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...
A while back i decided to downgrade my stock 4.3 to 4.1.1 in order to try to unlock it from carrier... the thing is i lost my IMEI and Serial Number
The good news is i have a backup of my EFS folder (only copy-paste with "root explorer" app though... no ".img" file sadly), but I understood that the most important file is "nv_data.bin"
So... my problem seems to be like this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/successful-imei-repair-i9300-backup-t2544109
but only the last step (put back the nv_data.bin, delete backups of bad nv_data.bin, reboot and magic)
The sad part: it doesn't resolve anything because everytime I reboot the phone it recreates the "nv_data.bin" even if I restore the original one (the one i had before downgrading)
Can anyone help me please :angel: ?
I have also tried as seen in other posts to change it's owner into radio:1001, unfortunately it still recreates the file after reboot.
I am currently trying to go back on 4.3 to try to restore the nv_data.bin on that verison (but i don't think it has anything to do with the android version)
Anyone encountered this problem or knows a solution ? Thank you !
Hi,
I see you've already asked about this in the appropriate section for your device. Xda Assist is here to help navigate the site, not for support.... And you found your way already. ?
Thread closed.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Developer Edition 4.4.4 vzw
I use FM pro with root option checked.
I noticed that APN was not editable or add'able. Then looked into ways of fixing. I read somewhere to use BuildProp Editor and make a backup of build.prop, then edit it.
I installed BP editor and tried to make the backup, it failed. So I thought maybe it's not getting access, so I tried making it a system app, then tried the backup again, failed again. Then I made it a user app again and tried the option in FM pro to make system folders writable, then tried the BP backup again, success. At that point I just decided to back out of BP editor and check with FM pro to find the backup file, upon entering I found only the backup file on emulated 0, When normally it shows both 0 and legacy within emulated. I couldn't find legacy at all freaked out and deleted the backup made by BP, then I reloaded FM pro, still not showing legacy, got panicky at that point because lots of stuff is GONE off to visit Elvis and all the greats. Now I'm in the black, I try uncheck in the root and writable option in FM pro and legacy along with 0 are showing together again with matching files as is the norm, rechecked options and poof GONE again, only an empty 0 dir.
Reboot did nothing, runs as normal, boots and goes good. No noticeable issues with any apps or system. But I'm dumbfounded as to WTF is happening here. I made no changes to the actual build.prop. Also I noticed the re'entering BP Editor the backup was not showing up that's when I checked into FM Pro to find said backup, saw it and deleted it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Vorridor said:
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Developer Edition 4.4.4 vzw
I use FM pro with root option checked.
I noticed that APN was not editable or add'able. Then looked into ways of fixing. I read somewhere to use BuildProp Editor and make a backup of build.prop, then edit it.
I installed BP editor and tried to make the backup, it failed. So I thought maybe it's not getting access, so I tried making it a system app, then tried the backup again, failed again. Then I made it a user app again and tried the option in FM pro to make system folders writable, then tried the BP backup again, success. At that point I just decided to back out of BP editor and check with FM pro to find the backup file, upon entering I found only the backup file on emulated 0, When normally it shows both 0 and legacy within emulated. I couldn't find legacy at all freaked out and deleted the backup made by BP, then I reloaded FM pro, still not showing legacy, got panicky at that point because lots of stuff is GONE off to visit Elvis and all the greats. Now I'm in the black, I try uncheck in the root and writable option in FM pro and legacy along with 0 are showing together again with matching files as is the norm, rechecked options and poof GONE again, only an empty 0 dir.
Reboot did nothing, runs as normal, boots and goes good. No noticeable issues with any apps or system. But I'm dumbfounded as to WTF is happening here. I made no changes to the actual build.prop. Also I noticed the re'entering BP Editor the backup was not showing up that's when I checked into FM Pro to find said backup, saw it and deleted it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and thank you for using XDA Assist.
Sorry to hear about your trouble but fortunately there is an XDA area dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge at http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-edge . Because your issue might be related to root and permissions matters specific to the VZW variant, I suggest you post your question with all relevant details in the Verizon subforum there at http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-edge/verizon-note-edge-android-development where the experts familiar with your device will be best able to guide you.
Good Luck!
Mike B. said:
Hello and thank you for using XDA Assist.
Sorry to hear about your trouble but fortunately there is an XDA area dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge at http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-edge . Because your issue might be related to root and permissions matters specific to the VZW variant, I suggest you post your question with all relevant details in the Verizon subforum there at http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-edge/verizon-note-edge-android-development where the experts familiar with your device will be best able to guide you.
Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I did post in that area, and no hits yet. I posted here in hopes that it would get more attention to a possibly wide scale issue in newer models of android OS, as only a few people have this particular variant of the device. I'm not sure but it's probably not carrier specific.
Again thank you for your time in reading this and would be greatfull for any further technical input you or others may have.
Vorridor said:
Thank you, I did post in that area, and no hits yet. I posted here in hopes that it would get more attention to a possibly wide scale issue in newer models of android OS, as only a few people have this particular variant of the device. I'm not sure but it's probably not carrier specific.
Again thank you for your time in reading this and would be greatfull for any further technical input you or others may have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No member can respond to you in this XDA Assist area as explained in the "Purpose of XDA Assist" thread at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2764768.
Because Verizon devices often have restrictions, such as locked bootloaders, not found on other models, the VZW Forum might be your best bet, but you might need to wait longer than a mere six or seven hours before anybody finds time to comment on your posts.
Thread closed.
Hello guys! I'm in a bit of an odd situation here.
What is happening is that my Huawei Ascend Mate 7 has files, which are physically written in the internal storage, but with no way to access them.
Here's the picture: (can't post links...)
i.imgur.com/jyEUiSX.png
Here you can see that the disk usage analyzer detects those files, but when listing all files, it doesn't show them... causing the results to not add up.
Here's what caused it:
I was flashing an unofficial CM11 (the first one available for the AM7) that seemingly created a different partition for data storage, instead of using the one that the stock rom was using before. I moved my files there, but decided to restore my backup of the stock rom. But that cut access to that new partition completely, though the files themselves weren't deleted.
If anyone has a clue on how I can get access back to these files, input is greatly appreciated!
MGPlatinium said:
Hello guys! I'm in a bit of an odd situation here.
What is happening is that my Huawei Ascend Mate 7 has files, which are physically written in the internal storage, but with no way to access them.
Here's the picture: (can't post links...)
i.imgur.com/jyEUiSX.png
Here you can see that the disk usage analyzer detects those files, but when listing all files, it doesn't show them... causing the results to not add up.
Here's what caused it:
I was flashing an unofficial CM11 (the first one available for the AM7) that seemingly created a different partition for data storage, instead of using the one that the stock rom was using before. I moved my files there, but decided to restore my backup of the stock rom. But that cut access to that new partition completely, though the files themselves weren't deleted.
If anyone has a clue on how I can get access back to these files, input is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and thank you for using XDA Assist.
Sorry to hear about your trouble but fortunately there is an XDA area dedicated to the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 at http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7 which would be a good starting place. I suggest you post your question with all relevant details in the friendly Q&A forum there at http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/help where the experts familiar with your device will be best able to guide you.
Good luck!
EDIT: Member has now posted in the suggested area. Thread closed.
Hi, so some background, it has been a long time since I have touched custom ROMs or root access on an android device (back when the Nexus 2 released) so I don't really remember anything and know nothing about how the android environment has changed.
The reason for my post is that I was "hiding" sentimental/sensitive material in a folder associated with the Google Drive application using a file manager app (cut and paste into Drive folder) so that it wouldn't appear in Gallery scans, and when my drive app wasn't working as expected I (stupidly) uninstalled the update (can't actually uninstall the app on stock ROM) causing the folder to be wiped. Now I'm trying to find a way to recover the files but all the solutions recommended by a google search that I've tried require root and from what I know, correct me if I'm wrong, unlocking my bootloader to gain root access will wipe my internal storage which would probably defeat the whole purpose(?) of trying to recover information as it will overwrite the sectors. So does anyone know of anyway that I can recover this data from my device? I am willing to root as long as it will yield results.
tl;dr - need to recover files on stock P20 Pro (locked bootloader, no root), please help I am lost and a noob now
Thanks in advance!
P.S. This was (incorrectly) posted in the discussion forum before and I have requested it to be deleted
BUMP
bump!
Bump! Can anyone please help?
Bump? :fingers-crossed:
toushingo said:
Bump? :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop bumping. You are simply in the wrong section. None of us has a Pro model. This is the P20-Forum. Not Pro, not lite. I can not understand why people see 3 different devices as one. Ask here. Good luck!