Anyone based in UK or has experience of Virgin/T-Mobile service/settings
I have 2 identical GS II's both on contract to Virgin Mobile both have been flashed to same version of ICS and both are running the same modem both on same plan and both using Virgin sims.
phone #1
PDA:I9100XXLPQ
Phone:I9100XXK14
CSC:I9100XALPQ
Build Info: Fri Mar 9 01:58:19 kst 2012
phone #2
PDA:I9100XXLPQ
PHONE:I9100XXk14
CSC:I9100XALPQ
Build info: Fri Mar 9 01:58:19 KST 2012
Virgin T-Mobile and Orange are sharing network coverage with Virgin phones picking up the strongest signal in the given area from either VM/T-M or Orange
MY problem is.
Phone #1 detects only T-Mobile, O2 uk Vodaphone and Orange but no Virgin/virgin at all. and has very poor signal reception and will not send or receive MMS and frequent loss of network.
Phone #2 sitting on same desk picks up Virgin O2-UK vodaphone and virgin ( note lack of capital V ) bit no orange or T-Mobile and sends MMS but with a similar poor signal and frequent loss of network
I have checked the APN settings on both phones and they are the same I have setup MMS on both phones the same and checked the IMIE numbers are correct for each phone.
I have tried several ICS versions and will consider returning both to Stock GB as a last resort ( btw both worked fine before ICS and both worked before LPQ)
There is nothing on the VM web site and as I have rooted both am reluctant to return to VM in case there is a warranty issue.
Any help/advice would be appreciated and I have searched the forums for any similar issues but have not found any that match this particual problem..
Simple usual answer is you do not have firmware from Virgin on your phone so it does not have a clue as to network .
Firmware bit that counts in this case is the CSC files CarPhone Warehouse firmwares CSC usually contains Virgin network settings .
Normal method with no CSC is to set up all network stuff manually including SMS .
As the firmware is not your phones firmware it may well be worth trying different modems for better reception .
VM should normally default to TMobile network or at least work off that .
You may have a bad firmware flash .
Thanks for you explaination it made complete sense the way you explained it..
so Armed with that knowledge I took the most pressing problem phone ( The wife's, I know there is a high risk of domestic warfare if I screw it up but at least its not my phone bricked )
I wiped all the appropriate caches etc and rooted right the way back to my original backed up GB firmware (GT-I9100_CPW_I9100XWKI4_I9100CPWKH1_I9100XXKI1.tar.md5)
and it all worked well detected all the original networks and registered with VM with T-M and Orange as alts.
This is the point where my lack of knowledge kicks in.
I had made a CWM backup of the ICS in case going back to GB was not the answer. I had also done a backup via kies of data/contacts/music/pictures/settings etc etc via kies facility before I flashed back to GB. I was not worried about any purchased apps as I am able to re-install them if needed. However the kies backup would not import to GB even the contacts came back with failed. So to save further domestic aggro I flashed rooted and then used CWM to restore the ICS backup so after several hours I am back to the original point, albet wiser ( a little ).
I tried several modems going backwards from ICS into GB alas none had any real improvement ( even the modem KH1 which seemed to work so well in GB mode)
So here is where I have to ask the following questions:
1. Data importing backwards from ICS to GB is this possible ? I use Titanium backup pro when rooted and kies when unrooted.
2. is there an ICS XXLPQ compatable CSC avail that is close to the CPW settings in ( I presume its the XXKI1 part in GT-I9100_CPW_I9100XWKI4_I9100CPWKH1_I9100XXKI1.tar.md5. ) and would it be possible to flash/upgrade the current I9100XALPQ alone with Odin.
3. if non of the above are possible then maybe recommend a divorce lawyer
many thanks in advance
kawasakii said:
1. Data importing backwards from ICS to GB is this possible ? I use Titanium backup pro when rooted and kies when unrooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least with Titanium Backup, it should work correctly.
kawasakii said:
Thanks for you explaination it made complete sense the way you explained it..
so Armed with that knowledge I took the most pressing problem phone ( The wife's, I know there is a high risk of domestic warfare if I screw it up but at least its not my phone bricked )
I wiped all the appropriate caches etc and rooted right the way back to my original backed up GB firmware (GT-I9100_CPW_I9100XWKI4_I9100CPWKH1_I9100XXKI1.tar.md5)
and it all worked well detected all the original networks and registered with VM with T-M and Orange as alts.
