[Q] EFS backup or nvrestore? - AT&T Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Are there any verified ways of backing up our EFS? I couldn't see a confirmation over on the thread from the other forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2447342
Or even a safe way of nvbackup would be great. :good:

Related

Necessity of saving /efs

On to my next dumb question.
I found this thread while searching for "efs captivate"
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872455
If I'm not interested in unlocking my phone, do I need to save /EFS prior to flashing custom ROM, and if so is there now an easier way of saving this folder?
Thanks in advance
adb pull /efs /anydirectoryyouwant
It's as easy as that.
I highly recommend making a backup of your EFS folder. My IMEI and nv_data.bin got corrupted totally randomly. I didn't install any unlocking tools or anything of the sort and it still happened to me. Luckily, there were backups already in my EFS folder because I didn't have any.

[Q] URGENT! IMEI screwed, need help to restore!

Hey, I got some problems. Posted in another forum, but it's very urgent so I post it here to. Just quoting what I previously posted.
Hey, flashed the JVS modem on top of the Chameleon Final. Didn't get any signal and the baseband version in settings stated "unknown". Tried another modem, JVO and flashed back to Chameleon modem, still not fixed. Also tried to wipe everything and install rom again... did not help either. Odin didn't report any errors whatsoever.
Desperate for some help her guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got reply that my IMEI was screwed, and replied:
[quote author=bahafeld link=topic=1931.msg13081#msg13081 date=1316107492]
Okey, I have backup of my original EFS folder. Isn't it there the IMEI is saved? can I just copy it over again with Root Explorer?
Please help me out here. All the guides I've found have the EFS saved in a .tar format. However I just backed up the EFS folder with root explorer. Anyone know I can recover my EFS, tried just copying it back, but that did not work.
Its kinda urgent!
[/quote]
So I hope you guys at XDA can help me a bit faster.
Thx
bahafeld
if you have a .tar version of your EFS. Unzip it. Copy all the contents of it, And paste them to the /EFS on the phone. Making sure they overwrite the current contents.
Once that has done, Restart the phone without backing out of root explorer (or what ever app you are using to copy/paste these files).
If that fails, Repeat the above step but ONLY copy / paste the NV_data.bin & NV_data.bin.md5
And finally if that fails. Backup all your stuff using Titanium Backup (or similar) And re flash a stock Froyo ROM. Maybe older, its upto you.
That will Definitely restore the IMEI, Then re-root and go back to whatever ROM you wish.
Good luck.

