how to tell if bootloader is unlocked after rooting... - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

followed this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2046439 yesterday to root my samsung galaxy s3 and unlock the bootloader, but i am unsure if it worked 100%. i know it is rooted because i dl'ed titanium backup and it works, but how do i tell if my bootloader is unlocked or not? did a search, couldn't find an answer, so i am asking here.

There's not really a concrete way to tell however if you reboot and the Samsung logo flashes by in a second then you're unlocked. Typically it sits for three to five seconds on this screen but once unlocked, this screen just flashes by.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

considering we all use the same unlocked aboot.img, it's pretty easy to concretely verify that you're bootloader is unlocked.
but im too stupid to write a script, and no one wants to do it because it's a bit longer than timing the samsung boot logo (which when you compare time-invested to information given, is pretty reliable)
basically involves comparing the md5 of the aboot.img of your phone to the known unlocked aboot.img (will try to find the terminal/adb shell commandsi posted before)
found it:
The unlocked md5 is: 0ba9ad45fc15cf3d62af7dd363686b3f
So if you pull a copy of your current aboot partition and save it to your sd card.
Run the following in ADB shell or terminal. Make sure you run it as superuser:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/storage/sdcard0/aboot.img
That command will save an aboot.img to your internal sd. Check it's md5 and see if it matches.
Can run in adb:
md5 /storage/sdcard0/aboot.img
or
use any of the many md5 checking apps out there

SlimSnoopOS said:
There's not really a concrete way to tell however if you reboot and the Samsung logo flashes by in a second then you're unlocked. Typically it sits for three to five seconds on this screen but once unlocked, this screen just flashes by.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, cool, thanks! so it looks like the root took, but the bootloader didn't unlock. the samsung logo took 3 seconds to pass by. so what do i need to do now to unlock it? should i repeat the steps from what i did yesterday?

corbn89 said:
considering we all use the same unlocked aboot.img, it's pretty easy to concretely verify that you're bootloader is unlocked.
but im too stupid to write a script, and no one wants to do it because it's a bit longer than timing the samsung boot logo (which when you compare time-invested to information given, is pretty reliable)
basically involves comparing the md5 of the aboot.img of your phone to the known unlocked aboot.img (will try to find the terminal/adb shell commandsi posted before)
found it:
The unlocked md5 is: 0ba9ad45fc15cf3d62af7dd363686b3f
So if you pull a copy of your current aboot partition and save it to your sd card.
Run the following in ADB shell or terminal. Make sure you run it as superuser:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/storage/sdcard0/aboot.img
That command will save an aboot.img to your internal sd. Check it's md5 and see if it matches.
Can run in adb:
md5 /storage/sdcard0/aboot.img
or
use any of the many md5 checking apps out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna bookmark this cuz this is a really good explanation. I don't ever suggest dd methods (nor memorize them) cuz I know a single typo could brick the device.
a.demarco said:
ok, cool, thanks! so it looks like the root took, but the bootloader didn't unlock. the samsung logo took 3 seconds to pass by. so what do i need to do now to unlock it? should i repeat the steps from what i did yesterday?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sideload EZ Unlock v1.2 and press the unlock button. You'll hear an audio confirmation and boom, unlocked.

ok, so now i am confused. i have the correct supersu+bootloader on the sd card, and the supersu app on the phone, but the samsung logo still takes a while to disappear.
edit: nevermind, got it working, samsung logo now just flashes by. thanks again for all your help!

SlimSnoopOS said:
I'm gonna bookmark this cuz this is a really good explanation. I don't ever suggest dd methods (nor memorize them) cuz I know a single typo could brick the device.
Just sideload EZ Unlock v1.2 and press the unlock button. You'll hear an audio confirmation and boom, unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it's pretty straightforward. I tested my unlocked bootloader with this. Haven't had a chance to tested while locked though (will have to wait till my next odin to stock).
But yeah, as long as no one switches the "if" and the "of" it should be safe (aka accidentally pasting something into the normally inaccessible partition rather than copying out to the sd)
---------- Post added at 10:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 AM ----------
a.demarco said:
ok, so now i am confused. i have the correct supersu+bootloader on the sd card, and the supersu app on the phone, but the samsung logo still takes a while to disappear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sometime that image doesn't take for whatever reason. just use the app slimsnoop os linked to, should do the trick

a.demarco said:
ok, so now i am confused. i have the correct supersu+bootloader on the sd card, and the supersu app on the phone, but the samsung logo still takes a while to disappear.
edit: nevermind, got it working, samsung logo now just flashes by. thanks again for all your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! Just so you know, you can uninstall EZ Unlock (if you installed it that is) and never use it again. You will not need it again unless you do the following which which will re-lock your bootloader:
1) take a Verizon OTA
2) Odin flash a stock image
Make sure to do a nandroid and happy flashing!

SlimSnoopOS said:
Great! Just so you know, you can uninstall EZ Unlock (if you installed it that is) and never use it again. You will not need it again unless you do the following which which will re-lock your bootloader:
1) take a Verizon OTA
2) Odin flash a stock image
Make sure to do a nandroid and happy flashing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still learning all about this, i will have to search what a nandroid is. i am doing a backup currently using titanium backup (free version right now), and it seems to be working well.
i want to flash either the cm 10.1 or jellybeans v.15 i think, just gotta read more about them.

a.demarco said:
still learning all about this, i will have to search what a nandroid is. i am doing a backup currently using titanium backup (free version right now), and it seems to be working well.
i want to flash either the cm 10.1 or jellybeans v.15 i think, just gotta read more about them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, you'll see a lot of terms thrown around like that haha here's a glossary of common terms taken from DroidStyle's guide in the dev section.
Basically a nandroid is a complete system or rom backup akin to a computer backup. You perform a nandroid in custom recovery (CWM or TWRP) however its labeled as "Backup" in both recoveries. "Nandroid" is just the common name for it. The reason you perform a nandroid is to have a safe point to restore your phone to if you flash a rom, kernel, or mod and your phone begins to misbehave. Before flashing your first rom, it's highly recommended that you perform a nandroid in your custom recovery and even save a copy on a computer so you always have that in two places. It may take about 1.5-2 GB's of space per backup so I wouldn't keep too many on your phone at a time.

SlimSnoopOS said:
Ahh, you'll see a lot of terms thrown around like that haha here's a glossary of common terms taken from DroidStyle's guide in the dev section.
Basically a nandroid is a complete system or rom backup akin to a computer backup. You perform a nandroid in custom recovery (CWM or TWRP) however its labeled as "Backup" in both recoveries. "Nandroid" is just the common name for it. The reason you perform a nandroid is to have a safe point to restore your phone to if you flash a rom, kernel, or mod and your phone begins to misbehave. Before flashing your first rom, it's highly recommended that you perform a nandroid in your custom recovery and even save a copy on a computer so you always have that in two places. It may take about 1.5-2 GB's of space per backup so I wouldn't keep too many on your phone at a time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good to know... should i bother with titanium backup at all? or just boot into cwm and do a nandroid from there?

a.demarco said:
good to know... should i bother with titanium backup at all? or just boot into cwm and do a nandroid from there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perform both actually. Backup apps with TB so when you flash a rom you can restore apps at once if you actually like the rom. I typically restore a few apps when trying new roms then if I like the rom, I'll restore more apps. Backup with CWM so that in case you dislike the rom you flash, you can completely restore to your previous rom. They serve two similar functions yet distinctly different as well.

