# Sticky  [TUTORIAL] IMEI - Backup NV with QPST - US Variants



## Goose306

*Update 9/15/12*

I've revised all the posts of this thread to more accurately reflect what we know about the IMEI issue at this point. Development and hacking moves fast, and this is no different.

So, from what we've learned so far it appears the Galaxy SIII has a place where it is supposed to backup your IMEI and modem/NV data. This is in case that information was ever to get wiped from the EFS and other locations. However, for whatever reason that backup system does not work. Either the initial backup is corrupted, or it is storing empty information (thus the "0" in IMEI). For whatever reason, when the phone reboots, it may randomly get kicked into a cycle that causes the phone to restore this corrupted or empty backup, thus replacing the only GOOD copy (since the backup isn't working properly) with the bad copy.

With that being said, that appears to be as far as we know at this point. Now, good news, as much development has been made. You will want to do your backups in order here. Just do the fix and then the Synergy zip as well. The original QPST method is still down in post 3 if you want all the backups you can get









*So, first backup:*

*1.* Its time to fix Samsung's derp on the bad IMEI/NV data backup. This is extremely easy as the GSIII has a bootpoint to make this happen. It was discovered during the bootloader testing for the Verizon GSIII variant.

You can do it two ways, either in ADB or Terminal. In ADB:

*adb reboot nvbackup*

In Terminal:

*su*
*reboot nvbackup*

Your phone will reboot, you will see some blue text on the bootloader screen basically stating its backing up the info to the correct directories and giving you a proper backup, fixing the Samsung derp.

Now this *should* take care of the IMEI issue, as it appears we fixed what is causing it. That being said, we haven't gotten 100% confirmation yet, and so you would be well advised to be safer rather than sorrier, and follow on below with the backup steps outlined further.

*DO NOT RUN THE BELOW COMMANDS UNLESS NECESSARY FOR RESTORE. IF YOU DO NOT RUN THE FIRST COMMANDS FIRST YOU WILL RESTORE THE SAMSUNG DERP IMEI AND FLASH YOURSELF TO "0"*

If you do lose IMEI in future, you restore from backup using similar commands, either in adb:

*adb reboot nvrestore*

or Terminal:

*su*
*reboot nvrestore*

*So, Second Backup (d2vzw only):*

The next backup step was found by a Synergy developer, again from information uncovered during the bootloader information that was gained. To make it simple, it showed that IMEI and NV data was stored across various partitions, not just EFS, which is why the EFS fix was not working on the device. The following will backup all the applicable partitions the IMEI is spread across. It also includes a backup of the backup you just created (the backup partitions that Samsung had derped on). Cool huh? Its also super easy.

*Download the .zip file from here:*
http://www.mediafire...ew6cg66np6jakcv

Flash it in recovery of your choice (Clockwork/TWRP). It will create a folder on your sdcard/synergyrom/backup with a backup image. If you lose your IMEI in the future, and the nvrestore mentioned in Step 1 doesn't fix it (gets corrupted again, whatever) this should. Just flash the backup .zip in recovery again. Highly recommend you move it elsewhere after its flashed (Dropbox, PC, external SD... you know the deal).

These backups are looking pretty successful, and more so than the QPST method was, so that's why I'm recommending these first. The more backups the better though folks, until developers can get a better grasp on what exactly is causing these issues and how to fully stop them.

*Credits:*
Me: Writing








TrevE: Synergy/Flashable .zip


----------



## Goose306

*Restoring IMEI With No Data Roaming Application [Verizon]*

*So, you went and lost your IMEI and didn't do your backup? That's too bad. We can help though.*

*You need to be on the G7 or earlier radios for the tool to work. If you need to downgrade your radio, please refer to the main radio thread in Development  by clicking here.*

First thing's first, get the files needed from the xda thread here *(and while your at it give the developer some thanks!)*

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1867442

*Note:* That is also where the initial writeup for this thread came from. I am not going to host the files myself as they are his work and I am not responsible for maintaining them. I have a copy I am keeping for backup, and if the ones on XDA go down I will upload them elsewhere as an alternate mirror. In the meantime the XDA download is preferred in case he pushes updates or similar.

*Now, go into Diagnostic mode on the phone.*

If you are on Touchwiz - enable the Hidden Menu:

- Go to dialer.
- Press *#22745927
- Enable the Hidden Menu
- Go to dialer.
- Dial **87284 (USBUI)
- Enable "PDA" on "PhoneUtil"
- In "Qualcomm USB Settings" choose "DM+MODEM+ADB"
- Hit OK.

- *When you are done fixing your IMEI do not forget to come back in to this same menu (the same method) and change USB back.*

*If you are on AOSP:*

Get the scripts from the xda thread and execute them in gscript or similar program - or type the following into terminal manually:

*Enabling:*


Code:


echo 0 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 0<br />
echo smd,bam > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_rmnet/transports <br />
echo diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_diag/clients <br />
echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_acm/instances <br />
echo rmnet,acm,diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions <br />
echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable

*Disabling (when done fixing):*


Code:


echo "" > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/f_mass_storage/lun_ex/file<br />
echo 0 > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/enable<br />
echo "mtp,acm,adb" > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions<br />
echo 1 > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/enable<br />
vold

OK - now we are enabled. Make sure you have the app from XDA and the drivers. Go ahead and get the drivers installed and get the program running.

*Now lets fix your IMEI:*

1. Find your IMEI under the battery on the device, you should see a sticker. Copy the IMEI down and power on the device.

2. Connect the device to your computer and open "Device Manger"

3. Check under "Ports" and Look for Samsung and Note the Comport it is on.

4. Open the software and under comports select the comport number you found your device on then click connect.

5. Check the IMEI number of to the left, and note the ERI message. If it is red and says your ERI is missing or not found. Please do both methods.

6. If your ERI is not found, click on "Repair" in the ERI section, if your IMEI is missing, when asked to reboot click "NO" other wise click yes and you are done.

7. Type your IMEI in the IMEI box, Do not worry about MEID it will auto fill once IMEI is typed.

8. You will notice that the last number is added automatically this is done using the Luna Algo and is a checksum number.

9. Once you have typed your IMEI click on "Repair" in the IMEI section, once the repair is done your phone will auto reboot.

10. Please check your ERI and IMEI under Settings/System/About/Status. Your IMEI should appear and ERI version 5 should be there.

*Congratulations, you fixed it!*

*Here's some videos if your more visual:*

*Fixing IMEI:*





*Uploading ERI:*


----------



## Goose306

*QPST Backup/Restore Information:*

*The QPST method is the original method to backup and restore your IMEI. It is recommended, but not necessary. The other methods should take care of backups as listed in Post 1*

Here's what you need to do. For ease of use, we are going to do this on a stock build. You can do it on AOSP, if you want to know that method it will be in post 2. If you need to know how to restore using QPST with no backup, look at post 3. Note that currently you will be stuck in roaming if you are not starting out with a backup made via this method when its done.

So, first things first, get QPST, version 2.7 build 323. I have a permanent link on Mediafire below:

http://www.mediafire...nsh7wyw4ssmxd3d

Download it, un-rar it, install it.










