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.
Related
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.
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.
okay so i tried to install xposed framework via recovery since it gave me an error during normal install, the device rebooted the got stuck in a bootloop, i flashed the latest rom for the shv-e300k from sammobile, everything worked great and the device booted into touchwiz, but there was 'No service' and the phone didnt connect to mobile network, when i dial *#06# i get IMEI 0000000000000.
i tried flashing different stock and custom roms, but nothing worked.. i tried a method to restore imei by copying EFS folder and using the .nvdata file, problem is there is not .nvdata in my EFS folder, I even tried installing cyanogenmod 13 and installing xposed framework on it together with the IMEI changer module, I typed my IMEI there but still no service..
PLEASE HELP!!!!!
The NV Data no longer lives in the EFS folder but is located in a hidden partition you cannot access. Wanam Partition Backup could have backed up and restored that partition for you if you had used it, but since you didn't, you'll have to take the phone to a service center and have the service center restore the IMEI.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
The NV Data no longer lives in the EFS folder but is located in a hidden partition you cannot access. Wanam Partition Backup could have backed up and restored that partition for you if you had used it, but since you didn't, you'll have to take the phone to a service center and have the service center restore the IMEI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you please tell me how to get to that partition using wanam partition backup ? and what is the partiton called ?
All the app does is back up and restore that partition. It doesn't let you access that partition, and besides, it's too late anyway. Your IMEI is gone, and using the app now would only back up what you currently have.
This device needs to be taken to the service center.
same problem here
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
The NV Data no longer lives in the EFS folder but is located in a hidden partition you cannot access. Wanam Partition Backup could have backed up and restored that partition for you if you had used it, but since you didn't, you'll have to take the phone to a service center and have the service center restore the IMEI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
respected dev. i have the same problem. i flash a different firmware and now my phone baseband is unknown and imei is null. after a few days of checking its still not working. i have recovered its last working condition details as you can see in the photo attached
If restoring stock firmware does not restore the imei, you will probably have to have it fixed by jtag service or repaired using a programming box like an octopus box: http://octopusbox.com
Or have the phone serviced by Samsung, as discussing tools to rewrite IMEI I don't think is permitted on XDA.
I think discussions about restoring the original imei to the original motherboard/phone is okay but discussion about changing imei or serial number to something other than the original is not permitted.
Could you please check this.
audit13 said:
I think discussions about restoring the original imei to the original motherboard/phone is okay but discussion about changing imei or serial number to something other than the original is not permitted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vivek.imeichanger
check this but before this i want to ask that can i flash other firmware so that i can get baseband back. if i get baseband then i will use the above software to install the New Imei on the Phone. Tomorrow i will try every possible method to get back the phone to life and then if i fail, i will take it to the service center but if there is any possible way that you can help us so please assist and we will appreciate your assistance. thanks Regard Muhammad Ismail
That Xposed module won't work as what it does is spoof the IMEI for apps that have reading or sending the IMEI in their permissions. It does not change the existing IMEI and cannot be used to restore a lost IMEI. It requires the Xposed framework to function in the first place, which should give you a really big clue that this won't work.
If you want to waste the time and try it I'm not going to stop you, but the resolution to the problem requires tools only Samsung has. Android can't rewrite the IMEI as the IMEI is part of the phone's low-level firmware that Android cannot touch.
check your phone box if you have lost the imei
I was having the dreaded "Sim card not detected" message and decided to try replacing the mainboard of my Koodo/Telus S4 SGH-i337m with another from the exact same model but different company.
I rooted the phone (etc) and used the tool at http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ool-antaresone-s-imei-backup-restore-t2975136 to do a complete backup of the EFS and stuff
I was able to swap out the boards with no trouble and confirmed the newly repaired phone had an IMEI before doing a restore using the above tool as well, but after doing so, the IMEI says Unknown.
I put the phone into DM mode and enabled cp logging in recovery so the phone could be recognized by Windows (otherwise it was saying USB Device Not Recognized)
I tried Octoplus and it can get the software and firmware info from the phone, but does nothing else. NV Items reader writer gives an "Unknown Command" error for even just reading the full phone.
Not sure what I need to do to fix this. Thinking about contacting an unlocking guy here in Canada who says he can repair the IMEI remotely, but I don't want to do that if it's something simple I'm overlooking. Unfortunately most of the documents talking about IMEI repair refer to options that don't exist in my service menu (for example #6 Common and turning off FTM mode). Would appreciate any help.
