No hidden menu, no CSC, no LTE - Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Somewhere over the years I apparently lost the carrier directory in /efs, as well as the CSC data - is there any way of getting this back? I'm hoping it's at least possible by flashing back to stock but only as a last resort - I've tried a bunch of different things without success so far.
The phone started as a Rogers N900W8 and was immediately unlocked and rooted. Sometime soon thereafter a Bell 4.3 firmware was flashed (via Heimdall). I then switched from Rogers to Wind (now Freedom) - I believe this is where the hidden menu disappeared if I remember correctly - and the phone functioned just fine through all of this.
I then moved from that Bell BMC 4.3 to the Wind GLW PG1 5.0 firmware (grabbed from sammobile and flashed via Odin) thinking that the presence of the Wind SIM would trigger the firmware to switch from BMC to GLW but it doesn't seem to have worked out like that. I'm now running the LineageOS nightlies and the phone works just fine except for a lack of LTE which is what I'd like to sort out with the secret codes. Also, since switching to Wind I believe my mobile network has always been displayed as HOME.
Samsung Phone Info doesn't list any CSCs except BMC under original. In the firmware tab, it's not listing PDA or CSC version. There is no carrier directory in /efs nor are there any CSC files in the file system. Entering almost any secret code fails "Connection problem or invalid MMI code" - *#06# will display IMEI but all others I've tried don't work.
UPDATE #1:
Have been able to get the Canadian CSCs onto the device and recognizable as being present by Phone Info.
Ripped out cache.img.ext4 from the PG1 firmware and used Cache Ripper (found on XDA somewhere) via Wine on linux to create a TWRP flashable zip. Had to mount system in TWRP before flashing.
Changing CSC with Phone Info apparently does a Factory Reset and not quite ready to do that yet as more research seems to point to reverting to stock for the hidden menu.
UPDATE #2:
Flashed stock PG1 via Odin. Went into a bootloop after building Dalvik on first boot and had to reboot into the stock recovery and wipe data and system, then it booted fine. The back button stopped working (LOL Samsung) and I had to flash a random 5.0 custom kernel (idlekernel) to get it back. Flashed TWRP and SuperSU.
There is now an empty carrier directory in root but there still isn't one in /efs. Lots of information on XDA pointing to this being a prerequisite for the secret codes - turns out it's all bunk.
Secret codes work. Had some difficulties with Phone Info not letting me into the root menus to change CSC - was spitting out output from some failed scripts - and when I was just about to give up it started working. Changed CSC to GLW which prompted another factory reset, and now it shows GLW / BMC as the active CSCs. APNs were Bell's originally, which is not what I wanted, but after following the *#272*IMEI directions from this thread and another factory reset they are now Wind's. No LTE yet. Would like to get rid of the BMC CSCs altogether since this was never a Bell device.
Some more stuff changed in Phone Info: Product Name is now hltevl, Firmware's CSC Code is now BMC and CSC Country is Canada/CA. PDA and CSC version has also been populated. CSC Changer still defaults to having BMC selected and I'm still getting the Bell bloatware.
UPDATE #3:
Active CSC reverted to BMC after a couple reboots...they're all BMC now.

Attaching (the initial) Samsung Phone Info screenshots (don't see how to edit them into OP via mobile app) .

I recommend to flash a stock firmware instead of this custom rom.

vndnguyen said:
I recommend to flash a stock firmware instead of this custom rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for stopping by.
I flashed the stock PG1 firmware for the GLW CSC. But the device still thinks it's BMC - this probably has something to do with all the Canadian devices sharing identical hardware and firmware.
Then I used your tool to change the CSC to GLW. All of the CSCs remained BMC except for Active CSC which was BMC/GLW. After a couple reboots even that was gone and Active CSC reverted to BMC.
Do I maybe need the stock recovery for the CSC changes to stick ? I flashed TWRP 3.1.1 for root.

