Develop Bugs

[Q] No IMEI means radio is broken?

Phone: Samsung Galaxy Nexus GT-i9250TSGGen
I had a stock android version, that I never rooted or flashed. Suddenly the SIM stopped working, I figured out that there is no IMEI number and the baseband is unknown.
I flashed to a custom ROM, and tried to do few things using the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit:
1) custom ROM android 4.1
2) Flashed a custom radio
3) made a copy of the /efs folder, deleted the original and replaced it after restart.
The Samsung service center said the entire board has to be changed, with an estimated cost of $140 USD.
Can someone help me with my options? Is it definitely a hardware problem? is there anyway to know for sure?

samdev09 said:
Phone: Samsung Galaxy Nexus GT-i9250TSGGen
I had a stock android version, that I never rooted or flashed. Suddenly the SIM stopped working, I figured out that there is no IMEI number and the baseband is unknown.
I flashed to a custom ROM, and tried to do few things using the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit:
1) custom ROM android 4.1
2) Flashed a custom radio
3) made a copy of the /efs folder, deleted the original and replaced it after restart.
The Samsung service center said the entire board has to be changed, with an estimated cost of $140 USD.
Can someone help me with my options? Is it definitely a hardware problem? is there anyway to know for sure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a nandroid back up, try and restore with it. This could solve ur problem.

saishyamk said:
If you have a nandroid back up, try and restore with it. This could solve ur problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I hadn't created a back up before. Is there a way to use a back up from a different phone? where would l find more information?

samdev09 said:
Thanks, but I hadn't created a back up before. Is there a way to use a back up from a different phone? where would l find more information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an old nandroid back up and I used the method in this post to fix my IMEI problem: forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47048361&postcount=9
And when you said you took a back up of the /EFS folder, you meant pulled the .bin and .md5 files from the /factory or the /radio folders OR did you use something like kTool? Because, as people have pointed out in other threads there is no /EFS folder for the Galaxy Nexus. The IMEI information is stored in the Radio and Factory Folders. For more information on how IMEI works on the GNEx, refer to this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47045295&postcount=6
But you are saying the baseband is also unknown. A radio flash should have fixed it. Try restoring Stock ICS using Odin. i hear this fixes some problems like this. U can use thus guide forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2065470
If Odin is a little complicated, try the Nexus Root Tool kit. U gotta experiment to find the right problem and them fix it. No other go. I doubt that replacing the board will solve it as it looks like a software issue, unless you fried your radios.

saishyamk said:
I had an old nandroid back up and I used the method in this post to fix my IMEI problem: forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47048361&postcount=9
And when you said you took a back up of the /EFS folder, you meant pulled the .bin and .md5 files from the /factory or the /radio folders OR did you use something like kTool? Because, as people have pointed out in other threads there is no /EFS folder for the Galaxy Nexus. The IMEI information is stored in the Radio and Factory Folders. For more information on how IMEI works on the GNEx, refer to this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47045295&postcount=6
But you are saying the baseband is also unknown. A radio flash should have fixed it. Try restoring Stock ICS using Odin. i hear this fixes some problems like this. U can use thus guide forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2065470
If Odin is a little complicated, try the Nexus Root Tool kit. U gotta experiment to find the right problem and them fix it. No other go. I doubt that replacing the board will solve it as it looks like a software issue, unless you fried your radios.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again. Yes, the /efs folder is not where it was supposed to be. I did find the correct location and moved it. I will try using your ideas. Just one more question:
Since I had not done anything that would wipe out my IMEI number (neither software hacking nor physical damage). I wonder why this problem suddenly occurred. Just to eliminate a possibility, how can I know for sure that I have not "fried the radios"?
Appreciate your help. If I know that it is a software problem, I can continue to play with the Nexus toolkit and try different solutions.

samdev09 said:
Thanks again. Yes, the /efs folder is not where it was supposed to be. I did find the correct location and moved it. I will try using your ideas. Just one more question:
Since I had not done anything that would wipe out my IMEI number (neither software hacking nor physical damage). I wonder why this problem suddenly occurred. Just to eliminate a possibility, how can I know for sure that I have not "fried the radios"?
Appreciate your help. If I know that it is a software problem, I can continue to play with the Nexus toolkit and try different solutions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure how to check if your radio is fried. Basically, it means something's wrong with your hardware, where you experience occasional or complete signal loss. But in your case, you lost your IMEI. So, back up your nv_data files, flash using NRT or ODIN and see what happens.
NRT will push the stock radio while doing the "Flash Stock + Unroot" Option. So, you'll get the stock baseband as well. This should fix it. If your IMEI still doesn't work, try restoring the nv_data.bin and md5 files you backed up as mentioned in the link I posted.
Let me know how it works out. :good:

Always make a backup of /EFS (Support in both PhilZ_CWM & TWRP )for safety, though the IMEI would be only wiped by CWM wipe /factory option......happened to me a few days back, luckily i got my /efs restored & flashing stock doesn't bring any IMEI back since it's actually phone specific plus comes with a proper MD5 !!
the above method should work and here more info on the EFS

Don't root lg g3 855

I rooted my phone after 15 days the phone crashed with imei null error and i had to pay for motherboard replacement.

that is why every thread about rooting suggest to backup your efs partition.

deadlyheart4u said:
I rooted my phone after 15 days the phone crashed with imei null error and i had to pay for motherboard replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which method did you use to root?

Stumproot

If you had to pay for motherboard replacement, that means you wasnt able to turn the phone on? If its that, they couldnt prove your phone was rooted. If you were able to turn it on, you should simply flash stock and send it to repair center. So they wouldnt notice that phone was rooted. It is not for sure, that root your device made it to be imei NULL.

deadlyheart4u said:
I rooted my phone after 15 days the phone crashed with imei null error and i had to pay for motherboard replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sorry to hear that we fell for you :crying: but thanks for leting us know, maybe you save some of us.
Can anyone suggest a good method to take a EFS backup? (without a cutom recovery)

robalm said:
Im sorry to hear that we fell for you :crying: but thanks for leting us know, maybe you save some of us.
Can anyone suggest a good method to take a EFS backup? (without a cutom recovery)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

Have you tried the method described in the #2 post here http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/development/root-root-lg-g3-easily-purpledrake-lite-t2821000 ?

pagegr said:
Have you tried the method described in the #2 post here http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/development/root-root-lg-g3-easily-purpledrake-lite-t2821000 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the similar problem as well, my phone couldn't switch on, and only stays at LG logo screen, and only can access fastboot mode.....
I didn't do the EFS back, so I'm planning to send it back to LG to change the motherboard.....
Or, is there any other way to fix it??

I really can't tell, sorry. About EFS, even if you could somehow establish communication between PC and G3 via adb you have to move those two files from SD in order to have them available after going back to stock.

My D850 has been rooted for 2 months my F400S was rooted until I dropped it and my F460S is also rooted. I've never had an issue with imei null error on any of my G3's. Did you do anything that could have caused this?

efs doesn't wipe by itself, if you have IMEI nul that means efs has been corrupted or deleted which is usually due to you doing a mod incorrectly. None of the current root methods will touch efs.

Lennyuk said:
efs doesn't wipe by itself, if you have IMEI nul that means efs has been corrupted or deleted which is usually due to you doing a mod incorrectly. None of the current root methods will touch efs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So as I though and I wrote before. Root is not failure for IMEI Null. So, he should just flash kdz to stock and turn it back. In that way he could say it happen by itself, thats it. No paying for new motherboard.

P601 second hand MDM locked

hi everyone,
bought myself a second handed p601 for a really nice price, from a former employee of Sky (Sky TV). This tablet used to be a sales unit, and it´s completely locked up by administrative tools. at first, I thought I would simply factory reset it, and all would be ok. But got "MDM does not allow factory reset | rebooting" message. So I flashed it with P601UBUCNL1_P601ZTOCNL1_P601UBUCNE1 (official 4.4.2 ZTO), but still same problem. Rooted it with CF-Auto-Root tried Aroma FM to erase mdm data, still no luck, flashed TWRP recovery (twrp-2.8.7.0-lt03ltexx-4.4.img.tar) so I could format /data and /system to write P601UBUCNL1_P601ZTOCNL1_P601UBUCNE1 again, but recovery won´t start!
so got myself locked up with a tablet that can only access main screen, can´t even open settings, or connect to any wifi network. adb is disabled, mtp is disabled, only connection is has while it´s on, it´s samsung modem (no modem usb port or diagnostics port). I can enter download mode, and flash it, but /data is not erased. as I can´t backup efs/qcn/cert, got kind of afraid of trying more agressive measures, and end up with bricked device or, kill baseband.
can anyone help? thnx in advance.

just to include:
- flashed philz touch recovery, also cannot load. after flashing it with 'auto reboot' unticked, only samsung logo when entering recovery
- re-rooted it and then flashed official rom again, still the same
- flashed cm12 custom rom, it powers up with a lot of errors, and still can´t factory reset it (same error) and can´t format /data or /system (not allowed error)
starting to think that was a bad idea to buy this device...

up on this... still couldn´t figure out what to do...

vazgsm said:
up on this... still couldn´t figure out what to do...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any luck man? I'm in the same boat

Yes, but was a real pain in the @ss... Used SPT Box to flash with repartition, then resetted EFS, and flashed again, it did turn on with corrupted security (you can do that with odin if you get proper .pit file). Installed cwm recovery, but now it worked. From there, formatted all partitions, and flashed rom again. Right after flashing ROM, tried factory reset again, and it worked! Used z3x to rebuild security and repair imei and sn, it seemed ok, but no signal. Got a .qcn file for it in gsmhosting, and wrote it too. Now it´s working fine, as it had never been mdm locked.
I used gsm boxes to do it, don´t know if there are free software to do that. Eventually I found out another way, with riff box. You can read a working p601 and generate image file, which can be flashed into another unit (riff works via jtag, and after you need to repair imei/security, and flash rom again). It should have some other way, simpler, but I couldn´t find, and couldn´t get help anywhere.

vazgsm said:
Yes, but was a real pain in the @ss... Used SPT Box to flash with repartition, then resetted EFS, and flashed again, it did turn on with corrupted security (you can do that with odin if you get proper .pit file). Installed cwm recovery, but now it worked. From there, formatted all partitions, and flashed rom again. Right after flashing ROM, tried factory reset again, and it worked! Used z3x to rebuild security and repair imei and sn, it seemed ok, but no signal. Got a .qcn file for it in gsmhosting, and wrote it too. Now it´s working fine, as it had never been mdm locked.
I used gsm boxes to do it, don´t know if there are free software to do that. Eventually I found out another way, with riff box. You can read a working p601 and generate image file, which can be flashed into another unit (riff works via jtag, and after you need to repair imei/security, and flash rom again). It should have some other way, simpler, but I couldn´t find, and couldn´t get help anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
holy crap man! I have no idea what more than half of that means, lol....If it's not too much trouble could you break it down for a lamen? or hook me up with some links.

I work with mobile repairs, so I have equipment for that, they are called 'boxes' (or gsm box). I used 2 of those tools (spt and z3x, around 150usd each) to achieve repair. I know that what I did using SPT is possible to do with free software (odin and efs tool), but you have to be very careful with the .pit file you use. This file is used when you repartition phone (search xda wiki for android phone partitions), but if you use wrong file, you´ll have nothing but a brick, and most cases is not even possible to repair without proper equipment. The second part, that in my situation I used z3x, I don´t know any free software that could do that.
in resume, what I told above, require that you have paid tools. maybe someone reading this thread can help by pointing out some free tool that can make efs rebuild. as for imei repair, matter can´t be discussed in this board, it´s against the rules. so I think you may have to look for a good technician and take phone to him. I won´t offer myself, as I am in Brazil.
br

Thanks for all of the info!!!

vazgsm said:
I work with mobile repairs, so I have equipment for that, they are called 'boxes' (or gsm box). I used 2 of those tools (spt and z3x, around 150usd each) to achieve repair. I know that what I did using SPT is possible to do with free software (odin and efs tool), but you have to be very careful with the .pit file you use. This file is used when you repartition phone (search xda wiki for android phone partitions), but if you use wrong file, you´ll have nothing but a brick, and most cases is not even possible to repair without proper equipment. The second part, that in my situation I used z3x, I don´t know any free software that could do that.
in resume, what I told above, require that you have paid tools. maybe someone reading this thread can help by pointing out some free tool that can make efs rebuild. as for imei repair, matter can´t be discussed in this board, it´s against the rules. so I think you may have to look for a good technician and take phone to him. I won´t offer myself, as I am in Brazil.
br
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi man, I'm from Brazil too, and got the same tablet of Sky Tv with the same MDM lock, but I hadn't success with the odin/pit proccess. What city are you from? How much would cost your repair service? Could you please email me at [email protected] ?
Tnks!

Mi A2 Lite seriously bricked - need qcn File :(

Hi all,
not long ago the update to 10.0.8.0 seriously bricked my Mi A2 Lite.
I still do not really know why, but I have managed to get it alive again - mostly. The only thing no longer working is - the mobile phone part
When inserting a SIM, the IMEI gets shown as 00 (on both slots).
Reading the qcn via Qualcomm-Tools crashes the tool after 16kb - so I guess that part is corrupted also? (And no, I got no idea how a "normal" EDL-flash could do this).
And as I only learned about all this AFTER having the trouble - of course I have no valid qcn-Backup of my own
So, could anybody send me a backup of their qcn-File (of course, set your IMEIs to 000000000000)? I still have my IMEIs (as numbers), so this would probably enable me to revive my phone.
The only MiA2Lite qcn file I could find on the internet seems to be for another hardware revision ...

