[help] obtaining contact from nandroid - T-Mobile LG G2x

This nandroid was the first one I ever made. I made the mistake of transferring this backup to my PC via USB instead of airdroid or some other wireless application. Because of this when I tried to restore it on my phone I got an error. The contact was saved to phone but not synced to google account. There is an important contact that was saved along with that nandroid. I need that contact....pretty much now lol. The nandroid is still on my PC. I have 7zip if that's what I'll need. What part of the nandroid should I be looking in to retrieve contact information? Any help is GREATLY appreciated. If I need any other programs just let me know.
**EDIT- I tried extracting data.img and it says "file is broken." Basically, transferring this nandroid over USB corrupted the file somehow. Is there a way to fix it so I can extract theme .img's and find my missing contact?
**EDIT- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=714114 This thread explains how to fix corrupt md5 sums. However, it's a little over my head. Can anyone help me through the process please?

I DID IT! In the last few hours I was able to teach myself how to install and run basic ADB Shell commands to fix my corrupted MD5 sum in my stock rooted nandroid backup and was able to obtain my lost contacts. If anyone ever has an issue with a corrupted MD5/nandroid the above link's method is confirmed to work....REALLY saved my ass.

Nice job man I might have to do this on my other phone there's a bug where cwm craps out when generating md5 so the backups are useless.

Hey nice job man! I love to see people that figure out problems on their own. That's how you learn. :thumbup:

Thanks guys. Oh yeah, it was definitely a learning process that won't be forgotten!

Nice job! I had a problem with a nandroid corrupting my MD5 (was an older version of CWM at the time). That thread saved my bacon too!

Related

[Q] Lost my WP7 restore files. Please help

Hi,
I just had to format my hard drive and thus lost all my WP7 restore files.
Is there anyway to recover all those file so that I can perform a restore on my phone?
I've tried different data restore softwares, but the files are all messed up and I can't remember which folder to put the files in.
Please help me. Thank you.
That really sucks, but this does raise a pretty good question. Where do the phone restore files save to? And how can somebody make sure their backup is going to transfer to a new HDD?
On Win7, try this:
\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Phone Update\XXX-XXX-XXX\Data
I found 5.8Gb of data in this directory following my upgrade to 7390. This helps explain why the update took nearly an hour to complete...
FWIW, i've moved the data off my pc to another drive and everything functions well. The Zune update page no longers shows the option to restore to the previous update, 7008. Other than that, it all looks normal.
aquanaut88 said:
On Win7, try this:
\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Phone Update\XXX-XXX-XXX\Data
I found 5.8Gb of data in this directory following my upgrade to 7390. This helps explain why the update took nearly an hour to complete...
FWIW, i've moved the data off my pc to another drive and everything functions well. The Zune update page no longers shows the option to restore to the previous update, 7008. Other than that, it all looks normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Can you show me the files and folders contained in that backup?
I wanna try my luck again with this
yea, the other guys are right, I had the same issue but if you follow this you will guarantee that you will find your files
Thanks. But what I need to know is the folders to put my recovered files to
In my case it seems they're here:
C:\Users\your user name here\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Phone Update\xxxxx - xxxxx - xxxxxx - xxxxx\RestorePoint\xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxx\Data
I hope it helps
If you formatted your Hard Drive after you made your backup, you might be SOL unless you have a backup of your hard drive after you backed up your phone.
If you dont, The only real way is to find a rom for your phone.
The folder would be in...
%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows Phone Update

Infuse EFS Folder (Request for someone's backup)