Now go to your phone, its time to enable the hidden menu. On Verizon or Sprint, go to the dialer and dial **#22745927* . Choose the option to enable the Hidden Menu. After that go back to the dialer and dial **#7284#*. For AT&T and T-Mobile versions, just dial that second one (the menu isn't hidden). Once in the menu, choose the option for *USBSettingsMenu*, then choose the option *RMNET+DM+MODEM*. Hook up the phone to the PC via USB at this time if you haven't already. This option works on *STOCK TOUCHWIZ* (it can be rooted). Attempting to do on a custom ROM may not work, AOSP instructions are below in Post 2.

If you are on a custom TouchWiz ROM and get an error about PhoneUtil closing, see below for a method to get into the hidden menu.

[hide='Using Anycut to get around PhoneUtil Closing']Get the *Anycut* app from here.
Download it, open it.
Click on *New Shortcut*, then *Activity*. Scroll down to *IOTHiddenMenu*, and make a shortcut.
Now open that shortcut.[/hide]

If you are on an AOSP ROM use the instructions below.

[hide='AOSP ROM Instructions']*AOSP Instructions:*

Place phone in DIAG Mode by running these scripts courtesy of GerardAnthony @XDA be sure to give him thanks. 

*Scripts can be put in with script editors, there's plenty in Google Play if you just search.*

*To enter Diagnostic Mode:*




Code:


echo 0 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 0<br />
echo smd,bam > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_rmnet/transports<br />
echo diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_diag/clients<br />
echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_acm/instances<br />
echo rmnet,acm,diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions<br />
echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable

*To return to MTP (Eject from PC first)*




Code:


<br />
echo "" > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/f_mass_storage/lun_ex/file<br />
echo 0 > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/enable<br />
echo "mtp,acm,adb" > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions<br />
echo 1 > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/enable<br />
vold

When in diagnostic mode use QPST to do the backup as described above in Post 1; this just to get it into the mode for QPST to recognize it and back out again.[/hide]










OK. Now go to your PC Control Panel. We need to get into the Device Manager to determine where your phone is being recognized as far as the COM ports. For this, go to *System* -> *Device Manager* (on the left) or *System* -> *Hardware* -> *Device Manager* (depends on your Control Panel setup). Anyways, scroll down to Ports (may say Ports & LTP, Serial, depends on version). Anyways, find your phone under it, and take note of the COM# (mine was COM9, yours can and probably will vary). If you have exclamation marks anywhere then install the Samsung drivers and try again.










Samsung drivers here:
Support - AT&T Cell Phones SGH-I747 | Samsung Cell Phones

OK. Now go to *Start Menu* -> *All Programs* -> *QPST* -> *QPST Configuration*

Click on the *Ports* tab. Click on *Add New Port*, then add your Port# where it says Port and name it something you can remember. Hit OK.










Now click on *Start Clients* -> *Software Download*. Click on the *Backup* tab. Make sure your phone is listed under Port. If its not, hit Browse, choose the COM that is your phone, and hit OK. Now where it says QCN File, hit Browse, find a safe spot to store your backup on your PC, and name it. Hit OK. Now hit *Start*. Make sure backup gets to 100% with no errors.










*Congratulations, you now have your backup made! Flash away! *

Don't forget to go into your phone hidden menu again and change USB mode back to MTP so you can use it to access the phone storage.

If it bricks sometime in the future:

Go back into QPST. Go to Start Clients -> Software Download. Click on the Restore tab. Make sure your phone is listed under Port. If not, browse to the appropriate COM port. Choose your QCN backup in the other box. Click Start, let it finish. Phone should reboot. If it fails rebooting, just do a manual reboot. First boot will take a bit, let it do its thing.

*AS PER THE USUAL, I, GOOSE306, NOR ROOTZWIKI TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU DO TO YOUR DEVICE! IF YOU FOLLOW THESE STEPS -TO A T- YOU SHOULD HAVE NO ISSUES, BUT QPST IS A VERY POWERFUL PROGRAM, SO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

HAPPY FLASHING!*

If you need to know how to restore the IMEI from 0 using QPST with no backup made, or how to do an AOSP ROM, follow the link at the top of the OP.

Note:
This is taken from XDA: All credit to Peoplearmy for the intial write-up. I just cleaned it up, re-wrote it, and clarified some parts, and put the screenshots in-line where they would make sense.

Initial thread and images from here:
[FIX/TOOL] Backup/Restore/Fix IMEI App v1.2.2.2b now available - Updated 8/04/2012!!! - xda-developers


----------



## Goose306

*Restoring With No Backup / QPST (LAST OPTION)*

You should do this option last, if Post two regarding IMEI restore with no backup failed. Depending on your variant, you may be stuck in data roaming. This post is for getting it recognized back on the network at least (restoring IMEI from 0 without a backup)

*NOTE: YOU WILL BE WRITING DATA MANUALLY VIA QPST. WHILE RELATIVELY SAFE IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, IF YOU SLIP UP, YOU *CAN* HARD-BRICK YOUR DEVICE. SO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE!*

First, you need to be on stock/rooted. So get there before proceeding (Verizon variant - use Root66 or debug2fs root) Also, take off the back cover, pull your battery, and get your IMEI number from the back sticker. Write it down.

Now, go in and enable the hidden menu and put the phone in *RMNET+DM+MODEM* mode (see Post 1 if not aware of how to do). Hook it up to PC via USB, fire up QPST Configuration (see Post 1 regarding getting QPST and installing)

Make sure your phone is listed under Ports tab. If not, get it recognized using steps in Post 1.

Click on *Start Clients* then *RF NV Item Manager*.

In the *RF NV Item Manager*; click on *Setting* and then *Comport*. Select the Port with your phone on it. Hit OK.

Go to *File* -> *Read From Phone*.

This is going to pull up a big list of all the NV items on the phone. We are looking for *NV_UE_IMEI_I* - it is item 550. You can scroll to it or find it with a search.

[hide='Line 550 Not There - Click Here!']If the value item is not there you need to add it manually.

Click on *Option* -> *Customize NV Item List*.

Look for the item on the left pane and move it to the right pane. Hit OK and it should appear.

*NOTE: DO NOT ENTER ANY VALUE YOU DO NOT KNOW IS CORRECT! YOU MAY DAMAGE YOUR PHONE PERMANENTLY!*[/hide]

To the right of the item when you select it there will be an area where the IMEI is. If its been wiped or 0 this may not appear with any values in it.

Click the *Hex Check Box*. The Hex values of your IMEI will have no more than two characters per box and have to be entered 100% correct or it will not take. It also has to be entered in a special order.

*PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS STEP AS THIS IS WHEN WE ARE WRITING THE IMEI!*

*Note:* The first box will ALWAYS be 8.












> Example if your IMEI was: 954091051099226
> 
> then the boxes would look like so:
> 
> 8
> 9a
> 45
> 90
> 1
> 15
> 90
> 29
> 62


Click on *Write NV* to write the new values to the phone. *MAKE SURE IT IS 100% CORRECT BEFORE DOING SO!*

*Reboot. Your IMEI should be restored.* First boot may take a little bit, be patient. Make sure you change USB back to MTP when done. (See Post 1)

Continue below to the app post if you are stuck in roaming. Depending on your carrier, it may be able to pull it out of roaming (the app is a WIP) - all credit to peoplearmy.