perosredo said:
Thanks for stopping by.
I flashed the stock PG1 firmware for the GLW CSC. But the device still thinks it's BMC - this probably has something to do with all the Canadian devices sharing identical hardware and firmware.
Then I used your tool to change the CSC to GLW. All of the CSCs remained BMC except for Active CSC which was BMC/GLW. After a couple reboots even that was gone and Active CSC reverted to BMC.
Do I maybe need the stock recovery for the CSC changes to stick ? I flashed TWRP 3.1.1 for root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So your problem is to get LTE back, or get rid of BMC?

vndnguyen said:
So your problem is to get LTE back, or get rid of BMC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to do both if possible but I'm not going to sweat over the CSC if it's purely cosmetic - mainly concerned about the LTE.
I wouldn't be surprised if they are linked however since the carriers here operate LTE on different bands to the best of my knowledge.

So firstly try to install the stock BMC firmware to see if the LTE works?

Long story short, LTE isn't yet available in this location on this carrier on a Note3-supported band yet.
So that's that.

Related

[Q][N9005] I want to... brand my phone - CSC change

I have bought unlocked N9005 from Germany. The problem is I need to flash very specific ROM related to my home network - T-Mobile PL.
I managed to debrand and upgrade my phone to N9005XXUENA6_N9005OXXENA5_N9005XXUENA2. Works fine.
But now I need to change CSC to TPL and flash N9005XXUENA7_N9005TPLENA2_N9005XXUENA2 - but direct flashing with ODIN ends with usual invalid ext4 image.
What shall I do to flash banded firmware?
PS: *#272*(my_IMEI)# does nothing. IMEI of course checked with *#06#

problems with Rogers data lte/3g with asop roms

ever since i switched to an asop rom my lte and 3g signal has dropped dramatically. I have rogers, played with mulitple apn settings etc. any help boys ? is there fix i can flash?
Naruto101 said:
ever since i switched to an asop rom my lte and 3g signal has dropped dramatically. I have rogers, played with mulitple apn settings etc. any help boys ? is there fix i can flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
The first thing would be to check your CSC and modem firmware. Use Phone INFO ★Samsung★ app to get all major info about the phone. It is important to know when you are going to flash another stock firmware.
I had issues last week with data and it was caused by bad CSC/modem. Flashed everything back to stock with official firmwares from SamMobile and it fixed my issues. After that, I was able to flash my custom ROM and everything is smooth sailing since then.
Let me know if you require more help.
Bibz0r said:
Hi,
The first thing would be to check your CSC and modem firmware. Use Phone INFO ★Samsung★ app to get all major info about the phone. It is important to know when you are going to flash another stock firmware.
I had issues last week with data and it was caused by bad CSC/modem. Flashed everything back to stock with official firmwares from SamMobile and it fixed my issues. After that, I was able to flash my custom ROM and everything is smooth sailing since then.
Let me know if you require more help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for help bro. I took a screen shot of my info. I'm not sure why it shows bmc when I downloaded the rwc files. And is the product code correct?, also I never seen the code for csc modem before. Is it not suppose to match baseband, pda, bootloader
Everything is good, you're almost there.
You have the right firmware but now you need to fix your CSC. The stock ROM is multi CSC so Rogers (RWC) is already installed but it chooses Bell (BMC) by default. What you can try :
- Power off your phone
- Remove SIM card and power on (your phone will start and say : no sim card)