This is the point where my lack of knowledge kicks in.
I had made a CWM backup of the ICS in case going back to GB was not the answer. I had also done a backup via kies of data/contacts/music/pictures/settings etc etc via kies facility before I flashed back to GB. I was not worried about any purchased apps as I am able to re-install them if needed. However the kies backup would not import to GB even the contacts came back with failed. So to save further domestic aggro I flashed rooted and then used CWM to restore the ICS backup so after several hours I am back to the original point, albet wiser ( a little ).
I tried several modems going backwards from ICS into GB alas none had any real improvement ( even the modem KH1 which seemed to work so well in GB mode)
So here is where I have to ask the following questions:
1. Data importing backwards from ICS to GB is this possible ? I use Titanium backup pro when rooted and kies when unrooted.
TB yes but dont restore system data
Kies not something i use .
2. is there an ICS XXLPQ compatable CSC avail that is close to the CPW settings in ( I presume its the XXKI1 part in
In thread Stock firmware is LPQ LPS includes multi CSC with CPW .
Stock Roms .and csc
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update
I carried out a complete wipe and flash root and am now running
(GT-I9100_XEO_I9100XXLPS_I9100OXALPS_I9100XXLPS)
PDA: I9100XLPS
Phone: I9100XXKE7 (tried a few different modems this one works so stuck with it)
CSC: I9100XALPS ( selecting CPW using CSC Select does a factory reset tho so be warned)
Phone seems to be working well many thanks to all the help I got
Related
Hey all,
I have been searching for the proper subforum to post this so I hope it's the right one.
My problem is that I have an S2 which I recently updated to 2.3.6 but since then, I started to have random reboots.
It SEEMS related to wifi because I don't have them when wifi is turned off, but I cannot determine this 100%.
Over on the GoT forum, dutch users are reporting the same issue.
Phone specs:
Productcode: GT-I9100LKAXEN
PDA: KK2 / PHONE: KI4 / CSC: KJ1
Non-rooted.
Whether I have a stock ROM or not I do not know, I'm quite sure it's not branded but Samsung doesn't seem to know either.
KIES says that I have a XEN firmware, I'm wondering if this ROM is for the Netherlands, or Europe, or worldwide(if that exists) but this is not my main concern.
Now, I've been battling with Samsung NL over this issue via Twitter, but the messages are mixed. A few days ago they announced an update, then OTA, then they went silent. Now they are saying they don't know when they will bring out an update.
All I know is that it is very frustrating to have a phone which keeps rebooting AND to have Samsung not give me clear answers.
Does anyone have a clue? Where do I begin troubleshooting this?
Before, this issue was nonexistent.
Iceman_B said:
Hey all,
Phone specs:
Productcode: GT-I9100LKAXEN
PDA: KK2 / PHONE: KI4 / CSC: KJ1
Non-rooted.
KK2 XEN netherlands firmware ,11/11/11 Netherlands CSC .
Whether I have a stock ROM or not I do not know, I'm quite sure it's not branded but Samsung doesn't seem to know either.
If its branded then its branded with network stuff fairly easy to spot .
Unless you flashed custom then its stock .
Presume update was via KIES or OTA ???
If you updated then first choice is backup data and factory reset .
Second is to redownload firmware .
Third is to go the self install route .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update was via KIES, OTA updates have never been available for Dutch T-Mobile customers. AFAIK.
Image of my phone version itself http://i.imgur.com/vyjbZ.png
I'm sure the ROM is buggy, but I'll try a factory reset next week.
Is this problem only with this ROM? Nobody with a stock 2.3.6 ROM experiencing this?
Iceman_B said:
Update was via KIES, OTA updates have never been available for Dutch T-Mobile customers. AFAIK.