Hi guys,
One miraculous day, my efs folder became corrupt, when it just so happened to be the week after the hard drive on my computer took a dump! What a week this has been.. I was wondering if it is possible for someone to zip their EFS folder and send it to me to see if I can't get this phone to connect back to the network again. I honestly think there are applications on androids marketplace that will wipe things if you have superuser installed.. because it was like BAM, one morning I wake up and my efs folder was deleted the day after I had installed some new apps.
So my question is - Will someone send me a backup of their EFS? If that won't conflict with their phone of course -- I would send it back to Samsung, but their 3rd tier support has no idea what I'm talking about - they just hear root and think I'm a piece of trash.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have not seen anything about trying someone elses efs so I thought it could be a bit experimental as well.. Thanks
-Brett
Salmiery said:
Hi guys,
One miraculous day, my efs folder became corrupt, when it just so happened to be the week after the hard drive on my computer took a dump! What a week this has been.. I was wondering if it is possible for someone to zip their EFS folder and send it to me to see if I can't get this phone to connect back to the network again. I honestly think there are applications on androids marketplace that will wipe things if you have superuser installed.. because it was like BAM, one morning I wake up and my efs folder was deleted the day after I had installed some new apps.
So my question is - Will someone send me a backup of their EFS? If that won't conflict with their phone of course -- I would send it back to Samsung, but their 3rd tier support has no idea what I'm talking about - they just hear root and think I'm a piece of trash.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have not seen anything about trying someone elses efs so I thought it could be a bit experimental as well.. Thanks
-Brett
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an interesting request, Brett.
I thought the efs.rfs file contains one's phone imei number/network id etc.
idk for sure...
I thought using someone else's imei is kinda like "let me borrow your ss# so i can check the ss office to see if mine is working.
I didn't know if you found this link and tried it?
http://forum.samdroid.net/f28/complete-imei-restore-how-1817/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=882039
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=953436
Fortunately for me, I had a efs backup on my hd.
I think I also saw scripts in Zeus and Doctor ROM that backs up efs also prior to flash..
good luck
I wasn't trying to steal anyone's IMEI.. I just have tried multiple techniques, but I have not tried the first link..
I've been having trouble getting a shell with adb, does it need to be in download mode?
I was trying to see if it were possible to copy someone's existing files, and use a hex editor to change things, but reading into it, the IMEI is not able to be edited easily without knowing the encyrption type.
I'm just frustrated and have been back and forth with both at&t and also samsung (Their support is a joke, no one I spoke with even knew what the EFS folder was..)
I will try this technique and will report back later when I get home from work tonight. I've been reading a lot of similar issues with the null/null IMEI in the infuses and the guy at the AT&T store said that this was the reason they stopped selling the phone in their store.
Thanks for the help, I'll let you know what happens.
-Brett
Goodluck.
From the tone of your post, I didn't suspect any malice...I had a gist of what you were trying to do.
From reading some of links, there may be some method of recovery.
I hope that you're able to get it back.
I posted one a while back. I think it was in the q&a section. I won't be at my computer for a couple of days or I'd upload it for ya. Try searching or scrolling thru there.
Edit: I just uploaded an EFS.zip, unzip and flash the included efs.tar thru Odin or heimdall.
I had the same problem but i fixed it through Odin. There is an option in odin where you can click on the side (sorry i just reformated the comp so i dont have odin installed) that says something about the EFS. Try that, it fixed it for me.
On a related note. I thought I read somewhere that typical backups such as tibu and nandroid do NOT back up the efs folder. Is this correct? Should we all be doing this manually to protect against corruption?
Try searching here or on market. I remember there was this app called "nitrality" something. This app backs up EFS that we can restore in case we mess it up.
diablo009 said:
Try searching here or on market. I remember there was this app called "nitrality" something. This app backs up EFS that we can restore in case we mess it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did try to dl that app and ran it. It didn't work for me. The app hung up the system until you fc it.
If you're versed in linux or Term emu, you can use script to back up your efs.
If you had flashed zeus or doctorz, there are scripts build in that backs up your efs.
if you had root explorer, you can find efs folder in your root. long press on the folder allows you to create zip or tar of this as well.
Any harm in just copy/paste the whole folder to external SD with root explorer? Then copy paste to windows over USB? Will permissions get messed up?
I think I've already backed it up but there have been a couple threads on this. Wonder if it should be part of superthread or a sticky...do this first :...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
rxnelson said:
Any harm in just copy/paste the whole folder to external SD with root explorer? Then copy paste to windows over USB? Will permissions get messed up?
I think I've already backed it up but there have been a couple threads on this. Wonder if it should be part of superthread or a sticky...do this first :...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem with copy/paste that I know of.