[Q] Missing /efs folder yet phone works

Hi All,
like many of the users I have a problem with missing /efs folder. Although I can't find it I have my IMEI and my phone (S5830) works fine. I can make and receive calls.
But let's start from the beginning. I had Android in 2.3.3 version.
Using this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1034145 I have upgraded it to 2.3.6.
I have also rooted it using universal_gb_root_v25.zip.
Now I wanted to play with it a little more so I though of doing backup. Previously I made one using CWM but I read that it doesn't backup /efs folder that stores IMEI and other important data. So I started searching through the forum for a solution. I've downloaded EFS Professional but for some reason it gives me error "An error occured while getting partition list!" when I select my phone from the drop-down list on the backup tab. I cannot do backup because the "Device Partitions" window is empty.
I did not give up and searched the forum a little more. So I've downloaded two apps: ES File Explorer and Root Explorer. Unfortunately both could not locate /efs folder. All the Linux folders were there except /efs. There's dev and next is etc. No efs.
So I though that maybe the folder was hidden but the I checked the options of Root Explorer to show hidden files.
Lastly I checked the method with adb shell and busybox like below:
adb shell
su
tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs
but as I though I got the message that /efs folder could not be found.
Has anyone have an idea how to get to /efs folder in my case? Where does my phone keep IMEI? How to backup (and restore) my phone in this scenario? Is there any other way to backup the most important files?
I know there are lot of questions but I'd appreciate helping me with it. Thanks in advance.
habit81 said:
Hi All,
like many of the users I have a problem with missing /efs folder. Although I can't find it I have my IMEI and my phone (S5830) works fine. I can make and receive calls.
But let's start from the beginning. I had Android in 2.3.3 version.
Using this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1034145 I have upgraded it to 2.3.6.
I have also rooted it using universal_gb_root_v25.zip.
Now I wanted to play with it a little more so I though of doing backup. Previously I made one using CWM but I read that it doesn't backup /efs folder that stores IMEI and other important data. So I started searching through the forum for a solution. I've downloaded EFS Professional but for some reason it gives me error "An error occured while getting partition list!" when I select my phone from the drop-down list on the backup tab. I cannot do backup because the "Device Partitions" window is empty.
I did not give up and searched the forum a little more. So I've downloaded two apps: ES File Explorer and Root Explorer. Unfortunately both could not locate /efs folder. All the Linux folders were there except /efs. There's dev and next is etc. No efs.
So I though that maybe the folder was hidden but the I checked the options of Root Explorer to show hidden files.
Lastly I checked the method with adb shell and busybox like below:
adb shell
su
tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs
but as I though I got the message that /efs folder could not be found.
Has anyone have an idea how to get to /efs folder in my case? Where does my phone keep IMEI? How to backup (and restore) my phone in this scenario? Is there any other way to backup the most important files?
I know there are lot of questions but I'd appreciate helping me with it. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its difficult to find the efs folder bt u can check ur IMEI number by this code *#06#.
you can backup efs files by efs professional tool.
a CWM backup is also safe as it includes most of important files.
hit thanx if helped.
its difficult to find the efs folder bt u can check ur IMEI number by this code *#06#.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was clever enough to write down my IMEI before but this is not an issue. The phone works fine.
you can backup efs files by efs professional tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already wrote that I'm getting an error "An error occured while getting partition list!" using EFS Pro
Anyone has other ideas?
habit81 said:
I was clever enough to write down my IMEI before but this is not an issue. The phone works fine.
I already wrote that I'm getting an error "An error occured while getting partition list!" using EFS Pro
Anyone has other ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1637249 may this thread help u
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1637249 may this thread help u
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the one above. From this post I read that SGA does not have /efs (folder/partition) or it is not mounted by default so I can't see it. Which one is the right answer? It does not exists or it is not mounted?
If doesn't exists then where should I look for IMEI data and all other critical stuff?
If it exists I could issue:
mount -r -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /efs
-r not to make any changes. I would have to create /efs folder first using: adb shell mkdir /efs
Am I following the right path?
I'd have already tried that but don't want to screw up my phone. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
habit81 said:
Thanks for the one above. From this post I read that SGA does not have /efs (folder/partition) or it is not mounted by default so I can't see it. Which one is the right answer? It does not exists or it is not mounted?
If doesn't exists then where should I look for IMEI data and all other critical stuff?
If it exists I could issue:
mount -r -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /efs
-r not to make any changes. I would have to create /efs folder first using: adb shell mkdir /efs
Am I following the right path?
I'd have already tried that but don't want to screw up my phone. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can suggest you
DON'T TOUCH/MOUNT ESF FOLDER AND DON'T TRY TO BACK UP IT EITHER,DOING IT = BRICK!!
I can suggest you
DON'T TOUCH/MOUNT ESF FOLDER AND DON'T TRY TO BACK UP IT EITHER,DOING IT = BRICK!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion however this doesn't bring any useful information to this topic. I already know to be very careful with EFS data.
I would like to get some answers about configuration of this data on SGA. I would like to know whether there is a way to back it up That's all
habit81 said:
Thanks for the suggestion however this doesn't bring any useful information to this topic. I already know to be very careful with EFS data.
I would like to get some answers about configuration of this data on SGA. I would like to know whether there is a way to back it up That's all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's useful...anyway It's really simple, FORGET TO BACKUP YOUR EFS FOLDER OR YOU'LL BRICK YOUR PHONE!!
First... the question is why would you wanna backup your IMEI ? You needn't even write it down as a backup if you have the bill of your phone. And in case if you ever lost the IMEI, there is a guide to restore it & you can restore your older IMEI. So why worry to backup ?
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
I wrote the IMEI down just as a precaution. I didn't know it was on the bill as to be honest the phone used to belong to my wife. I know there are several threads about restoring IMEI and other necessary data. I have already viewed them.
The reason I put this thread was that I was unable to locate the famous efs folder. I'm new in this stuff but I'm also a quick learner. After going through several threads and articles I was curious why I could not locate efs folder on my SGA. Answers such as "don't look for it or you will damage your phone" are just simply not what I was looking for. Anyway if someone please explain me the technical details of this phone and the reason why I can't make a backup using several tools and methods I would be very grateful.
Your quest for the efs folder is unending. I appreciate your effort in learning new things but what's the point of finding something that's of no practical use ? Yeah, you can't find the efs folder & no one else has ever worried about it coz everyone knows how to get their phone back online when they lose their IMEI. So either backing it up or looking for it is not worth a penny . All that counts is that the phone works & that the IMEI is secured, be it without that folder of your interest. If you clearly state your intentions with what you have to do by backing it up, someone might be able to help.
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
Hi I am have just joined the forum searching for a help. It was my first time flashing custom roms and had been at fault in technically missing some of the instruction. I have failed to backup any bin, img or efs folder which could help me fix IMEI. using MTK droid tool (for MT6589), I am receiving an error of missing pttycmd1 and even searching the root of my phone, I can't find any nv_ram or efs. Is there any other way to fix my device?
Baseband: Unknown
No IMEI
cannot use AT+egmr command
thanks for the reply.
efs ?
efs is a partition for sim unlock right ?
i do hope so, because I just read from other threads about exploring and backup of efs can fix baseband & imei.
I can't find my efs either. The issue I'm having is to get rid of Factory Mode. Have seen tutorials on how to do it, but the efs file is missing and so I can't actually do it. Any suggestions on how to fix these issues? Thanks

