Hi,
I have a Samsung Captivate that I am trying to unlock. Its out of contract with AT&T and so I called them to get the unlock code. They provided the unlock code. I have a non-AT&T sim card from an overseas trip few years back. I insert this sim card and restart the phone and it asks me to enter the unlock code but am unable to unlock with this code - keep getting "unlock request unsuccessful".
I also got the unlock code for my wife's Captivate from AT&T. Using the same non-AT&T sim card in her phone, when I entered the unlock code provided, I was able to unlock her phone successfully.
Additional info if it helps:
1. My phone is running the official Gingerbread from Samsung whereas my wife's phone is running the original Eclair (with the one OTA update that was initially provided by AT&T).
2. I had rooted both phones when both were running Eclair. However, I lost root access on my phone when upgraded to Gingerbread whereas her phone still has root access. I have not rooted my phone since upgrading to Gingerbread.
3. When I had rooted both phones on Eclair, I had come across a method to inspect the efs/nv_data.bin file manually on this forum to get the unlock code:
Code:
su
busybox grep -E "^[0-9]{8}$" /efs/nv_data.bin
The unlock codes retrieved with above method for both phones are the same as those provided by AT&T recently.
Question is why I am unable to unlock my phone whereas we didnt have any problems unlocking my wife's phone. Would upgrading to the official Gingerbread ROM (non-rooted) from Samsung have anything to do with it?
I had read somewhere that Samsung had encrypted something (bootloader?) with the Gingerbread update for the Captivate that prevented it from being rooted the same way that the Captivate could be rooted with Eclair. Could this be related to why I am unable to unlock my device?
Another thought is whether I would need a different unlock code that works with Gingerbread? I am thinking this is unlikely as my undertanding is that the unlock code is determined by the IMEI number and not the ROM?
Anyway, would appreciate any help/feedback on what I can do to unlock my phone.
Thanks,
-Topper
P.S. Since I tried multiple times to unlock the device unsuccessfully (by entering non-AT&T sim, trying with #7465625*638* code, etc), it shows that I only have one try left to try and unlock the phone.
There are many threads where they describe how to unlock Captivate using manual method i.e. hex editing nv_data.bin file in /efs folder of your phone.
You have to root your phone first if not done so already. Also back up your efs folder on your sdcard and/or your PC. This is a very important step. If you mess up your efs in future(for any reason like while flashing a rom or whatever), you can always restore this folder from your back up. Also back up another copy after you're successful with unlocking that way you can go back to original efs or the unlocked one.
You may use the instructions in this thread to unlock it even though it's for SGS III:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1718665
uhm said:
There are many threads where they describe how to unlock Captivate using manual method i.e. hex editing nv_data.bin file in /efs folder of your phone.
You have to root your phone first if not done so already. Also back up your efs folder on your sdcard and/or your PC. This is a very important step. If you mess up your efs in future(for any reason like while flashing a rom or whatever), you can always restore this folder from your back up. Also back up another copy after you're successful with unlocking that way you can go back to original efs or the unlocked one.
You may use the instructions in this thread to unlock it even though it's for SGS III:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1718665
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I had subscribed to the original thread here but had forgotten all about it. Rooted my phone (still gingerbread) per another thread, unlocked manually as per above thread & confirmed by putting T-Mobile Sim card that both phones work as expected. Glad to see the manual process above still works on sgs iii - so maybe it will work on the exhilarate too.
Related
Hi all.
My wife has an Orange branded Samsung Galaxy-S and she was complaining about the lag she was having. After applying the One Click Lag Fix she wasn't too satisfied so I decided to look into updating it to one of the Beta Froyo ROM's and found the following guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=769400 (I now know this isn't the latest version of 2.2 for the Galaxy-S and that the guide is old!)
I first attempted to do so via KIES which left me in a Force close loop of Touchwiz and other apps so I then flashed via ODIN which was successful except my wife's Galaxy wasn't accepting her Orange sim as the simlock had changed.
I then looked into my efs folder to find that my nv_data.bin and the backup were recent (I assume this is because of the two flashes, KIES and ODIN) and my original data.bin is lost.
The only thing holding me back now is the unlock code (it was unlocked before) and for some reason I can't generate an unlock code as it is now.