Image of my phone version itself http://i.imgur.com/vyjbZ.png
I'm sure the ROM is buggy, but I'll try a factory reset next week.
Is this problem only with this ROM? Nobody with a stock 2.3.6 ROM experiencing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone random reboots every now & then, it appears to be due to the SD card, Im in the process of reinstalling all SD programs to phone memory instead, it appears some SD cards dont play nice.
How do I remove old shortcuts of programs no longer on phone?
If u fix this some other way, let me no
Hi Iceman, I have the same issue, can't really say if its the wifi, sure I know its after the PDA:KK2/PHONE:KI4/CSC:KJ1(XEN) update with KIES.
Actually, the kies program s***s, I always have problems when updating firmware.
Think on flashing back to original with Odin, or do you have a great solution for this annoying matter...
Same here,
official upgrade via Kies (Dutch customer), and having daily reboots since.
It started after the 2.3.6 upgrade.
No idea why, something wrong in the ROM I guess, I did not install new programs. Clearing the cache did not help, also factory reset did not help.
Yeah ive started having reboots since getting 2.3.6
Kies at the time didnt have the update but the phone said there was one so i let it update using my wifi. Going to leave wifi off on my mobile and see how it goes. Will let ya know if its still going goood.
If anyone figures it out please post back, thanks
havent had one reboot since disabling wifi.
I flashed a stock 2.3.5 rom, using odin after I almost bricked my phone. Upon starting up my phone I immediately got the error that I could only make emergency calls. The strangest part of this is that my service state flicks on and off between in service and out of service, and my roaming switches randomly between not roaming and roaming. My provider is Telus and I have a sim card, and I'm pretty sure it works, I bought my phone from Telus.
My phone is able to connect to Kies.
Upon dialing *#1234# I get
PDA : S5830XWKS9
PHONE : S5830XWKS2
CSC : S5830XEOKP2
This CSC is for Poland, the rom I flashed was set to Poland for some reason, is this an issue? I live in Alberta, Canada, so my CSC code should not be set to this. I found a Telus CSC on this page in post #10, so I might try flashing that rom to see if that resolves my problems.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1390798
I also noticed that the PDA and PHONE last few letters are different(WKS9/WKS2) is this also an issue?
Additional information
Baseband version : S5830XWKS2
Kernel Version : 2.6.35.7-perf-CL654989
[email protected] #1
Build Number : GINGERBREAD.XWKS9
You can see more examples of different numbers when you look at this info, the Baseband version is WKS2 and the Build number is WKS9.
Should I phone up Telus to make sure I'm not being charged roaming fees while I am most certainly in their coverage area? And would it be possible that my imei number is blocked for some reason(The one on the battery is the same as the one in about phone and also the same as the one when you dial *#06#).
Although my phone does work sporadically I really want it to work 24/7 for a number of reasons including safety.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated, feel free to ask me for additional info, I'll do my best to get it.
Edit: My brother has a relatively new Galaxy Ace, also from Telus, exact same settings and everything I want, would it be possible to get CWM recovery on his phone and copy all the settings to my phone and restore my phone to his settings, bypassing having to screw around with all the settings on my phone?
The person in Post #8 on the site below said doing this worked for him(Although I don't understand why he replaced CWM with Ultrajack)
http://androidforums.com/huawei-m835/405469-apn-question.html
Ive also heard that you can remove your sim card and your sd card from your phone, connect it to odin and flash something to restore your phone to defaults, would there be any way to do this?
Edit: I solved this problem by finally finding the stock firmware for Telus here..
http://hotfile.com/dl/137128537/a629597/GT-S5830D_TLS_S5830DTLKI4_S5830DTLSKI4_S5830DTLKI4.rar.html
worked great, just flashed it in Odin, started up my phone and all the baseband, CSC, everything was the correct format(TLKI4), I think this works for Koodo as well, so if anyone has been facing some issues with their stock rom, just flash this one and any errors should be cleared up.
Please try flashing a full package Froyo
Herpderp Defy.