SlimSnoopOS said:
Perform both actually. Backup apps with TB so when you flash a rom you can restore apps at once if you actually like the rom. I typically restore a few apps when trying new roms then if I like the rom, I'll restore more apps. Backup with CWM so that in case you dislike the rom you flash, you can completely restore to your previous rom. They serve two similar functions yet distinctly different as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome, thank you for the help. doing the nandroid backup right now through cwm, backing it up to the external sd card so i can then save it to the computer.
so i should only use the tb to back up the apps? oops, i backed everything up on it, was wondering why it took so damn long!

a.demarco said:
awesome, thank you for the help. doing the nandroid backup right now through cwm, backing it up to the external sd card so i can then save it to the computer.
so i should only use the tb to back up the apps? oops, i backed everything up on it, was wondering why it took so damn long!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem! Yea, TB is useful for a lot once you have a grasp of the basic functions. Only backup user apps and do not backup/restore system apps. Depending on the number of apps and their storage size, backup time varies. You can always delete the previous TB backup files cuz its stored in the Titanium Backup folder of your internal or external sdcard. Doesn't hurt to copy that to a computer every once in awhile too.

corbn89 said:
considering we all use the same unlocked aboot.img, it's pretty easy to concretely verify that you're bootloader is unlocked.
but im too stupid to write a script, and no one wants to do it because it's a bit longer than timing the samsung boot logo (which when you compare time-invested to information given, is pretty reliable)
basically involves comparing the md5 of the aboot.img of your phone to the known unlocked aboot.img (will try to find the terminal/adb shell commandsi posted before)
found it:
The unlocked md5 is: 0ba9ad45fc15cf3d62af7dd363686b3f
So if you pull a copy of your current aboot partition and save it to your sd card.
Run the following in ADB shell or terminal. Make sure you run it as superuser:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/storage/sdcard0/aboot.img
That command will save an aboot.img to your internal sd. Check it's md5 and see if it matches.
Can run in adb:
md5 /storage/sdcard0/aboot.img
or
use any of the many md5 checking apps out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So when I start up terminal emulator, next to where it says "[email protected]:/ $" I type in su right? Then hit enter? Then on the following line I type: "dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/storage/sdcard0/aboot.img"
After I type this a copy of aboot.img will be saved to my external memory card and from there I can match it up with the unlocked md5 and if it matches this garuntees that my bootloader is unlocked. Is this correct?
I'm a noob, please forgive me.

jricks said:
So when I start up terminal emulator, next to where it says "[email protected]:/ $" I type in su right? Then hit enter? Then on the following line I type: "dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/storage/sdcard0/aboot.img"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
After I type this a copy of aboot.img will be saved to my external memory card and from there I can match it up with the unlocked md5 and if it matches this garuntees that my bootloader is unlocked. Is this correct?
I'm a noob, please forgive me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will save to your internal sdcard. sdcard0 = internal storage, sdcard1 = external sdcard.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Much appreciated my friend.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Let us know what your results are and which method you used to unlock.
I confirmed it on my phone that used the ez unlock app but multiple trials by others would be beneficial. Thanks

SlimSnoopOS said:
Correct.
It will save to your internal sdcard. sdcard0 = internal storage, sdcard1 = external sdcard.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did everything mentioned above and it saved to my internal card however im unable to view it. What program do i to install to view it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

You don't need to view it. You just need to run the file through a md5 checksum app or check the md5 with terminal or adb using the command I posted earlier

Related

I need an easier guide...