Being cautious, I have a zip, a tar, and the whole folder on my PC, USB and box.net.
Hypothetically,
I have access to another Infuse on the same family plan at that, if i were to copy the efs folder to mine what would that do?
I want to make sure not to have the same IMEI number on the network though, but this could save me a lot of hassle...
any thoughts?
Read the threads on the links I provided...you will get more understanding.
I have multiple times, but the first post that seemed like it would be the best fix, I have to get him to send me a fixed nv_data file and he seems to be unresponsive at the moment.
I think I'm going to root the 2nd infuse, back up her efs folder (MULTIPLE times lol) and fix it so it's generic and not an exact replica of hers..
Do you see any problems there? I'm definitely not an expert at all with this.
Salmiery said:
I have multiple times, but the first post that seemed like it would be the best fix, I have to get him to send me a fixed nv_data file and he seems to be unresponsive at the moment.
I think I'm going to root the 2nd infuse, back up her efs folder (MULTIPLE times lol) and fix it so it's generic and not an exact replica of hers..
Do you see any problems there? I'm definitely not an expert at all with this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order to see what is on the root of a phone, you may need to root it.
Once rooted, you can look for the efs folder.
I haven't used z4root in a while on an unrooted phone, I don't know if this program will let you see the root folder or not. It's possible.
The efs on my phone shows several programs and folders.
One of the folder is /imei. I suppose this is where the unique id is located.
read the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1372455
as you can see, the efs contains unique id...i'm not sure of even how to make up a different imei file from using someone else's efs folder.
if your phone boots up but does not connect, if you go to settings/about phone/status
does it list the imei?
if it does, are you able to use a script in terminal emulator to back it up?
if you can't find the script, you can try flashing doctor or zeus rom, they have scripts to back up your efs folder. then try locating it on your phone.
the other thought i had was for you to call your provider to see if they can give you your previous imei number.
I'm only reasoning from what I have read...these are new territory to me.
Right, I have rooted my phone and for whatever reason the EFS folder is completely empty... The folder is there, but completley empty.
I have the IMEI number, its on the back of the phone as well as AT&T gave it to me.
The fact that my entire folder is empty, and I hadn't backed anything up because I never flashed the kernel or rom makes me think that the android marketplace does have malicious code that simply says:
if(phone==rooted){
wipe efs foler
}
continuing to pull my hair out and attempt new things, if anyone has any ideas let me know.
Salmiery said:
continuing to pull my hair out and attempt new things, if anyone has any ideas let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Post # 5, I just edited my post.
its not simply a folder its actually a partition, on Linux you can mount drives/partitions however you like so it can appear to be under another directory and be an entirely different device.
you can make a .rfs image from the dd command through adb or terminal emulator.
if it is corrupt you "may" be able to salvage it through options of the dd command.
I gotta look up the device path and whatnot but if there is anything on there, visable or not, you might be able to recover the unique files and paste them over the files from someone else's efs backup. if not I have heard but never tried it, but I heard that fromatting the partition will cause the system to generate a generic efs, but I don't know for sure.
edit: the device location is /dev/block/stl3
you can dump it to the SD card with
dd if=/dev/block/stl3 of=/sdcard/efs.rfs bs=4096
if there are bad blocks I think but not quite sure you can add noerror to the end
dd if=/dev/block/stl3 of=/sdcard/efs.rfs bs=4096 noerror
but if the information has actually been deleted unless it was overwritten it is mostly intact. it is not well known that delete doesn't actually delete the data, even after a format data can be recovered with the right program. if the dumps come up empty there is also dd_rescue and foremost but I don't know if those commands are available on android, but you may be able to loop mount the dump on a Linux box or in cygwin and try the ddrescue or foremost commands.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/learn-the-dd-command-362506/
hopefully you can recover something. and learn something along the way. this is also useful for recovering deleted files and securely deleting stuff you want gone for real.
i remember I lost my efs on my captivate. There are tools in the forum to get it back.
Salmiery said:
Hi guys,
One miraculous day, my efs folder became corrupt, when it just so happened to be the week after the hard drive on my computer took a dump! What a week this has been.. I was wondering if it is possible for someone to zip their EFS folder and send it to me to see if I can't get this phone to connect back to the network again. I honestly think there are applications on androids marketplace that will wipe things if you have superuser installed.. because it was like BAM, one morning I wake up and my efs folder was deleted the day after I had installed some new apps.
So my question is - Will someone send me a backup of their EFS? If that won't conflict with their phone of course -- I would send it back to Samsung, but their 3rd tier support has no idea what I'm talking about - they just hear root and think I'm a piece of trash.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have not seen anything about trying someone elses efs so I thought it could be a bit experimental as well.. Thanks
-Brett
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, NO than you. My EFS folder has nothing to do with yours. Don't know how that would work...