Did you flash a new baseband? On a possibly related note... I have the DTLKI baseband, and it comes on Koodo phones. Koodo is a Canadian subsidiary of Telus. I had flashed a new baseband on and had the same problem as you, it wouldn't pick up my network provider and luckily someone on here had uploaded the baseband I needed to pick up Koodo again. Maybe you're having the same issue? Try going to wireless & networks/mobile networks/ and then network operators. Check if you can find Telus. (if this is irrelevant, I apologize)
Yeah my brother phone has DTLKI baseband as well, do you have any links to that specific baseband? I can find Telus(and also Rogers for some reason), but using the right baseband couldn't hurt.
If I did flash a full package Froyo, could I connect it to Samsung Kies to update it to 2.3.4/2.3.5? I've also read on a lot of sites that Koodo/Telus Galaxy Aces have difficulties if the baseband isnt TLKI4 so if you know of any full package froyos that use that baseband version I would greatly appreciate it.
Well, you'll want to flash the modem with odin. and the modem only. I don't know if it's compatible with froyo though as I've only used GB myself. I'll email it to you. I received it from Kevinlekiller a long time ago. The filesharing site is now removed now though! It's worth a try if you don't have a limb to go on though I guess.
Gonna try it
How did you find that firmware? I looked all over the place for it and finally found your thread!
Gonna try it tonight, my CM makes my gps crash. No fix whatsoever. Hopefully this will restore it.
Worked!
Yay!
by the by, did you happen to lose GPS functionnality while flashing custom roms?
Forget that last question
Flashing back the stock firmware corrected all issues I had and now, all other firmwares are working A-OK.
Currently on ice cream sunday.
New S3 on UK Three Mobile.
I have an issue that mainly only affects N Irish users I suspect.
Just bought a 3Mobile S3 and I love it. However on 3 firmware, network selection is locked to automatic. I can manually change, but the phone sill change again of its own accord if the signal I chose isn't available.
The reason 3 do it is so that if 3 isn't available, the phone will roam onto Orange's network as a backup. That's all fine if you're in mainland UK! If you're in N Ireland and near the border, you will frequently roam onto Irish networks and run the risk of charges for receiving calls.
Last time I had an android phone I got the firmware flashed and this solved the problem. So far, I rooted the phone and installed a custom Rom, Omega. This didn't solve the issue. Am I missing something? Does installing the Rom not also flash the firmware? Or do I have to try a different Rom?
Going to try a stock firmware from here now. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
Nobody?
Installed the stock unbranded firmware last night, plus side was the network selection issue is now gone, but the down side is that it seems to have removed my root access.
I I root it again using the threads here, will that overwrite the firmware again?
Flashing a Samsung-ROM will revert all your changes (including root access) and replace the modem. I've heard that Three has it's own modem which works better than the standard on their network, so you might want to flash it (=the modem, not the firmware) on your phone.
Rooting a phone doesn't make you loose any data or change the ROM. Just use CF-Root and you should be good to go.
Thanks. Already used c.f. root again and all is well.
Any Idea where I can fInd the three modem?
Phil Gordon said:
Thanks. Already used c.f. root again and all is well.
Any Idea where I can fInd the three modem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im curious to know too... i've installed a unbranded official rom from three's branded one and if the modem is better i think i'd want to install that too
Every modem has it's own name, so try getting the name from someone who has a stock '3' S3. Then you can google it.
I'm not sure though if they got their own, I _think_ they do
However a network-specific modem must not always be the best.
I've got nearly double throughput over here with the exotic ZNLF2 modem. (Afaik it's Hong-Kong)
So trial-and-error is usually better than just keeping what it was shipped with
My Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 LTE was running Liquid Smooth 2.37. Recently I lost notification and phone ring sounds and now I have lost baseband and I have no cell signal.
In the phone's 'about' section the baseband field is empty. Android version showing is 4.3.
I'm not quite sure what I did wrong, first to try and get back the sounds and then baseband, I have been playing around with various custom and stock ROMS and kernals to get full functionality back.
I've read tons of help posts but nothing works.
Here's a few of the things I've tried with results in brackets, used CWM recovery to restore working backup (failed 'unsupported file' message),
reflashed kernals (neither Boeffla nor yank555 have worked, wipe/data restore in CWM (it still takes me back to 4.3 with no baseband).
