Database Info

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...

[Q] How can I get a generic IMEI number on my SGS4G

Hi everyone,
I just picked up a GS4G and want it to work with my Tmobile web2go account but am having some trouble. Some people simply delete the EFS folder but that doesnt work and I have been able to reset the IMEI to all 0's but that gives me problems too.
I have read some people that have a generic IMEI number (004999010640000) or something like that and was wondering how can I get that on my phone. From what I have seen, it is due to flashing a certain rom or messing with the nv_data file. So which rom can I flash to get a generic IMEI or anything else I can do?
Thanks for any help anyone can offer as I would really like to save a few bucks and keep my data plan as it is. Thanks again

the generic actually doesn't work. It won't give you service.

Ive been playing around with it but after 2 days, I am still able to make calls and connect to tmobiles 4g service with the all zero imei.
For anyone wondering, I first deleted the efs folder (dont recommend unless you have 2 backups), restarted and then it came back with a weird imei of weird characters. I was able to make calls but couldnt connect to 4g which is my primary reason of doing this. So I edited my original bin file with microsoft word and changed a few numbers around, replaced it into my efs folder, then got the all zeroes imei. Then I flashed it back to stock via odin and after this, is connected with my internet plan just fine and could make calls fine as well. I thought about leaving it like this but then flashed it with valhalla black edition and it still connects just fine with an all zero IMEI. I still would like to try it with a bin file that gives an IMEI of 004999010640000 but for now, it works for me just fine.
I pay $5 a month for data from Tmobile (Web2go/Tzones) and didnt want to upgrade and am glad I finally got it to work after a few hours of messing around. If anyone has any questions, let me know. I look forward to poking around the SGS4 threads for awhile until my next phone.

Hi mendezj666,
I just got my SGS4G today and I also have the $5 a month data plan from tmobile. Can you please share where to change on the nv_data.bin to do the trick? I appreciate that.
Thanks

pwong9 said:
Hi mendezj666,
I just got my SGS4G today and I also have the $5 a month data plan from tmobile. Can you please share where to change on the nv_data.bin to do the trick? I appreciate that.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you read up on this phone and know how to root and install roms and know how to use odin? (All very easy to do) I just dont want to get blamed if you mess up your phone and want to make sure you have at least two back ups of your nv_data.bin file (preferably on your computer as well as your sd card).
Also, just to make sure, it asks you to upgrade everytime you access the internet on 4g, right?

mendezj666 said:
Have you read up on this phone and know how to root and install roms and know how to use odin? (All very easy to do) I just dont want to get blamed if you mess up your phone and want to make sure you have at least two back ups of your nv_data.bin file (preferably on your computer as well as your sd card).
Also, just to make sure, it asks you to upgrade everytime you access the internet on 4g, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick response. I use EFS_Pro_1.4.7 to backup and restore the efs folder. I just upgraded the phone to SMS-KJ6-beta2d_Stock-Rom_with_Bootloaders-One-Click. I do have two backups of EPS folder on my PC and my sd card. I also made a CWM backup.
Correct. It asks me to upgrade my data plan which I want to stick as long as I can. It works great on 3g on my rooted ICS HD2, but I want the 4G speed.

pwong9 said:
Thanks for the quick response. I use EFS_Pro_1.4.7 to backup and restore the efs folder. I just upgrade the phone to SMS-KJ6-beta2d_Stock-Rom_with_Bootloaders-One-Click. I do have two backups of EPS folder on my PC and my sd card.
Correct. It asks me to upgrade my data plan which I want to stick as long as I can. It works great on 3g on my rooted ICS HD2, but I want the 4G speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K, just want to make sure. You shouldnt have any concern of bricking your phone since you're just editing one file and can always replace it but as with all flashing, just doublecheck everything. Delete the entire efs folder on your phone (you may have already done this), restart and should have a weird imei number of characters. On one of your backuped efs folders, find the nav bin file and open it with a hex editor. Then I just changed around a few of the numbers in the first lines randomly and saved it. I might have used Microsoft word to edit the bin file but both should work. then i put that nav file in the efs folder on my phone and rebooted it and put it back to stock via odin. Then when it restarted it still had the IMEI of all zeroes but could connect just fine on 4g.
This worked for me and hopefully works for me. If not, I MIGHT be willing to send you my own nav bin file that I personally use (which I wish I had at the start since it would have been much easier from the start) as long as you arent in my city. But thats a big risk since it might make my 4g stop working which would really suck

Thanks mendezj666. Please check your PM. Thanks.

airfluip1 said:
the generic actually doesn't work. It won't give you service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have a Galaxy Nexus, i have this generic IMEi number for my phone 004999010640000 i changed using a root app called doCOMO or something...i changed it frim my normal one so i could unlock the phone to any network after rooting. Now it has locked me out of every network! Is there anyway way to change it back? i really need help on this im a noob!!! please help me
thanks
Garry

This is the galaxy s4g forum. You might post your problem in the nexus forums. I have the bin file for the sgs4 that gives a working imei and works on tzones.