[Solved!] Difficulty updating to 1.63.531.2 without setting up from scratch

Initial phone stats: DS Mod 1.55.531.3, hboot 1.45.0013, s-on/unlocked via HTC unlocker.
I'm trying to update my own phone to 1.63.531.2 via the PG59IMG.zip file found here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17424340&postcount=24 , but I'm running into problems applying this update and keeping it after restoring a Nandroid backup. It would be a huge amount of work to set up my phone from square one, and I'd like to avoid the process if at all possible.
The steps I've followed (twice, now, with no joy) are the following:
* apply the update through the PG59IMG.zip
* flash CWM 5.0.2.7
* flash Superuser
* restore most recent Nandroid backup
* flash 1.63.531.2 boot image (for wi-fi fix)
And this puts me back at my starting point, with the 1.63.531.2 update not applied.
I know I'm going about this the wrong way, but I can't figure out the correct method to make this work. The fact that I flashed the DS Mod 1.55.531.3 ROM back after unlocking might have something to do with this, however, I just can't nail down why. Really could some help to make this work.
TIA for any suggestions --
--
KingCheetah
hey, real quick, after flashing the 1.63.531.2 update, instead of restoring your full nandoid of 1.55.531.3, go to 'advanced restore', choose that nandroid, and choose only 'restore data'. that will put all your apps and data onto the new update, rather than flashing you all the way back to what you had before.
you could also backup and restore your data with an app called Mybackup Root, or some people use Titanium Backup. I personally like using the advanced data restore in CWM, or else Mybackup.
Yogi, I thought your suggestion would be a smoking gun. However, I'm having the same problem as described in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25431819#post25431819
Might you have any suggestions for addressing the md5 problem? I'm coming up empty...
Thanks for your help --
--
KingChetah
yeah, come to think of it, I've had that problem before as well. did you try what xmc suggested? also, perhaps try the Modaco 4.0.0.9 version of CWM to do the advanced data restore... if my memory serves me, I have had more success overall with that version. unfortunately that's about all I got!
the other sugestion would be to flash your full nandroid, then use Mybackup Root to back everything up. then after updating, DL the app again and restore.
good luck and keep us posted!
yogi2010 said:
yeah, come to think of it, I've had that problem before as well. did you try what xmc suggested?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and for the backup I want to restore, all the md5s are the same between the files and what is listed in the nandroid.md5 file. So, the method XMC suggested really doesn't do anything.
yogi2010 said:
also, perhaps try the Modaco 4.0.0.9 version of CWM to do the advanced data restore... if my memory serves me, I have had more success overall with that version. unfortunately that's about all I got!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, okay, I'll give that a try. Weird that CWM 5.0.2.7 has this problem. Also frustrating.
yogi2010 said:
the other sugestion would be to flash your full nandroid, then use Mybackup Root to back everything up. then after updating, DL the app again and restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll keep this as the last resort, because I'd rather not have to download an app for just this purpose. Nandroid backups have served me fine so far. Call me a minimalist.
I'll try Modaco and see what happens. Thanks much for the idea to try.
--
King Cheetah
Sadness
Using Modaco didn't work. Although the Advanced Restore sees the file and appears to run successfully, it says it can't find a data.img file and an Android.img file, so it doesn't restore the info.
So, I guess it's down to trying Mybackup Root and see what happens. Getting tired of redoing this process over and over.
Why can't things "just work" in these situations?
--
KingCheetah
check the other thread....problems with restoring backup
---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------
or actually...just flash the data.img through fastboot....its ten times easier
but the data.img in the same directory as adb and fastboot....then run the two commands with your phone in the bootloader
fastboot erase data
fastboot flash data data.img
xmc wildchild22 said:
or actually...just flash the data.img through fastboot....its ten times easier
but the data.img in the same directory as adb and fastboot....then run the two commands with your phone in the bootloader
fastboot erase data
fastboot flash data data.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with this is the file "data.img" doesn't exist in a Nandroid backup. As I stated in my previous message, the Advanced Restore process tossed up a message that the file didn't exist (which is correct).
The files within a given Nandroid backup folder are the following:
.android_secure.vfat.tar
boot.img
cache.ext4.tar
data.ext4.tar
nandroid.md5
recovery.img
system.ext4.tar
From the Advanced Restore problem thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1624319):
xmc wildchild22 said:
then take the system.img from the 1.63 update and put in replace of the nandroids one....then redo the md5 checksum for the system.img like i had showed before
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would love to try this, but since the 1.63 update is a PM59IMG.zip, I can't open it with a zip file manager--it throws up a "central directory not found" error. Unless there's another program besides 7zip that's needed to handle this type of zip file...
Edit: I just realized that, as you can see from the file list above, a Nandroid backup also doesn't have a "system.img" file--it has a "system.ext4.tar," but not "system.img." So being able to pull anything from a PM59IMG.zip file is a moot point at this juncture.
Banging one's head against the keyboard does little constructive good, but it's really tempting at this point --
--
KingCheetah
just try opening it with a plain windows explorer
xmc wildchild22 said:
just try opening it with a plain windows explorer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using the "Explore" option from the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer gives the following error: "The Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupted." (Since archive files on my laptop are associated with 7zip, this is the only method by which I can access Win XP's native archive file handling.)
This has been the case with all PM59IMG.zip files--they don't register as normal zip files.
Thanks for the suggestion, though --