I thought I'd re-flash back to the phone's original stock ROM using Kies, but the weird thing is Kies doesn't restore, it upgrades to the latest 4.3 ROM which fails to restore baseband.
I wanted to send the phone back to the 4.1.2 it came with or was it an earlier ROM? I can't remember as I didn't note it down, I bought the phone second hand, it arrived loaded with a stock ROM for Australia's Optus network. I promptly rooted and flashed the phone to Liquid Smooth and the phone ran fine for months on the 2 Degrees Network in New Zealand.
Anyway, I must have tried reflashing a dozen stock roms I've found online using Odin. Some of them partially work, I get sound back, (it seems only the 4.3 ones work, with the german I9305XXUEMKC reliably loading - it even gives me a NZ english install option) but don't restore the baseband
. All the ones I've found for Optus are rejected, I get the 'unsupported device' or status 7 error in Odin.
So I decided to flash one that works, install cwm, root the phone and try installing different baseband kernals to fix the (probably corrupt) efs.
But I'm going round in circles trying to root the phone. Using CWM, supersu shows as successfully installed, but when I boot into the OS root checker shows my phone is not rooted. Knox seems to obstruct every attempt I make to disable it as well. I keep getting these 'knox stopped etc...from working messages'.
I'm sorry if my description is a bit confusing, I'm happy to clarify anything.
I'm at my wits end. I want to try everything before I have to ship the phone off to a repairer who may charge me hundreds of dollars to fix the phone.
This is I9300 not I9305 Q&A
Use the report button and ask a mod to move to the correct forum .
I can offer no help as i fail to understand the post .
As said before you are in wrong place and are not giving us a clear question to answer. If its a root problem there are fixes for it. Status 7 error is discussed in many threads. Flashing MG4 modem fixes efs problem. Downgrading causes problem. Learn to search before making a thread.
I have a I9300 that is not getting any network, the IMEI is 0049... and the serial number is a string of zeros. It was previously running stock 4.1.2 but I wanted to upgrade to at least the latest official ROM - 4.3 and thats how I ended up in this situation.
I've been a Linux user forever and I've owned and flashed a few Android phones in the past but this is my first Samsung Android handset and so the first time I've been bitten by efs. I did lots of reading before attempting the upgrade so I knew to backup the efs partition before doing any flashing. I did this with ktool but restoring my efs backup to various ROMs hasn't restored my network connectivity.
I'm on the 3 network in the UK so when I've been using Odin to restore stock ROMs (I've tried restoring both 4.3 and 4.1.2) I've been using the BTU versions ie
I9300XXUGMK6_I9300OXAGMK6_BTU
I9300XXEMG4_I9300OXAEMG4_BTU
I have now spent four full days reading and trying various solutions suggested in an array of threads on this forum, I've read all the stickies in http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/samsung-galaxy-s3-sticky-roll-thread-t2344125 plus many more threads and now I've just about given up. I've tried flashing various unofficial ROMs too like CM 10.2, 11 and RevolutionS5 but they all have no network.
My phone is not in factory mode and I've tried zuluman's patched kernel/modem with 4.3 without any luck. I've tried factory resets, deleting /efs, changing the permissions of and editing nv_data.bin with a hex editor amongst other tricks. No go.
So it seems my only remaining option is to take / send my phone to be repaired or fork out for one of these hardware devices that claim to be able to repair IMEI issues. Problem is then I'm back to square one, I've not learned what I wanted to about my phone (how to safely reflash/upgrade it) and I'll be stuck on whatever the repair shop leave me with.
I'd much, much rather fix this myself as then that opens the doors to experimentation, it will prolong the (so far all too brief) life of my phone and be much more satisfying. Until now I thought the SGS3 was (is?) a class phone and I think its much better than the Nexus 4 I had previously, despite inferior specs in many respects.
I'm sure its possible to recover from this without buying dedicated hardware or at least it should be..
