[Q] Very odd problem related to efs - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Update:
Well, I tried flashing a GB official ROM (I was on CM9) and Odin got stuck on "NAND write start", and any other ROM I try does the same thing. I now only boot into download mode or a screen that says something along the lines of "Firmware update failed, use Kies recovery mode". Is my phone completely screwed? If so what are my repair options given that I'm in the US and I bought the unlocked international version off of Amazon through a reseller (I believe it was originally a French phone) last July?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So yesterday I got the odd 'Encryption Unsuccessful' error (phone only boots into screen saying: Encryption Unsuccessful, you have to reset...) after my phone ran mysteriously low on battery, rebooting, everything crashing, pulling out the battery and rebooting again.
I did a factory reset/data wipe from within CWM, and the phone would boot up normally, but I got no cell service. I checked in settings, and the baseband was listed as 'Unknown' as well as the IMEI. I had a look in the /efs folder and it was empty except for two more empty folders, 'bluetooth' and 'wifi'.
My problem now is that regardless of what I add or remove to /efs, or if I restore it from a backup, it always resets itself after boot to just contain those two empty folders 'bluetooth' and 'wifi', and the baseband and IMEI are still unknown.
Any help would be much appreciated!

AUAnonymous said:
So yesterday I got the odd 'Encryption Unsuccessful' error (phone only boots into screen saying: Encryption Unsuccessful, you have to reset...) after my phone ran mysteriously low on battery, rebooting, everything crashing, pulling out the battery and rebooting again.
I did a factory reset/data wipe from within CWM, and the phone would boot up normally, but I got no cell service. I checked in settings, and the baseband was listed as 'Unknown' as well as the IMEI. I had a look in the /efs folder and it was empty except for two more empty folders, 'bluetooth' and 'wifi'.
My problem now is that regardless of what I add or remove to /efs, or if I restore it from a backup, it always resets itself after boot to just contain those two empty folders 'bluetooth' and 'wifi', and the baseband and IMEI are still unknown.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[GUIDE] Recover your IMEI in 9 steps.
(Found in the General section via a Google search...)

ctomgee said:
[GUIDE] Recover your IMEI in 9 steps.
(Found in the General section via a Google search...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh sorry I should have mentioned I've tried that as well as many other efs recovery tools. I can't follow that guide because step 4 is "go to EFS folder using root explorer, and delete 'nv_data.bin', 'nv_data.bin.md5'", but there are no such files automatically generated like it says. Thanks though.

AUAnonymous said:
Oh sorry I should have mentioned I've tried that as well as many other efs recovery tools. I can't follow that guide because step 4 is "go to EFS folder using root explorer, and delete 'nv_data.bin', 'nv_data.bin.md5'", but there are no such files automatically generated like it says. Thanks though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read the whole thread? Specifically, check out pages 5 & 6.

Well, I tried flashing a GB official ROM (I was on CM9) and Odin got stuck on "NAND write start", and any other ROM I try does the same thing. I now only boot into download mode or a screen that says something along the lines of "Firmware update failed, use Kies recovery mode". Is my phone completely screwed? If so what are my repair options given that I'm in the US and I bought the unlocked international version off of Amazon through a reseller (I believe it was originally a French phone) last July?

AUAnonymous said:
Well, I tried flashing a GB official ROM (I was on CM9) and Odin got stuck on "NAND write start", and any other ROM I try does the same thing. I now only boot into download mode or a screen that says something along the lines of "Firmware update failed, use Kies recovery mode". Is my phone completely screwed? If so what are my repair options given that I'm in the US and I bought the unlocked international version off of Amazon through a reseller (I believe it was originally a French phone) last July?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing you say here convinces me you read what I had to say, and actually read those pages. Because they would have led you to tools you don't mention, that could have helped you.

ctomgee said:
Nothing you say here convinces me you read what I had to say, and actually read those pages. Because they would have led you to tools you don't mention, that could have helped you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me I've tried using GSII_Repair, HC-k Tool, EFS Pro, reformatting 'mmcblk0p1' via adb and via an on the phone terminal emulator and doing a bunch of other stuff, and while I really do appreciate your help (no one else has even suggested anything , and it's understandable that you're probably used to dealing with idiots, 11 year olds and people that barely speak English), it seems like my problem goes deeper than simply the efs folder being messed up somehow (which I think the original "Encryption Unsuccessful" error points to as well). At any rate, the problem now is not being able to flash a ROM using Odin, and the more I try the more I'm thinking that I'm basically screwed. And before you ask, I've gone through a lot of this thread already, as well as tried other random purported solutions, but any suggestions are definitely welcome.