To outline my situation, I have installed CWM to my phone, and flashed version 2.5.1.2 of Galaxy S i9000 (but the recovery boot doesn't show as CWM) on a Samsung InFuse 4G (this part I managed to find by scouring the forums) with Firmware version 2.2.1, Kernel 2.6.32.9, with Build FROYO.UCKH1. This is as far as I have gotten because I cannot seem to get a backup of my phone's ROM made. So, my question is can someone explain (without jargon, I haven't quite learned it yet) in simple steps how to resolve this issue and help me continue my way to flashing a custom ROM? I've checked and read so many other guides, but they are confusing because the steps aren't (sad to say) dumbed down for me. Here's an example of what I read:
1: dl CWM (actually had to go look this up and figure out what it was)
2: flash CWM (my phone model wasn't on the list, but after an extensive search found out that I could use the Galaxy S i9000 [supposedly])
3: boot into CWM Recovery (can't do it, for some reason it won't load on my phone.)
4: perform backup with CWM (as before, can't do it, read I could use Titanium backup but no depth was given)
5: dl a rom and place it on your sd card (this one is understood, short and to the point)
6: boot into CWM and flash rom
Unfortunately, when I start out on a new OS (already owning Windows and getting good at Linux) I tend to not even understand these so-called "Dummies Guides." I need something filled with minimal jargon that is short and sweet. Any information would be helpful
Also, I would like to know the likelihood of bricking my phone (based off of its specs) if it is possible to find out...
I'm a little bit confused here. How come you've flashed an i9000 (Galaxy S) firmware onto an Infuse? I think we can work out your backup problems though
I mean that I flashed the Galaxy S i9000 version of CWM Recovery to my phone because there wasn't an InFuse option. (according to one thread, it said that the i9000 version was compatible with the InFuse)
However, I flashed the Recovery, but when I booted into recovery mode, I was still in the stock recovery. Any explanation for this and everything else?
I don't really know anything about the Android system yet, but I hope to be good enough to become a developer one day.
DeltaOps said:
I mean that I flashed the Galaxy S i9000 version of CWM Recovery to my phone because there wasn't an InFuse option. (according to one thread, it said that the i9000 version was compatible with the InFuse)
However, I flashed the Recovery, but when I booted into recovery mode, I was still in the stock recovery. Any explanation for this and everything else?
I don't really know anything about the Android system yet, but I hope to be good enough to become a developer one day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha. Sounds like the recovery hasn't flashed properly. Did you have the phone rooted before flashing the recovery?
Here is an awesome thread with video guides on just about everything you could need. Here is another. I take it you've already followed at least one of these to get the recovery flashed, so it might pay to try the 3E recovery instead and see if that works.
You may need to go right back to stock and start over. If you do, AdamOutler has got you covered right here.
I'll stay subscribed in case you need anything else, best of luck mate
My phone was rooted with SuperOneClick. Superuser was still intact. I read on a thread that the CWM Recovery could "fake flash" and that it would still be accessible by selecting "boot into recovery" but it doesn't show.
It says 3E in my recovery mode, is that the modified or is it actually stock?
I downloaded CWM from the market (method 2) but for some reason have update.zip on my phone (method 1). Any explanation? I don't exactly remember downloading a .zip file...
DeltaOps said:
My phone was rooted with SuperOneClick. Superuser was still intact. I read on a thread that the CWM Recovery could "fake flash" and that it would still be accessible by selecting "boot into recovery" but it doesn't show.
It says 3E in my recovery mode, is that the modified or is it actually stock?
I downloaded CWM from the market (method 2) but for some reason have update.zip on my phone (method 1). Any explanation? I don't exactly remember downloading a .zip file...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may have 'fake flashed' and not worked at all. Both stock and modified recovery will say 3E, the difference is in the version numbers although I can't picture them off the top of my head. If CWM had worked, you would not be seeing 3E, you would see the typical array of CWM options. The modified 3E does not give you the same options CWM does, it just gives you the option to flash an 'unsigned' image from Recovery.
I have never had any luck with ROM Manager personally, although a lot of people swear by it. I found it especially flaky flashing recoveries to any device, very hit-and-miss. I personally prefer, and recommend, flashing recoveries manually via ADB. A little trickier, but a lot more trustworthy.
That said, try flashing recovery through RM again before taking any further steps. Flashing a recovery over a recovery won't hurt
I've tried three separate times to install the CWM recovery, but all were unsuccessful. What's this about ADB? I remember seeing the ADB Daemon in the SuperOneClick rooting process. And how tricky is it exactly, does it require code?
I have the Titanium Backup app on my phone, and I have backed up all the system and app data, but they are all separate files instead of a single (what, .md5?) file. I remember reading another thread that said you could back up a ROM via TB but I can't find a back up ROM option. Is there a particular way to do this or do I have to have the Premium/Pro version of TB? Or have I pretty much done all I can do with TB?
DeltaOps said:
I've tried three separate times to install the CWM recovery, but all were unsuccessful. What's this about ADB? I remember seeing the ADB Daemon in the SuperOneClick rooting process. And how tricky is it exactly, does it require code?
I have the Titanium Backup app on my phone, and I have backed up all the system and app data, but they are all separate files instead of a single (what, .md5?) file. I remember reading another thread that said you could back up a ROM via TB but I can't find a back up ROM option. Is there a particular way to do this or do I have to have the Premium/Pro version of TB? Or have I pretty much done all I can do with TB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB is a command-line interface between your PC and your phone. You enable USB debugging and connect the phone via USB to the computer. Once you have the correct drivers installed, you can then use ADB (part of the Android SDK available for download) to send commands to your phone, as well as push and pull files. This requires full root, which you already have.
For example you can grab the recovery.img for CWN on the Infuse and tell ADB to 'flash recovery recovery.img' and actually ensure it flashes.
There are some excellent ADB tutorials floating around, this one in particular got me started. Make sure you do a bit of reading first though: the wrong command can royally screw you.
After you're familiar, you should be able to use ADB to push a recovery to your phone, whether it be unsecured 3E, or CWM.
I'll stay subscribed for any queries you may have
How close is the ADB interface to other command-line interfaces like Linux or Windows? I use both operating systems on my laptop and I have familiarized myself with both of them (mostly). What am I supposed to be expecting when I use it? Also, I can't seem to find the recovery.img file, what folder would that be under?
DeltaOps said:
How close is the ADB interface to other command-line interfaces like Linux or Windows? I use both operating systems on my laptop and I have familiarized myself with both of them (mostly). What am I supposed to be expecting when I use it? Also, I can't seem to find the recovery.img file, what folder would that be under?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know about Linux, but ADB works through a Windows command prompt so its pretty much the same. You will need to have ADB, Fastboot plus whatever you wish to flash (recovery.img) in a 'working' directory, then run a command prompt from that directory.
You will probably need to download the recovery.img file.from XDA. It may be zipped up (they usually are).
Sent from my Galaxy Note using XDA Premium
I've successfully got ADB started in the command prompt (not that bad :]) but when I try to pull the directory map from my phone, it says: remote object "xxxxxxxxx" does not exist. And what's this about Fastboot? Edit: Did a bootloader command test, worked just fine. No success on pulling directory
Command I used: "adb pull -s xxxxxxxxxxx C:\"
DeltaOps said:
I've successfully got ADB started in the command prompt (not that bad :]) but when I try to pull the directory map from my phone, it says: remote object "xxxxxxxxx" does not exist. And what's this about Fastboot? Edit: Did a bootloader command test, worked just fine. No success on pulling directory
Command I used: "adb pull -s xxxxxxxxxxx C:\"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that's the correct format to pull directory structure. I'll have to read up on that one
Fastboot is another tool you can use to flash bootloaders, radios, recoveries etc through the command prompt.
Sent from my Galaxy Note using XDA Premium
You're right, tried using the <remote> variable as a file instead of the device serial. Typed:
adb pull .. files
prompt skitzed out after that. I know it won't damage anything since it's a copy procedure but I'm looking for the file and it's not there. it said it's pulling everything after skipping "special files"
Edit: It just finished, said it couldn't create the file because for some reason it was trying to copy the files from the phone to the phone
DeltaOps said:
You're right, tried using the <remote> variable as a file instead of the device serial. Typed:
adb pull .. files
prompt skitzed out after that. I know it won't damage anything since it's a copy procedure but I'm looking for the file and it's not there. it said it's pulling everything after skipping "special files"
Edit: It just finished, said it couldn't create the file because for some reason it was trying to copy the files from the phone to the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you'll have to give it a target directory, I think it's like this '.\sdcard' to write them to the SD card?
Sent from my Galaxy Note using XDA Premium
If that's the case, then how do I make the file copy to my HDD? The drive doesn't show up on my computer (does it)?
DeltaOps said:
If that's the case, then how do I make the file copy to my HDD? The drive doesn't show up on my computer (does it)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure that with the correct command, you will be able to pull the structure to your hard drive. I'm not sure if it's .\C:/ or not, I'll have a look when I'm on a proper rig and can do a proper search
Sent from my Galaxy Note using XDA Premium
Thanks! You've been great so far
That noob video was right, XDA is full of awesome people!
Edit: Got it Thanks for the pointers. Now I need to find out how to back up the entire ROM... :/
DeltaOps said:
Thanks! You've been great so far
That noob video was right, XDA is full of awesome people!
Edit: Got it Thanks for the pointers. Now I need to find out how to back up the entire ROM... :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it and glad to help. There are a hell of a lot of good people here If there's anything else you need, feel free to PM me.
Good luck buddy!
Sent from my Galaxy Note using XDA Premium
Is there perhaps any way to perform a ROM backup with ADB?
DeltaOps said:
Is there perhaps any way to perform a ROM backup with ADB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooh good question. I don't think so, but I'm not sure. I know you can pull directories like /system/ and whatnot, but as for repackaging them into a working backup, that may be a bit more involved. I would use ADB to.push a working CWM and do it that way, but it sounds.like you're a bit better at the command-line stuff than I so you may be able to work it!
Sent from my Galaxy Note using XDA Premium