I bought my phone 2nd hand less than three months ago but its no longer under any warranty. Another thing that could be an issue is that I was sold it without a box and there is no IMEI printed under or on the battery.
Thanks for your help!
It would seem from my experimentation that reflashing stock ROMs with Odin on the I9300 doesn't affect the efs partition, or at least the stock ROMs I've been flashing don't repair/recreate efs.
I'd be perfectly happy using the Samsung generic IMEI if it will let me connect to my phone network. If anyone knows how might enable that, please speak up!
Same problem encountered before until now...
This are when the problem starts.
My GS3 International had CynagenMod stable build.
1. I've noticed one morning that my GS3 is stuck in a bootloop.
2. Tried reflashing the stable CM ROM, but still stuck n the bootloop.
3. Tried flashing my stock rooted firmware from my TWRP backup.
- after this, I've noticed that only emergency calls and not registered on network always appears.
- my IMEI becomes now generic with 0049...00 but with serial number.
4. Tried sending it for repair in our local cellphone repair shop. Network signal is fixed now but it always ask for permission for the radio. So battery drain is massive.
5. I didn't send it back. Tried to fix it myself. Installed the stock firmware 4.3 using jellybean. To my surprise, the IMEI and serial number comes back. But still no network signal (emergency calls only).
Lastly, still looking for a fix. If anyone had a fix for this one this will be a great help. Also tried restoring/updating through Kies. All the process I took had failed.
Not sure if the problem was the EFS/IMEI or the modem or radio install from the firmware I just installed.
For now, I'm using the stock 4.3 firmware. The only problem now is the network signal. Any suggestions or fix is a great help. TIA!
I have read of people fixing the no network by flashing a known good efs image but I suppose it would have to contain a working generic IMEI. Please PM me if you have such an image for a i9300. I'll have to find such a thread again and get PM'ing.
I've been disappointed by a few things in trying to upgrade my SGS3.
* There is no well documented fix for this EFS/IMEI/no network issue
* This issue seems to be very common for SGS3 owners who have attempted an upgrade to 4.3 or flashing alternate ROMs yet there is no mention of any of this on
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Known_Issues_page_for_i9300
and
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/SGS3FAQ
There needs to be.
* It doesn't seem Heimdall is able to flash a tar.md5 in one hit like Odin can which is a shame for us Linux and OSX users
Great phone but not for hackers and tweakers it seems.
Sounds like the efs was already corrupt before you tried the upgrade, probably a previous botched repair which only worked on 4.1
Take it to a repair centre and pay for them to recode it for you, there is no other fix. Make sure it connects on 4.3 before you pay.
Suggestion: flash a firmware older than MG4 and let it update OTA or by KIES. Generating the efs-v2-data may solve.
the battle rages on...
rp158:
That sounded like a good suggestion to me so I used Odin to install I9300XXELL4_I9300OXAELL4_BTU, which predates MG4. Because the aim was to try an OTA update, I did not root or flash a custom recovery as I know they don't like that.
Like all the ROMs I've tried since my prob, it installed fine but I get no network. After connecting to wifi I first tried OTA via Settings -> About Device -> Software update -> Update but it just says "Failed to update firmware due to network or server problem". I can browse the internet fine so could this be a problem with Three (my telco)? I've heard of some providers blocking OTA.
So next I tried Kies (not Kies 3) under Windows 8. I went to Tools -> Firmware Upgrade and Initialisation but I just get the error 'GT-I9300 does not support initialising'. Fail, fail and fail!
I've yet to run 'Triangle away' and so I have several flash count points listed on the download screen. Could this stop OTA from working? Is there a limit to the number of flashes you can perform before something nasty happens? I presume its just something retailers check before they refund or repair phones.
Something else I noticed while fighting my phone today was that recovery says the CSC code is now KOR. Could that stop OTA working?
Likes me a good idea to run 'Triangle away': I think there is no max. count for flashes, but perhaps counter>0 and status=custom block the update-procedure. So try after unroot both methods again. (CSC-code I down't know.)