----------



## Goose306

And one more for good measure


----------



## kingdroid

Goose306 said:


> *So, here's the skinny on the IMEI issue:*
> 
> You can sometimes flash a ROM and you will lose your IMEI. This is important, as the IMEI is what identifies your device on Verizon's network. There is now ways to restore it even without a backup, but doing so will leave you in permanent roaming. This isn't that big of a deal as Verizon doesn't charge for domestic roaming, but we have yet to see long-term effects.
> 
> <Moderator snip! -Jax>


is this method btr than doing it using terminal. With this
su
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p11 of=/sdcard/efs.sbn??....

Sent from my SCH-I535 using RootzWiki


----------



## Kpa2727

Fantastic Goose!


----------



## gf7z

Goose306 said:


> is this method btr than doing it using terminal. With this
> su
> dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p11 of=/sdcard/efs.sbn??....


From goose's first post, when using the "dd" to backup EFS, a subsequent restore will leave you roaming. Use QPST to backup (and restore) NV.

Sent from my SGS3 with Tapatalk2


----------



## amotamatapia

When I dial in **#7284# *the PhoneUtil menu hangs up and is forced to stop. I am running Beans 7 and tried stock/AOSP methods for this. Thanks


----------



## rcarman

amotamatapia said:


> When I dial in **#7284# *the PhoneUtil menu hangs up and is forced to stop. I am running Beans 7 and tried stock/AOSP methods for this. Thanks


I get the same thing running Synergy ROM. PhoneUtil briefly shows up and then crashes.


----------



## Budwise

Same error as above running Synergy 1.7.


----------



## Goose306

Go back to stock. The custom ROMs cut some bloat that doesn't allow it to work properly. It can be stock/rooted and the boot loader can be unlocked though afaik

Sent from my UNLOCKED jelly beaned d2vzw


----------



## Nick.Tbolt

Good Write up, is this the one of S3 forums?

* Verizon Galaxy SIII *


----------



## Budwise

Hrm, tried flashing nosympathy's stock rooted rom and it wont boot with the unlocked bootloader. Odd.

Guess i have to Odin to Root66, sigh.


----------



## jdhas

amotamatapia said:


> I get the same thing running Synergy ROM. PhoneUtil briefly shows up and then crashes.


You need to be on full stock, or, at a minimum, "root66" for this to work. The custom roms have stripped out some of the necessary ingredients.


----------



## bjanow

I went back to full stock rooted, did the steps, said successful, restored my Synergy. Went to look for the backup and it wasn't there. So I messed up somewhere and would like to redo it. Of course I can do the same thing but I'd like to try the AOSP method. However, the instructions are a little confusing to me. I can adb shell into the phone and run the first set, but then it says "eject" before doing the second set. Does that mean I have to type those commands into the terminal session on the phone or can I eject the phone and then reconnect it to copy and paste?

Thanks.


----------



## Goose306

bjanow said:


> I went back to full stock rooted, did the steps, said successful, restored my Synergy. Went to look for the backup and it wasn't there. So I messed up somewhere and would like to redo it. Of course I can do the same thing but I'd like to try the AOSP method. However, the instructions are a little confusing to me. I can adb shell into the phone and run the first set, but then it says "eject" before doing the second set. Does that mean I have to type those commands into the terminal session on the phone or can I eject the phone and then reconnect it to copy and paste?
> 
> Thanks.


Eject it from the PC/unplug it. USB has to reset

Sent from my UNLOCKED jelly beaned d2vzw


----------



## Goose306

BTW root66 works fine when doing this. That's what I did

Sent from my UNLOCKED jelly beaned d2vzw


----------



## aj8600

does anyone else have the problem that "phoneUti" crashes on synergy? anyone tried on cleanrom?

goose: what rom are you running to do this?

CLEAN ROM WORKS


----------



## Goose306

aj8600 said:


> does anyone else have the problem that "phoneUti" crashes on synergy? anyone tried on cleanrom?
> 
> goose: what rom are you running to do this?
> 
> CLEAN ROM WORKS


Good to know. I'm still going to recommend root66 as its the lowest common denominator, so to speak. But good to know at least. Synergy and beans do not currently work. Either with the TW method or with AOSP method, as far as I've heard.

EDIT: Also post 3 finished. Tut re-written with images in-line for restoring with no backup. Note this method may make you end up stuck in roaming still on some variants. So make those backups first!


----------



## bjanow

Thanks Goose. Third time was the charm. I restored my stock rooted rom, backed up and finally got the file where I wanted it. It's weird because when I went to back it up again it showed the original I had made earlier. In Windows is still doesn't show. Did another one.. didn't show in windows, finally the 3rd one shows up now. But it the program the other ones showed up which means I probably could have restored from either of them. Oh well, all done now.. thanks a lot.


----------



## kingdroid

Hey goose this was super ez ur a beast thanx for this so much, def appreciate it.. Jus 2 b on the safe side tho how can I b 100% I did this correct??... I have the file saved n a specific folder I can see it there and it backed up to 100% but how can I no for sure it's saved properly heres a screenie

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## bjanow

Same as I have, you're good to go.


----------



## kingdroid

bjanow said:


> Same as I have, you're good to go.


Thank you sir glad thts over wit now 2 flash away

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## thekendog

I just backed up using this method. I'm stoked. However, has anyone confirmed that using the restore method if you already have a backup works? I read conflicting posts on XDA that said the restore tab does not work. Anyone?


----------



## Goose306

thekendog said:


> I just backed up using this method. I'm stoked. However, has anyone confirmed that using the restore method if you already have a backup works? I read conflicting posts on XDA that said the restore tab does not work. Anyone?


I wiped some info on my NV in QPST and restored it using my backup (not my IMEI but some carrier-related stuff that broke me off VZW) and have no issues. Peoplesarmy who came up with this method wiped his IMEI when he did it to test it and restored and was able to restore. Should be A-OK. It might not cover all situations 100% but I have not heard of it not working 100% if you have a full backup. Other people who have issues (e.g. perma-roaming) are due to restoring from 0 without a backup. Having a backup should avoid all those issues afaik.


----------



## thekendog

Goose306 said:


> I wiped some info on my NV in QPST and restored it using my backup (not my IMEI but some carrier-related stuff that broke me off VZW) and have no issues. Peoplesarmy who came up with this method wiped his IMEI when he did it to test it and restored and was able to restore. Should be A-OK. It might not cover all situations 100% but I have not heard of it not working 100% if you have a full backup. Other people who have issues (e.g. perma-roaming) are due to restoring from 0 without a backup. Having a backup should avoid all those issues afaik.


Sweet, that is good to know. XDA can be a clusterfuck of misinformation. I just wanted to make sure I can get it back in case I lose it and not have the roaming issue. Thanks for the tutorial. Time to flash some AOSP goodness!


----------



## MistaWolfe

You're the man, Goose.

I am fortunate that none of the bad stuff has happened to me yet, but I just downloaded CVPCS's new Alpha and I'm about to give it a flash. Glad to have this backup just in case...


----------



## MistaWolfe

Btw, 146 kb seem right for the backup?


----------



## Goose306

MistaWolfe said:


> Btw, 146 kb seem right for the backup?


146 kb is same as mine.

You can always review your NV backup in the viewer program or by pulling NV in viewer prior to backing up.


