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[Q] Problems with sim unlock galaxy s2 I9100, chainfire and helroz unsuccesfull

Hi there,
I am having difficulty unlocking my new (UK) galaxy S2 and I figured this is the best place to ask for help. I have searched the threads on this forum and have not been able to find the answers I need. So I'm starting a new thread.
I have rooted the phone successfully and followed the instructions with the chainfire app and when it finished it said it couldn't find the unlock code. The phone came from Virgin as part of a contract, however the contract has been cancelled and I don’t have a virgin sim any more so I haven’t actually tried it with the virgin network. It might be worth mentioning here that when I put a different sim card in it the screen that pops up asking for the unlock code isn't there. I have also completed the procedure with the “galaxy S Unlock” app created by Helroz and that was also unsuccessful. Because the three steps in "galaxy S unlock" were unsuccessful I have restored the efs folder back to its original state. I have not bothered to try the manual method of recovering the unlock code using the hex editor because after reading this forum it seemed unlikely to work and it looked like a bit of a hassle.
I have tried several sim cards in the phone that work with my friend’s phone. And my phone was unable to connect to any networks. Except, when I tried my friends T-Mobile contract sim card I connected to the T-mobile network but my phone wouldn't allow out going or incoming calls however the data network worked fine! Yes the internet was working through the t-mobile network (wifi was turned off)
Isn't that weird!!!! So it kind of looks like the phone might be being blocked by the service provider but I find that very unlikely because up until a couple of days ago the phone was sealed in its box.
I have read through most of the "[HOWTO] GT-I9100 Free SIM Unlock via nv_data.bin by Odia" thread and there is some mention of a new locking technique employed by the various phone network companies. Does my problem sound like it could fall in to that category??
It might also be worth mentioning that I took the phone to a phone shop to see if they could unlock it. They couldn't, but the guy did check the IMEI number on a website called checkmend.com and that site reported: "checkmend has a record of this item having been blocked by a cell phone network" and "checkmend has a record that this item is currently blocked by one or more cell phone networks". Does anyone know anything about this website and weather it is reliable or not. Like I say I find it extremely unlikely that it has been blocked because I have only just got it out of the sealed box.
I am very frustrated as you can all imagine and I would really appreciate some help. Feel free to ask any questions, I am a bit of a noob but I'm not completely incompitent so don't be afraid to get technical.
Thank you for listening,
Yours,
Dardarland.

Bump...
I'm having kind of the same trouble here...
I tried the Chainfire's app and it couldn't find my code, so i went and tried the Helroz App
after following the instructiones in the app and checking with *#7465625# it changed network block to OFF... but when i inserted a diff carrier sim it said: network block... and now my other carrier sim got blocked and won't get recognized by the phone it used to be in... LOL
pls help us both!!

Unlocking
Hi
I did have the same problems with the chainfire app
what i did is use Galaxy_S Unlock (google it as I can not post links at the moment)
Also you will need to install busybox for this to work.
just search for busybox in market and install the first app that comes up
Hope it works

ragsbava said:
Hi
I did have the same problems with the chainfire app
what i did is use Galaxy_S Unlock (google it as I can not post links at the moment)
Also you will need to install busybox for this to work.
just search for busybox in market and install the first app that comes up
Hope it works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks fella, worked like a charm

Re: fjaraiza
fjaraiza said:
Bump...
I'm having kind of the same trouble here...
I tried the Chainfire's app and it couldn't find my code, so i went and tried the Helroz App
after following the instructiones in the app and checking with *#7465625# it changed network block to OFF... but when i inserted a diff carrier sim it said: network block... and now my other carrier sim got blocked and won't get recognized by the phone it used to be in... LOL
pls help us both!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi fjaraiza,
I saw somewhere in the forum guys that were having similar problems due to the carrier branded rom they had on the phone and due to helroz method which is far more intrusive than odia's. Helroz is flipping bits within nv_data.bin which might lead to corruption. The success of Helroz's method also depends on the phone protection method, some newer versions check the correspondent md5 and ignore the file if it's not the right one.
Your best bet would be to restore an /efs backup if you have one or backup the current state of /efs and try another rom.
Good luck,
Stefan.
P.S.: use thanks when the supplied information is useful

can unlock the messed up ones for a lil fee, pm

Helroz unlocks but then locks again...
Hi all, I've got a weird problem. I used Helroz SIM unlocker on my SGS2 (Im running the latest CM9 build 28/8) and it works. Helroz unlocks the phone but only for about 1-2h?! After about 1-2h the phone has lost NW connection and ask for the SIM unlock code. If I press 'dismiss' then I can run Helroz unlocker again and it will be ok for 1-2h and then loose the unlock again... Has anyone had this problem? Before I used a stock Samsung ROM and then Helroz unlocker worked perfectly, its since I've moved to CM9 ROM that I'm having this issue. Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance

I did have the same problems with the chainfire app
what i did is use Galaxy_S Unlock (google it as I can not post links at the moment)
Also you will need to install busybox for this to work.
just search for busybox in market and install the first app that comes up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked like magic, but i can i now uninstall the busybox as i dont need it or do i have to keep it on my phone to have it unlocked?

same pronblem
i unlocked my phone using "samsung galaxy unlock" when it was on gingerbread. then i updated it to jelly bean using cm10.2 & after that when i switched it on it says "Enter sim unlock code". i used the same app again but did't get any benefit. also tried few other apps but failed. now when i put the 3 network (the original carrier) it do same with that as well. somebody tell me what to do?

[Q] Can't Unlock LG-p500

Hello everyone,
I come to you with a very strange case, which I have yet to find elsewhere on the web. I hope one of you guys can help me with this...
I'm trying to unlock my LG-p500 phone, I paid for an unlocking code and was ready to follow the instructions to unlock it. I was expecting for a window to pop after typing the first code (2945#*500#), but nothing happened, I tried to enter a different sim card from a different provider and it didn't displayed "phone restricted" as it was supposed to (according to instructions and different forums), but it simply displayed "No service" and "Emergency calls only". I also tried to type 2945#*71001# to get the menu but again... the phone didn't responded to any of these codes (I'm now observing that actually the phone does not respond to many of the secret codes of LG-p500 and Android as well, but it does responds to a number of them, such as *#*#4636#*#*)
Ever since then I've tried SO many things to work it out. I rebooted, unrooted, rooted again, formatted, recovered, installed custom roms, reverted to the original rom, software updated, I almost bricked my phone while trying to get this done but nothing seemed to work. I figured to try to get that menu in a friend's LG-p500 phone, unmodded in any possible way, and surprisingly the window to input the code still did not appeared and it didn't responded to any of the codes above.
It made me wonder of whether the provider had blocked the option of entering the codes, as me and her are with the same phone from the same provider, getting similar results.
I searched for hours for a solution to the problem but with no luck. I would really appreciate getting some help with this, as i'm totally clueless of what to do next. I will be very grateful for any response.
Much thanks!
Shay

Shuye said:
Hello everyone,
I come to you with a very strange case, which I have yet to find elsewhere on the web. I hope one of you guys can help me with this...
I'm trying to unlock my LG-p500 phone, I paid for an unlocking code and was ready to follow the instructions to unlock it. I was expecting for a window to pop after typing the first code (2945#*500#), but nothing happened, I tried to enter a different sim card from a different provider and it didn't displayed "phone restricted" as it was supposed to (according to instructions and different forums), but it simply displayed "No service" and "Emergency calls only". I also tried to type 2945#*71001# to get the menu but again... the phone didn't responded to any of these codes (I'm now observing that actually the phone does not respond to many of the secret codes of LG-p500 and Android as well, but it does responds to a number of them, such as *#*#4636#*#*)
Ever since then I've tried SO many things to work it out. I rebooted, unrooted, rooted again, formatted, recovered, installed custom roms, reverted to the original rom, software updated, I almost bricked my phone while trying to get this done but nothing seemed to work. I figured to try to get that menu in a friend's LG-p500 phone, unmodded in any possible way, and surprisingly the window to input the code still did not appeared and it didn't responded to any of the codes above.
It made me wonder of whether the provider had blocked the option of entering the codes, as me and her are with the same phone from the same provider, getting similar results.
I searched for hours for a solution to the problem but with no luck. I would really appreciate getting some help with this, as i'm totally clueless of what to do next. I will be very grateful for any response.
Much thanks!
Shay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The device's hidden menu is only accessible thru stock ROMs and the stock dialer.

shinobisoft said:
The device's hidden menu is only accessible thru stock ROMs and the stock dialer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured that, that's why I've also tried to access that menu via an unmodified LG p500 phone, which probably still runs the stock rom but I couldn't access that menu through that phone as well.
I'm starting to conclude that my phone was already unlocked from the provider itself, and perhaps that is the reason why I cannot access that menu again.
Is there a way of assuring that my phone is unlocked? I figured that I can use other sim cards from other Israeli providers, I thought there were two types of locks (that's what they told me in customer service), so if I can use sim cards from other local providers, does it mean that I can also use the phone for sim cards from international providers as well?
Thanks!