Whilst still running I9300XXELL4_I9300OXAELL4_BTU, I rooted it then successfully ran Triangle Away to clear the flash counter before running csc changer to change my CSC to BTU (from KOR). I would've changed it to XEU but that wasn't an option. I checked that worked fine, which it did, and running CSC changer also (conveniently, in my case) un-roots your phone.
After that I tried updating via both Kies and 'About Device' software update but both just gave me the same errors as before so scratch another idea off my very long list then.
Then go to #5
rp158 said:
Then go to #5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
Do you mean Odin flash I9300XXEMB5, which I think is the last release before MG4?
pfmdan said:
?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, too short. Post 5 = repair by Samsung.
So, if I choose to get my phone fixed, has this proven that I will be unable to flash any alternate ROMs on it without losing my network/IMEI/serial again?
Maybe I should've backed up my EFS with philz recovery or dd insteal of ktool, then I might not have ended up in this situation?
Maybe the US/Qualcomm models of the S3 are safe to flash with alternate ROMS whilst the Exynos-based models aren't?
Can anyone recommend a good repair service in the UK if my local repair shops can't help?
Thanks for your suggestions rp158!
pfmdan said:
So, if I choose to get my phone fixed, has this proven that I will be unable to flash any alternate ROMs on it without losing my network/IMEI/serial again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that's unnormal. But read before flashing, what users say (some beta's or nightlies are buggy).
Maybe I should've backed up my EFS with philz recovery or dd insteal of ktool, then I might not have ended up in this situation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably. I suggest Philz, TWRP or by TerminalEmulator.
Can anyone recommend a good repair service in the UK if my local repair shops can't help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Official Samsung repair-service.
I thought Philz was the only recovery that gave you the option of backing up EFS? I didn't think TWR supported EFS backup/restore? CWM doesn't.
TWRP can, of course.
A corrupted efs can also effect the stability and use of wifi as mac address etc is also stored there.
Check if there is a backup of your efs. Some roms make a backup of it also - neatrom for example. Try flashing xxemg4 or later baseband to see if it fixes it because after having the later bb you also have efs v2
FIXED
Thanks to everyone who made suggestions in trying to get my phones connection back. Its working again now. My 0049 IMEI has gone, my real IMEI come back and my serial number has returned so I can make and receive calls again!
The thing that was preventing my connection and leaving me to suffer the dreaded 'Emergency Calls Only' and 'Not registered on network' errors was nothing to do with EFS but because I had an incorrect CSC. I had flashed stock BTU roms instead of H3G, which is what I should've used being on Three. As soon as I flashed a rom with the correct CSC, my IMEI and serial numbers both returned and this allowed the zuluman patched modem / kernel combo to work. I'm now happily running 4.3 whereas I was previously on a rooted stock 4.1.2.
There are literally 100's of threads on the S3 forums here with S3 owners ending up with a generic IMEI and no serial after attempting a 4.3 upgrade and the standard response is nearly always 'your EFS is probably corrupt' or 'your EFS in the wrong format'. That will be the case sometimes but I'd bet that more often than not the EFS is fine (if updated) and users have flashed a CSC for the wrong region for their telephone network.
Key tools in getting this prob fixed that hardly get any mention are the csc changer app (downloadable via Play but requires root and also factory resets/unroots when run) and A.S_id's rescue firmware
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/odinfirmware-sgsiii-i9300-prerooted-t1825272/
I'd recommend I9300 users flash A.S._id's ROM if they can't find a firmware with the correct CSC for their network and/or csc changer doesn't restore their IMEI and serial.
Lets fix these forums by getting this info into the FAQs in both the general and QA stickies because I know it to be missing hence the endless invalid IMEI / no network postings.
I'll be back shortly wth more details and suggested additions to the S3 FAQs / stickies.
Thanks all!
I've ended up running A.S._id's 4.3 deodexed 'stock' ROM w/ Boeffla 5.3 kernel and zuluman's patched XXUGMK6 modem.
When I used zuluman's patched XXUGMK6 kernel, I would experience small but frequent glitches in 3G streamed audio. I don't have this problem with Boeffla 5.3.
I'd also highly recommend stock TW users turn off smart screen to massively increase your battery life very easily.