----------



## prenedo

Edit: The hidden menu for Verizon users (not sure of other carriers) is different from OP, called PhoneUtil. If you switch it to modem from pda (I must have hit it on accident), which is on the main screen of PhoneUtil, it will not switch back unless you wipe data and re-enter the hidden menu (QPST will not recognize phone in with modem selected). Just a heads up for anyone else that may do this thinking that modem was the only option


----------



## ercDROID

Another successul backup on CleanRom 1.2. During install, I did install all the verizon apps and everything else to make sure that nothing was missing. Thanks guys!


----------



## quarterinchkilla

I created a successful backup per OPs instructions, however when I plug my phone into the computer now I get an error that says "Hardware ID Missing"...I followed them to a T and even tried to reinstall the drivers after the backup any help please?

edit: Im not sure what I did but I fixed it


----------



## droidxuser123

Backup successful of to CM10 I go


----------



## ImaComputa

I'm getting the phoneutil stop on stock rooted. Must be some bloat that I removed.


----------



## IrishCream

Can anyone give me some guidance trying to backup from CM10... the scripts that I run to enter diag mode, do i enter then through ADB with my phone plugged into my PC or thru terminal emulator on the phone? Do i need to execute SU before running these?


----------



## majixx11

IrishCream said:


> Can anyone give me some guidance trying to backup from CM10... the scripts that I run to enter diag mode, do i enter then through ADB with my phone plugged into my PC or thru terminal emulator on the phone? Do i need to execute SU before running these?


I was wondering the same. I am an adb noob. I can open an adb shell, so I just enter in these commands line by line? Is there any output that comes back while doing this to let you know its actually doing something? Thanks!


----------



## bouchigo

Hey Goose, or anyone for that matter, how big is the back up file supposed to be? Mine ended being 146kb, it seems a bit small.


----------



## majixx11

MistaWolfe said:


> Hey Goose, or anyone for that matter, how big is the back up file supposed to be? Mine ended being 146kb, it seems a bit small.


----------



## goldsmitht

[sup][sup]i had the same problem with the errors, and understand about SynergyRom taking out bloat that is probably needed.[/sup][/sup]
[sup][sup] [/sup][/sup]
[sup][sup]my question, and i'm sorry if it was asked already, but my squirrel driven 8088 here at work sometimes doesn't understand search parameters, but can i use a backed up nandroid of root66 i have on my phone to get the data, or do i need to ODIN back to cleaned up root66 / or even unrooted stock? really do want to try the other roms, but do NOT want to lose IMEI and have to explain why i have a $300 dollar brick and am using my old DX. I understand that we can get it back, and the roaming and all, but would not have to do that. [/sup][/sup]
[sup][sup] [/sup][/sup]
[sup][sup]thanks GOOSE, i always trust your advice. Seems like old times here on the SIII board, like all the old DX'ers have moved on together![/sup][/sup]


----------



## mutelight

ImaComputa said:


> I'm getting the phoneutil stop on stock rooted. Must be some bloat that I removed.


What did you remove?


----------



## maverick5

What's the difference between this backup and the longer one on xda? This backs up the necessary files to restore your Imei no matter what right? Or do we have to back up more?


----------



## bouchigo

maverick5 said:


> What's the difference between this backup and the longer one on xda? This backs up the necessary files to restore your Imei no matter what right? Or do we have to back up more?


What I got from the first post is that this method won't leave you stuck with Roaming always on, but the efs.bin backup method will.


----------



## maverick5

bouchigo said:


> What I got from the first post is that this method won't leave you stuck with Roaming always on, but the efs.bin backup method will.


So if we follow the op we should be good to go regarding any Imei issues?


----------



## majixx11

maverick5 said:


> So if we follow the op we should be good to go regarding any Imei issues?


AFAIK, if you already lost your IMEI without a backup you are stuck with roaming, this method won't prevent that. If you backup using this method BEFORE you lose your IMEI then you can always restore it back to 100% with no issues.

I'm still wondering about the adb commands to back mine up. Do I just open a shell and put these codes in line by line to make the phone compatible? I'm still new to adb. I would switch back to a TW ROM and use that method but right now I have my IMEI and I don't want to lose it if I switch back to TW just to back it up. Thanks,

Edit: Actually it appears I can't get my phone to go into "#" I'm not sure why.


----------



## maverick5

majixx11 said:


> AFAIK, if you already lost your IMEI without a backup you are stuck with roaming, this method won't prevent that. If you backup using this method BEFORE you lose your IMEI then you can always restore it back to 100% with no issues.
> 
> I'm still wondering about the adb commands to back mine up. Do I just open a shell and put these codes in line by line to make the phone compatible? I'm still new to adb. I would switch back to a TW ROM and use that method but right now I have my IMEI and I don't want to lose it if I switch back to TW just to back it up. Thanks,


Alright thanks! And I was just wondering as I just backed it up using this method and was wondering if I'm set as far as any issues. Thanks again!


----------



## johndoe86x

So just to clarify this one more time... if I backup using this method, then I won't get stuck in roaming mode. However, even if I have a backup of my efs.sbn I will still be stuck in roaming mode? Also, this isn't an issue that could be resolved by restoring a nandroid to a TW rom?

Edit: Every time I try to open PhoneUtil it FC on Synergy 1.7


----------



## con247

johndoe86x said:


> So just to clarify this one more time... if I backup using this method, then I won't get stuck in roaming mode. However, even if I have a backup of my efs.sbn I will still be stuck in roaming mode? Also, this isn't an issue that could be resolved by restoring a nandroid to a TW rom?
> 
> Edit: Every time I try to open PhoneUtil it FC on Synergy 1.7


The backup with QPST should keep people from being stuck roaming. EFS may or may not. Alot of roms have removed the necessary bloat to make this work. I would flash back to rooted stock if I were you.


----------



## johndoe86x

con247 said:


> The backup with QPST should keep people from being stuck roaming. EFS may or may not. Alot of roms have removed the necessary bloat to make this work. I would flash back to rooted stock if I were you.


Thanks for the reply! It looks like that's what I'll have to do. Oh, well. For now I think I'll stick to the TW roms and flash away sometime during the weekend.


----------



## IrishCream

IrishCream said:


> Can anyone give me some guidance trying to backup from CM10... the scripts that I run to enter diag mode, do i enter then through ADB with my phone plugged into my PC or thru terminal emulator on the phone? Do i need to execute SU before running these?


Can anyone help with this?

adb shell in a command window kicked me out after the first line of code, in terminal emulator i kept getting errors.


----------



## mr_brady

When trying to add the port to QPST (port 4) it always throws an error "There was an error enabling 4. The port may not be working properly or may be busy. (-2147467259)

(Using Windows 7 on VMware Fusion/Mac)

EDIT: Actually no matter what port I tell QPST to use it says it's busy.


----------



## hub_cap

I'm seeing the same on my Windows 7 machine....guess I'll try it on XP, and see what happens. Stay tuned!


----------



## hub_cap

mr_brady said:


> When trying to add the port to QPST (port 4) it always throws an error "There was an error enabling 4. The port may not be working properly or may be busy. (-2147467259)
> 
> (Using Windows 7 on VMware Fusion/Mac)
> 
> EDIT: Actually no matter what port I tell QPST to use it says it's busy.