AUAnonymous said:
Trust me I've tried using GSII_Repair, HC-k Tool, EFS Pro, reformatting 'mmcblk0p1' via adb and via an on the phone terminal emulator and doing a bunch of other stuff, and while I really do appreciate your help (no one else has even suggested anything , and it's understandable that you're probably used to dealing with idiots, 11 year olds and people that barely speak English), it seems like my problem goes deeper than simply the efs folder being messed up somehow (which I think the original "Encryption Unsuccessful" error points to as well). At any rate, the problem now is not being able to flash a ROM using Odin, and the more I try the more I'm thinking that I'm basically screwed. And before you ask, I've gone through a lot of this thread already, as well as tried other random purported solutions, but any suggestions are definitely welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, sorry. Unfortunately, for the most part, I do find myself dealing with the group you describe.
Well if you've done the "fix unflashable" thread already... Hmm. I don't know then. When you say you're not able to flash, what do you mean, exactly?

ctomgee said:
Yeah, sorry. Unfortunately, for the most part, I do find myself dealing with the group you describe.
Well if you've done the "fix unflashable" thread already... Hmm. I don't know then. When you say you're not able to flash, what do you mean, exactly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well everything is fine in Odin until it gets to "NAND write start", which it never gets past (I've left it overnight). I've tried different ROMs, repartitioning, a different USB cable and everything else I could think of but I've really given up all hope now .

If it keeps failing at NAND write, NAND is stuffed. Service centre job. JTAG repair won't fix it & a person who normally does JTAGs won't be able to fix it at all unless they're able to swap out the NAND.

Well thanks for the confirmation at least :/ looks like I might be getting the GSIII seeing as I can get it on contract at the discounted price. The only downside being that I'll have to get a limited data plan and that the $700 I spent on this one go down the drain unless I can repair it...

AUAnonymous said:
Well everything is fine in Odin until it gets to "NAND write start", which it never gets past (I've left it overnight). I've tried different ROMs, repartitioning, a different USB cable and everything else I could think of but I've really given up all hope now .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I had a similar problem with not being able to write a kernel, and ending up with the logo and thebn black screen.
The way I fixed it was to use the Recovery Mode to reflash the rom that I had last working. (in my case it was wannamlites stock ICS). After that I was able to then flash back to my previous Gingerbread Custom rom using CWM's restore function.
Q) You didn't happen to use CWM Touch recovery did you?
*** there is a known issue with CWM touch recovery (which is built on an ICS base) and certain emmc (internal sdcard) firmware id
which could result in the flash being corrupted in a way that can't be fixed outside of the factory.
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1648362
By the way, if your phone does boot, can you dial *#1234# and tell me what the H/W is reported as. Mine currently says "unknown"

centuriondan said:
Hi, I had a similar problem with not being able to write a kernel, and ending up with the logo and thebn black screen.
The way I fixed it was to use the Recovery Mode to reflash the rom that I had last working. (in my case it was wannamlites stock ICS). After that I was able to then flash back to my previous Gingerbread Custom rom using CWM's restore function.
Q) You didn't happen to use CWM Touch recovery did you?
*** there is a known issue with CWM touch recovery (which is built on an ICS base) and certain emmc (internal sdcard) firmware id
which could result in the flash being corrupted in a way that can't be fixed outside of the factory.
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1648362
By the way, if your phone does boot, can you dial *#1234# and tell me what the H/W is reported as. Mine currently says "unknown"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice but unfortunately I can't boot into recovery, only download mode., and I wasn't using CWM touch beforehand. It didn't even break when I was flashing a ROM, just when I was using the phone normally. I'm going to be in Europe in a couple weeks and I'll be able to take it in to a repair center where it's still under warranty. All I need to do is to use a USB Jig to reset the counter back to 0 so they'll work on it.