[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

[UNSOLVED] Unknown IMEI/Baseband

LESSON LEARNT (for everyone): Please make sure to do a complete EFS backup before you do anything or you will end up like me!!!
So yeah I flashed Deodex_LF2_Cwm.zip yesterday, trying to deodex my DDFL2.
And following that I experienced total loss of mobile signal, baseband, IMEI, IMEI SV, and phone (*#1234#).
And I haven't been seeing this kinda thing to come, I did not back up EFS. (Yeah brilliant me)
So I tried a few of these:
[GUIDE] Recover your IMEI in 9 steps
Repair IMEI using EFS Pro
Reflashing from latona.pit then XXKPE; for a few times
Flashing stock ROM for Malaysia region (Froyo and GB)
Flashing various Modem.tar (DDLE1, DXKP7, etc) via Odin3 at different ROM levels (XXKPE, DDLF2, even CM10A4)
Restoring Nandroid backup from other SL user (Thanks Rich'Dawg')
But nothing worked so far yet.
Now that I checked the /efs folder is empty and there is only a folder named lost+found.
Some websites said about fixing IMEI for small fees but in cases of blank IMEI (*#06#), chances are only 30%.
And my last resort would be getting it replaced in Samsung service centre or any repair shop, which I suspect that the motherboard would be more expensive than some simple new Android phones.
Leaving this forum for the moment as to collect more money to get a new phone . . . :crying:
Lastly, thanks for all the input. Greatly appreciated.

Do you able to call anyone. ? if yes then no need to change anything. if no then you should search for imei solution on xda. there is some tutorial for fake imei.

nicsptl said:
Do you able to call anyone. ? if yes then no need to change anything. if no then you should search for imei solution on xda. there is some tutorial for fake imei.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. I totally lost signal and mobile network.

cheeyeen said:
Nope. I totally lost signal and mobile network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you flash b4 CM10? if yes, search your sd card and External sd card for the installation backup of efs folder

chongns said:
do you flash b4 CM10? if yes, search your sd card and External sd card for the installation backup of efs folder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did but nope I couldn't find. sucks.

It is in a folder name backup
Sent from my GT-I9003 using Tapatalk 2

chongns said:
It is in a folder name backup
Sent from my GT-I9003 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sad enough this folder does not exist in my phone....
Have you had any idea if Samsung would fix this in Malaysia..? Or how much would that be.
I spent like 10 hours trying to look for a solution but >"<

cheeyeen said:
Sad enough this folder does not exist in my phone....
Have you had any idea if Samsung would fix this in Malaysia..? Or how much would that be.
I spent like 10 hours trying to look for a solution but >"<
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no idea of how much it should be.
but a idea to help you,
1st idea:
go in recovery and fix permission.
2nd idea:
you said you flash Deodex LF2 in CWM, it should not touch efs folder. so, very high change of your nv_data.bin file backup still good.
OK. use any file browser look in the efs folder, see if the below file still exiting, (they are hidden file)
check on the file date. is the date older than the date you flash the zip, if yes, this is the one original from your phone.
the file name start with a dot
.nv_data.bak - ( this is your imei backup file) copy and rename the .nv_data.bak to nv_data.bin and set permission and change owner.
.nv_data.bak.md5 - (delete this file first)

chongns said:
no idea of how much it should be.
but a idea to help you,
1st idea:
go in recovery and fix permission.
2nd idea:
you said you flash Deodex LF2 in CWM, it should not touch efs folder. so, very high change of your nv_data.bin file backup still good.
OK. use any file browser look in the efs folder, see if the below file still exiting, (they are hidden file)
check on the file date. is the date older than the date you flash the zip, if yes, this is the one original from your phone.
the file name start with a dot
.nv_data.bak - ( this is your imei backup file) copy and rename the .nv_data.bak to nv_data.bin and set permission and change owner.
.nv_data.bak.md5 - (delete this file first)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixed permission.
I found one .nv_data.bak dated year 1994 , which I think came in when I was trying to flash some efs fixes i found in XDA.
Without much hope I tried what you said, but still nothing happened. IMEI blank, baseband unknown.
Is it possible to have the mobile phone repair shop with RIFF or Jtag or some box thingy to have this done?