I tried it on my XP machine, and at first it gave me the same error. Then I actually typed in "COM8" (which was my port)....I had just been typing in "8", and it seemed to work. Don't know if it was just a fluke, and I had to do it multiple times, or if the "COM" in front of the # actually made a difference. The other thing that I noticed was that the QPST s/w said that it was for Windows XP, and VISTA...it didn't mention Windows 7.

Hope you get it to work for ya....


----------



## mr_brady

hub_cap said:


> I tried it on my XP machine, and at first it gave me the same error. Then I actually typed in "COM8" (which was my port)....I had just been typing in "8", and it seemed to work. Don't know if it was just a fluke, and I had to do it multiple times, or if the "COM" in front of the # actually made a difference. The other thing that I noticed was that the QPST s/w said that it was for Windows XP, and VISTA...it didn't mention Windows 7.
> 
> Hope you get it to work for ya....


Ok, I'm an idiot. Don't know how I didn't see that before. You're right - adding the "COM" before the port number fixed the problem. Backed-up fine.

Thank you!


----------



## SoDev

Worked great. Thanks!


----------



## jdhas

Goose306 said:


> *So, here's the skinny on the IMEI issue:*
> 
> You can sometimes flash a ROM and you will lose your IMEI. This is important, as the IMEI is what identifies your device on Verizon's network. There is now ways to restore it even without a backup, but doing so will leave you in permanent roaming. This isn't that big of a deal as Verizon doesn't charge for domestic roaming, but we have yet to see long-term effects.
> 
> <Mod snip. -Jax>


GOOSE FTMFW!

Great write up, man. Followed your instructions to the letter, used the AOSP scripts in SManager, backed my business up, then backed my backups up (_Yo, dawg, I heard you like backups...._) in Box, Dropbox, Drive, Skydrive, Sugarsync, and Minus ... just to be sure!


----------



## Goose306

jdhas said:


> GOOSE FTMFW!
> 
> Great write up, man. Followed your instructions to the letter, used the AOSP scripts in SManager, backed my business up, then backed my backups up (_Yo, dawg, I heard you like backups...._) in Box, Dropbox, Drive, Skydrive, Sugarsync, and Minus ... just to be sure!


Thanks bud. Glad to hear it worked for yea. Always get that nice cozy feeling knowing your safe right?

Also, updated OP to include Anycut method to get around PhoneUtil crashing on custom TW ROMs (you can thank *bgolden84* @XDA for that) and added some clarification to the AOSP scripts.


----------



## davidnc

Goose306 said:


> 146 kb is same as mine.
> 
> You can always review your NV backup in the viewer program or by pulling NV in viewer prior to backing up.


I got the same size file 146 kb .I was on a stock rom with bloatware froze( using Nova Prime as Launcher ) and it finished 100% complete with no errors so hopefully my backup is good too.


----------



## sgthwjack

Cannot get the backup to complete. Sprint GSIII rooted stock. Can't read roaming list error. Haven't been able to find any other reference to this particular error. Any ideas?


----------



## Hobart

Just got my sg3 yesterday...is this still the method to use?

Thanks Hobart

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Goose306

Hobart said:


> Just got my sg3 yesterday...is this still the method to use?
> 
> Thanks Hobart
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


HOBART!

Yeah, its current method. Do that shit

Sent from my jellybeaned AOKP GSIII


----------



## Hobart

What's up goose!!!!! Rocking the white!

I have had it less then 24 hours and I am rooted.. unlocked...and imei is backed up on Beans build 9....F yeah!

Edit..could any of the mentioned above effect 4G? I called Verizon and they said there might be a problem but I keep having it go in and out...its out now for a while. Last thing I did was imei?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Goose306

IMEI backup should have no effect on your 4G reception. All its doing is duplicating the data from your phone, not actually modifying the files unless you did something else in QPST

Sent from my jellybeaned AOKP GSIII


----------



## xlxfoxxlx

well mine backed up fine and now on my second phone to loose imei(no backup for first phone) all i get is a "invaled command from phone" when trying to restore. it says the phone connected.


----------



## gehx

thx for this, I was able to do a successful backup, but I can't get my phone to switch back to MTP + ADB, it's stuck on RMNET + DM + MODEM. I have the i535 and running SynergyROM 1.5. any ideas?

nevermind: I fixed it by going back into the dialer and dialing:

 *#22745927

then, enable Hidden Menu, then going back into the anycut shortcut I created and applying MTP + ADB. don't know why my phone changed back to the hidden menu, but it did. So if anyone has this issue, that's how I fixed it.


----------



## Hobart

So my dumb ass *228 and borked my sim...stuck on 3g...back to Bestbuy

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## xlxfoxxlx

no one else come across this error in QPST trying to restore? "Received an invalid command from the phone.", it only made it to 3% and that

ahh i hate this phone.......


----------



## CHP

Soooo is there a method for this on Mac?


----------



## Goose306

xlxfoxxlx said:


> no one else come across this error in QPST trying to restore? "Received an invalid command from the phone.", it only made it to 3% and that
> 
> ahh i hate this phone.......


Mine restored fine, I have never had this error. Sorry bud.

I did run a basic google search and found this info though:

Occasionally, restoring to phone in Software Download will abort due to 
"Response does not match NV Item sent to the phone" or "Received an 
invalid command from the phone". When this happens, be sure to restore 
the QCN file to the phone again to prevent corrupted NV.

If Software Download aborts during a restore, it may be possible for the
SPC to be reset to 000000. If the original SPC no longer works after
a restore failure, re-attempt the restore using an SPC of 000000. 
Once successfully restored, the SPC in the phone will be put back 
to the original value.

Sounds like a QPST issue, not an issue with the phone. Try doing as it says there or Google for more answers.


----------



## ae4365

Have a question, can you back your imei before you root your phone or after you root it. Thank you


----------



## xlxfoxxlx

well it was already set to 000000 for spc and it fails know of a way to figure out what my spc should be??


----------



## xlxfoxxlx

Wow I feel dumb I just realized I never rooted the phone after Odin















Will try when u get home............. well tried and no go still same messege

Quick question, what recovery are people using when it happened both times for me was in cwm 6.0.1.0
Sent from my SCH-I535 using RootzWiki


----------



## wingchun108tek

Noob here. When we run the manual script. How do we know it worked? Which is my screen shot http://db.tt/FnHvO75E after I ran the script in Terminal Emulator.

The script i'm referring to is this

 echo 0 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 0
echo smd,bam > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_rmnet/transports
echo diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_diag/clients
echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_acm/instances
echo rmnet,acm,diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions
echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable


----------



## jdk2

ae4365 said:


> Have a question, can you back your imei before you root your phone or after you root it. Thank you


I did mine when it came out of the box - full Verizonified stock. Then afterwards, I rooted and unlocked.


----------



## neyenlives

wingchun108tek said:


> Noob here. When we run the manual script. How do we know it worked? Which is my screen shot http://db.tt/FnHvO75E after I ran the script in Terminal Emulator.
> 
> The script i'm referring to is this
> 
> echo 0>/sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 0
> echo smd,bam > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_rmnet/transports
> echo diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_diag/clients
> echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_acm/instances
> echo rmnet,acm,diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions
> echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable


I'm trying to run those scripts in gscript lite and it keep force closing on me........according to peeps in IRC they don't do well over adb either......Honestly I could use a better written guide......it leaves out too many steps for me. Downloaded Script Manager and I guess it's too complicated for me too. I dunno. Wish there was a one click app to run these scripts.......