Have you tried Heimdall:
And I'd suggest reinstalling CM9. I found that when I had issues re-installing the kernel that I had to go back to the last working rom (ICS based) b4 I could downgrade.
The fact that you can't get into recovery indicates that either the primary or secondary bootloader is corrupted. Try flashing them again with the CM9 versions. Use the USB jig to get into download mode everytime you do flashing so that if you trash it further the counter is always zero. Also use the original USB cable with no hubs in between the phone and computer, and remove any other usb devices plugged in too.
BTW What was the result of *#1234* HW version?

i've read through all the posts from this topic. mine situation is slightly different.
I"m able to flash to any ROM. I can jump from gingerbread to ICS or vice versa with Odin.
When i type *#06#, it always show "unknown imei" no matter which firmware i'm on.
when i checked in EFS folder, i only have 2 folders : bluetooth and wifi.
I've tried to copy EFS files from people from this forum and paste into the phone's EFS. As soon as i restart the phone, back to 2 folders in its again.
any solution?

aznboix said:
i've read through all the posts from this topic. mine situation is slightly different.
I"m able to flash to any ROM. I can jump from gingerbread to ICS or vice versa with Odin.
When i type *#06#, it always show "unknown imei" no matter which firmware i'm on.
when i checked in EFS folder, i only have 2 folders : bluetooth and wifi.
I've tried to copy EFS files from people from this forum and paste into the phone's EFS. As soon as i restart the phone, back to 2 folders in its again.
any solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17587351, but I see you claim to have tried this already. If it didn't work, you'll need to take it to service.
BTW, the efs folder from another phone won't help you. IMEI is unique to each phone.

i dont have any files in EFS excepte the two folders that i mentioned above. Can't even start the procedures.

Service centre job, or contact Odia via PM & he might be able to recover it for you (for the cost of a case of beer).

Related

S2 IMEI Unkown + No Service PLEASE HELP

Hi all,
I own a galaxy s2. I'm facing a issue which i've been trying to fix for the past couple of weeks. I tried many threads in this forum, but nothing seems to solve the issue.
This is the issue,
I used to flash custom roms on my device. I used many custom roms including cm9 RC1 and when samsung released the lastest 4.0.4 update i just wanted to chek it out. so I downloaded the generic russian (SER) firmware and flashed it using odin.
After flashing it I was stuck @ boot. i was stuck there for more than 10 mins, so I ended up removing the battery. then I went to samsung recovery(Volume Up+Power+Home) and cleared the cache and user data and rebooted the phone it worked fine. At this time I didn't bother to check whether my IMEI was there but everything worked fine.
After couple of days(without rebooting the device in that time) I droped the phone. battery came off, when I turned on the device again, prohibited mark like thing came in the status bar and there was no service, when I checked the IMEI it was not there.
At this moment I was not sure whether the drop caused the issue or the flashing caused it. I later realized IMEI issue comes because of EFS but sadly I didnt back it up. After diggin for few days I found when flashing one of the custom roms, efs was backed up automatically, I tried restoring it, but it didnt help (Maybe the backup was corrupted )
I followed various threads in this forum but nothing helped me.
Please help me get the IMEI back, I really miss my device :crying:
Shasinda said:
Hi all,
I own a galaxy s2. I'm facing a issue which i've been trying to fix for the past couple of weeks. I tried many threads in this forum, but nothing seems to solve the issue.
This is the issue,
I used to flash custom roms on my device. I used many custom roms including cm9 RC1 and when samsung released the lastest 4.0.4 update i just wanted to chek it out. so I downloaded the generic russian (SER) firmware and flashed it using odin.