Hmm, as nobody answered, ca at least somebody provide me with images of modemst1 and modemst2?
dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/modemst1 of=/storage/emulated/0/Download/modemst1.img
dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/modemst2 of=/storage/emulated/0/Download/modemst2.img
Afterwards, there should be modemst1.img and modemst2.img in the "Download" directory of your internal Storage
Of course, needs root to do it - or twrp ...
Many thanks!

This guide seems to indicate you don't need modemst?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/how-to/guide-to-fix-efs-corruption-sim-card-t3928910

Thanks for the link.
I flashed via EDL "from the beginning" (i.e. the first version), but I did not erase modem before ...
So, I'll definitely try that - it's not that I could "destroy" much more

So - no luck
Even after following the instructions in the thread to the letter, my IMEI still shows as 0
But if that thread really worked for other people that means that it's probably NOT the modemst1/modemst2 partitions that got corrupted on my phone.
Of course, there are a LOT of other partitions that do NOT get flashed during a fastboot-Recovery (fsc, fsg, ssd, ...).
After learning all this, I made a backup of all of them for my other phone(s), but the Mi A2 Lite is still dead.
Ah, I guess if no one has a qcn-File it's time to re-lock the bootloader and send it in for repairs ... luckily I have a BQ X2 Pro that still works great ...

merlinwv said:
Hi all,
not long ago the update to 10.0.8.0 seriously bricked my Mi A2 Lite.
I still do not really know why, but I have managed to get it alive again - mostly. The only thing no longer working is - the mobile phone part
When inserting a SIM, the IMEI gets shown as 00 (on both slots).
Reading the qcn via Qualcomm-Tools crashes the tool after 16kb - so I guess that part is corrupted also? (And no, I got no idea how a "normal" EDL-flash could do this).
And as I only learned about all this AFTER having the trouble - of course I have no valid qcn-Backup of my own
So, could anybody send me a backup of their qcn-File (of course, set your IMEIs to 000000000000)? I still have my IMEIs (as numbers), so this would probably enable me to revive my phone.
The only MiA2Lite qcn file I could find on the internet seems to be for another hardware revision ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just need MiFlash.exe and "daisy_global_images_V10.0.3.0.PDLMIXM_9.0" thats it, when you flash the device, you can unlock the bootloader again or update via OTA if you want, i brick my device 3 times, and i had no problem with that, if you need a tutorial send PM and i give you instructions
Links
MiFlash: https://en.miui.com/thread-2197836-1-1.html (portable)
V10.0.3.0.PDLMIXM ROM: https://en.miui.com/download-354.html

Jaie55 said:
You just need MiFlash.exe and "daisy_global_images_V10.0.3.0.PDLMIXM_9.0" thats it, when you flash the device, you can unlock the bootloader again or update via OTA if you want, i brick my device 3 times, and i had no problem with that, if you need a tutorial send PM and i give you instructions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you misunderstood my post. My phone boots again and everything - It's just the mobile network part that's no longer working.
I do not think that flashing 10.0.3.0 will change something with that?

merlinwv said:
I think you misunderstood my post. My phone boots again and everything - It's just the mobile network part that's no longer working.
I do not think that flashing 10.0.3.0 will change something with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand, but, when you flash again, you fix all problems

https://drive.google.com/open?id=189zN6FrXniO8KTq7lhNXkk6_56-GQnkp

Question [fixed] rooted a325m suddenly no imei, no sim

I rooted my a325m by patching the stock AP file with magisk, had to use FRP hijacker by hagard to be able to flash the patched file. I root uninstalled several apps for debloating. The phone worked fine for like a couple of weeks, and now, suddenly I find there's the no SIM indication, and in settings -> about phone it says IMEI: unknown, and in software information it says bandbase version: unknown.
The firmware version I used was exactly the same as when I bought it, A325MUBU2AUJ4, with the right csc (ARO in my case).
EDIT: after a couple reboots, the bandbase version now shows, but still no IMEI or SIM detected.
Can anyone help me? What happened? What can I do? Thanks in advance!

flash all the with odin the correct rom. the twrp unstable and more like shell and who knows what bugs have magisk. until why have a good recovery i would no root my phone reallly if you want to unisstall the software from samsung and google i would say to use the universal debload https://github.com/0x192/universal-android-debloater.