----------



## Goose306

neyenlives said:


> I'm trying to run those scripts in gscript lite and it keep force closing on me........according to peeps in IRC they don't do well over adb either......Honestly I could use a better written guide......it leaves out too many steps for me. Downloaded Script Manager and I guess it's too complicated for me too. I dunno. Wish there was a one click app to run these scripts.......


The AOSP scripts are more or less copy-pasted from XDA. I have not used them, so I cannot speak on their behalf. If gscript lite is force-closing on you check a log or check your spelling. I do know the people who are using them on AOSP are using gscript lite and are getting it to work, so that would indicate to me it has to be something on your particular end. Or, you can just flash back to stock TW. The guide on that particular portion is simple enough a semi-trained monkey can do it. (No offense to the monkey's out there on the forum)

In regards to an app; if someone else wants to do it feel free. I would not have the motivation to do it being as you can simply just go back to TW and do it easily, and its not something you need to do on a regular basis. Plus I have a fairly thorough dislike for one-click apps. I'll leave my long-winded explanation for that to another time/thread.


----------



## RedRumy3

Just did this on my netbook and everything went smooth. Showed 100% no errors and the file size is about 145KB for me. Seems about right? Just want to make sure  Thanks for posting the pics and guide!


----------



## ImaComputa

mutelight said:


> What did you remove?


It was awhile ago and a lot of stuff so I don't remember. I just reflashed the rooted stock ROM, backed the imei up, and then restored my cmw backup.


----------



## Bill3508

Just did this also today, very easy. After seeing more and more folks having the issue decided it was probably wise to do. Was on CM10, unlocked, flashed back to my stock android, got the nv backup and flashed my CM10 android back. Quick and easy.


----------



## goodwidp

Thanks very much for this guide Goose.

I ran into an issue I was hoping to get some guidance on. I'm using Beans build 8 and was able to access the hidden menu via Anycut but when I connect it to my PC, the phone only shows up under "Portable Devices" rather than "Ports (COM & LPT)". I have the Sammy drivers installed on my PC and I tired using different USB cables but to no avail. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong? Thanks again. Your time and effort is sincerely appreciated.


----------



## Goose306

goodwidp said:


> Thanks very much for this guide Goose.
> 
> I ran into an issue I was hoping to get some guidance on. I'm using Beans build 8 and was able to access the hidden menu via Anycut but when I connect it to my PC, the phone only shows up under "Portable Devices" rather than "Ports (COM & LPT)". I have the Sammy drivers installed on my PC and I tired using different USB cables but to no avail. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong? Thanks again. Your time and effort is sincerely appreciated.


Dumb question, but in the IOTHiddenMenu what setting did you put it on? Did you make sure it was the same as listed in the OP? Also try disconnect/reconnect USB?

The phone shouldn't show up under portable devices when that USB mode is enabled as its disables MTP. It doesn't even look like a sammy phone under listings, just shows a device under com ports. (Can't remember specifically what it said, but the image in the OP should be close or relevant to what its listed as)


----------



## goodwidp

Goose306 said:


> Dumb question, but in the IOTHiddenMenu what setting did you put it on? Did you make sure it was the same as listed in the OP? Also try disconnect/reconnect USB?
> 
> The phone shouldn't show up under portable devices when that USB mode is enabled as its disables MTP. It doesn't even look like a sammy phone under listings, just shows a device under com ports. (Can't remember specifically what it said, but the image in the OP should be close or relevant to what its listed as)


I changed the setting to RMNET+DM+MODEM, as instructed in OP. I'll try a different USB port in hopes that will solve the issue. I didn't have any yellow exclamation points or anything else that looked wrong, so I'm not sure what else it could be. Thanks very much for the prompt reply.

Edit: added a screenshot of Device Manager showing the situation.

http://i1236.photobu...eviceMgr-S3.png


----------



## Bill3508

goodwidp said:


> I changed the setting to RMNET+DM+MODEM, as instructed in OP. I'll try a different USB port in hopes that will solve the issue. I didn't have any yellow exclamation points or anything else that looked wrong, so I'm not sure what else it could be. Thanks very much for the prompt reply.
> 
> Edit: added a screenshot of Device Manager showing the situation.
> 
> http://i1236.photobu...eviceMgr-S3.png


Mine did the same. Go to view in device manager and change it to view by connection and also show hidden devices. It will show up as Samsung mobile.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2


----------



## goodwidp

Bill3508 said:


> Mine did the same. Go to view in device manager and change it to view by connection and also show hidden devices. It will show up as Samsung mobile.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2


Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, that did not solve the problem as it still shows up under Portable Devices but I sincerely appreciate the help.

One thing I'm noticing that might be the problem: When I choose RMNET+DM+MODEM in the Hidden Menu and hit OK, I get the toast notification saying "Saved" but when I open the USBSetting Menu again it's back on MTP. I'm not sure if this is how it's supposed to behave but maybe the problem is that the RMNET+DM+MODEM setting isn't sticking? Thanks again.


----------



## con247

That happens when you haven't enabled the hidden menu first.


----------



## goodwidp

con247 said:


> That happens when you haven't enabled the hidden menu first.


Hmm. That may be it. So I should dial **#22745927 *before using Anycut to enable the menu? I was under the assumption that the Anycut method both enabled and allowed access to HiddenMenu on custom ROMs. Thanks very much for the helpful response.


----------



## Goose306

To be honest I haven't tried it on Beans yet I was on stock rooted when I did it. But that would make sense. have to enable the menu for the diagnostic options to be enabled. That would also explain why its still showing up as a device on your PC (as it shouldn't, it should be disabling MTP)


----------



## goodwidp

con247 said:


> That happens when you haven't enabled the hidden menu first.


I love you.







(not really, but you get the idea...)

That did it. All I was missing was enabling the HiddenMenu via the dialer. I did that, used Anycut to access the menu and once I changed to RMNET+DM+MODEM, the phone correctly appeared under Ports. I now have a 146KB QCN backup file and can start flashing again with no worries (well, not worrying about losing my IMEI at least...).

Thanks again to Goose, con247 and everyone else who offered their help. I really can't express how much I appreciate it.

Edit: Is there any need to disable the hidden menu (via **#22745927*) after the backup is complete or can I leave it as is and just change the USB Setting back to MTP?


----------



## con247

goodwidp said:


> I love you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (not really, but you get the idea...)
> 
> That did it. All I was missing was enabling the HiddenMenu via the dialer. I did that, used Anycut to access the menu and once I changed to RMNET+DM+MODEM, the phone correctly appeared under Ports. I now have a 146KB QCN backup file and can start flashing again with no worries (well, not worrying about losing my IMEI at least...).
> 
> Thanks again to Goose, con247 and everyone else who offered their help. I really can't express how much I appreciate it.
> 
> Edit: Is there any need to disable the hidden menu (via **#22745927*) after the backup is complete or can I leave it as is and just change the USB Setting back to MTP?


You can leave it. Plus, if I remember correctly it reverts to disabled upon reboot anyway.


----------



## RJFrank33

Does anyone know if it matters that I unlocked my bootloader? Can I still return to stock, back up my IMEI and then flash a rooted stock rom using odin with an unlocked bootloader?