After flashing it I was stuck @ boot. i was stuck there for more than 10 mins, so I ended up removing the battery. then I went to samsung recovery(Volume Up+Power+Home) and cleared the cache and user data and rebooted the phone it worked fine. At this time I didn't bother to check whether my IMEI was there but everything worked fine.
After couple of days(without rebooting the device in that time) I droped the phone. battery came off, when I turned on the device again, prohibited mark like thing came in the status bar and there was no service, when I checked the IMEI it was not there.
At this moment I was not sure whether the drop caused the issue or the flashing caused it. I later realized IMEI issue comes because of EFS but sadly I didnt back it up. After diggin for few days I found when flashing one of the custom roms, efs was backed up automatically, I tried restoring it, but it didnt help (Maybe the backup was corrupted )
I followed various threads in this forum but nothing helped me.
Please help me get the IMEI back, I really miss my device :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi there
you said that you have the backup of your EFS Folder, what you need to do is follow the steps in this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1264021
its recover your imei in nine steps
my imei was lost as well and i recovered my imei following those stesp, its a great guide if you already have the backup of your EFS Folder
cheers
fr3nlysmil3 said:
hi there
you said that you have the backup of your EFS Folder, what you need to do is follow the steps in this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1264021
its recover your imei in nine steps
my imei was lost as well and i recovered my imei following those stesp, its a great guide if you already have the backup of your EFS Folder
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this also, but it didnt solve my issue :crying:
...
I once had a similar problem.
My imei went lost because of a rom upgrade and I DIDN'T have a backup..
I solved the problem by flashing a stock rom (any samsung stock rom will do) with ODIN.
I am not sure what happened, but it looked like that the nv_data folder was "re-generated" and I got my IMEI back.
Now I have a copy of the folder in every storage media around my house
MistahBungle said:
If you have a backup, then you should be able to recover it. There are tons of threads on here with instructions on how to restore an EFS backup. Search (if you want it fixed, that is. If you don't want it fixed, keep posting to this thread in the hope someone spoonfeeds you. Might be waiting a while tho).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried almost every thread here in xda about restoring, tried GSII_repair, kTool to restore it but none of them recovered the IMEI. I did not made a backup of efs but when I installed the Hydra H2O ICS Rom for GS2 it made the backup i guess, because a file called "efs-backup.tar.gz" was in a folder called .hydra inside the sd card.
does the drop of the device has anything to do with the erased IMEI?
robdpi said:
I once had a similar problem.
My imei went lost because of a rom upgrade and I DIDN'T have a backup..
I solved the problem by flashing a stock rom (any samsung stock rom will do) with ODIN.
I am not sure what happened, but it looked like that the nv_data folder was "re-generated" and I got my IMEI back.
Now I have a copy of the folder in every storage media around my house
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have installed stock roms from samsung using Odin, but then I discovered that efs folder get unmounted everytime I install the stock rom, phone just starts after flashing without android setup wizard, also when I long press power button, menu wont appear, device just shut down, after I restore the efs from the backup i have, and mount the efs using the CWM recovery would bring back the power button long press menu. everything else working except for Mobile Networks. and imei/baseband shows unknown
Drop Caused this problem
Hi all,
Thank you for replying on this thread and helped me figured out my problem, I have contacted Odia and he thinks that dropping the phone damaged the baseband chip inside the main board, not a flashing of the roms or efs folder issue. i have only 2 options either replace the whole board paying LKR 35,000 (New s2 costs only LKR 65,000) or use it as a MP3 player :crying:

Need original IMEI help

Hello everyone,
I'll admit, I flashed a CWM touch recovery to my phone believing it was meant for it, turns out after CWM flashed it that it read something about Nexus 7 touch recovery successfully installed. I was like "NO!" Since then I had to restore my /efs directory from scratch. Only I still have one problem. I have a generic IMEI and AT&T suspended my service. I called them to restore it, giving them my real IMEI from behind the battery. Service came back on immediately after they confirmed it on their end however my phone still shows an incorrect-generic IMEI. How do I get my real IMEI programmed back onto my phone again? All help is appreciated. I'm currently running a CWM/SU injected stock ICS ROM.
juvezavala said:
Hello everyone,
I'll admit, I flashed a CWM touch recovery to my phone believing it was meant for it, turns out after CWM flashed it that it read something about Nexus 7 touch recovery successfully installed. I was like "NO!" Since then I had to restore my /efs directory from scratch. Only I still have one problem. I have a generic IMEI and AT&T suspended my service. I called them to restore it, giving them my real IMEI from behind the battery. Service came back on immediately after they confirmed it on their end however my phone still shows an incorrect-generic IMEI. How do I get my real IMEI programmed back onto my phone again? All help is appreciated. I'm currently running a CWM/SU injected stock ICS ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are stock ics i'd just odin back to stock ukk6 or whatever it was (gingerbread). Just for a fresh start and see if that helps...other than that i have no idea.
Update
I've done enough searching to understand somewhat that this relies on the nv_data.bin file that is located inside of the /efs directory. I've gone in to look at the file through hex editor and have managed to change the model number back to my correct one (SGH-I777, it was showing SGH-I897Z or something before). My best guess is that the data in this file is either showing the incorrect IMEI but I just can't figure out which hex line it is so that I can go in and change it. If anyone beats me to the punch please let me know! Hope this helps someone else out too!
Going back to stock may help. I guess all you can do is attempt to restore your /efs again. I was in a similar situation (generic imei due to an unlock tool) and ended up having to get warranty repair. I had several /efs backups and attempted to restore it using numerous methods: all to no avail.
It appears that your options are as follows.
1. Keep attempting to restore/repair /efs (tons of threads around on it) using multiple tools. The key lies in the nvdata.bin file.
2. Samsung Warranty Repair
3. Mobile Tech Videos repair
4. AT&T insurance replacement may be an option?
Just a few questions then...
1. Will flashing to stock 2.3.4 2.3.6 overwrite the /efs directory to where it goes back to stock too?
2. Is there any harm in leaving the generic IMEI in place?
I think I'll close this thread after this.
Thanks!
juvezavala said:
1. Will flashing to stock 2.3.4 2.3.6 overwrite the /efs directory to where it goes back to stock too?
2. Is there any harm in leaving the generic IMEI in place?
I think I'll close this thread after this.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. It might work; didn't for me. I've seen it suggested numerous times around /efs threads.
2. Not really. Carrier-wise? Yes. Once AT&T blocks it, there's no way around keeping it in place; you won't be able to use it. I've also seen people report that PC market installs were wonky or occurred randomly from other origins (as a result of having the same imei as other devices).
have u tried this guide yet? as long as u have the original shipped EFS folder this should work. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1264021
also try this EFS PRO tool, kinda old http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1308546
good luck!