--
KingCheetah
hmm...maybe tht zip is corrupted because it works for me....DL this --> http://tinyw.in/Mzg2
Nope, not corrupted because it works just fine to update my phone to 1.63 (as stated before, I've done this twice now). Also, that's the exact same source from whence I downloaded my copy of the file. The PM59MG.zip for 1.55.531.3 gives exactly the same error, and I used that without difficulty as well.
KingCheetah said:
Nope, not corrupted because it works just fine to update my phone to 1.63 (as stated before, I've done this twice now). Also, that's the exact same source from whence I downloaded my copy of the file. The PM59MG.zip for 1.55.531.3 gives exactly the same error, and I used that without difficulty as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use winrar to open the PG59IMG.zip files - that's what I used to make all the custom ones with, and also what I used to open the leaked ones we started from.
You won't be able to edit existing leaked ones, because they are locked and have an HTC signature.
Sent from a digital distance.
Thanks for the pointer, Blue, and I'll keep this in mind. But as I added to my previous post (#8), I realized that a Nandroid backup doesn't have a "system.img" file--it has a "system.ext4.tar," but not "system.img." So being able to pull anything from a PM59IMG.zip file is a moot point at this juncture.
I think I'm going to have to wait for a 1.63 ROM that can be installed through CWM rather than the PM59IMG.zip method. The DS Mod 1.55.531.3 worked well for me, and all apps/data were just there after I flashed it. Maybe I just got lucky with the process I followed previously, who knows? (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1508406&page=4 post #39)
At any rate, I've got a truly mean headache from working on this all day. Time for a break with a bit of ice on ye old cervical vertebrae.
Thanks again for chiming in --
--
KingCheetah
No prob, didn't read through and shot from the hip on the last post I saw, out at dinner and skimming the forums on smoke breaks
Sent from a digital distance.
does anyone know the deal with the implementation of tar backups? I think that came into play at some point, and I wonder if that has anything to do with anything.
I just checked a backup I made with the Modaco CWM, and the files in it are all .img files, including data. and I know for a fact I have done backups and advanced data restores with that recovery. it would be a hassle, but if you get re-energized you might make the backup and do the restore with Modaco. definitely would be a hassle if it didn't work, but you could also make a backup with Mybackup, and have that ready too, as well as probably have a data.img to try and flash thru fastboot like xmc suggested.
anyway, hopefully we'll get this all sorted out. take it easy!
well .tar are used ever since cwm started working with ext4....maybe imgs are only ext3 or lower or its just inefficient
On that note, I did use the modaco 4.0.0.9 recovery to make the nandroids I pulled the system images from to get the bases from which I de-odexed, and when finished I uploaded to my host and they are the de-odexed bases I posted in dev.
I am pretty sure I went with modaco recovery for that because cwm 5.0.2.7 output tar files and it just saved a step in the process.
If you are working with the .tar files then jump on linux to unarchive them if that's what you are trying to do.
I just ran the deodex process using windows, because the first working deodex tool I found was a windows tool.
Generally I use modaco .9 for nandroids I want to work with in windows, and cwm 5 for nandroids I want to work with in linux.
We're probably leaving the restaurant soon, if we split up I'll actually read back through the thread when I get home and see if I have anything else to add.
Sent from a digital distance.
Yogi, you're brilliant!
yogi2010 said:
I just checked a backup I made with the Modaco CWM, and the files in it are all .img files, including data. and I know for a fact I have done backups and advanced data restores with that recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[facepalm] Of course! This is why my Advanced Restore attempt with Modaco failed--because I used the CWM 5.0.2.7 backup, which did not have the files Modaco would have referenced. Duh! I wasn't even thinking along the lines of a file type mismatch between the two recoveries. Baka baka baka...
yogi2010 said:
it would be a hassle, but if you get re-energized you might make the backup and do the restore with Modaco. definitely would be a hassle if it didn't work, but you could also make a backup with Mybackup, and have that ready too, as well as probably have a data.img to try and flash thru fastboot like xmc suggested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, not a hassle, but the best chance to accomplish this thing with a minimum of fuss and bother. I'll give this a shot right after a bit 'o java. Thank you, Yogi, for highlighting something that should have been obvious to me when Modaco gave the error message that "data.img" didn't exist. Oy!
However, this still leaves unanswered the question of why CWM 5.0.2.7 is tossing up the md5 mismatch error when one tries to use Advance Restore, and that files aren't seen by CWM via Advance Restore until one accesses regular Restore. Paperskye is having the exact same problem in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1624319 . Should this be brought to the attention of the CWM devs? It really seems like a rather show-stopping error for CWM...unless Advanced Restore isn't really used with 5.0.2.7 and the MT4GS. There just doesn't seem to be a good reason for the observed behavior.
Many thanks for your encouragement. I'll report back with results on the next try with Modaco --
--
KingCheetah
It's a beautiful thing!
Using Modaco for my backup prior to the update, then Advanced Restore of data afterward = perfect restore of my phone environment with 1.63 on board. Done with as little fuss as I was hoping to encounter. Yogi, you get the prize. The only thing I had to manually put back was my custom boot animation, but that's trivial.
I think I'll just leave Modaco on as my recovery for now, since AR is functional with it and CWM 5.0.2.7 is not. Makes me wonder, from just an everyday backup standpoint, is there any real advantage of CWM over Modaco? I wish there was more information on how the recovery module functions on the CWM website--I'd like to read up on it for educational purposes. Guess I'll do a Google to find more.
So ridiculously happy right now. In a stew of things going wrong, at least something went right.
Big rumbling purr of gratitude --
--
KingCheetah

[SOLVED] Efs?

What is it? Because I want to download the mokeeOS, but the installation is confusing me, so I wanna know if the efs matters
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA
1. Yes efs matters a lot
2. I don't know a whole lot but it holds the network info, imei number, and alot of other really important things
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
Although there is a way to make sure you have a backup, flash this file in cwm
sourceforge.net/projects/teamacid/files/fb/cwm/cm7-efs-backup.zip/download
And there will be two files in the root of your sd card
Efs-backup.tar and efs-backup.tar.md5 ( I suggest save it to your computer, it saved my ass )
And you can restore this backup at anytime by flashing this
sourceforge.net/projects/teamacid/files/fb/cwm/cm7-efs-restore.zip/download
Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
Efs is the files system that holds the unique identifiers for your device. Without it, your phone is basically useless. You won't be able to connect to any network properly do things like phone calls, internet, texting, are all degraded, if they even work at all... Make sure you know what you are doing before messing with it. Fb created a vet good guide on the wiki. Follow it to a T!
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA
I would suggest using a root browser to copy the EFS folder to somewhere safe on your PC and copy a 2nd back-up to your SD card. I lost IMEI going from CM7 to moKeeOS but was able to easliy restore it with a back-up and a root browser.
The flashable EFS back-up/restore from FB should still be used, but with EFS/IMEI I don't think you can be too careful and backing it up manually as previously stated is a good idea.
Yeah, I keep multiple copies of it on my PC. The reason being is that I copy it whenever I do a backup before a flash. So I have a directory with the date with 3 folders: efs, nandroid, and sdcard. I used adb to copy them:
Code:
cd efs
adb pull /efs/
Probably overkill, but better to be safe than sorry, eh?
Ok, but once you lose IMEI and don't have a backup (I received this phone for repair), then what can I do?
serialteg said:
Ok, but once you lose IMEI and don't have a backup (I received this phone for repair), then what can I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty much screwed without the OEM Samsung/Tmo software. You would have to send it to Samsung for repair, or you might get lucky and get an engineer to hook you up, but that is unlikely...
thomas.raines said:
It's pretty much screwed without the OEM Samsung/Tmo software. You would have to send it to Samsung for repair, or you might get lucky and get an engineer to hook you up, but that is unlikely...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the answer. that OEM software isn't available in the forums or anywhere else for us? because I swear I flashed something OEM'ish without root with heimdall.
also, the imei is on the battery part of the phone, can't i fix it?
i read somewhere that you could use a phone just fine without imei on the about phone.
you can use the phone without imei, but it doesn't function as well as it would with it. Also, i was using titanium backup and it said my device's id was changed, and it showed my actual imei. If i were to restore it, would that fix the imei?
EFS help on the SGH-T959V
Basically, I've had a hell of a time with some EFS drama this weekend, made a total noob mistake, but in a stroke of luck I was able to "recover" so to speak my EFS even after it was supposedly "wiped."
After some thorough research and READING and bit of thought, I realized that the PIT mapping layouts between BML and MTD are indeed different, and that in theory if one remaps to BML (in layman's terms a stock partition map) then the EFS data originally on the phone gets correctly remapped (at least in my case it did).
To reiterate:
1. I did a nandroid backup. Basic ****. I hope to god you at least did this step too.
2. I used the cm7-efs-backup.zip script to backup my EFS. This was my first mistake. In my case, I don't know why I'm still researching, this script failed to make a backup .tar on my sdcard or anywhere else for that matter. It didn't throw any error messages either on the screen in the process. Not trying to attack the authors of that script, I'm just saying it didn't work for me this time.
3. I pushed the TWRP boot.img with Heimdall
4. I used the cm7-efs-restore.zip script which also "succeeded" but did nothing to restore any sort of EFS obviously because there was no backup to begin with.
5. I flashed R11 unofficial cm7 and booted up. Everything was fine but the IMEI was corrupted and I confirmed that the new MTD EFS partition was empty. On T-Mobile I could place no calls and only got sporadic and intermittent data access.
It was at this point I was sure I had ruined my phone.
After some more careful reading I realized that the original EFS was still present on the firmware, however the new MTD layout I flashed (wisely) stores its EFS partition in a different physical location. In theory, I thought if I reverted to BML and a stock ROM then I would recover the original EFS. In my case, this was successful.
1. I accessed the most recent "boot.img" file from my most recent nandroid and pushed that back to the device with Heimdall
2. At this point you have to flip your USB drivers back to USB Composite Device.
3. I then used a Heimdall one click to return to a rooted stock KJ6 "Gremlin Remover"
4. Upon restart, everything was fine (sigh of relief)
At this point, I'm still trying to determine why my EFS cannot be backed up with a few automatic tools. I made a backup of the file structure, but even lyriquidperfection's EFS Pro 1.4.7 can't make a backup of the EFS. It can access the ADB Server, but the backup 'fails'.
I'll check back in after I figure out why.
Hopefully this info will help anyone else who has switched to MTD and has a missing EFS.
nick.tansy said:
At this point, I'm still trying to determine why my EFS cannot be backed up with a few automatic tools. I made a backup of the file structure, but even lyriquidperfection's EFS Pro 1.4.7 can't make a backup of the EFS. It can access the ADB Server, but the backup 'fails'.
I'll check back in after I figure out why.
Hopefully this info will help anyone else who has switched to MTD and has a missing EFS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had similar issues yesterday. If your trying to install the twrp and then downgrade to the version with wifi dont flash the boot.img with heimdall. Follow the instructions for installing via cwm.
Just install the zip that has twrp in it. But follow the directions for normal cwm installation.
Also when trying to make a backup of your efs, make sure system is mounted. I initially did not have any problem but I was on antonx's kernel and when you flash with that recovery it would mount properly. What is happening is system isnt getting mounted. So its making a null backup.
The most important thing to do is when you are trying to make a backup of your efs is mount system!
Hi have you tried the updated EFS Pro v1.7.13? It can now automatically detect the mount point of the '/efs' folder for back up and restore. Also many many bug fixes and new code to communicate with adb.exe alot more quickly and efficiently.
Head over to the forum and check it out.
I already solved this problem, but this would seem useful other people with the same problem. But what forums are you exactly referring to?
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA
mierkat09 said:
I already solved this problem, but this would seem useful other people with the same problem. But what forums are you exactly referring to?
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=18524176

Backup problems and questions

Hi, first of all, thank you for reading me.
I think i messed up big time.
I had Havoc OS 4.1 installed since more than a year and it was kinda messy e.g. the sim card card wasnt recognized anymore so wasnt able to make calls because i played to much in the settings.
Having some stupid but incredibly addictive games on this smartphone i decided to keep it like this and since i'm a complete n00bs and being afraid of security risk of rooting my device i never rooted it.
Big mistake.
So, recently, one games needed an update (like they all do at least once a week) and since i'm anti-google/f***book (no comment please) i nvever saved my progress in the cloud and "that" game required absolutely an update.
I installed the update from an alternative apk source and , (applause if you want and laugh), it screwed up the game.
Now the nightmare begin.
Since the device isnt rooted i made a backup of /data partition. Gone crazy and before i might explode in an uncontrollable fury and madness i used LMSA to rescue the phone. And myself, lol.
Now i have stock android and i am googled to the bone. My butt hurts. My head too.
THE (first) simple question is : how can i restore this backup because i have the error 255?
Notes and observations; logically i would say because the device is back with stock rom and doesnt have the same os/rom installed and/or the partition and whatever is not the same wich may explain the error 255.
SECOND QUESTION: can i extract/uncompress this backup and take the precious data wich is my games progresses and restore it somehow?
I know i have to give as much information possible but i dont what else to give. If you need logs, or everything else just say it nicely and i will give it to you with immense pleasure.
Oh yeah, model : XT2113-2 5g Kiev RETCA 128gb a/b type and maybe was crypted before because twrp asked me the password to make backup or else.
Thank you in advance and i really hope somebody would help, if not i just loosed 1.5 years of stupid gaming because i messed up like an idiot. (A lesson well learned, the hard way...)
Thank you so much for not answering this simple question.
Kerplunk83 said:
Thank you so much for not answering this simple question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is it's a Motorola with a Qualcomm chip.
If you find a solution I would love to see it.
Finally a sign of life from someone here.
Thank you sd_shadow
sd_shadow said:
The problem is it's a Motorola with a Qualcomm chip.
If you find a solution I would love to see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These precious brief and concise 2 lines of a simple answer is immensely welcomed.
Wich point me to reply that to my knowledge i interpret it as a security chip with big chances that its in relation to the knox technology.
It also point me to ask WHY, if i cant back up because of that, why/how is it possible to install a custom rom or gsi (sorry i still dont make the difference because i dont understand it) on this very protected smartphone?
That must explain why i had problems trying to root it and fail each time.
Finally i think that i should use another device for android gaming since i dont want to depend on f***book and google.
Thanks again sd_shadow. Even if it was a very simple answer it enlightens me alot.
Note: sorry for my bad english.
Kerplunk83 said:
how can i restore this backup because i have the error 255?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This error code means that at some point your backup of /data could not be extracted further. But for more detailed infos you must provide a recovery.log which will be generated when doing a backup of e.g. /boot.
>>> Please DO NOT copy+paste it here!! <<<​Rename it (recovery.log > recovery.log.txt) to be able to upload it within "Attach files".
Kerplunk83 said:
can i extract/uncompress this backup and take the precious data wich is my games progresses and restore it somehow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, use Titanium Backup (TB). Although it's very outdated it still features a restore of single apps out of a TWRP backup. Here's how you do it:
1. IMPORTANT: TB will only search for TWRP backup files on internal storage!! Use the default path created by TWRP, e.g.: /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/ZY322V8K28/2023-04-08--06-53-20/
2. Install and open Titanium Backup.
3. In the upper right corner tap
MENU > scroll down to "Extract from Nandroid backup" > choose your backup folder
##############
Notes:
- Usually a TWRP backup of /data consists of several parts (data.ext4.win000, ~win001, ~win002 etc). TB requires all of them (or at least those ones with the /data/data/ path inside).
