you have a back up of everything. Especially of the /efs directory. I read a few posts about people having this problem even after restoring back from CWM. I will get into conclusions that CWM does not back up the /efs directory. Anyone wants to correct me or add to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance you could tell me where to find this? If ever lost and you have the back up, how would you restore it?
I'll be really honest
Corrupt0387 said:
Any chance you could tell me where to find this? If ever lost and you have the back up, how would you restore it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After what happened to me I haven't messed with other roms. Andromizer can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2080009 to make a backup of your /efs. I have also used Nandroid, which you can just download from the "play store". Nandroid apparently does make a backup of everything including /efs and bootloader. As to how to restore from those backups I would like to never find out if it actually works. I have flashed the perseus kernel with clockworkmod recovery and also rooted which allows me to overclock to 1800MHz and im very happy with it. I dont have the urge to flash any roms that "promise" any speed improvements. I have also got rid of the bloatware with titanium backup pro. And of course i made backup with it too just in case i removed something i did not suppose to. All backups are in my external SD card and on dropbox. Call me paranoid but after what ive gone through i call it being safe.
adam2508 said:
I did the stupid mistake of flashing to a custom rom without backing up. Nowhere in custom rom instructions says to backup your /efs folder.
Now in "About device" Baseband version is "Unknown" IMEI is "Unknown". I've searched everywhere for a fix and nothing. I tried the following:
Flash stock rom
Format /data and /cache
On keypad, dial *#7284# ....But i dont get the "Qualcomm USB settings" option so i cant try IMEI repair tools
I tried flashing different kernels and different custom roms
Apart from the IMEI problem, the Device cant access the 16GB internal memory. The stock rom flashes with no error, but when i go to
settings > storage: under "Device memory" its full with only 182MB used by some apps. I thought the memory could be bad, but after flashing
Perseus kernel and swapping external sd card for internal memory I can use the 16GB as external memory. I cant find a fix for that either.
INTERNAL MEMORY UPDATE: it seems that internal memory is mounting read only. Still trying to find a fix
Im currently on "T889UVALK8_T889TMBALK8_TMB" rom with Perseus kernel and using "11extsd2internalsd_gs3_fat32" to swap internal to external memory.
Side note: I bought the phone from a friend 2 days ago. Its the Tmobile version and I used cellunlocker to unlock to use it with AT&T. That worked, until I started messing with ROMS. No warranty available. I am desperately looking on how to fix this since i have no spare phone. Any help is highly appreciated and thank you for your time
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Click to collapse
It sounds like you did a NAND erase all in Odin. Flash back to stock, use triangle away, call samsung to fix it. I had the same issue and Samsung fixed it for free.
Free?
KillaHurtz said:
It sounds like you did a NAND erase all in Odin. Flash back to stock, use triangle away, call samsung to fix it. I had the same issue and Samsung fixed it for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even without insurance? And what am I going to tell them?
Hey everyone,
I'm new to this phone, but not to rooting. I've owned about 9 other phones by various manufacturers in the past 3 years and rooted them all, but even after all that I'm kind of terrified to root this phone based on everything I've been reading. First of all, I'm not sure I understand the whole EFS thing. What are EFS settings, and why do they need to be backed up? What's a situation in which I would need to restore them? This seems like a highly brickable phone and I don't know if it's really worth it to go through the trouble. Thoughts?
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
maxpower7 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm new to this phone, but not to rooting. I've owned about 9 other phones by various manufacturers in the past 3 years and rooted them all, but even after all that I'm kind of terrified to root this phone based on everything I've been reading. First of all, I'm not sure I understand the whole EFS thing. What are EFS settings, and why do they need to be backed up? What's a situation in which I would need to restore them? This seems like a highly brickable phone and I don't know if it's really worth it to go through the trouble. Thoughts?
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EFS has to do with your data/signal. An example of the importance of backing that up is let's say you switch a rom, That rom may alter your EFS in some way, which will result in signal loss completely or data, or both. The backup is simply for in the event that happens to you, You can simply restore that and gain your signal/data back easily. It is suggested you get lgnpst setup for future use also, Not saying that lgnpst will be needed but just have it ready "just in case". Rooting is painless, If it didn't work the first time nothing to worry about just simply try again. The unlocking of the bootloader is fairly simple, An app is available for that.
maxpower7 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm new to this phone, but not to rooting. I've owned about 9 other phones by various manufacturers in the past 3 years and rooted them all, but even after all that I'm kind of terrified to root this phone based on everything I've been reading. First of all, I'm not sure I understand the whole EFS thing. What are EFS settings, and why do they need to be backed up? What's a situation in which I would need to restore them? This seems like a highly brickable phone and I don't know if it's really worth it to go through the trouble. Thoughts?