[Q] Galaxy SIII Stuck In Airplane Mode - Please Help, This Is Driving Me Nuts

Hey everyone. The other day, I was installing a custom ROM and was also trying to unlock my Galaxy SIII. After both, Airplane mode somehow locked on... I did a factory reset - didn't help. I also reinstalled the stock image - didn't help. I tried several tar recovery files - didn't work or help. I tried everything! I can disable airplane mode in settings but my device simply displays a circle with a cross through it instead of the signal meter in the notification bar. It also doesn't detect SIM cards now... I don't know what is wrong. Help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!
Thanks for your answers in advance!
My first thought is the Unlock process stuffed things for you. What did you try for the Unlock? Did you get it right? I've never had a locked phone so I don't know the process but try asking around on threads where they talk about unlocking phones.
What ROM did you try? Can you still get into the phone for menus etc?
And the biggie - did you try Restoring your Nandroid backup? (you DID do a Nandroid at some point, didn't you? )
If you've only done a factory reset from the phone I'd try getting MegaWipe and flash it in Recovery. Then try a ROM you know to be working for others.
Another thing to look at might be your Modem - I use Purelook HD ROM - one of the updates had a modem that screwed with my wifi and phone connection so I flashed the previous one that had worked well and all was right again.
You might also need to try a megawipe and then flash a stock ROM via Odin - get the phone back to a working state and then start ROM'ing again.
Yeah, I can get into menus alright. The MegaWipe didn't seem to work though Or the Purelook HD ROM. I've flashed the stock ROM about 100 times, restored Nandroid and did a full stock restore however nothing worked. Thanks anyway!!!
Do you have an EFS backup?
Is your modem correct? if not, restore your EFS backup
Another thing, dial *#06# on your phone and look at your IMEI. Do you see a bunch of zeros?
xpmode said:
Another thing, dial *#06# on your phone and look at your IMEI. Do you see a bunch of zeros?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I dial *#06#, a box pops up and simple says "IMEI". There is no actual IMEI number displayed... That must be bad..??
astronomynerd said:
When I dial *#06#, a box pops up and simple says "IMEI". There is no actual IMEI number displayed... That must be bad..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it says EMEI: null / null
astronomynerd said:
Yep, it says EMEI: null / null
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your EFS is corrupted. If you have a backup please restore it. If not Flash a fresh stock ROM and start over.
If I'm right, you turned your phone to a Wi-Fi tablet. There is not a real at-home solution other than searching your whole computer and your phone's internal memory and all SD cards you used on your phone for files that have "efs" in their names and hope you find some kind of EFS backup you took before. (About that, can you post a list of the ROMs you installed before? I know Sotmax takes[or used to take, don't know the new versions] automatic EFS backups, maybe other Samsung ROMs do too)
If you can't find any, you should contact with your carrier and ask if they can repair it. It won't be covered by warranty, and you would probably be asked to bring evidence(receipt and such) to prove the phone is not stolen.
Make sure you tell them the whole story, and don't try to cover up the fact that you rooted your phone, or you may end up being questioned by the police.
If they accept, they will restore your IMEI using advanced debugging hardware and software. If they reject, then you may want to start looking for a new phone.
(Procedures may vary)
actually, it will be covered by warranty if you restore it to complete stock
They may still look at the binary counter and tell Odin has been used.
Other than that, lying in such conditions may result in big trouble, so if they ask if you have rooted your device, you should say yes. Not worth risking much bigger trouble for a paid repair.
There is triangle away.
Triangle away+flash stock rom = full stock no binary counter.
Why do you say there might be problems with the police? Since the gs2 there have been lots of cases of lost/corrupted efs without doing anything. Are all those people in jail?
If there's proof of ownership, then there's nothing to it. I really don't know how much is the standard rate for lost/corruped efs fixing outside of warranty, if it involves motherboard replacing, its gonna be as expensive as a new phone.
I'm talking from looking at my country's regulations, so they might be different in other countries. Hence the "procedures may vary" in my reply.