When I replace the older nv_data with the newer one the phone reboots but with a generic IMEI but no simlock. When I use the older one, the phone has the correct IMEI but the sim lock is present.
Is there any way around this at all? Would a paid IMEI unlock code be possible to get around the sim lock? I'm not sure if such a thing even exists.
Any and all help appreciated.
More info:
http://www.chazclout.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/files.png <--File backup
http://www.chazclout.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010-09-22-04.53.17.jpg <-- Version flashed
http://www.chazclout.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010-09-22-04.54.03-Copy.jpg <-- Status
http://www.chazclout.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010-09-22-04.55.33.jpg <--Unlock screen (Boo!)
Apologies if this is too similar to this thread. That does sound like the same issue as I am having.
More info: According to SGS Toolbox, my current nv_data.bin has a product code I9000HKDORA which I believe is the correct one for an Orange branded handset. Does this mean this could be my original nv_data.bin?
Did you try this? (FAQ: nummber 7)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=769400
gnusmass said:
Did you try this? (FAQ: nummber 7)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=769400
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did try that first of all and that's when I lost my IMEI number.
I've now turned on my wifes Galaxy with my Orange sim in it and it seems to be recieving texts. MY sim works fine in my old SonyEricsson phone (calls and SMS) but the Galaxy won't do anything as it keeps asking for an unlock code.
Thanks for the reply!
Recently got a G1 off a friend as tempory fix until my replacement X10 arrives.
Phone is currently locked to T-Mobile and I don't have an active T-Mobile sim card.
I've been following the guides on rooting it but I've ground to a halt.
I've flashed the ROM back to the earlier T-Mobile ROM (i.e. before the exploit was patched) as per the guide, but now, because the sim card in the phone isn't active, I can't log in to my google account to get onto the actual handset.
Any possible work around for thid?
Before I flashed it, the ROM that was originally on it allowed me to skip this login step and connect via my Wi-Fi.
I hope you do know, unlocking and rooting are two different things.
Yes.. hence I listed flashing, rooting and sim unlocking as 3 seperate proceedures.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=452316 should help you
Although if you sim-unlock it (since you're not a T-mobile customer you would have to buy a code from numerous ebay/craigslist sellers) you could just use your simcard to go through activation (look in the big APN thread for your settings)
That thread is big help, thanks!
Still stuck though, I've got DroidExplorer and all the other software needed installed, however I need to get USB debugging enabled on the phone.
I cannot do this without gaining access to the phone itself.
Going round in circles here!
No one?
I have a newer I9000M on JH2 from November and I haven't yet found a way to unlock it that works. Every single strategy I've found on this forum is a dead end. While my handset from September unlocked easily, every newer version I've had cannot be unlocked.
I've upgraded to JK4, downgraded to JH2, tried JPO, gone back to JH2, but nothing works.
It is my belief that everyone with a newer Bell handset is also finding it impossible to unlock. So rather than have us all waste time trying to find a solution that doesn't exist. Let's just admit it:
It doesn't exist.
Right or wrong?
UPDATE:
There is a solution (thanks to the ingenious Happy Hunter) but its not easy and not for noobs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...postcount=1202. You can't unlock the I9000M to use on any provider, but you can "change" the lock from Bell to your provider.
It failed for me numerous times until I rebooted my computer and followed the directions literally step-by-step. If you deviate slightly from his method (i.e. use z4root instead of SuperOneClick, or type the wrong text), you will fail.
Still waiting for a universal unlock or automated solution, but am satisfied with this for the time being!
montrealguy said:
I have a newer I9000M on JH2 from November and I haven't yet found a way to unlock it that works. Every single strategy I've found on this forum is a dead end. While my handset from September unlocked easily, every newer version I've had cannot be unlocked.
I've upgraded to JK4, downgraded to JH2, tried JPO, gone back to JH2, but nothing works.
It is my belief that everyone with a newer Bell handset is also finding it impossible to unlock. So rather than have us all waste time trying to find a solution that doesn't exist. Let's just admit it:
It doesn't exist.
Right or wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got a new motherboard after it got back from repaired can back w firmware JK4, and there is no way you can unlock it, the only way to do it is use hex editor and edit the nv_data.bin file to locked to a network your sim card is on, thats the only solution right now.