- If you are facing this error message:
Could not find any data in this TWRP backup
then your TWRP backup is compressed with gzip. To decompress it you must rename the file
data.ext4.win001 > data.ext4.win001.gz
and extract it with any archiver tool, e.g.:
- ZArchiver (Android)
- 7zip (Windows)
- Problems finding any TWRP backup data with Titanium Backup? Then please check your path!! (see above section)
Good luck!!
Thank you very much WoKoschekk i'll do it as soon i'll have the time for since i'm working today.
Thank you so much again, i'll keep you posted with logs and such.
I'm sorry i didnt gave news since, i'm not doing very well.
there's those 2 question i still have in my head;
1-With all the instructions you gave me is it worthy to continue because when i did the backup i wasnt rooted?
2- i'm sure i read many time to use Titanium Backup (wich is a paid app?) i have to be rooted or have root access.
Ultimately, how can i be rooted if there's a chip preventing me to do so?
I'll keep you posted when i'll be of better health, thank you.
Kerplunk83 said:
-With all the instructions you gave me is it worthy to continue because when i did the backup i wasnt rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TWRP backup = *.tar archive
TB unpacks the needed app's data and nothing else. You must be rooted to have access on /data for restoring your apps. But for the backup process it doesn't matter if you were rooted. Root is part of your boot.img.
Kerplunk83 said:
2- i'm sure i read many time to use Titanium Backup (wich is a paid app?) i have to be rooted or have root access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TB is for free. But a paid version unlocks additional features (not related to the TWRP restoring feature).
And yes... root is mandatory for TB. As I said before you must have r/w access on /data/*.
Kerplunk83 said:
if there's a chip preventing me to do so?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which chip?? You already have root access via TWRP. Magisk is only needed in system and just a patched boot.img (custom kernel).
Get well soon!
WoKoschekk thank you for this insanely fast reply.
All those answers and infos have now a gigantic value for me, if only i knew that before.
To describe a bit more my situation i slept only few hours since 5 days, vomiting, heavy coughs and fever.
I'm sure i'm not supposed to but i will anyway, i engage myself and promise to reward you (in particular) and others for the help you're bringing me. It wont be much but very important to me.
I'll go try to get (again) some rest. Just before i go, why was there a mention about my device;
"
The problem is it's a Motorola with a Qualcomm chip.
If you find a solution I would love to see it.
"
I dont ask you (WoKoschekk) or other to explain in the most explicit and endless details of what is exactly this "chip" and all the history that goes with it cause i dont want to be a pain but just why it was mentionned. Only, why?, it has ben mentionned.
I cant wait to get better since i finally see possibilities to get back those files.
Have a nice week-end and thanks again.
@Kerplunk83 To reveal the mystery behind "the chip": Motorola released two variants (Snapdragon/Mediatek CPU) of this model. Since the CPU largely determines the system structure, building a functional TWRP for both of them is very challenging. It seems that TWRP for the SD's variant got some bugs while the MT's variant runs more smooth. Due to this fact the error 255 is caused by something that you weren't be able to fix.
Regarding your problem: To restore an app and its specific app data you need the proper permissions to write in /data/data and /data/app. For this permissions you either need TWRP or Magisk installed. TWRP seems to be unable to write in that specific directory. On the other hand you don't want to install Magisk. I'm sorry but with this setup your problem can't be fixed.
Just out of curiosity, could you provide me a recovery.log showing error 255 during the restore process?
Please DO NOT copy/paste the whole log and post it here!! Instead of this you should rename the file (recovery.log => recovery.txt) because a file called *.log isn't allowed for upload. But a *.txt file is.
Options to create a recovery.log:
1. adb pull /tmp/recovery.log
=> copies a recovery.log into your ADB/fastboot folder
2. Do a backup of sth. like "boot" because the backup process will create a recovery.log by default
3. TWRP mainscreen > advanced > create log (kernel log isn't needed here)
=> log is stored on the default storage (internal or external) that you have choosen for backups etc.

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