[Q] Phone stuck on boot screen, wrong stock ROM?

I'm in a bit of a tight situation over here. My mom's phone was having issues, so she wanted me to fix it before I left to visit my grandparents. I found a stock ROM for the phone (GT-i9100 International) and flashed it, but the phone always got stuck on the "Samsung Galaxy SII GT-I9100" boot screen (occasionally it would show the "O2" screen, as it was a ROM for Ireland). I tried a different ROM (can't remember what country it was), and I'm still stuck with the same problem. This time no O2 screen though. I've downloaded my ROMs through sammobile.com and I'm using ODIN v1.83.
The label under the battery reads:
Model: GT-I9100
SSN: -I9100GSMH
What ROM should I use and where can I get it? I found this thread with a link to the ROM for the international version, but Hotfile has been shut down, so I can't download it.
Sorry if I could've found the answer with a few more hours of searching, but I've got less than 24 hours to find a fix and I was hoping that someone else could help me. Thanks a lot!
EDIT: I'm in the U.S., if that matters.
Try AndroidFirmwares.net or Samsung-Updates.com. If it were me in that situation (I.E not my phone), I'd be putting whatever the latest firmware is for the carrier/country.
Any region?
MistahBungle said:
Try AndroidFirmwares.net or Samsung-Updates.com. If it were me in that situation (I.E not my phone), I'd be putting whatever the latest firmware is for the carrier/country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should any region work to get the phone up and running? I just need to get it back up so that I can root it and flash CM10. Thanks.
Yep absolutely. If your end result is to root the phone & put a custom rom on, use any stock rom you can get your hands on. Though I'd be avoiding 4.0.4, anything other than that should be fine.
MistahBungle said:
Yep absolutely. If your end result is to root the phone & put a custom rom on, use any stock rom you can get your hands on. Though I'd be avoiding 4.0.4, anything other than that should be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is 4.1.2 OK, or should I go for 4.0.3 or below?
Doesn't matter, take your pick.
More info on problem
I tried installing two other ROMs (from androidfirmwares.net), one 4.1.2 and one 2.3.6. The 4.1.2 didn't get me anywhere, but after I flashed 2.3.6 the phone said the assert check failed. GT-i9100 is on the list of what it checked for. (I've never had any luck with the assert checks on any of my Samsung phones: GS Captivate, GSII Skyrocket, or AT&T GSIII. I've always had to remove the check in my update script.) I attached a picture.
EDIT: Since the attachment doesn't seem to be working, here's a Dropbox link.
Pic won't load for me, but it mentions 'recovery error', what exactly are you doing/what's the problem ?
MistahBungle said:
Pic won't load for me, but it mentions 'recovery error', what exactly are you doing/what's the problem ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My process:
Open ODIN v3.09
Plug in the phone, already in download mode.
Click the AP button and load my .tar.md5.
Click Start.
Wait for it to finish, leaving the phone untouched on the table.
I just tried another USB cable, but to no avail. I've also tried unplugging the phone right after it reboots and ODIN says "PASS!", but no luck there either. I just tried another ROM that just finished downloading and it's giving me a similar getprop() error. At the bottom of the output in red it says:
E:Error in /cache/recovery/sec_csc.zip
(Status 7)
Installation aborted.
I don't think there's any way for me to edit the update script, as the tar contains a bunch of filesystem images. Even if it was easy to edit it would ruin the checksum verification.
Check out the picture on Dropbox here.
What are you trying to do in Android recovery ? Given what your stated aim is - get a stock rom on the phone, re-root it, put custom rom on, you shouldn't be using Android (I.E stock) recovery at any stage.
The process should be:-
*Flash stock rom with Odin in download mode (I.E phone off - home/vol down/power, not home/vol up/power)
*Root phone with whatever method
*Flash custom rom with CWRecovery, which you'll get once you root the phone
So....You need to go step by step. Start with flashing the stock rom with Odin, and try to boot the phone normally/make sure that was successful before doing the next two steps. Look for Hopper8's 'Odin troubleshooting' guide if you're having trouble getting a successful Odin flash.
Once you've done that, root the phone & make sure you have CWRecovery working, then flash the custom rom.
The phone boots to the recovery screen after it finishes flashing with ODIN. I put it into download mode, run ODIN, and then it that error screen comes up on the next reboot.
Try flashing the three part firmware linked to in Hopper's thread first (this will wipe the phone). I can't help but think we're missing some info re: what's been done to the phone previously here if the phone is booting into recovery mode after being Odin flashed. It shouldn't do that. After an Odin flash/pass the phone should boot normally, assuming it's not a case of the NAND being corrupted (it probably wouldn't boot into recovery if that was the case/you'd be left with constant bootloop)
I know you've mentioned what's on the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery but are you absolutely 100% sure it's an I9100 ?
MistahBungle said:
I know you've mentioned what's on the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery but are you absolutely 100% sure it's an I9100 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the top of the download mode screen it says "PRODUCT NAME: GT-i9100". I don't know any other way to tell besides this and the sticker on the back. There are no carrier markings anywhere, and this phone was purchased because it had an FM radio, which only the international version had.
And assuming by "Hopper's thread" you mean this one, I can't because the files are no longer available.
In that case, you're stuck with the other suggestions to try in his thread & continuing to flash stock roms until you get a properly successful flash I.E phone boots/works normally. There might be something really obvious here being missed, but because we're not there with you/don't have the phone in front of us it might be difficult to work out.
It's working!
Yay, I got it to work! I flashed a custom kernel (jeboo), which allowed me to get into CWM. From there I sideloaded CM10 and now it's up and running! Only I still have a problem with internal storage... (That was the problem I was trying to fix originally.) Would the next thing to try to fix that be flashing a PIT file? If so, any tips for doing that?
I'm going to put off trying to fix that problem and do it when I get back. For now it works as a phone, and that's what's most important to her anyway. Thanks for your help MistahBungle.
Solved!
For anyone else who comes across this thread, I was able to solve my problem permanently by flashing a new PIT file. I found the correct PIT files for the GT-i9100 in this XDA thread. It seemed my partitions had become messed up long ago, as the phone had been showing a 2GB /data partition and only a 2GB internal SD card partition (which should've been closer to 12GB) for some time.
I choose a 4GB data partition (since I was running low on /data space last time). Oddly enough, booting the stock ROM after flashing the PIT only showed a 2GB data partition. Once I flashed CM10 it showed as 4GB though.