i think you must change the motherboard

cheeyeen said:
[Request] Is it possible if anyone could send me a Nandroid backup of a working rom, so I could restore it via CWM? (It is a way I found in the XDA forum).
...
So yeah I flashed Deodex_LF2_Cwm.zip yesterday, trying to deodex my DDFL2.
And following that I experienced total loss of mobile signal, baseband, IMEI, IMEI SV, and phone (*#1234#).
And I haven't been seeing this kinda thing to come, I did not back up EFS. (Yeah brilliant me)
So I tried a few of these:
[GUIDE] Recover your IMEI in 9 steps
EFS Pro
Reflashing from latona.pit then XXKPE; for a few times
Flashing various Modem.tar (DDLE1, DXKP7, etc) via Odin3 at different ROM levels (XXKPE, DDLF2, even CM10A4)
But nothing worked so far yet.
Now that I checked the /efs folder is empty and there is only a folder named lost+found.
And my last resort would be getting it replaced in Samsung service centre??
I don't know how much would it cost in Malaysia to change the motherboard but I'm sure it will be stupidly high...
Or.. does that mean my time in i9003 forum is up..? :crying:
Please help me because I don't want to buy a new phone yet! :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate, do you like JellyBam V.1.3.0? Because that's the only Nandroid backup i have in my phone. I was thinking to upload it to my Box account for Emergency Backup if i don't have my computer. If you like, i can upload it for you, but the size of the backup would be nuts, it's 850 MB. It's up to you.

Rich'Dawg' said:
Mate, do you like JellyBam V.1.3.0? Because that's the only Nandroid backup i have in my phone. I was thinking to upload it to my Box account for Emergency Backup if i don't have my computer. If you like, i can upload it for you, but the size of the backup would be nuts, it's 850 MB. It's up to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would try anything as long as it works! Please do!

Best of Luck
a friend of mine ran through the same same problem and i think he did some sort of repair from a shop but later we came to know that the backup can do the task not sure whether that work or not but u can give it a try,, BEST of Luck with that..... Hopit Fix the Issue

Good luck sir! As far as I know, if you would choose to replace the motherboard from repair center, it would cost you more or less 80% of the original price of the phone. So it would seem that you have to buy a new one. I hope that a nandroid backup (as stated above) would solve the problem. God bless you! Think positive

i have the same problem and tried those solution the TS tested and still no luck, i wan't to try those nandroid backup but can't find any.

Rich'Dawg' said:
Mate, do you like JellyBam V.1.3.0? Because that's the only Nandroid backup i have in my phone. I was thinking to upload it to my Box account for Emergency Backup if i don't have my computer. If you like, i can upload it for you, but the size of the backup would be nuts, it's 850 MB. It's up to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro,pls upload... let me try it... if imei is changed to 043xxxxxxx then we can fix with z3x box

Xperia.IN said:
Bro,pls upload... let me try it... if imei is changed to 043xxxxxxx then we can fix with z3x box
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you share it with me if you have nandroid backup, i will try to fix it with z3x and asansam

never thought deodexing gonna brick the phone.. ive deodex once without any problem.. without any doing backup before that.. lucky me.. huhu
try other people's nandroid and see.. i dont think it needs a specific emei or what so ever.. as long as its a backup.. goodluck..

the problem is we can't find someone to lend us their nandroid backup.

I did it!
Bro, try use Efs Pro, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1308546
Try the new version, you can choise Qualcom version, write you IMEI number, go back to initial and do NV Restore.
My SG Fit go back to life (after maybe 4 months with 0000000000000 Imei). :good:
I´m very happy
Hope it work for you! Good luck!