- Power off and wait a moment
- Insert your Rogers SIM card and power on your phone in Recovery Mode (Volume Up, Home and Power on boot). If you have:
#manual mode#
--appling multi-csc...
applied the csc code : RWC
successfully applied multi-csc
That means that your CSC has been changed to Rogers. Problem should be fixed.
If not, the app you downloaded contains a CSC Changer but it will wipe your data. Make sure to have backups beforehand.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Bibz0r said:
Everything is good, you're almost there.
You have the right firmware but now you need to fix your CSC. The stock ROM is multi CSC so Rogers (RWC) is already installed but it chooses Bell (BMC) by default. What you can try :
- Power off your phone
- Remove SIM card and power on (your phone will start and say : no sim card)
- Power off and wait a moment
- Insert your Rogers SIM card and power on your phone in Recovery Mode (Volume Up, Home and Power on boot). If you have:
#manual mode#
--appling multi-csc...
applied the csc code : RWC
successfully applied multi-csc
That means that your CSC has been changed to Rogers. Problem should be fixed.
If not, the app you downloaded contains a CSC Changer but it will wipe your data. Make sure to have backups beforehand.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the help man, did the sim thing and it just loaded me into twrp and i didnt see an option so I changed it via the app. Same thing still got the 4G and bell bloat. But csc now says bmc/rwc
Ok. Try this now :
You must dial the following key sequence to bring up a regional carrier menu: *#272*[IMEI]# (that is *#272* (your IMEI number) #) - You'll find your IMEI in the Phone Info app.
When the menu comes up, select the regional code for Rogers RWC. The phone will now go through a reset/boot sequence and come this time, it should read the APN settings from your SIM card and viola, you now have LTE. If you do not see LTE but 3G, you will need to ensure your APN settings are correct and then go into the Network Mode and ensure you have LTE/WCDMA/GSM (auto mode) selected.
Let me know how it goes.
Bibz0r said:
Ok. Try this now :
You must dial the following key sequence to bring up a regional carrier menu: *#272*[IMEI]# (that is *#272* (your IMEI number) #) - You'll find your IMEI in the Phone Info app.
When the menu comes up, select the regional code for Rogers RWC. The phone will now go through a reset/boot sequence and come this time, it should read the APN settings from your SIM card and viola, you now have LTE. If you do not see LTE but 3G, you will need to ensure your APN settings are correct and then go into the Network Mode and ensure you have LTE/WCDMA/GSM (auto mode) selected.
Let me know how it goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually did the last sstep you mentioned below this morning (found the steps online ) and it still didn't work lol, so technically when i did it in the app it was my second time restarting the phone.Not sure what's going wrong here. Seems like bmc still lingers around. Haha don't give up on me
Naruto101 said:
I actually did the last sstep you mentioned below this morning (found the steps online ) and it still didn't work lol, so technically when i did it in the app it was my second time restarting the phone.Not sure what's going wrong here. Seems like bmc still lingers around. Haha don't give up on me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, I'm not giving up on you
When you flashed back to stock ROM, did you do a full wipe before?
It is really important that you do a full wipe so that it doesn't leave any traces of your old installs.
Try to flash via Odin (while your phone is on Download Mode). Check the AP and the CSC box and input the stock file from SamMobile.
Let me know if it fixes it.