Try this...
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/4999-howto-sim-unlock-your-vibrant-galaxy-s/
SGS unlock in market place. Worked for me Just use it, get your key, restart phone with another sim, enter it
windraker said:
SGS unlock in market place. Worked for me Just use it, get your key, restart phone with another sim, enter it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must have an older Bell SGS. The app doesn't work for phones with a newer manufacturing date.
I noticed after I relocked mine that's I couldn't unlock it again. One of the threads noted you can use the unlock code to lock to a different network as needed.
UPDATE:
There is a solution (thanks to Happy Hunter) but its not easy and not for noobs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9810558&postcount=1202. You can't unlock the I9000M to use on any provider, but you can "change" the lock from Bell to your provider.
It failed for me numerous times until I rebooted my computer and followed the directions literally step-by-step. If you deviate slightly from his method, you will fail.
Still waiting for a universal unlock, but am satisfied with this for the time being!
Yeah, I just got my phone back last night after being repaired - I tried to use the app (for some reason my Bell prepaid with $0 on it was able to access data for free), I got the unlock code, but it said something along the lines of "Network authentication error" when I tried to do it.
dawen said:
i got a new motherboard after it got back from repaired can back w firmware JK4, and there is no way you can unlock it, the only way to do it is use hex editor and edit the nv_data.bin file to locked to a network your sim card is on, thats the only solution right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anymore info on this procedure?
Edit: You don't have to use a hex editor, but it seems re-locking your phone to another network is the only way.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761045
I did the "no-sim" method and it worked enough that I'm back on rogers.
I used helrose galaxy s unlock my captivate. Everything is working fine, Im using t-mobile.
I never ented the code, the program I guess altered the files system to make the phone think it was unlocked......I think
I deleted the ESF folder by accident and I would like to know , would I ever be prompted to enter an unlock code again, and if so I dont think I will be able to get it because I no longer have the original esf folder. You get it? IF I ran the galaxy s unlock again it wouldnt find the code
Is this how it works?
I was on 2.2 when I unlocked and I flashed to stock and it didnt prompt me for an unlock code and the unlock remained. Flashed back to 2.2 and flash is still their
It's permanent.
Hi All,
I've trawled through this forum for quite a while and haven't yet found any answers or similar cases to the issue I'm currently having. Here's a summary of where I am at the moment with my i9305 LTE:
- Got a i9305 locked to EE.
- When EE quoted £20+ and 10-20 days for unlock I started looking at altenatives.
- For one of the alternatives, I flashed to get root and I believe I lost my IMEI. I didn't have an efs backup and was unable to restore via stock flashing.
- Luckily, I had a screenshot of my settings so I re-wrote my IMEI using QPST.
- Decided to go for the legit unlock this time so called EE and paid for the unlock code.
- Pre-root, when I put in my unsupported SIM I would get a prompt for an unlock code, but that doesn't have anymore. While waiting for the EE code, I found that when I inserted the unsupported SIM, I would sometimes be able to connect in very specific locations (e.g. certain places outside the house). Wi-Fi works perfectly.
- When the unlock code came, I attempted to enter it by getting to the prompt using "#7465625*638*#". Although, when I enter the code here, it does not accept it (I have an unlock and an unfreeze code, neither work).
- I have trialed the SIM in various other phones and have had no problems with signal at all, the problems arise when I place the SIM in the i9305.
- I have tried changing the modem, so far no luck...
No idea how to go about fixing this... At the moment I can't use it as a phone.
Here is some more info:
Samsung GT-I9305
Nameless Rom 5.0.2
Baseband: I9305XXBLL3
Android Version: 5.0.2
- Should I keep trying different Modems?
- I've tried to verify whether phone is locked or unlocked, but *#7465625# doesn't work, do you know any other ways that I can diagnose sim lock status?
- Will different ROMs or kernels help?
Thanks for any help!
-- UPDATE --
Have flashed back to stock 4.1.1.
I attempted to sim unlock via the *#197328640# approach, but wasn't able to get it to work...
My current next hope is to try and restore my i9305 to the point where it asks for a code to unlock upon entering a new SIM again... Would really appreciate any help, Thanks!
I've still not been able to fix, but will update when I do in case it helps anyone else :good: