Database Users

[Q] Restore IMEI on N910F

I bought the N910F a few weeks ago. I'm traveling so I had it unlocked in Bangkok to use other Sim cards. That's when my problems began.
They rooted the phone and changed my IMEI number. The result is: Knox flag tripped, fingerprint sensor not working anymore (error), losing WiFi passwords (had to do ro.securestorage.support=false to fix it) and worst of all lag and bad battery life. I can't even watch a HD movie without lag. AnTuTu score 36000.
The efs folder is empty (not mounted). I have no backup of the folder. The phone functionality works fine. I got no problems with any Sim card. I have a valid imei, just the wrong one. I tried firmware installation and initialization with Kies, but it didn't change anything.
I'm traveling through Asia for many months so I can not get a replacement or send it in for repair at home in Europe.
Do you have an idea how I could get my original imei back? or how to mitigate the issues?

I had a very similar problem, I thought I was sunk. But then I found THIS post, I used the Edit 2 method and it worked a treat, hope you have similar luck. If you don't have TWRP, then I'd recommend you install it, can be a real lifesaver.

thanks for the link. it worked partially. I managed to mount the efs folder. the partition for n910f is mmcblk0p13! I used the terminal emulator on my rooted phone with busybox. no need to use recovery.
the bad thing thing is, I still don't have my original imei. the good thing is, my fingerprint sensor works again, I don't need the Wi-Fi fix with ro.securestorage. support=false and the phone feels much faster, less laggy now.
kinda happy with that. If I had the efs backup now....
would a initialization with Kies restore my original imei?

Sorry, I really can't say, I've never used Kies. Glad it seems to be running better now.
Should have mentioned the partition on a N910 is /dev/block/mmcblk0p13, getting old and forgetful, LOL.

That's a bummer OP - a non-factory unlock on newer Samsung phones involves writing another phone's hacked EFS data.
If the store didn't do a backup of your old modem data, your original IMEI is gone.
DO NOT attempt to use Qualcomm NV Tools to change your IMEI back to stock. (Guess how I wrecked my Note 3 the first time around!) - you need a valid IMEI Certificate to access 3G/LTE networks so you'll be stuck in 2G mode.
Samsung service centers have the tools to write any IMEI they want and generate the valid certificate, though it'll be expensive. I'd just advise OP to Odin to stock and wipe data, then root and disable ro.securestorage.support.
Having a wrong IMEI's not too bad, although a big no-no in terms of the GSM standard.

1) I think I have a valid certificate for my 'new' imei. Mobile data connections work fine and fast (H+). I prefer my original imei though.
2)why should I disable securestorage.support? It works fine enabled.

gattacus said:
1) I think I have a valid certificate for my 'new' imei. Mobile data connections work fine and fast (H+). I prefer my original imei though.
2)why should I disable securestorage.support? It works fine enabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As part of the unlocking process, they wrote a new (rather, copied from another phone) IMEI to your Note 4. It'll work just fine. However, the IMEI may be shared with other phones, and may one day be blacklisted. When/If that happens, you'll need to write a new IMEI again.
I think I didn't come across right the last time - don't try to change your IMEI to your original one with Qualcomm NV Tools without a matching, proper certificate for it. It's a world of hurt.
As for ro.securestorage.support, it _might_ be needed for keeping WiFi passwords saved on reboot. Or not. IIRC, my rooted Note 3 needed it set for WiFi and S-Health to work right. I'm staying unrooted on my Note 4, so I don't know if you'll still have to do that.

I will go to a service center and ask if they can restore my imei but it doesn't seem to be urgent now. I just hope that a kies install of lollipop doesn't bring back the problems (unmounted efs).
WiFi passwords survive a reboot without the fix. So far so good.
Thanks for your help.

rastus.rob said:
I had a very similar problem, I thought I was sunk. But then I found THIS post, I used the Edit 2 method and it worked a treat, hope you have similar luck. If you don't have TWRP, then I'd recommend you install it, can be a real lifesaver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your post helped me a lot. I just wanted to say that you made my day. THANK YOU!!!!!

you can use darkmed repair tools
gattacus said:
I bought the N910F a few weeks ago. I'm traveling so I had it unlocked in Bangkok to use other Sim cards. That's when my problems began.
They rooted the phone and changed my IMEI number. The result is: Knox flag tripped, fingerprint sensor not working anymore (error), losing WiFi passwords (had to do ro.securestorage.support=false to fix it) and worst of all lag and bad battery life. I can't even watch a HD movie without lag. AnTuTu score 36000.
The efs folder is empty (not mounted). I have no backup of the folder. The phone functionality works fine. I got no problems with any Sim card. I have a valid imei, just the wrong one. I tried firmware installation and initialization with Kies, but it didn't change anything.
I'm traveling through Asia for many months so I can not get a replacement or send it in for repair at home in Europe.
Do you have an idea how I could get my original imei back? or how to mitigate the issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can use Darkmed S7 S7 Edge Imei Cert Repair Tool v.1.1.7 and I am sure, they will solve your problem.

allan maanson said:
you can use Darkmed S7 S7 Edge Imei Cert Repair Tool v.1.1.7 and I am sure, they will solve your problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This post is really old bruh ?
Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

[Q] EFS / IMEI / Network Issues, unable to find an answer

Long story short, a week ago I tried to encrypt a new rom and the rom did not show the encryption process, and after 3 hours I thought something went wrong and rebooted it. This is where the problems started. I obviously corrupted my EFS.
I tried installing stock firmware from sammobile, several different versions, and none worked. I looked through dozens and dozens of threads on here, and other sites, and found various solutions for EFS problems but everything entailed making a copy of the EFS and restoring it. Before I found these, I tried something else (I can't remember what), and apparently destroyed my EFS and was stuck at bootloader. After a lot of research I found a thread on here, for recreating the EFS partition, which allowed me to boot my phone into Android again, except it is stuck in factory mode. Network was still not working, IMEI was still wrong. After flashing a new modem, my phone detected my simcard, shows network detected, I can choose my APN and network, but network is still not working. No data, no sms, no calls. I've flashed several different stock firmwares again, and phone is still in factory mode, and IMEI is still on 0049. Factory reset and everything, wiped cache, flashed latest TWRP. I installed root browser, and it is showing the necessary files and folders in the EFS folder. Oh, and knox has been tripped, so no official firmware upgrade through Kies.
Before someone suggests sending phone in for repairs, or giving up hope, the fact that flashing the modem has gotten the phone to recognise the simcard and my carrier details, that must mean that there is some solution. Question is, what is the solution? I have gone through more threads than I can count with regards to EFS corruption and such, and I have searched for a solution to the problem but I have not found anything yet. There are no original EFS backups on my phone, and the only equipment I have are my laptop, Odin, and the internet. There aren't any service centres nearby either, which means my phone would need to be sent in for repairs, which can take anything from a week to a month. Does anyone have an idea on how to solve this problem? I can't imagine that I am doomed, considering the progress I have made.

Well, your main problem is this: The IMEI is NOT in the EFS folder, because the nv_data.bin file that used to be located in that folder was moved to a hidden partition on the device at some point during the lifetime of the S4. So even if you backed up the EFS folder you'd still be out of luck. A more comprehensive tool like Wanam's EFS Backup tool would have helped, since it not only does a backup of the EFS folder but the hidden partitions where the modem, its backup, and several other crucial pieces of information are stored, including the IMEI.
That said, there may still be hope for you. Attempt to flash your ROM through Odin, but also use a PIT file for your device, which can be found on the forums. It will recreate your partitions, and in doing so may resurrect your IMEI. However, if that does not work, you will have no choice but to send the device in for service.

Really need help with S4 i9500

Hi everyone,
My S4 has lost its IMEI, and here is my situation.
I was using Prism v14 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2537515), and it was totally fine. Last night, I tried to flash a new S6 port rom, this http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/i9500-develop/rom-aurora-s6-port-t3063408, and my fone lost its signal. The signal icon is still full, but it was only available at emergency calls. When i check, IMEI and Serial number were still there. I tried flashing the Prism v14 again, didnt fix it.
Then I took my fone to the care center and left it there for a few hours. When i come back, they told me that, they flashed it back to stock, and when i ceck, the IMEI was gone. They explained that, when I flashed the S6 port rom, the real IMEI was gone, it was only the fake IMEI from the rom that I saw (didnt know if this was true).
So now im asking for any possible help/solution. I was bad to forget backing up my EFS. So i wonder if I can use someone else's EFS to restore? If yes, it would be great if any one can share with me the EFS backup.
Thank you for reading and please excuse my bad English.

The EFS folder doesn't store the IMEI, despite having an IMEI folder, thus it won't help you. nv_data.bin also will not be found there, if my S4 is any indicator, but will be found in the hidden partitions.
You'll need to try flashing the baseband for your device again, and to do that you're going to have to download a copy of the ROM, which should be found on the forums here. Sometimes the baseband needs to be flashed twice for everything to properly work. I can only speculate why that is, but I believe it to be due to having two hidden partitions for the baseband. When the baseband is copied into the first partition it isn't copied into the second, resulting in a mismatch. Flashing the baseband a second time writes the baseband to the second partition, and everything functions correctly.
If flashing the modem again does not work, getting your IMEI back will require using methods that cannot be discussed here on XDA.

Samsung Galaxy s5 (sm-g900t) no signal, not service.

My samsung galaxy s5 g900t started having problem this morning. I;ve been using blisspop rom since 3 month ago and everything was fine. But now my phone wont even find a signal. The signal bar is empty. I though it might have been because of an app. therefore i deleted any unusual app, and nothing happened. Then i proceeded to factory reset and nothing happened, then i decided to change the rom, and nothing happened ( i changed to 6 different roms, all between LP and MM. I proceeded to flash the stock firmware via odin, it successfully flashed the stock firmware, However nothing happened. It has an empty signal bar with and x on the inside. So far I've tried with different sim cards and it happens the same. NOTHING. My phone has been using heavy duty covers since day 1. The last cover i bought was the Love Mei one. Which is Extremely heavy duty. (combination between aluminum and rubber).However im starting to think that i will have to buy a new part of the phone. I know about phones, and software related, however i dont know as much as a professional or amateur would about hardware (external)
Can someone please give me suggestions about what to do before proceeding to buy a new part? If i have to buy a new part, which one do i have to buy? the antenna? or what? I've posted the picture of the screenshot ( look at the signal bar) Forgive me if someone has posted the same issue, however the suggestions xda was telling me are far from being the same than my problem.

Do you still have an IMEI if you type *#06# ?
If not, I hope you backed up your EFS partition before flashing ROMs

*Detection* said:
Do you still have an IMEI if you type *#06# ?
If not, I hope you backed up your EFS partition before flashing ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I didnt. Okay i though it was a lost cause. Here is what happened, somehow my EFS folder got erased, and my imei and S/N were gone along with it. After you lost those 2 essential things every company turns their back on you. So, it is either you fix it by buying one of those boxes that fix imeis and networks related, or buy a new logical board on ebay; or just give up and proceed to buy a new phone. However, even though i saw that my imei was null, and my S/N was also gone, Having no backups of EFS, I was at the edge of giving up. Until i decided to do the following: I installed the firmware that came with the phone. which it was a 4.4.2 version. Then i upgraded it to 5.0. And..... Everything was back... however my IMEI is not the same that came with the phone. Which is kind of odd. How did i get a new IMEI by just goning back and for between upgrades? Who knows.... Anyway, now I have full bar as its supposed to be. And currently 4g. (There was another thing i did but i will refrain from telling, since it isnt that interesting)

Very strange, but good news it's working
I'd would strongly advise you to back up that EFS partition asap now just in case

*Detection* said:
Very strange, but good news it's working
I'd would strongly advise you to back up that EFS partition asap now just in case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ueah. I never thought that would happen to me. Thats why i never did the backup. I did it as soon as i saw that i got signal, service, imei and sn back. Haha

No-one ever thinks it will happen to them, that's why I backed mine up before I even decided to flash anything custom at all

Restoring IMEI after generic IMEI 0049...

Hello.
I'll first describe the secuence of events and then tell which solutions I've tried. Bear with me. I'll be brief.
I've bought a second hand Samsung Galaxy S4 (i9500) sold through a local carrier. By law the carrier can only give the unlock code to the original buyer of the phone, and the person from who I bought it from wasn't him/her.
I tried to unlock it by my means (basically this, trying lots of variants until "186" code dead-end), which resulted in rooting, flashing diferent modems and trying a CM based custom ROM (GearCM). Before going on any of this, I made an EFS, cdma-radio, radio, m9kefs1/2/3 backup.
As I couldn't do it, I took the phone to a repair shop, where they unlocked it with a box. Then they told me that the SIM tray was broken, and after trying a different one, they concluded that it was a software problem (I suggested it) and flashed a stock ROM from the carrier, which still didn't recognized any SIM.
This is when I took back the phone.
I've restored the EFS and flashed the correct modem (In fact I've found two which work: I9500UBUHPB2-CP and I9500UBUHOI1), but even if the SIM card is recognized, I can't connect to the network, I think, because the IMEI which displays the phone is different from the factory IMEI. In fact, is the infamous generic IMEI 0049... with IMEISV 01.
I've since tried this methods:
- Changing permissions of the EFS folder
- Flashing the stock ROM after completly wiping out the phone
- Manually deleting the EFS contents and restoring
And combinations of the above with RegionLockAway and with both working modem drivers.
I still have to try rooting an older stock ROM, maybe 4.4.2, but I wanted to ask more wise people if there is a logical, correct order to any of the above steps, or if you think I'm missing something here.
The only other answer that comes to me is that it's something done by the repair shop with the box, but still I've no conclusive proofs of that. I wanted to exhaust options.
Thanks in advance. Any answer will do good.

Restoring the EFS does nothing, as the IMEI is no longer stored in it. Thus none of the things you tried will help. You'll have to take the device back to the place who fixed it for you.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Restoring the EFS does nothing, as the IMEI is no longer stored in it. Thus none of the things you tried will help. You'll have to take the device back to the place who fixed it for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have thought that it was stored on it. Do you infer that from my failed attemps? Where should it be "stored"?

I don't "infer" anything. It's a fact. IMEI was stored in a file named nv_data.bin in EFS, but for some time now it's no longer been located there. It's been moved to three hidden partitions that a nandroid backup does not touch. You'd have to use Wanam Partition Backup and Restore to see the partitions in order to be able to back them up as well as restore them. Thus, your IMEI is gone, and the repair shop is going to have to fix it.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I don't "infer" anything. It's a fact. IMEI was stored in a file named nv_data.bin in EFS, but for some time now it's no longer been located there. It's been moved to three hidden partitions that a nandroid backup does not touch, m9kefs1, m9kefs2, and m9kefs3. You'd have to use Wanam Partition Backup and Restore to see the partitions in order to be able to back them up as well as restore them. Thus, your IMEI is gone, and the repair shop is going to have to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I have a backup of those partitions, made with Wanam Partition Backup. I've restored them in this order: cdma-radio, EFS, radio, m9kefs1, m9kefs2, m9kefs3. Somehow, its not working.
That's why I think maybe it has to do with the order of the steps I'm taking, maybe even before restoring the partitions.

I edited my post while you were making yours.
My backup consists of much more than those three partitions. I have in addition to those efs.img, fsg.img, modemst1.img, and modemst2.img. The IMEI is in one of those partitions, NOT EFS.

Well then... I hope they can repair the IMEI then. It would be a damn shame if not... Thanks for your time.