Need help with SIM Network Lock

(I accidentally posted this in an unrelated discussion so sorry if it appears twice!)
Alright, so, last weekend I got a new Samsung Galaxy J7 (SM-J700M) with Android 6.0.1. The first thing I did was rooting it. It was all going fine until I accidentally unticked the "OEM Unlock" option on Developer Mode, so when I rebooted it, it had an FRP Lock.
I used a Latin American firmware to be able to boot it again. At boot, there was this "entel" logo, and this seemed to have changed my IMEI because my phone always said Network Unavailable. I didn't check the IMEI prior to rooting it, but I noticed the printed one and the one shown on the phone weren't the same... but this isn't the real problem.
Originally, the phone was unlocked (no specific carrier/operator holding it), and I somehow "fixed" the Network Unavailable thing by erasing the efs folder on root... well, it was a longer process than just deleting it, I backed up the folder and copied some files (some might know what I'm talking about). After that, the IMEI was the same than the printed one, but, my phone is now network SIM locked!
I have to input a code to unlock it. I did some googling and apparently only the carrier can give it to you, so I tried 3 different carrier SIM cards to see if any of them were the carrier's, but none of them worked as accepted,and I don't know what carrier could it be... I'm even worried it may be a Latin American one (from Chile or Argentina maybe since that's where the firmware used was from) and I won't be able to get it.
I know there are websites to get a code, but I don't want to pay so much and risk getting scammed.
I tried to see if "entel" was a carrier to unlock it, but it didn't help.
Also, when I try to choose a network on Mobile Networks settings, the only available one is AT&T (which I don't use/have a SIM of), but when I accessed their website to unlock, it said my IMEI wasn't registered as theirs apparently.
Then, I also tried using Samsung's Smart Switch application on PC with the Device Initialization option, but when I try to use the firmware from that I get a SW REV. Check Fail.
I might be wrong, but I feel that since messing with the system files/root was what changed it, maybe I can fix it the same way with no unlock code or carrier help.
So, does anyone have advice, or know some other way to reset it? Or do I really have to go get it fixed/unlocked somewhere?

Bought used 970F with Magisk, relocked, flashed stock UI5, no network at all

*****FINAL UPDATE: THIS POST IS A WASTE OF TIME WANDERING AROUND SOLUTIONS FOR THE IMEI. THE REAL REASON IS THAT I WAS SCAMMED AND BOUGHT A STOLEN PHONE WITHOUT KNOWING, AND THE IMEI/IMEIs WERE CHANGED, so when I factory reset the phone, the IMEIs were gone. If you're in the same situation, see if you can return the phone. If not, the only thing you can do is sell it AS IT IS, because YOU WERE PROBABLY SCAMMED, LIKE ME, so please sell it declaring the state of the phone and the IMEIs.*******
****If you want to read the entire post, go ahead, but you'll waste all your time. You were scammed, it's a stolen phone, end of story.****
Guys I was really excited about this purchase, I tested network with the seller, on both SIMs, both worked great, 4G data, when I took it home I noticed the phone was BL unlocked with Magisk, which made me worry about any security issues or not being able to update. Relocked BL from download mode, flashed stock G970FXXSDFUI5 (I live and bought it here in Colombia), and I checked this was the same FW that it had while rooted with Magisk
Cleared data/cache, flashed successfully, warnings gone, but no network at all, this is what I have:
- Only emergency calls with any SIM in any slot, already tried different carriers
- Checked IMEI in national blacklist database imeicolombia.com, they're both clean
- When trying to make a call "not registered on network"
- When going into Mobile Networks - Select Network - Select Automatically is ON, if I try to turn off it instantly says "Error searching for networks" and the switch stays on, so no "Manual Search" button.
Already tried clearing data/cache of SIM Toolkit app, what am I missing? Thank you!
UPDATE: I went through all the process of unlocking BL again and rooting again with Magisk successfully following this tut
with updated Magisk, etc, but still no ntwk, will now try flashing other countries same/higher SW REV, will post any other update.
Additional steps: I tried putting 2G only or 3G only and reset APNs to see if "Select Automatically" switch was fixed but same story, it wont turn off and shows same "Error while searching for networks" msg right away
UPDATE 2: I wanted to share a video I found that shows the exact same error that I get in the "Mobile Networks" menu:
Altough I rly dont think it's the same situation, cause in that video, the phone has no signal at all, mine is able to pick full signal for emergency calls. I rly dont think my situation is that of hardware but some kind of software/activation/sim thing (It's not the SIM bc it works in any other phone)
Please someone help me, I've invested more than labor hours researching and trying to fix this, I fear I could damage the phone by flashing it so many times