[Q] Help with formated EFS partition

Hey, messed up my phone and could really use some help:
I own a Galaxy Note (GT-N7000). Suddenly the IMEI went null/null and baseband unknown. Tried many things to recover from this but nothing seemed to work. I left the phone with the latest stock rom (Jellybean 4.1.2)
I then installed EFS Professional (rooting the phone first and installing BusyBox) and could connect to the phone with EFS Pro. I tried doing baseband and IEMI repair, and though the log showed it had successfully restores from .bak files in /efs partition, IMEI and baseband were still null.
So then I totally screwed it, hitting the "format EFS partition" by mistake (it was 3am by then) and didn't make a backup first. The phone wouldn't boot, so I flashed the latest stock rom again and now it continually loops when showing the Samsung logo when I turn it on. I can turn it on in download mode and recovery mode. When on recovery mode, it says /efs partition not found so I guess that makes sense.
The question here would be: is there any way I can fix it without sending it to service? Some options that sound possible:
- Flash the phone with some other custom ROM that would repartition the whole phone, thus creating an /efs partition again
- Use some nice software to recover the /efs partition
I'm sure that if a service can fix it, there should be a way I could do it as well.
I know my IMEI number (it's in the sticker on the back of the phone) so there should be a way to restore it into de efs partition, right?
Thank you all and forgive me if I've made some noob comment on this post...just doing my best
javigoile said:
Hey, messed up my phone and could really use some help:
I own a Galaxy Note (GT-N7000). Suddenly the IMEI went null/null and baseband unknown. Tried many things to recover from this but nothing seemed to work. I left the phone with the latest stock rom (Jellybean 4.1.2)
I then installed EFS Professional (rooting the phone first and installing BusyBox) and could connect to the phone with EFS Pro. I tried doing baseband and IEMI repair, and though the log showed it had successfully restores from .bak files in /efs partition, IMEI and baseband were still null.
So then I totally screwed it, hitting the "format EFS partition" by mistake (it was 3am by then) and didn't make a backup first. The phone wouldn't boot, so I flashed the latest stock rom again and now it continually loops when showing the Samsung logo when I turn it on. I can turn it on in download mode and recovery mode. When on recovery mode, it says /efs partition not found so I guess that makes sense.
The question here would be: is there any way I can fix it without sending it to service? Some options that sound possible:
- Flash the phone with some other custom ROM that would repartition the whole phone, thus creating an /efs partition again
- Use some nice software to recover the /efs partition
I'm sure that if a service can fix it, there should be a way I could do it as well.
I know my IMEI number (it's in the sticker on the back of the phone) so there should be a way to restore it into de efs partition, right?
Thank you all and forgive me if I've made some noob comment on this post...just doing my best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
something like a stock odin flash would fix it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261598 as long as it flashes a pit file
then once that works, see if efs pro will let you manually set the imei.
if not, then make sure you are stock, and make sure you use triangle away or something and then send it in.
Lgrootnoob said:
something like a stock odin flash would fix it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261598 as long as it flashes a pit file
then once that works, see if efs pro will let you manually set the imei.
if not, then make sure you are stock, and make sure you use triangle away or something and then send it in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help! I'm downloading the AT&T stock rom from the thread you provided and will let you know how it works after flashing it
javigoile said:
Thanks for the help! I'm downloading the AT&T stock rom from the thread you provided and will let you know how it works after flashing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoaaaa You should STOP ASAP! You can't flash the AT&T firmware via Odin since you have the international version.
es0tericcha0s said:
Whoaaaa You should STOP ASAP! You can't flash the AT&T firmware via Odin since you have the international version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm from Argentina, this phone is from Movistar carrier. Right now I have the latest stock rom from Movistar flashed, but the rom available does not have any PIT file, so I can't get my efs partition restored and the phone does not boot in normal mode (only download and recovery mode).
As far as I can remember, any phone that works with AT&T in the US works just fine in Argentina with Movistar. I've brought some iPhones from AT&T (not unlocked) and they worked without a problem.
I believe that I have the international version, but what could happen if I flashed the AT&T stock rom?
Thanks!
javigoile said:
I'm from Argentina, this phone is from Movistar carrier. Right now I have the latest stock rom from Movistar flashed, but the rom available does not have any PIT file, so I can't get my efs partition restored and the phone does not boot in normal mode (only download and recovery mode).
As far as I can remember, any phone that works with AT&T in the US works just fine in Argentina with Movistar. I've brought some iPhones from AT&T (not unlocked) and they worked without a problem.
I believe that I have the international version, but what could happen if I flashed the AT&T stock rom?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's either going to fail at trying to install the modem and do nothing, or it'll make it worse. In no way is it going to help anything.
You should be able to find your firmware here:
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/
Thanks. I had already downloaded the Movistar stock rom from Sammobile and this time I tried flashing it (using Odin) together with the PIT file and though it said something in the result log about using pit file for mapping, result was the same...still stuck with a bad efs partition that makes the booting loop again and again...
Any thoughts? How can I fix my efs partition? Any help is much appreciated.
Not sure there would be much more to do on your own without the official backup without special tools like SPT, Octopus Box, SRS, etc, but those cost more than the phone, so would have to find a shop that has the equipment and is also competent at using them. Many of the major software tools have repos with files like you need and the correct way to load them. I'd love to have one for my shop, but requests to fix stuff like this don't come often enough to justify the expense when there are more pressing matters...
On another forum they were saying that you can use the efs backup from another clean phone because it does not actually contain the IMEI, so if you could find one of those... I tried to download a couple for you yesterday to test but they either failed to open correctly or didn't pass the md5 validity check in Odin, which is why I didn't repost.
I didnt mean flash the rom I linked. That was an example. sorry guys.
Lgrootnoob said:
I didnt mean flash the rom I linked. That was an example. sorry guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Desperate times call for desperate measures
I'm still working on restoring the /efs partition, even with a null IMEI, at least to be able to use the phone with wi-fi for other purposes (if I can't find someone to flash a good efs.img and restore the IMEI completely).
Right now it's still a brick. Will post update soon.
Thank you all!
javigoile said:
Desperate times call for desperate measures
I'm still working on restoring the /efs partition, even with a null IMEI, at least to be able to use the phone with wi-fi for other purposes (if I can't find someone to flash a good efs.img and restore the IMEI completely).
Right now it's still a brick. Will post update soon.
Thank you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found some links.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1724415
http://www.sammobile.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13564
http://imadn2008.blogspot.com/2013/01/fix-boot-loop-for-samsung-galaxy-note.html

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