EFS/Imei Backup

We now have a custom recovery, and it is only a matter of time until we also have custom Rom. :good:
How can I backup my EFS and Imei ?
On my Note 2 that was easy.
In addition, I always read about NVRam backup with QPST.
I really have no idea.
No setting for that in current TWRP Recovery?
Yes in TWRP I've already made ​​a EFS-Backup.
Is a 14.97 MB file.
Is there really anything important in the file ?
I often read about QPST and Backup NVRam in S5 thread. Or is that not important for the S5 mini.
No more needed. Save it on a save place. With thst backup you can restore broken imei...
I use EFS Professional, is very good.
P.S: Need root and busybox

[Q] Problems Backing Up EFS info

Hi. I'm new to rooting and flashing ROM's. I have had a Samsung Captivate (Gingerbread) that I haven't been using for quite some time and I thought I might try to update it to KitKat. I have read that it would be important to back up the EFS file so that I can keep my IMEI info. I rooted my phone using the tutorial on these forums and tried to use EFS Pro, but was not able to get past "the device is not perm rooted". Various threads suggested changing adb status, but I could not find that information (though I was able to find the USB debugging selection). I know that the phone is rooted so I looked for an older copy of EFS Pro in case the newer versions had dropped support for the Captivate. I couldn't find one so I looked at other ways to back up the files, but most information was for other (newer) Samsung phones. I could not install Samsung Tools. I really don't want to proceed with installing KitKat before backing up the EFS information. How do I go about doing this? I have tried the search function on the forum for this device and couldn't find what I was looking for (or maybe I didn't understand the information). Any thoughts?
I hope flashing KitKat will be easier than this issue...
Thanks.
Curious D said:
Hi. I'm new to rooting and flashing ROM's. I have had a Samsung Captivate (Gingerbread) that I haven't been using for quite some time and I thought I might try to update it to KitKat. I have read that it would be important to back up the EFS file so that I can keep my IMEI info. I rooted my phone using the tutorial on these forums and tried to use EFS Pro, but was not able to get past "the device is not perm rooted". Various threads suggested changing adb status, but I could not find that information (though I was able to find the USB debugging selection). I know that the phone is rooted so I looked for an older copy of EFS Pro in case the newer versions had dropped support for the Captivate. I couldn't find one so I looked at other ways to back up the files, but most information was for other (newer) Samsung phones. I could not install Samsung Tools. I really don't want to proceed with installing KitKat before backing up the EFS information. How do I go about doing this? I have tried the search function on the forum for this device and couldn't find what I was looking for (or maybe I didn't understand the information). Any thoughts?
I hope flashing KitKat will be easier than this issue...
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could just manually backup your efs folder using a root explorer or through adb. Have that backup on your pc in case you lose your IMEI.
That being said, when it happens (which is fairly rare), a flash back to stock (KK4) usually fixes it and then you're fine to update/flash again.
Other EFS backup options would include:
1) EFS☆IMEI☆Backup by wanam >> his xda thread, his playstore listing.
2) [HOWTO]Comprehensive IMEI/EFS Backup lists two simple ways to permanently backup up IMEI on your phone. One is with adb, the other is with Terminal Emulator for those with rooted devices. The commands used are said to be based on "Samsung's built in backup." The thread is in the SGS3 forum, if nothing else is an excellent source of background information for backing up and restoring nvdata.
I tried to copy the efs folder using Root Browser because the adb method looked very involved. When I started Root Browser, it was able to see a Titanium backup that I had placed into the SD card even though I had formatted the SD card. I figured that the format didn't wipe the information so I proceeded to copy the efs folder over. However, after copying the folder, I stuck the card into my computer and did not see the folder and could not copy the folder over to my computer. Is it because the card is formatted differently than my computer or is it that the file is not compatible with Windows given that it is an Android folder?
Will copying the folder be enough for backing up? If it is this easy to restore the efs, why use EFS Pro? Is there something else with the folder that needs to be present in order to restore a phone that loses IMEI information?
Curious D said:
I tried to copy the efs folder using Root Browser because the adb method looked very involved. When I started Root Browser, it was able to see a Titanium backup that I had placed into the SD card even though I had formatted the SD card. I figured that the format didn't wipe the information so I proceeded to copy the efs folder over. However, after copying the folder, I stuck the card into my computer and did not see the folder and could not copy the folder over to my computer. Is it because the card is formatted differently than my computer or is it that the file is not compatible with Windows given that it is an Android folder?
Will copying the folder be enough for backing up? If it is this easy to restore the efs, why use EFS Pro? Is there something else with the folder that needs to be present in order to restore a phone that loses IMEI information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have it on your SD card, it should be fine. The idea is to have it on something else than your device's internal memory in case something goes wrong and can't get it there.
As for efs pro, some devices can't manually backup like the Cappy or is not enough. But once again, it doesn't happen very often that you lose your IMEI.
Okay. That's great. I guess I can try my first ROM flashing to KitKat. Thanks.

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