Fixed by @hainguyenthao
DDDDDD

SamaelThuum said:
Fixed by @hainguyenthao
DDDDDD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How?!

PatnosD said:
How?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A VERY VERY VERY complex process. It turns out the answer was a very simple one. They sold me a stolen phone with the IMEIs changed, so at the moment that I factory reset the phone, the "fake" IMEIs were cleared, leaving the phone with NULL IMEIs. In short, I got scammed, had to sell the phone declaring the situation, ofc for a quite discounted price due to the fact of it being a stolen phone.
ALERT 1: WHEN YOU'RE GONNA BUY A SAMSUNG PHONE, ASK THE SELLER IF IT CAN BE FACTORY RESET RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM/HER BEFORE PAYING. IF THE SELLER SAYS YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN ALREADY GUESS WHAT'S GOING ON.
ALERT 2: NOW THEY CAN CRACK THE SAMSUNG PHONE IMEIS SO IF YOU FACTORY RESET, IT WOULD KEEP THE FAKE IMEIs, so the only thing you can do is go into this website:
IMEIpro - free Samsung IMEI checker
Check information about your Samsung cell phone - model, serial number, manufacture date. Verify Samsung carrier, age of the phone, purchase country, CSN number and other details.
imeipro.info
Enter the IMEI and the website will show you THE SERIAL NUMBER. COMPARE IT WITH THE ONE SHOWN IN THE PHONE. IF THEY DON'T MATCH, THE PHONE IMEI HAS BEEN CHANGED, LIKELY A STOLEN PHONE! DO NOT BUY IT!
This is the best guide I have for buying used samsung phones so far

G970U1 has the wrong CSC I think - causing issues - how to fix?

Hello, and thanks in advance for any assistance y'all can provide.
I should preface this by saying that I'm comfortable tinkering with software and am technically inclined, but have only a vague understanding of what exactly a CSC code is and haven't flashed anything on a phone since tinkering with my old Galaxy S Captivate.
My wife and I bought "factory unlocked" S10e's via Amazon's "renewed" program. They have no visible branding, physically or in the software, and report their model as G970U1, as advertised. We're both on Cricket. My phone works without issue but she's been getting texts from Cricket for a few weeks saying that she needed to update her phone by 2/22/22, but the "software update" tool reports that the phone is up to date. Since that date, she's been unable to send or receive phone calls, but texts and mobile data still work as normal.
Going by the "Software Information" page, the phones are nearly identical in software versions, with the only difference in the two is the "Service provider software information" string. As best I understand, this displays the CSC code in the string, as "...OYM_[CSC]...".
Going by this, my phone has the correct CSC for Cricket, but my wife's phone has somehow obtained the code for T-Mobile. Given that this is the only software difference between the two, I can only assume that it's the culprit? (If not, what else could be causing this?)
I'm not 100% sure if this is something that we could have caused, or if the phone could have been de-branded somehow (again, no physical markings) and resold with a CSC already on it?
I've tried changing the CSC by using the code in google dialer, but it just throws a vague error and nothing happens. I'm not sure how to proceed from here? From googling around, I saw that flashing new firmware using Odin and Frija(?) can get the job done, but also requires resetting the phone and comes with some risk?
I'd like to avoid resetting the phone if possible, as it's also her interface to her glucose monitor (Type 1 diabetic), and this takes quite a long time to set up. From some searching, it seems there's a paid tool called Chimera that at least one person claimed can change the CSC without resetting. Is that accurate? If that's not correct, is there a better way?
Apologies for the wall of text, I hope I've provided enough information. Again, thanks to anyone who can provide guidance.