Md5 mismatch

Trying to restore a stock backup in cwm. I get md5 mismatch error. Cause/solution inquiry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
hcyplr29 said:
Trying to restore a stock backup in cwm. I get md5 mismatch error. Cause/solution inquiry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couple of things...
Your backup might be corrupt if the md5 doesn't match.
or you might want to try and make sure you have the latest version of CWM installed on your phone. I read in one of the other threads that someone had an md5 mismatch problem that was solved with a newer version of CWM. I hope this helps.
hcyplr29 said:
Trying to restore a stock backup in cwm. I get md5 mismatch error. Cause/solution inquiry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this happen to me once. Turned out the nand backup was bad....used the previous one I had made and was back in action. Had a few moments to sweat it out though. Just make sure to backup regularly and archives them.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
same problem
i just encountered the same md5 mismatch problem. i have the lastest version of cwm but it doesnt help. i dont have previous stock roms as this was the first time i backed the rom up. any other solutions?
bshebib said:
i just encountered the same md5 mismatch problem. i have the lastest version of cwm but it doesnt help. i dont have previous stock roms as this was the first time i backed the rom up. any other solutions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disclaimer: This is just my opinion and I am not responsible if you have issues after taking my advice, etc., etc.
With that said...
Is the only issue that you can't make a backup or have you encountered other problems? Did you flash the superuser zip before making a backup? Did you try making a nadroid backup more than just once and it errored multiple times? Will the phone boot for you?
You could try to boot the phone up and reboot into recovery and try making a backup again. If all else fails you can just reflash everything back to stock and re-root. Make sure to read through all the guides very carefully and then...read them again....and when you get done with that....read them again. =)
1. Reflash stock.tar through Odin.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1342348
2. Reflash CWM through Odin.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1340526
3. Make a nandroid backup!!!
4. Flash SU zip.
5. Reboot
Good luck.
Presbycusis said:
Disclaimer: This is just my opinion and I am not responsible if you have issues after taking my advice, etc., etc.
With that said...
Is the only issue that you can't make a backup or have you encountered other problems? Did you flash the superuser zip before making a backup? Did you try making a nadroid backup more than just once and it errored multiple times? Will the phone boot for you?
You could try to boot the phone up and reboot into recovery and try making a backup again. If all else fails you can just reflash everything back to stock and re-root. Make sure to read through all the guides very carefully and then...read them again....and when you get done with that....read them again. =)
1. Reflash stock.tar through Odin.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1342348
2. Reflash CWM through Odin.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1340526
3. Make a nandroid backup!!!
4. Flash SU zip.
5. Reboot
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly how I do it. I've never needed it but have always had it for emergency. Now that ICS is out I've been going back and forth from the sandwich to gingerbread because the bugs are well.......bugging me. I odin'd the leak then I backed it up after I installed cwm so I could always go back to that after testing out these other roms, cwm flashes, and even the backups of ICS, then I root. I basically have started from scratch twice and both times I went back to my backup I got the mismatch ( 2 different backups of the leak). I know its me (possibly cwm) because the cwm ics backup that's out there restores fine.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA
Are you extracting on your PC? There seems to be some problems with unzips on the phone causing a mismatch
I've been using 7-zip for mine, and it works great. Extract files on the desktop, place on the external SD using USB
Got this from another forum
You can actually manually do it, and maybe get that backup fixed. Go to the backup folder /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/*rom name (date and time usually)/
See if there is a nandroid.md5 file in there. If so, delete it, you can back it up if you want but it is busted so no point.
Next step to open adb shell or terminal emulator and type:
Code:
su
cd /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/*rom name (date and time usually)/
md5sum *img > nandroid.md5
reboot recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Toggle signature works for me alot
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA
Not totally sure that I'm correct but I had made two backups on one version of cwm and then upgraded my cwm to the touch version and the two backups from the previous version wouldn't restore because of md5 mismatch. Those same two backups had worked several times perfectly on the other version of cwm as well. So I just assumed that maybe the version change had something to do with it.
Sent from a payphone at the quick-e-mart down the street from you
hcyplr29 said:
Trying to restore a stock backup in cwm. I get md5 mismatch error. Cause/solution inquiry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you renamed backup directory to one w spaces... that too will give md5 err. Rename without spaces
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Just flashed cwm touch from another recovery before trying to flash new rom zip and md5 mismatch accured...after darkwipe..dang..that was close call....think your correct with the change theory...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA
Yes
yes that wass the problem. Tnk you NO spaces on backup folder name.
Tnk s
mindmajick said:
If you renamed backup directory to one w spaces... that too will give md5 err. Rename without spaces
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hisham027 said:
You can actually manually do it, and maybe get that backup fixed. Go to the backup folder /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/*rom name (date and time usually)/
See if there is a nandroid.md5 file in there. If so, delete it, you can back it up if you want but it is busted so no point.
Next step to open adb shell or terminal emulator and type:
Code:
su
cd /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/*rom name (date and time usually)/
md5sum *img > nandroid.md5
reboot recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worked perfect, thanks
adb Problem
Hey Guys,
nice tutorial. Everything worked but the adb shell itself.. I had to type all in one command. My adb shell freezed after entering the second command. Anybody knows how to fix it?
I used SiyahKernel S2-v3.4.1 and the ADB Shell in the Recovery.
funatkill said:
Hey Guys,
nice tutorial. Everything worked but the adb shell itself.. I had to type all in one command. My adb shell freezed after entering the second command. Anybody knows how to fix it?
I used SiyahKernel S2-v3.4.1 and the ADB Shell in the Recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't that for the international gs2?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
funatkill said:
Hey Guys,
nice tutorial. Everything worked but the adb shell itself.. I had to type all in one command. My adb shell freezed after entering the second command. Anybody knows how to fix it?
I used SiyahKernel S2-v3.4.1 and the ADB Shell in the Recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try using terminal emulator from your device
ADB Shell
Yeah, it is the international i9100, but the way to fix a broken CWM-backup is the same. I've tested an cm10 alpha and after this I wanted to restore my ICS, because of sdcard problems. So I did a fullwipe and only have had the Recovery left. How can I get a Terminal in there?
I thought about another way to fix the MD5: Maybe its possible to do a MD5Sum within windows over the boot.iso and save it to a .md5-file. You have to format the md5-file the way CMW needs it: "MD5sum /sdcard/.../boot.iso". Would this work properly?
funatkill said:
Yeah, it is the international i9100, but the way to fix a broken CWM-backup is the same. I've tested an cm10 alpha and after this I wanted to restore my ICS, because of sdcard problems. So I did a fullwipe and only have had the Recovery left. How can I get a Terminal in there?
I thought about another way to fix the MD5: Maybe its possible to do a MD5Sum within windows over the boot.iso and save it to a .md5-file. You have to format the md5-file the way CMW needs it: "MD5sum /sdcard/.../boot.iso". Would this work properly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if it will work or not. Try to follow the steps given in the following thread and also just incase you may need it make a copy of the backup folder. 20 seconds tutorial to fix MD5 mismatch error no terminal needed
hisham027 said:
Not sure if it will work or not. Try to follow the steps given in the following thread and also just incase you may need it make a copy of the backup folder. 20 seconds tutorial to fix MD5 mismatch error no terminal needed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fixed my md5 with the adb shell.. but I had to do this in one command . After reading this tut, I think there only has to be the MD5 of *.img, not of the .tar. Am I right?
Maybe its possible to script a zip-file for CWM which recalculates the MD5 of existing Backups?
The bash commands are simple. You only have to do this in a loop for all folders in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup.

How to replace one file when failing to boot

Hey guys
I screwed up my vold.fstab trying to get "_ExternalSD" back.
Unfortunately! I did not run a nandroid before I made the change.
Now, I can dirty flash my rom on top, or go back to a nandroid from a few days ago, but I'd really just like to recover and go on my merry way. And maybe learn something in the process.
Only thing is, I can't figure out how to access the phone other than the External SD card through CWM.
Can I mount the internal /system and access through USB? Is there some facility to copy a file from one point to another? Any other methods? I guess the phone has to be up to run ADB, right?
I don't know how to generate a flashable zip but I could extract the original version of the file from the original rom. I assume that its non trivial to create a flashable zip, but maybe someone can comment? It looks like there is signing and certificates involved..
thanks for any ideas
bluenote73 said:
Hey guys
I screwed up my vold.fstab trying to get "_ExternalSD" back.
Unfortunately! I did not run a nandroid before I made the change.
Now, I can dirty flash my rom on top, or go back to a nandroid from a few days ago, but I'd really just like to recover and go on my merry way. And maybe learn something in the process.
Only thing is, I can't figure out how to access the phone other than the External SD card through CWM.
Can I mount the internal /system and access through USB? Is there some facility to copy a file from one point to another? Any other methods? I guess the phone has to be up to run ADB, right?
I don't know how to generate a flashable zip but I could extract the original version of the file from the original rom. I assume that its non trivial to create a flashable zip, but maybe someone can comment? It looks like there is signing and certificates involved..
thanks for any ideas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is why i hate it when people make those guides.
messing with the vold.fstab is dangerous (even though its only a few lines) if your trying to recover your data, give up. its not going to happen. (sorry)
when you edit the vold.fstab it messed up the partitions on your internal SD card and most likely did the equivalent of wiped your /system partition. (or another important one.) your actually lucky it did not completely brick your phone.
your post was a little vague, but if you can, just restore an older nandroid, or wipe everything and install another ROM. (you can try dirty flashing but i dont think itll work)
if you cannot access CWM, then follow the steps in This guide. it should get you back up on your feet. after you follow that guide flash a gingerbread ROM (any gingerbread rom will do fine) then you can reboot and flash any ROM you want. (it needs this to fix a quirk in that script)
Hope you get it fixed
EDIT: re read your post, if your feeling adventurous and want to give it a shot, boot into CWM and connect it via usb. you can now get into an ADB shell on your phone by typing 'adb shell' if you have adb all setup and working. (im working from memory here so dont quote me on any of this)
now, you should be able to access your /system folder from that shell. be very careful though, i dont have much experience right here, and if i remember correctly you might not be in the full root directory yet)
if you can get into it try replacing your vold.fstab with a stock one,
if you dont have a stock one lying around, make a nandroid of the current state of the rom, then flash another rom, pull the vold.fstab, then re-restore back to the broken one and restore it (id upload mine but my phone is OOC right now )
after that just reboot and hope it resolves itself, if not then just follow my advice above
and keep that guide i linked to handy, messing around in CWM has the ability to brick your phone, if it does, then just follow that guide.
Klathmon said:
this is why i hate it when people make those guides.
messing with the vold.fstab is dangerous (even though its only a few lines) if your trying to recover your data, give up. its not going to happen. (sorry)
when you edit the vold.fstab it messed up the partitions on your internal SD card and most likely did the equivalent of wiped your /system partition. (or another important one.) your actually lucky it did not completely brick your phone.
your post was a little vague, but if you can, just restore an older nandroid, or wipe everything and install another ROM.
if you cannot access CWM, then follow the steps in This guide. it should get you back up on your feet. after you follow that guide flash a gingerbread ROM (any gingerbread rom will do fine) then you can reboot and flash any ROM you want. (it needs this to fix a quirk in that script)
Hope you get it fixed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How bout adb and pushing the file back in? Or cant you access the phone via adb?
Sent from my LG-P970 using XDA
N00BY0815 said:
How bout adb and pushing the file back in? Or cant you access the phone via adb?
Sent from my LG-P970 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
re read your post and updated my last post right after you posted
after dealing with noobies all day, i forget sometimes people want to try big things
Thanks guys. The info I was missing was there's no special trick to attaching adb while in CWM! Just plug in!
My phone is back up and running and partitions are fine as far as I can see after just booting up.
Hi there! I messed up with the vold.fstab filfe on my tablet – I replaced it with a downloaded file with the intention to transfer apps to my external SD card.
Now my tablet is only showing the startup logo and won’t continue loading. I can access recovery mode. Now I want to restore the original vold.fstab file.
My questions:
1. Using the Android SDK, the file explorer does not show any files, though my tablet is recognized.
2. Using adb push, it yields an error: permission denied, how to successfully push the original vold.fstab and replace the existing vold.fstab?
3. If I dump an image of my tablet and edit the dumped image, would this be easier compared to the steps above?
Thanks!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646108
Try this.
If this doesn't help you should ask in the section for your tablet to get more specific advice.
TwitchyEye said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646108
Try this.
If this doesn't help you should ask in the section for your tablet to get more specific advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will try it later when I got home. My tablet is not found here. I have a Skyworth S71(3G) with RK3066 chipset.
BryanF said:
Thanks, I will try it later when I got home. My tablet is not found here. I have a Skyworth S71(3G) with RK3066 chipset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to do an adb remount before you can push. Was it rooted before?
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
Mansa_noob, yes, my tablet is rooted. I followed some instructions about adb but had an error saying access denied, and also no files are displayed at file explorer. See my posts above. I also mounted it successfully. I will post some sreenshots later.
Please if you have some instructions, I am willing to try.
---------- Post added at 07:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:02 AM ----------
TwitchyEye said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646108
Try this.
If this doesn't help you should ask in the section for your tablet to get more specific advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi twitchyEye, it did not work. It attemps to install (using the install update from ext sd card) but then says installation aborted.
Any more suggestions? Thanks
What recovery are you using? I suck with adb so I got nothing on that front.
It was the stock recovery from my Tablet. I don't have it on hand right now, I will post later. The chipset is RK3066. My problem is my tablet has no official support on the internet (maybe becaue it's still new). Model is Skyworth S71(3G).
I see. Yeah this is over my head man. I thought for sure you were running a custom recovery and it was an easy answer. I'm actually struggling right now with adb myself with a similar issue something about permissions whenever I try to do anything to my phone. So I guess right now would be a perfect time for somebody to chime in with a smarter answer!
TwitchyEye said:
I see. Yeah this is over my head man. I thought for sure you were running a custom recovery and it was an easy answer. I'm actually struggling right now with adb myself with a similar issue something about permissions whenever I try to do anything to my phone. So I guess right now would be a perfect time for somebody to chime in with a smarter answer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you doing adb remount and still getting permission denied?
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
mansa_noob said:
Are you doing adb remount and still getting permission denied?
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did adb remount and still access denied
BryanF said:
Yes, I did adb remount and still access denied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is strange. A properly rooted phone would adb remount to r/w system. Something is fishy. Is it rooted+
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
mansa_noob said:
This is strange. A properly rooted phone would adb remount to r/w system. Something is fishy. Is it rooted+
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure it is rooted, because I downloaded an application from Google play to check it it is rooted or not. It is really rooted. I alvo confirmed this as I can now fully backup and restore my apps using Titanium backup before the tablet is messed up.
BryanF said:
I am sure it is rooted, because I downloaded an application from Google play to check it it is rooted or not. It is really rooted. I alvo confirmed this as I can now fully backup and restore my apps using Titanium backup before the tablet is messed up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. Odd or not, it is what it is. Is it possible for you to load a custom recovery?
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
mansa_noob said:
OK. Odd or not, it is what it is. Is it possible for you to load a custom recovery?
-- The noob says:
This just in... my IQ has increased 50 points thanks to the g2x!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to try, but the stock recovery is my last hold as I have no stock ROM. If I overwrite the stock ROM, I cannot reinstall it as I don't have a copy of it.
So why not flash cwm with nvflash and then make a backup of your current stock rom? I did exactly that.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

[Q] CWM recovery filenames

This is a general CWM question but I could not find any place better to post on XDA, so excuse this if incorrect location.
I have flashed all the Skyrocket ICS roms in the past few days to see which I liked best. Before I flashed a new one, I would make a CWM backup of the current one. Wanting to easily be able to identify the files, I appended the rom name to the end of the CWM filenames after deleting all the characters after the date, which appeared to be a GMT time stamp. Now, when I try to restore any of those files, I get an MD5 checksum error. I am only assuming that this is due to changing the filename and not some other problem. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? TIA.
phoneturf said:
This is a general CWM question but I could not find any place better to post on XDA, so excuse this if incorrect location.
I have flashed all the Skyrocket ICS roms in the past few days to see which I liked best. Before I flashed a new one, I would make a CWM backup of the current one. Wanting to easily be able to identify the files, I appended the rom name to the end of the CWM filenames after deleting all the characters after the date, which appeared to be a GMT time stamp. Now, when I try to restore any of those files, I get an MD5 checksum error. I am only assuming that this is due to changing the filename and not some other problem. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the folder name? Because that shouldnt affect it. Inside the folder that is created for each backup, there are backup files which dont have any dates/times in the filename itself.
I vaguely remember reading about this, but I can't recall how it was resolved. Try updating your can to 5.5.0.4 Touch or 5.8.1.3 (?? something along those lines) and seeing if that resolves it. Outside if that I must ask the obvious, did u Google "md5 checksum error cwm"?
Are you using the same CWM version as you did when you backed up? If you didnt, then thats one reason. You have to stay on the same CWM version, many of these CWM versions floating around have different fixes in there.
One way around this is to go to Advanced Restore and restore all the IMG files from there.
Dixit
ihtfp69 said:
I figured I would post this fix here in case anyone else ran into this problem. This is assuming you did not change the folder names and let Clockworkmod create them. I haven't had it happen until today, but it's not a nice message to see when you are trying to do a restore.
Code:
Checking MD5 sums...
MD5 mismatch!
Do this to fix:
To fix this problem use the code below. Substitute the final folder name for the backup you need to fix.
Code:
adb shell
# cd /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/2010-06-29.20.22.53
# rm nandroid.md5
# md5sum *img > nandroid.md5
When that finishes, re-run the restore and everything should be fine.
NOTE: As rpearl stated, there could be something really wrong with your nandroid, so use this tutorial as a learning experience and not a fix-all. In my case, everything was fine after restoring. However, that may not always be the case. Do this with caution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use this method to potentially fix.
dixit said:
Are you using the same CWM version as you did when you backed up?
Dixit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct on most of them. I updated to CWM Touch for the last one, but it did not restore either. To check this out, I just did a backup and without changing the name did a restore and it worked fine. The thing that was odd in the backups that would not restore was that it immediately bombed out of the checksum each time as if it was checking the name itself first.
That is brilliant. I did not realize you could generate the MD5 from ADB and stick it right into the folder. Thanks!
The few times this md5 mis-match has happened to me was because (a) the backup was actually messed up (check folder size) probably due to corruption or (b) my SD card was out of space. I've always renamed my backup set similar to yours (I append the ROM name) and it never affects the restore.
bdbx18 said:
The few times this md5 mis-match has happened to me was because (a) the backup was actually messed up (check folder size) probably due to corruption or (b) my SD card was out of space. I've always renamed my backup set similar to yours (I append the ROM name) and it never affects the restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using touch or standard CWM? I wonder if this only happens in touch version. I will try this in the next few days.
I changed the name of one of the backups I created with CWM touch and it restored fine using touch. I suppose my earlier problem may have been trying to restore a backup created with old CWM using touch version.
well since you are on the subject cwm touch im making a nanadroid backup of my current ics rom right now as i speak. i started about an hour ago and its still on the backing up data part. when i used the older version to make backups i dont remember it taking this long. have any of you had cwm touch take well its been a little over an hour now? i do have more apps on my phone now than i did the last time i made a backup would that matter? should i just jerk the battery out and go back to the older version of cwm i was using? thanks ahead of time for any advice / help you may give i would appreciate it. im trying to backup this rom cause i want to flash a different modem cause the ics modem form the leak is crap and need a backup in case it dont work..
garydv2002 said:
well since you are on the subject cwm touch im making a nanadroid backup of my current ics rom right now as i speak. i started about an hour ago and its still on the backing up data part. when i used the older version to make backups i dont remember it taking this long. have any of you had cwm touch take well its been a little over an hour now? i do have more apps on my phone now than i did the last time i made a backup would that matter? should i just jerk the battery out and go back to the older version of cwm i was using? thanks ahead of time for any advice / help you may give i would appreciate it. im trying to backup this rom cause i want to flash a different modem cause the ics modem form the leak is crap and need a backup in case it dont work..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are using sk8erwitskil version of the CWM touch (ClockworkMod TOUCH 5.5.0.4 v3.5) then most likely you didnt follow one of the directions on the front page. This is a known issue. Here it is again. You need to create that file on the location you backing upto.
For CWM to recognize the .hidenandroidprogress file you need to boot into CWM and go to mounts and storage>>mount /sdcard then go back to backup & restore and make a restore and it should work everytime (as long as you do the steps in that order and you have the .hidenandroidprogress file in /sdcard/clockworkmod & /sdcard/external_sd/clockworkmod folders)
There is a known bug in ClockworkMod 5.5.0.4 that long file names can POSSIBLY cause backups to hang. There is a solution/workaround:
•boot into recovery
•try to make a backup (no matter if it passes or fails proceed to next step)
•either through terminal emulator or through adb run the following command EXACTLY:
Code:
touch /sdcard/clockworkmod/.hidenandroidprogress
•if you are backing up to external sdcard then run the following:
Code:
touch /sdcard/external_sd/clockworkmod/.hidenandroidprogress
im using 5.8.1.3 hercules that i got from the dev section. is this a known issue with it to?
garydv2002 said:
im using 5.8.1.3 hercules that i got from the dev section. is this a known issue with it to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, I used that for awhile but then went back to the other touch and Ive had those two files still in my directories.
I would go ahead and create those two files (one for internal SD and one for external SD if you got one you are using that is) and try it again. Make sure you call that file exactly the way it is, or copy/paste the code identically if you do it through ADB.
Dixit
garydv2002 said:
im using 5.8.1.3 hercules that i got from the dev section. is this a known issue with it to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use that one, takes less than 5 minutes on my class 10 sd.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Well the crazy thing is after sitting there over an hour waiting I finally took out the battery and even though it never said complete all the files are there but I still don't trust that it made a good backup so I deleted those files tried putting in the code above and it still would not work so I flashed back to version 5.0.2.0 thats not touch and it made a perfect backup in under 2 minutes. Might be one of those it just ain't gonna work right on this specific phone thing or it could be the little green gremlins at it again lol... who knows.. I'll just wait for new version of touch to come along and try it. It won't be long till a newer greater version comes along as fast as technology is going today.. thanks for the help. I'm learning more and more each day from you guys on xda.....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA
Not sure if this is the cause of the issue but for nandroid backups you can't make a folder name with spaces otherwise you will get an md5 sum error. Try renaming the folder with underscores instead of spaces

[HOWTO]Comprehensive IMEI/EFS Backup

Update 9/1/2012: A user has successfully restored with this method! Continue to "Testimonials" for more info!
Update 9/2/2012: TrevE has now come up with a way to leverage Samsung's built-in restore to your advantage! Read below for more!
Update 9/3/2012: Changed adb commands to reduce Operation not permitted problems.
Thanks to the efforts of some great developers, there is now *possibly* a more comprehensive method to backup your IMEI. While I have not personally tested a restore using this method, a user in IRC has done a manual NVRAM wipe and restored it using this method, without the roaming issues caused by a occasionally-bungled QPST restore or manual IMEI injection. In addition, posts in this thread indicate a successful restore from an actual occurrence of the problem, all without the use of QPST and also without any roaming issues!
Before I go any further, the same old disclaimer still applies; you accept all responsibility for what you do to your own device!
Theory:
The theory is that the S3 has, in the boot process, a routine which is "tripped" when it detects an error condition. This routine is designed to "save" your IMEI by restoring images from two built-in backup blocks. The problem is, it actually does the opposite; for whatever boneheaded reason, the default backup blocks contain dummy images with an IMEI of 0 and no carrier identification. This is why your phone forgets what carrier it's on and what its IMEI number is; the restore routine actually overwrites the phone's only copy of the IMEI data with a dummy. Because much more data is lost than just the IMEI, this is also why a QPST injection (not a QCN restore) persistently leaves you on roaming.
In an initial attempt to solve this problem, users have attempted to "dd", or create an image of, a single block supposedly containing the IMEI when the phone is still in a good state. This is the efs.sbn method that you may have seen. However, upon further inspection, it turns out the IMEI data is actually spread across five different block devices, hence why the efs.sbn method is either ineffective or leaves you on roaming! After the block devices were identified, a SynergyROM team member created an easy-to-use recovery zip that allows you to image these five blocks, allowing you to reflash them should the Samsung boot process overwrite your IMEI! Re-flashing these blocks after they've been crapped up virtually ensures your phone has been fully restored to its pre-IMEI-loss condition, thereby preventing roaming or data issues seen consistently with a manual injection, or intermittenly with a QPST restore. You do not need SynergyROM to use this tool; I've done it from full stock.
But wait: there's more. About a week after the development of this tool, several unused boot entry points were discovered that revealed a way to control Samsung's built-in "safety" feature and actually make it work properly! Two backup blocks were put in by Samsung themselves; "fsg" and "backup". The great news is that, although these images may contain dummies by default, you can instruct the bootloader to write your good NVRAM data to them so that the good data is what's written to NVRAM in the event of an error. That is, instead of restoring a dummy image over your good IMEI...it restores a good backup instead and you don't lose a thing! How awesome is that?
Developers are now recommending a new IMEI backup regimen, leveraging Samsung's built-in IMEI backup and SynergyROM's manual backup, together with an optional QCN backup you can do for good measure. Of course I can't make any guarantees, but doing this backup should leave you in such a good spot that almost nothing can total your IMEI or leave you in a roaming state. Here are the new instructions on how to backup your IMEI, iron-clad. Do Parts A and B, in order, C is optional but will give you added peace of mind.
Backup:
Part A (Samsung's built-in backup):
1. If your phone does not have Terminal Emulator installed, you will need to use ADB. Download and install the Android SDK platform-tools for your platform. This is a bit non-trivial as it requires the installation of the Android SDK, however, you can find a guide for installing adb here. After installing, open a command prompt and navigate to the "platform-tools" folder within the SDK, where adb is stored. If you need additional help on this, simply ask in this thread.
If your phone is rooted and has Terminal Emulator installed, you don't need to do any of this. Simply open up the Terminal Emulator and go to step 2.
2. For ADB: Connect your phone to the computer and ensure it is in "Debug Mode" (Settings->Developer Options->USB debugging). Then. in the command prompt, type the following:
Code:
adb reboot nvbackup
For Terminal Emulator: The actual "beef" of the command is the "reboot nvbackup" line. Therefore, if you have Terminal Emulator installed, you can just run the command straight off your phone. Enter these two commands from the app:
Code:
su
reboot nvbackup
3. Your phone will reboot and copy the contents of two IMEI partitions to the two built-in backup blocks. You may see tiny blue text on the bootloader screen indicating that it is copying.
4. Allow it to finish and then reboot back into Android. The "fsg" and "backup" block devices now contain your IMEI information as they should have in the first place.
Part B (SynergyROM's "Plan B" manual backup):
1. Download the attachment at the bottom of this post. This is an update ZIP you can run right from recovery.
2. Reboot into recovery. On stock this can be done by turning off the phone and then turning it back on while holding UP and HOME.
3. CWM: Use VOL UP and VOL DOWN together with HOME to select "install zip from sdcard" then "choose zip from sdcard". Navigate to the folder you downloaded it to (most likely Download/). Select the zip you just downloaded to "flash".
TWRP: Touch "install" and navigate to the folder you downloaded the zip to (most likely Download/). Swipe to confirm flash.
4. Allow the backup to complete successfully. "Flash" is a bit of a misnomer; this is actually just a script that will safely backup your EFS and radio information to /sdcard/synergyrom/backup without touching your ROM at this point. When the script completes, reboot.
Part C: Backup with QPST:
Once the gold standard of IMEI backup, this method (in my opinion) should now be done only in the event of an unlikely complete catastrophe where neither Samsung's built-in restore nor SynergyROM's restore works. Simply follow the instructions here for extreme peace of mind; you don't need to do this if you don't want to, but I personally did.
Restore:
Do not do this unless your IMEI has been lost!
Performing Part A of the backup should ensure that you never lose your IMEI in the first place; the theory being that the Samsung built-in backup now has a good image to restore itself, as opposed to a dummy image. However, things may still happen. If you've still lost your IMEI, perform each of these methods in order of priority, "A" being the first.
Restore Plan A:
Run the following command from adb, just like when you backed up (have Android SDK installed, connect phone, and ensure USB debugging is enabled):
Code:
adb reboot nvrestore
This method triggers Samsung's built-in IMEI restore; except this time, you got good images on your side. Simply allow the phone to restore and reboot itself when completed. NEVER PERFORM THIS COMMAND WITHOUT DOING PART A OF "BACKUP" FIRST; THIS WOULD RESTORE THE DUMMY IMAGES INSTEAD AND WIPE YOUR IMEI!
Restore Plan B:
Sometimes a fluke happens and the nvrestore does not work. That's why this one is Plan B and not Plan A. Good thing you did Part B of "Backup"! Rather than instructing Samsung's bootloader to restore your NVRAM, this method will do so manually from recovery using a manually done backup.
It's just like when you backed up, except now you want to flash the zip containing your NVRAM info that the other zip built for you. This zip is located in /sdcard/synergyrom/backup. Simply navigate to this path and flash the zip beginning with "keybackup"; this will write images to 5 block devices from a time when your IMEI was all good. Reboot the phone; if all went well, you now have your IMEI back with no roaming!
Restore Plan C:
Both methods above may fail you in extremely unlikely circumstances. At this point, you'll need to try using QPST to get your IMEI back. If you did Part C in "Backup", you can follow instructions in that same thread to get you back up and running. In most QPST restores, you shouldn't have any issues with data or roaming.
Restore Plan D:
The planets have lined up, the Cubs have won the World Series, and all three above methods have failed you in what is surely a sign of the apocalypse. Far more likely, though, is that you didn't have a backup of anything and your IMEI is gone for good. The good news is that you can still get your phone working; the bad news is that you'll be stuck on roaming and may have problems with data. You'll need to perform an "IMEI injection" which is a kludgy last-resort restore method that manually writes the IMEI to NVRAM; the link I provided in Part C of "Backup" will tell you how to do it.
Testimonials:
This method has been tested good by the following users in this thread!
amaury48 said:
Just flashed CM10 09-01 nightly and lost data, confirmed I lost my IMEI. I had used the process in the OP a while ago to backup my IMEI. Just would like to confirm that I just flashed the backup it created and happy to report all is well again. Thanks for the post of this tool........saved my butt......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alee said:
I'll join the club. Lost my IMEI while doing the latest CM10 nightly. Restored and was back in action in no time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nght12 said:
Hey, used your backup method and ended up having to use it later in the day. It works. I'd reply but I can't yet due to being a new member here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please continue to let everyone know if this restore has worked for you after an IMEI loss!
Happy flashing!
TrevE said:
The other trickery we ran into is partitions do not like to be written to for whatever reason outside of package_extract_file right outa the zip. dd'ing directly back failed over and over, I have no clue why, poor esc must have flashed 100 zips before I gave up looking into it. So the updater zip restore uses only package_extract_file, actually writing partitions out properly. I have high hopes that it will actually work, but until tested otherwise do as many types of backups as you can
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your restore dd commands won't work.
con247 said:
Your restore dd commands won't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good catch. I'll revise the guide appropriately.
So will this work on any ROM?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Yeah I'm on stock rom just rooted an cwm. Can I flash this zip an since I don't have synergy, where will the backup be stored?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Worked on CM10.
I'm all for redundancy of backups, so here's hoping this method fully works when restoring. I have not experience a loss of IMEI myself, but I definitely want to be safe. I know the original efs backup method was proven to be an incomplete backup, but I thought the QPST NV backup method was proven to work? Are you saying that restoring with tthe QPST method (where you have an NV backup before you lose IMEO) does not work and will still having roaming issues?
At any rate, it will be interesting to see if this is the "one true backup" to rule them all for IMEI. So basically, you flash the zip in recovery and it creates another zip with the backed up contents. And in the event of an IMEI loss, you just flash the new zip and should be good to go? At least, that's the theory, right?
Travisimo said:
I'm all for redundancy of backups, so here's hoping this method fully works when restoring. I have not experience a loss of IMEI myself, but I definitely want to be safe. I know the original efs backup method was proven to be an incomplete backup, but I thought the QPST NV backup method was proven to work? Are you saying that restoring with tthe QPST method (where you have an NV backup before you lose IMEO) does not work and will still having roaming issues?
At any rate, it will be interesting to see if this is the "one true backup" to rule them all for IMEI. So basically, you flash the zip in recovery and it creates another zip with the backed up contents. And in the event of an IMEI loss, you just flash the new zip and should be good to go? At least, that's the theory, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You nailed it!
Nice, I'm assuming this is similar to what the Synergy ROM team is now including?
nyjumpman said:
Nice, I'm assuming this is similar to what the Synergy ROM team is now including?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its the same. Just a standalone version.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Confirmed successful backup using CWM.
I can confirm this backup method works using CWM.
I first tried it with TWRP via Goo Manager and the script didn't execute properly.
I tried flashing the file while still in TWRP and I couldn't even find the zip file anywhere, user error I'm guessing.. lol.
So I flashed CWM over TWRP via ROM Manager PRO and flashed the zip file with CWM via ROM Manager PRO and the zip script executed nicely. I found the backed up zip file where the OP said it would be.
Here's to hoping I never have to use the backed up file, but it's good to know I have it there if needed.
Thanks again OP!
xCHPx said:
So will this work on any ROM?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should work regardless of ROM as it is a recovery zip. I've tested it with CWM: I've never used TWRP so I don't know how well it would work in TWRP.
tu3218 said:
Yeah I'm on stock rom just rooted an cwm. Can I flash this zip an since I don't have synergy, where will the backup be stored?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tested a backup successfully on full stock, rooted. The backup will be stored in a folder called "synergyrom" but this just the name the tool gives to the directory (as the tool was created by the Synergy team) and has no impact on function or dependency on SynergyROM.
Travisimo said:
I'm all for redundancy of backups, so here's hoping this method fully works when restoring. I have not experience a loss of IMEI myself, but I definitely want to be safe. I know the original efs backup method was proven to be an incomplete backup, but I thought the QPST NV backup method was proven to work? Are you saying that restoring with tthe QPST method (where you have an NV backup before you lose IMEO) does not work and will still having roaming issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QPST method is not perfect; it is better than a simple IMEI injection, but the boot bug writes crap over much more than just the IMEI. This is why either method may leave you on roaming (althogh a QPST restore only sporadically causes roaming). In addition, various DRM keys may be erased as well, leaving you potentially unable to play back HDCP/PlayReady titles; QPST does not restore these.
At any rate, it will be interesting to see if this is the "one true backup" to rule them all for IMEI. So basically, you flash the zip in recovery and it creates another zip with the backed up contents. And in the event of an IMEI loss, you just flash the new zip and should be good to go? At least, that's the theory, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct. When you "flash" the backup zip, nothing actually is written to the ROM as far as I can tell; it runs just like a script/batch file and saves your backup zip to /sdcard/synergyrom. The tool itself creates a new flashable zip in this directory, one that does modify your unit, which you can then use only in the event that the bootloader craps up the NVRAM.
Just did this on cm10. Backed up without issue and I see the folder it created. Thank you. I've done qpst as well so now I feel very safe
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
hopesrequiem said:
Just did this on cm10. Backed up without issue and I see the folder it created. Thank you. I've doneSame. Thanks for the info.ll so now I feel very safe
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
So this requires an unlocked bootloader? I just did this but it skipped because my bootloader is still locked. Is that correct in that it needs to be unlocked for this backup process to work?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Just did this, thanks!
I now have 3 different types of backups. I feel safe now if I ever lose it.
Safe-r, I should clarify.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Made my back up on unofficial cm10 0816. Thanks.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
tu3218 said:
So this requires an unlocked bootloader? I just did this but it skipped because my bootloader is still locked. Is that correct in that it needs to be unlocked for this backup process to work?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no excuse to not be unlocked at this point.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
tu3218 said:
So this requires an unlocked bootloader? I just did this but it skipped because my bootloader is still locked. Is that correct in that it needs to be unlocked for this backup process to work?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol ur still locked???
here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1839791
enjoy bro. now you got no excuces
Stryker1297 said:
lol ur still locked???
here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1839791
enjoy bro. now you got no excuces
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know i know lol I've been hesitant because of the IMEI issue and the phone is pretty damn good as is. But I'm slowly leaning towards flashing custom roms to get rid of the bloat, and since there are more ways now to hopefully restore the IMEI in case its deleted.

Categories

Resources