[Q] I9023 - Need Help - Generic IMEI =(

Hi there,
Something very strange has appears to my Nexus S.
It's been more than one year that my phone works perfectly with ICS 4.04 flashed by recovery and ROM stock, I've never reflashed my phone since this day.
Then two days ago, no more GSM network, can't pass any call or text, but data in WCDMA works perfectly.
I've tried :
- Factory reset
- Cyanogen Mod last ROM
- Tried my SIM card on the Nexus S of a friend --> works perfectly
- Tried my friend SIM card on my phone --> same issues, no GSM but data works in WCDMA
I've search a lot on google and XDA, and I've discovered what was IMEI and /efs.
But it's too late for me, my IMEI is the cursed generic IMEI, not the one written behind my battery.
I've tried to flash with stock ROM Stock Android 2.3.6 (GRK39F) with Odin because I've read that it could retrieve my original IMEI. There was no .md5 file inside so I can't flash it with Odin, else I've flash it with ADB / Fastboot.
Phone start and GSM mobile works !
But I got generic IMEI yet, and data is stuck on edge, no WCDMA.
I was thinking it was caused by the old ROM radio flashed with ROM Stock Android 2.3.6 (GRK39F).
So I've flash using recovery the latest Cyanogen and ROM radio KB3 (which was working great in WCDMA for me before all this mess).
No change, GSM works, but data network is stuck in Edge, even if I force WCDMA in *#*#4636#*#* menu, it keep staying in edge.
I don't understand all of this, but I think this is again link to this generic IMEI.
My /efs folder is not empty, I have nv_data.bin but file is dated from yesterday and I can't find any backup like ".nv_data.bin" or "nv_data.bin.bak".
This story seems to be classic in XDA forum, but it's really difficult for me to find a solution, especially for a Nexus S.
This phone is pretty old, you guys are experienced with it and I really need your help, I like this phone and I don't want to change it =(
Is there any way to regenerate my original IMEI ?
Maybe I'll try a flash with Odin and 2.3.4 GRJ22, I never tried Odin, but it seems sometimes to solve the problem. Do you think it could work ?
I really need your help guys, I'm so sad : /
Thanks for reading this, and thanks again if your reply.

hey man,
sorry to hear that...
have you tried to use your sim on another phone? the phone is 2 years old and possibly the problem is from the simcard\network.
another option is to check weather your APN's are as supposed to be.
you can check online or via customer service.

sheeen said:
Hi there,
Something very strange has appears to my Nexus S.
It's been more than one year that my phone works perfectly with ICS 4.04 flashed by recovery and ROM stock, I've never reflashed my phone since this day.
Then two days ago, no more GSM network, can't pass any call or text, but data in WCDMA works perfectly.
I've tried :
- Factory reset
- Cyanogen Mod last ROM
- Tried my SIM card on the Nexus S of a friend --> works perfectly
- Tried my friend SIM card on my phone --> same issues, no GSM but data works in WCDMA
I've search a lot on google and XDA, and I've discovered what was IMEI and /efs.
But it's too late for me, my IMEI is the cursed generic IMEI, not the one written behind my battery.
I've tried to flash with stock ROM Stock Android 2.3.6 (GRK39F) with Odin because I've read that it could retrieve my original IMEI. There was no .md5 file inside so I can't flash it with Odin, else I've flash it with ADB / Fastboot.
Phone start and GSM mobile works !
But I got generic IMEI yet, and data is stuck on edge, no WCDMA.
I was thinking it was caused by the old ROM radio flashed with ROM Stock Android 2.3.6 (GRK39F).
So I've flash using recovery the latest Cyanogen and ROM radio KB3 (which was working great in WCDMA for me before all this mess).
No change, GSM works, but data network is stuck in Edge, even if I force WCDMA in *#*#4636#*#* menu, it keep staying in edge.
I don't understand all of this, but I think this is again link to this generic IMEI.
My /efs folder is not empty, I have nv_data.bin but file is dated from yesterday and I can't find any backup like ".nv_data.bin" or "nv_data.bin.bak".
This story seems to be classic in XDA forum, but it's really difficult for me to find a solution, especially for a Nexus S.
This phone is pretty old, you guys are experienced with it and I really need your help, I like this phone and I don't want to change it =(
Is there any way to regenerate my original IMEI ?
Maybe I'll try a flash with Odin and 2.3.4 GRJ22, I never tried Odin, but it seems sometimes to solve the problem. Do you think it could work ?
I really need your help guys, I'm so sad : /
Thanks for reading this, and thanks again if your reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still nothing,.. Sorry you haven't got this resolved yet.. Hopefully some fresh eyes here can make short work of it..

Thanks for your reply guys.
I've tried the sim in another phone and it works great, the real problem is generic IMEI I guess.
Thanks for your help and your link in PM Setting Out, I think I'll try the second one.... the first can't work with me because my /esf and /data/radio does not have an old backup of nv_data.bin.
I have two questions please :
- How the holy s*** this thing can happen randomly after ONE YEAR of fully founctional phone ? (not a single flash since one year)
- How can it be so ramdom ? I mean, before rom stock flash, GSM does not work but I was having Data (WCDMA). Now, After rom stock flash, GSM is working but Data is stuck in Edge. I can't understand how IMEI can impact such randomly issues.

Well, as you know the IMEI is sent to your operator as long as you have signal.
if the operator doesn't get a valid one problems may occur.