----------



## goodwidp

RJFrank33 said:


> Does anyone know if it matters that I unlocked my bootloader? Can I still return to stock, back up my IMEI and then flash a rooted stock rom using odin with an unlocked bootloader?


I'm sure Goose can give you an official answer but my bootloader was unlocked when I successfully backed up mine so I'd imagine you're fine.


----------



## r3dlined

I bought this phone off from someone that had already flashed the ROM on here. How can I tell if it's stuck in roaming mode?


----------



## goodwidp

r3dlined said:


> I bought this phone off from someone that had already flashed the ROM on here. How can I tell if it's stuck in roaming mode?


System Settings-->Status-->Roaming..if you're not roaming it will say "Not roaming"


----------



## r3dlined

goodwidp said:


> System Settings-->Status-->Roaming..if you're not roaming it will say "Not roaming"


Cool looks like I'm clear ... thanks


----------



## eaglesfan398

Is there any progress on determining the cause of the imei being lost?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## davefields3

CHP said:


> Soooo is there a method for this on Mac?


I'd also like to know if there is a method for a Mac. I'd rather not buy Parralels or VMware just to back up my IMEI


----------



## con247

Install a windows 7 free trial in bootcamp, make friends with someone who has windows, etc


----------



## Hobart

Question...got phone last week and backed up my imei. Then I had to change my sim card...do I need another backup? Is imei the same?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## greenlantan

It looks like the people who are stuck in roaming or have no data at all used the Restore IMEI method that works if they did not backup their original IMEI, but instead went in and extracted the necessary information to plug it back in.

I dont know, but I'm crossing my fingers that the backup/restore with QPST works because I don't have insurance on this thing.


----------



## Jaxidian

Thanks for this guide, Goose!


----------



## tu3218

What size is the backup file suppose to be? Mine is about 145kb, is it suppose to be that small?


----------



## silver04v

tu3218 said:


> What size is the backup file suppose to be? Mine is about 145kb, is it suppose to be that small?


 Sounds right to me.


----------



## Phaenom

First I want to say great write up awesome work. I wish I would have seen it sooner. However with this I was able to restore my lost IMEI. Thank you.


----------



## Breezer23

Usually I'm pretty capable of figuring things out but the AOSP instructions have me lost haha.

Back to stock to take care of this. Does anyone have a working Any Cut link?

EDIT2: Found it via Google. Ran it on Synergy - worked like a champ. Thank you!


----------



## Goose306

OP Updated:

New potential method for backup that covers more partitions added. It is untested. If you are willing and are concerned about IMEI loss, please make a backup of both methods. The more the better in case its lost, and (its unfortunate) but we need someone to lose their IMEI and test the new method. Obviously don't do it just to test the method, but keep redundant backups. Always a good idea, plus if you happen to be an unfortunate soul who does lose their IMEI, you can then test the new method.


----------



## landshark

Goose. I'm adding these two quoted posts from the AOKP JB thread to this thread to help clear up confusion, answer questions, and ease fears. The first is yours and the second is bobcaruso's response to your post. I figured anyone with IMEI questions should read this thread, and hopefully more people will see your excellent post.



Goose306 said:


> Goose nailed this on the head, but I just want to add one comment.
> 
> This is the third method of IMEI backup/restoration, and none of these methods are backed up with a specific, complete and confirmed knowledge of how IMEI is actually instantiated on this phone. Which means *there is no guaranteed method of restoring a borked IMEI at this time*


----------



## Nick.Tbolt

Do we run the xda zip in recovery?

* Verizon Galaxy S3 *


----------



## tu3218

Nick.Tbolt said:


> Do we run the xda zip in recovery?
> 
> * Verizon Galaxy S3 *


yeah, the synergy backup hwkeys. Flash that in recovery and will create a folder named synergy and your backup will be in there.


----------



## Xeneize480

A budy of mine got on his GS3 showing imei all zeros. He was going from rom to rom and now shows all zeros. I don't believe he ever backup his imei, so do you guys know any other method to fix this issue.

Thank you!!!


----------



## con247

Read the stickies please.


----------



## MistaWolfe

My god....

I'm done with Rootz for the day. Pathetic.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## dadsterflip

MistaWolfe said:


> My god....
> 
> I'm done with Rootz for the day. Pathetic.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


Your usually nicer lol long day huh? 
Stickies ftw . 
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## MistaWolfe

I'm so sick of people not reading the stickies or searching. The IMEI threads and bricked threads are out of control. Mods should start issuing infractions in my opinion.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## con247

MistaWolfe said:


> I'm so sick of people not reading the stickies or searching. The IMEI threads and bricked threads are out of control. Mods should start issuing infractions in my opinion.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


Personally I think you should be forced to read every thread before you are allowed to start a new thread. And you must read every post in a thread to reply to a thread.


----------



## MistaWolfe

con247 said:


> Personally I think you should be forced to read every thread before you are allowed to start a new thread. And you must read every post in a thread to reply to a thread.


Something needs to happen. It's ridiculous. Maybe I just expect more out of people...

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## TenderloinShadow

While I agree that the IMEI thing has been mentioned everywhere, including at the very top of the forum he's posting in, let's cut the kid a break. We were all new at this once upon a time. It sounds like he didn't make a backup, in which case he's in big trouble. That's his fault for not reading, yes, but let's not make it worse by abusing him like this.


----------



## MistaWolfe

He's been a member for over a year.

At least, post in the IMEI threads rather than start a new thread.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## kingdroid

MistaWolfe said:


> He's been a member for over a year.
> 
> At least, post in the IMEI threads rather than start a new thread.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


ol lol ur a beast lol lol I should say you're a beast before I get jumped on... sooooo how bout tht Chris Rock lol..

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Benjamin66

Hi guys,
I signed up today and have so many questions, I think I'll earn some points from you guys and just re-read this post before asking.


----------



## Goose306

Benjamin66 said:


> Hi guys,
> I signed up today and have so many questions, I think I'll earn some points from you guys and just re-read this post before asking.


I can't tell if your trolling or not...









Regardless, +1 for taking the time to read OPs and stickies, a rare entity to be around as of late


----------



## RedRumy3

So I did this backup again but using QPST 2.7 378. Newer version.

Old version posted here my backup is 145kb

New version 378 my backup is 216kb not sure what changed but it's bigger though.

I downloaded newer version from here. Click Me

Just figured I would post that here


----------



## Xeneize480

Here is a video on how to follow these steps


----------



## Benjamin66

Not trolling, just new to all this and I'm having to read most posts 3 times before I understand them......
The biggest problem I had was downloading a free version to unZip the RAR file. After that, I just followed your instructions.
I want to have a backup of "stock everything" when I mess up something. Which brings me to my first couple of questions.
If I can re download and install my Apps via "Play" why would I need the Gapps program to re-install the apps.
I have ROM Manager but I'm reading everywhere to use EX Recovery App. Arent they the same thing?
I read that since Ima noob I should use TouchWiz based ROM's as they are more stable?
My next step should be to install EX recovery (or Use ROM Manager) so I can install custom ROMS??
I'm rooted, bootloader unlocked, imei backed up, what would you guys recommend for me?