The backup method is for the i9505 and I understand that, hardware-wise, the i337m has the same hardware but the major difference is support for LTE frequencies in Canada.
You tried to restore the imei from the original motherboard to the replacement motherboard? Do you have a back up of the replacement motherboard's imei information?
With the s4, I don't think all of the imei information is in the efs folder. Nvdata may be written in a hidden partition.
Yup I took a backup of both before doing anything
The tool I linked to says it supports the i337m and it detected it and did not complain at all.
audit13 said:
The backup method is for the i9505 and I understand that, hardware-wise, the i337m has the same hardware but the major difference is support for LTE frequencies in Canada.
You tried to restore the imei from the original motherboard to the replacement motherboard? Do you have a back up of the replacement motherboard's imei information?
With the s4, I don't think all of the imei information is in the efs folder. Nvdata may be written in a hidden partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tool backed up several partitions it seems, not just the efs.
Just an FYI. Both motherboards are for Canadian models. My original was with Koodo and the new one is from Bell. Both are identical. It shouldn't have a problem with that.
You tried to restore your old imei to the replacement board? Any particular reason this was necessary? Both motherboards were running the same ROM although I'm not sure this makes a difference.
I wanted to keep it as close to the original as possible (guess I'm a bit OCD like that lol) and I'm pretty sure the seller I bought it from on eBay set the imei on it to a fake number, as I checked it online and nobody had any information on it (whereas my original Imei was recognized as coming from an s4).
Did you try flashing a stock rom on the replacement motherboard? If that doesn't restore the imei and you don't have the replacement's original imei, you may be out of luck.
You confirmed that the replacement is an i337m in download mode?
I am trying a stock Bell firmware using odin now and will then restore the imei backup I took of the new motherboard to see what happens.
Trying to restore the imei backup from the Koodo phone may make it worse.
After flashing a stock rom, check to see if wifi and Bluetooth works before trying to restore the imei.
audit13 said:
Trying to restore the imei backup from the Koodo phone may make it worse.
After flashing a stock rom, check to see if wifi and Bluetooth works before trying to restore the imei.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still working on it, but previous attempts have had absolutely no other issues. Wifi, camera, et al have worked fine.
Okay so I flashed back the Bell stock firmware and my backup of the new motherboard, and the IMEI is back, but I am almost 100% sure it's a fake one. None of the sim unlock methods work and online tools cannot identify it. It's not the old 0049 or any other known fake/invalid one, which is quite weird.
Which method are you using to sim unlock?
I just purchased an unlock code for my original imei and am stuck at this point unless I can figure out why it doesn't work on the new motherboard.
Unlock codes are tied to the imei. Since you can't get your imei into the replacement board, you can't use the unlock code.
Also, some carriers can detect an altered imei and will not activate the phone on their network. Not sure if this is always the case.
We dont support nor allow discussion of imei changing, thread closed.
I somehow erased my IMEI (it shows 0 in Settings) after flashing custom ROMs. I have no way to restore it as I did not backup the efs partition and I can't find the box for the phone with the IMEI sticker on it. I wiped modemst1 and modemst2 but that didn't change anything. I still have service but I'm worried I might get into legal trouble for using a phone without an IMEI. I also can't send it to ZTE as I can't be without a phone for days/weeks. Should I keep the phone or get a new one?
Odd that you still have service... I would keep using it.
same thing here on two boards. no luck with service on either, though. (Tmobile) both have no imei, no serial. fortunately, i have another DD axon and 1 body to test and work on the two boards. the best theory i have is to use QPST to backup .qcn and restore it. i feel like imei and serial are stored in the qfuse system. i cannot, however find a detailed answer on how to do that aside from videos and posts here and there that claim CDMA workshop ($100) will fix/restore it. my belief is that there is a function within qpst and qfil to do this, but i cant get my handset booted and recognized in a mode that allows such. there is also the lack of detail on how to boot into diagnostic mode (which i thought was EDL, but that doesnt work). really, i wish someone from ZTE would just say here is the factory image file (not edl, the whole emmc flash file) and this is how you flash it. Wishful thinking, i know.
so in a strange twist of events, restoring my efs backup reflashing b35 edl, despite it breaking touch, wiping data and flashing b29 edl (which restored my touch) netted me my IMEI back. i dont know why, but it did. finally. month long task finally back.
@bkores did you figure it out?
EDIT: i finally restored mine. took updating to b35 and wiping internal to register again for some weird reason. but its back.