In order to find out if this really is a EFS problem go into /data/radio/log and cat the nv.log, find a line like this:
MD5 fail. orignal md5 '84373eddf2a1617f795b1c1af650f8a784373eddf2a1617f795b1c1af650f8a7' computed md5
'3eddf2a1617f795b1c1af650f8a7' (rild)
put the phone in airplane mode then use a unix text editor and manualy edit nv_data.bin.m5d and make sure the string of numbers is equal to the string after "computed md5" (in this case 3eddf2a1617f795b1c1af650f8a7) save the file take the phone out of airplane mode then reboot check the IMEI with the *#06#

Thanks a lot for your reply.
I have /data/radio/log/nv.log file.
But I have no checksum in this file, only text like "/data/radio/nv_data.bin does not exist."
This is strange because /data/radio/nv_data.bin file exist.
But in /efs folder, I have a nv.log file too, and in this file I have some checksum.
Any way to do something with this one ?
EDIT : I've tried the manipulation with /efs folder, it does not change my generic IMEI =(
Sure, I verified permissions and owner of file.

sheeen said:
Thanks a lot for your reply.
I have /data/radio/log/nv.log file.
But I have no checksum in this file, only text like "/data/radio/nv_data.bin does not exist."
This is strange because /data/radio/nv_data.bin file exist.
But in /efs folder, I have a nv.log file too, and in this file I have some checksum.
Any way to do something with this one ?
EDIT : I've tried the manipulation with /efs folder, it does not change my generic IMEI =(
Sure, I verified permissions and owner of file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are some detailed steps
Ensure you have one good copy of nv_data.bin somewhere on the phone. it could be located in either /efs or /data/radio
Ensure you have a nv.log with at least one line that looks somewhat like this:
MD5 fail. orignal md5 'XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX' computed md5 'XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX' (rild)
where the X's are a bunch of number and letters.
Copy the good nv_data.bin, nv_data.bin.md5 and nv.log to both the sdcard and then via usb put them on your hard drive in a folder called efsbackup
(use either rootexpoler or adb shell to copy the files to the sdcard first)
Open the nv.log and look for the second sting of lines. after the words computed md5 (the first string is the md5 the phone found and the second string is the md5 it was expecting for. if the md5 it was expecting can't be found, it uses the default IMEI 004999010640000
Open nv_data.bin.m5d with a proper unix text editor (I suggest Notepad++ or jedit) and remove the sting of numbers and letters and replace it with the string from the nv.log (the second string after computed md5) and save the file
Go back to the phone and put the phone into Airplane Mode (this turns off the radio)
Copy the files nv_data.bin and nv_data.bin.m5d back to the sdcard overwirting them
Using either rootexplorer or adb shell copy the nv_data.bin and nv_data.bin.md5 back to the original folder (either /efs or /data/radio (for me it was /data/radio that did the trick))
Using either rootexplorer or adb shell ensure both files have the following attributes Owner:radio Group:radio Owner:RWX Group:R Other:R
Using adb shell type ps (this lists all the running processes) find the one that end with rild and remember the pid
Using adb shell type kill pid# where pid# is the rild process (this restarts the radio)
Go back to the phone and take the phone out of Airplane mode
Reboot the phone
Open up the dialer and dial *#06# (the universal way to get your IMEI it SHOULD be equal to the one written under the battery)

Thanks for the reply, but it can't work.
Ensure you have one good copy of nv_data.bin somewhere on the phone. it could be located in either /efs or /data/radio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no good copy of nv_data.bin, date shows that all have been generated last week.
So, I'd like to flash the phone with Odin rom stock 2.3.4 AND re-partition with the .pit file.
I've already flash it without the .pit, but my IMEI is still generic, I need the .pit file.
But the .pit file is nowhere, even on samfirmware : /
If somebody got this file, plz send it to me.

sheeen said:
Thanks for the reply, but it can't work.
I have no good copy of nv_data.bin, date shows that all have been generated last week.
So, I'd like to flash the phone with Odin rom stock 2.3.4 AND re-partition with the .pit file.
I've already flash it without the .pit, but my IMEI is still generic, I need the .pit file.
But the .pit file is nowhere, even on samfirmware : /
If somebody got this file, plz send it to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-I too have looked high and low for the Odin file since the Nexus S can be put in download mode holding the volume button while pluging in the micro USB. I did find some odin files but any one who tired them ened up perm bricking their phone.
-If you have a good backup it should restore the EFS partition as well as the RADIO.
-The only other way that I know of, I am afraid is to get the phone JTAGed by Samsung.
Good Luck

After two weeks of trying everything, I gave up and used a Z3X.
Now my IMEI is restored, and backup on my PC, my laptop, my sdcard and on cloud...
Thanks all for trying to help me.