Changing CSC from KDO to BWC

So i bought a 2nd hand s7 edge off kijiji. No issues with it, but i've been reading that wifi calling is an option with my provider (Bell Canada, hence the BWC csc) and I'm wondering what benefits there are (if any) by changing the CSC in my phone, or if making this change would then enable the option.
I can enter the *#272*IMEI# and get the option to change it, i just want to make sure i'm not gonna mess anything up by doing this.
Any insight would be helpful. Even if there aren't any benefits for doing this change, i'm still curious as to what kinds of things this change can do, whether they be good or bad.
Thanks in advance!
Bump for visibility
I believe all the firmware from any carrier is fine, as long as its from a Canadian Provider.. I bought my Edge from Samsung store... Went onto the Sammobile and flashed a general canadian firmware with the sept update, no issues...
Only way to change the CSC is to root your phone first and then install SAMSUNG INFO software from Google play Use the Csc Changer option and then select your preferred CSC from the list and install then your phone will restart and will restore Factory setting *before doing that make backup your phone* and then your phone will restart with new CSC ......You are done ....
NOTE: this process is only be possible with multi CSC phone or international models

Flashing a differenct CSC rom and keeping data

Currently on Snapdragon latest official Oreo with XAS (unbranded Sprint)
My phone was an originally Verizon branded, it now has XAS U1 firmware (model shows as U1 in settings)
I want to flash either U1 or U of ROM with csc of SPR. The reason I want to do this is because I want to fix/enable Calling Plus/Wi-fi settings.
I really do not care if my csc says XPR or SPR afterwards, I'm just thinking that flashing a rom designated as SPR might fix my Calling Plus/Wi-fi issues.
Is it possible when using Odin to flash, to use Home CSC and not wipe data.? I still feel with unrooted phone backup and restore still requires a lot of manual setup and I hate constantly doing this every time I flash.
Note: I've already tried to get wifi calling working using both Nova activities and in the phone settings without success , have been following the other thread about enabling Calling Plus on unbranded rom
After throwing in a T-Mobile sim and then going back to Sprint sim, I was converted to SPR csc. Sprint always seems to do this. So now I don't need to change CSC b ut I still am struggling to get wifi calling
The firmware for SPR and XAS appear to be identical so I am wondering if I should try to flash the U version of the rom . And of course attempting to keep data

FIXED?? - Getting back to AT&T stock from S8 Factory Binary (failed carrier change)

FIXED?? - Getting back to AT&T stock from S8 Factory Binary (failed carrier change)
==== Latest update (I am not an expert but please check out (at your own risk) ============================
All - I installed latest Tmobile firmware for SM-G950U downloaded from sammobile (G950USQU5CRK1) using odin3v3.13.1.
To my pleasant surprise I find that Wifi Calling etc works fine. You need to have TMobile SIM in the phone when you flash the firmware. I believe S8 automatically customizes firmware based on sim detected (I tried AT&T/TMO sims and it did).
It is likely that all the carrier change guides are no longer relevant (at least as of V5 bootloader) I am not an expert but please check out (at your own risk)
========== OLD Thread =======================
Will appreciate help.
Here is what I did or wanted to do: I switched carriers from AT&T to TMobile and tried to install TMobile stock using these instructions
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/how-to/snap-guide-flashing-standard-fw-carrier-t3625817
I have a V5 bootloader so I used Factory Binary from here https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...bination-files-bit-5-g950uu1-g955uu1-t3816112
Current State: I am on factory binary, but the instructions to change carrier files (32-33 in carrier switching) don't seem to work for V5.
I would like to get back to AT&T stock - but cannot figure out how to. I cannot find AT&T stock firmware with V5 bootloader anywhere. ANy help / guidance is appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cnewsgrp said:
==== Latest update (I am not an expert but please check out (at your own risk) ============================
All - I installed latest Tmobile firmware for SM-G950U downloaded from sammobile (G950USQU5CRK1) using odin3v3.13.1.
To my pleasant surprise I find that Wifi Calling etc works fine. You need to have TMobile SIM in the phone when you flash the firmware. I believe S8 automatically customizes firmware based on sim detected (I tried AT&T/TMO sims and it did).
It is likely that all the carrier change guides are no longer relevant (at least as of V5 bootloader) I am not an expert but please check out (at your own risk)
========== OLD Thread =======================
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have come to believe this as well. I was flashing the unlocked firmware on mine and if I kept my Xfinity wim in it it no matter what,would default back to my cct csc. So I tested and inserted other Sims flashed a CSC and auto configuration took over on boot and would reflash itself with the apropriate carrier CSC and sales codes...The auto configuration seems to handle most carrier changes. There is also a hidden menu where you can select a csc. And again. If I selected one if I had my sim in it would disregard and keep sims csc. If I removed it would take til I inserted my carriers sim.
Also at the bottom of this hidden menu you can select to disable auto configuration....
Don't know if this helps your hunting's and findings but it was observations I made
TheMadScientist said:
I have come to believe this as well. I was flashing the unlocked firmware on mine and if I kept my Xfinity wim in it it no matter what,would default back to my cct csc. So I tested and inserted other Sims flashed a CSC and auto configuration took over on boot and would reflash itself with the apropriate carrier CSC and sales codes...The auto configuration seems to handle most carrier changes. There is also a hidden menu where you can select a csc. And again. If I selected one if I had my sim in it would disregard and keep sims csc. If I removed it would take til I inserted my carriers sim.
Also at the bottom of this hidden menu you can select to disable auto configuration....
Don't know if this helps your hunting's and findings but it was observations I made
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks

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