UPDATE: it got unknown baseband againI
I relocked the bootloader and now in download mode I have an option to "show barcodes" pressing the side button. The barcodes show the right IMEI and serial number. Maybe stuff wasn't erased, just inaccesible by the rom?
I was told by a technician to flash the original ROM (already did) then root again. Tried several versions but not an older bandbase because downgrade is forbidden by the bootloader, apparently, to no avail. Would try a newer baseband but i'm afraid it will not work and will be unable to go back to the origial baseband version.
Weird thing is, there is the EFS directory but no /data/nvram or /dev/nvram

Same happened to me.
I tried everything I could think of to get the IMEI back and couldn't.
It was still under warranty and I took it to Samsung.
Before taking it I unrooted it and locked it again.
They fixed it for me with no problem.

edukardo said:
Same happened to me.
I tried everything I could think of to get the IMEI back and couldn't.
It was still under warranty and I took it to Samsung.
Before taking it I unrooted it and locked it again.
They fixed it for me with no problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you root it?
as I understand, after rooting, warranty is void since it implies flashing a magisk patched boot image or AP tar. In my case I was indeed able to relock the bootloader and flash the original firmware but upon entering download mode, it shows "warranty void 0x01".
was it the same in your case?

Flashed original firmware, relocked phone, and then went to Samsung Office. I had no problem with it

edukardo said:
Flashed original firmware, relocked phone, and then went to Samsung Office. I had no problem with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
most likely the warranty vod bit was on (you can check it yoursef by entering odin mode) and they didn't notice
so you got it fixed for free?
did they mention what did the fix consist in? I heard they say they change the motherboard, which is a lie, they just write the nvram or efs with the right stuff
ah sos de argentina? lol where did you take it? to a samsung store? I'm from neuquen and got it at musimundo, but here's a samgung store too

myself i was thinking of waiting for an update which should be soon, lock bootloader, flash some official rom and pull off the cable so it gives an upgrade error and doesn't enter download mode, then take it to the store

Unroot before update and unlock

wipe the cache partition . then reset the phone using recovery mode . this is at you own risk .

did you fix it?

applesucksLmao said:
did you fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, went to samsung, got rejected cause warranty bit on, no choice but take it to a service and I suppose they could do something with Chimera Tool, Z3X or something like that, which, as I've seen, claims to fix it in minutes (and the client gets charged handsomely, like 100 USD)
From Samsung I got the same bullsh*t I read in some threads: "this phone has been tampered with and it's a hardware problem, the board must be replaced"

For the technically savvy, I got a strange Magisk log which kind of looks like it may be the problem. It seems to try to "unlock"* some devices on bootup but gets "permission denied". One of them may be the nvram or something like that. I have an EFS directory but no NVRAM directory anywhere or /dev/nvram.

very strange, i guess we gotta not use magisk until its bug fixed.. i have seen other people have the same problem too, but anyways, i sent my phone to get probably JTagged for 54 us dollars, if they fix it well, great right, but if they dont i guess ill have to buy another motherboard from samsung or go to another city... and the best part is that while my phone is there, im using an S4 mini from 2013 with custom android 11 rom hehe

i saw that auh firmware causes empty imei in another thread and to flash aug, maybe you could try this? https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/has-anyone-successfully-rooted-this-a32-4g.4326193/post-85788523

applesucksLmao said:
very strange, i guess we gotta not use magisk until its bug fixed.. i have seen other people have the same problem too, but anyways, i sent my phone to get probably JTagged for 54 us dollars, if they fix it well, great right, but if they dont i guess ill have to buy another motherboard from samsung or go to another city... and the best part is that while my phone is there, im using an S4 mini from 2013 with custom android 11 rom hehe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or atleast use magisk with aug or even older firmware if you can... is your a32 A325M or A325F?

well, your firmware is A325MUB"U2"AUJ4 and that means u cant downgrade to older versions that have binary1 so maybe you could try using samsung's new version which was released past month

applesucksLmao said:
very strange, i guess we gotta not use magisk until its bug fixed.. i have seen other people have the same problem too, but anyways, i sent my phone to get probably JTagged for 54 us dollars, if they fix it well, great right, but if they dont i guess ill have to buy another motherboard from samsung or go to another city... and the best part is that while my phone is there, im using an S4 mini from 2013 with custom android 11 rom hehe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's JTagged?

applesucksLmao said:
i saw that auh firmware causes empty imei in another thread and to flash aug, maybe you could try this? https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/has-anyone-successfully-rooted-this-a32-4g.4326193/post-85788523
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found it impossible to downgrade, download mode doesn't allow it. Couldn't find a tutorial to do it either.

applesucksLmao said:
well, your firmware is A325MUB"U2"AUJ4 and that means u cant downgrade to older versions that have binary1 so maybe you could try using samsung's new version which was released past month
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, I tried all combinations rooting/unrooting with the new magisk 24.1 the new version, A325MUBS2AVA1
It's a 325m btw