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing about EFS is most phones have internal backups, hard coded into the phone. That way if it gets messed up the phone can recover. On these device however as we've discovered there is no efs backups. EFS is embeded file system, it contains all of your network information. Without it you can't connect to a cell network. 99.99% of people won't ever have to worry about EFS, and we've solved the initial issues with AOSP and EFS. However because there is no backups on the phone we still make sure everyone know to back it up. Freegee backups it up automatically, as does flashing most AOSP roms, however one can never be too safe when it comes to something that would make their $500 device a wifi only device.
Besides EFS, this device is hard to brick, unless you are going out of your way. Don't flash nexus 4 kernel, because they aren't for our device, and you should be fine.
I was able to root the phone, which was basically the easiest thing I've ever done. I SBL unlocked first and then unlocked using Freegee, which was also pretty painless. No soft bricking issues at all. I'm still kind of wary about flashing roms at the moment, but I'm sure I'll come around. Thanks guys!
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
There seems to be an amazing amount of non-information about EFS.
My rooted LGOG running ZVB gave me a "DemiGod Modem Driver" BSoD the other week, and ever since I rebooted the phone I have had zero cell service.
My Phone's status info now says:
1) My Phone Number: 000-000-0000
2) MIN: 0000000000
3) MEID: 00000000000000
4) IMEI: 0
5) ICCID: Unknown
Did I spontaneously lose my EFS, even thought I don't know WTF it is?
Is there any way to recover after having lost your EFS?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2161498
I've bought used N910A phone and the EFS parition was corrupted, so it had to be wiped in service mode. The rest is working fine and after ODIN with stock rom + temporary root I can access to EFS partition, but it doesn't include anything so I need to put there content. The best way could be if somebody will give me the EFS partition backup then I will change IMEI and certificate for original one.
Thanks in advance for this. It will save my life!
You can PM to me if you don't want to share this EFS on the forum.
zencooler said:
I've bought used N910A phone and the EFS parition was corrupted, so it had to be wiped in service mode. The rest is working fine and after ODIN with stock rom + temporary root I can access to EFS partition, but it doesn't include anything so I need to put there content. The best way could be if somebody will give me the EFS partition backup then I will change IMEI and certificate for original one.
Thanks in advance for this. It will save my life!
You can PM to me if you don't want to share this EFS on the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can anybody help in this, please? It is very simply help, so any support will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Doubt anyone here wants to share EFS files. When you talk about altering EFS and IMEI, you're getting into legal issues with phones.
jack man said:
Doubt anyone here wants to share EFS files. When you talk about altering EFS and IMEI, you're getting into legal issues with phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I whole heartedly agree. If you messed the phone up that bad you should mostlilely not be messing with it or take it to some place to service it for you.
And just an FYI i have seen alot of not so well english speakers askong for different parts of firmware or code of devices so the could build clones. I have been in the software and devices running linux code for over 10 years starting out with FTA (free to air) and we had a company out of south korea build our units and we did the code to make the set top boxes work. We many of our units cloned and our software stolen reversed and rebuilt to make it look like theirs. Thats why i got out of that business.
So thats why you are going to have a real hard time finding someone to share their efs partition. And you should always backup your device before doing anything to it ever and never ever aquire one with a missine imei or efs
giga8547 said:
I whole heartedly agree. If you messed the phone up that bad you should mostlilely not be messing with it or take it to some place to service it for you.
And just an FYI i have seen alot of not so well english speakers askong for different parts of firmware or code of devices so the could build clones. I have been in the software and devices running linux code for over 10 years starting out with FTA (free to air) and we had a company out of south korea build our units and we did the code to make the set top boxes work. We many of our units cloned and our software stolen reversed and rebuilt to make it look like theirs. Thats why i got out of that business.
So thats why you are going to have a real hard time finding someone to share their efs partition. And you should always backup your device before doing anything to it ever and never ever aquire one with a missine imei or efs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course I fully agree with you. I am android user since first android comercial impementation (on HTC G1), and of course I always make nandroid backup and EFS backup. This time it is completely different story. As I said I've bought phone with corrupted EFS partition, but full information about IMEI is available. So the only way to make this phone running is to get any EFS partition and change settings. For people having doubts: you can get rid IMEI from settings from the EFS partition. I just need the content to set up the rest.
Thanks in advance. Please PM to me if you can help me. Once again: thanks.