----------



## Goose306

Benjamin66 said:


> Not trolling, just new to all this and I'm having to read most posts 3 times before I understand them......
> The biggest problem I had was downloading a free version to unZip the RAR file. After that, I just followed your instructions.
> I want to have a backup of "stock everything" when I mess up something. Which brings me to my first couple of questions.
> If I can re download and install my Apps via "Play" why would I need the Gapps program to re-install the apps.
> I have ROM Manager but I'm reading everywhere to use EX Recovery App. Arent they the same thing?
> I read that since Ima noob I should use TouchWiz based ROM's as they are more stable?
> My next step should be to install EX recovery (or Use ROM Manager) so I can install custom ROMS??
> I'm rooted, bootloader unlocked, imei backed up, what would you guys recommend for me?


There's a few other threads here that are fairly relevant to this, but here's a few quick answers:

1. Not all ROMs require gapps. Usually its ROMs based on AOSP, as Touchwiz ROMs already have the Touchwiz gapps in them essentially. The gapps represent more than just the Play Store apps like maps, and actually it includes essential applications that it can't run without them (or not without issues at least). Really most gapps packages leave out the Play Store apps. (Some don't even include basic "essentials" like gmail) They have to do them seperately as CyanogenMod was hit by a C&D by Google ages ago when they used to be included, so no-one does it.

2. ROM Manager can flash a CWM recovery. EZ Recovery just gives you more options and knowing what version you are getting (tbh I don't even know what the recovery ROM Manager is giving out) but EZ Recovery lets you pick and choose beyond just CWM, which is nice. Most people either use TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) which is touch-based, or CWM 6.0.1.0 or 6.0.1.2. 6.0.1.0 is the older kexec recovery but works just fine (I'm still using it) 6.0.1.2 is touch-based I believe. That is why the EZ Recovery is recommended (and it can removed if you want after the recovery you pick is flashed, if you really need the room for some reason)

3. Touchwiz based ROMs are generally a bit more stable, at least at this point. AOSP ROMs are a lot of fun (I generally don't touch TouchWiz-based ROMs too much) but its personal preference. Touchwiz is better in some aspects as some Sammy apps are useful (looking at you camera app!) but they can be kinda bloated/slower sometimes, and some people don't like the look (most of that can be swapped by launchers though).

AOSP is going to be a lot slimmer of a build and it tends (YMMV) to be faster as its much leaner. Its also relatively pure AOSP (CM and AOKP and the others still do mod AOSP but generally they are nice additions. They can sometimes be less stable, and for the most part they are a bit unstable still on this phone, but it gets better quickly. Things like poor 3G reception and fringe area coverage is usually the biggest drawback if you don't live in an LTE market, otherwise besides a few small random bugs every now and then its really quite nice. Plus there is lots of good jellybean development if you want the latest version of Android.

4. Yes. Flash your recovery. Once flashed go in and create a backup. Do it to your external SD if you can (if you ever need to do a factory reset from stock recovery it wipes the internal SD, so its good to keep that stuff on external if you have it). This is a system image, so if you ever go back its just like stepping back in time. Recovery should automatically back up kernel as well (should see it saying backing up boot.img). Now do a factory wipe/data reset (so make sure you have your apps backed up as well, user apps ONLY - recommend Titanium as always reliable, though some people use others, along with other info (phone call list, texts, etc.) Know sometimes the extra backups of system data (phone call list, texts, etc) don't always restore well, so be aware.

Now follow the rest of the ROM instructions per OP of ROM thread (wipe data, any other wipes as stated in OP, install ROM, install (applicable) gapps, install new kernel (if you desire something different, most ROMs come with some flavor of new kernel baked in, AOSP requires a new kernel to be pre-baked but you can change it too). Boot and enjoy.


----------



## con247

Possible good news: http://forum.xda-dev...00&postcount=56

A user on XDA reported a successful IMEI restore solely from flashing the restore.zip file from the flashable zip based backup. So hopefully if we get another confirmation or two we can promote this method to the number 1 choice for backup/restore. I just thought I would post the good news here for those of you who don't check the other forum. Thanks to amaury48 over there for providing their results.

edit: There was another confirmation that it worked by a different person. So I think we can probably consider this backup method to be the best.


----------



## Goose306

*Bumpity Bump:*

OP/Second post updated. Synergy zip info included along with relevant info regarding the method of fixing Samsung's derp on the bad backup.

Following an app which may be able to restore from "0" with no roaming issues. Its over on XDA. No real confirmation so far though. If that gets working it will be added to post 4.

In the meantime, do your goddamn backups folks!


----------



## Jay Evans

I can confirm that this tool on XDA will fix Roaming.


----------



## mbh87

Just read this thread in preparation of getting a S3 and I now have a headache. Lots of good but also a lot to take in. Maybe I should have stuck with my GNex lol.


----------



## mbh87

Couple quick questions, sorry if they have been answered. When running the nvbackup from adb where is that stored and does the process go rather quickly? Mine rebooted to the restore and then finished in a couple seconds. Also when I run the Synergy zip on my AT&T S3 I get an error saying I'm not unlocked?


----------



## con247

The Synergy backup is for the VZW version only.

The nvbackup is stored to the fsg and backup partitions on the device. If you want the exact mounts, check out the updater-script and such in the synergy file.


----------



## mbh87

con247 said:


> The Synergy backup is for the VZW version only.
> 
> The nvbackup is stored to the fsg and backup partitions on the device. If you want the exact mounts, check out the updater-script and such in the synergy file.


I figured the synergy zip was only for VZW but wasn't sure. I was just curious if we needed to save the nvbackup backup but it seems we dont? Also is the actual backup pretty quick? Just want to make sure mine actually backed up, I only saw the blue text for like 2 seconds.


----------



## con247

yeah the "reboot nvbackup" was very fast. If you saw blue text I am sure it worked.


----------



## mbh87

con247 said:


> yeah the "reboot nvbackup" was very fast. If you saw blue text I am sure it worked.


Thanks. Just got the phone and like to be extra cautious until I fully understand what's going on.


----------



## droidxuser123

When I did the "reboot nvbackup" it hanged in the bootanimation for a little bit and it restarted again like a reboot again on it's own.

Did the backup work?


----------



## zbjones

The ZIP file for the Synergy backup is not downloading from mediafire for me. Does anyone have an active link or a drop box with it?

(For my wifes S3)

-- Living Life From My RAZR's Edge --


----------



## Goose306

Known issue with mediafire on phone. Download via PC and it'll be fine

Tapped from my jelly-beaned d2vzw


----------



## Breezer23

Great. I'm getting "Memory Restore Failed" below that it shows "Received an invalid command from phone"

I noticed someone earlier had te same issue but they never replied again. No clue how they fixed it. I really don't want to buy a new phone.

Never thought I'd do this but I guess I'll have to be a hypocrite and restore the phone to stock and return it.


----------



## con247

Breezer23 said:


> Great. I'm getting "Memory Restore Failed" below that it shows "Received an invalid command from phone"
> 
> I noticed someone earlier had te same issue but they never replied again. No clue how they fixed it. I really don't want to buy a new phone.
> 
> Never thought I'd do this but I guess I'll have to be a hypocrite and restore the phone to stock and return it.


Which restore method? Synergy or nvrestore? Also try this tool: http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1867442

It can fix w/o backup

Edit: @Goose, I'd recommend you replace the QPST backup/restore method with the tool I linked for Breezer23. I say this because QPST will leave you roaming without a backup and sometimes with a backup. Plus, it is a PITA to do the QPST backup anyway. So the restore w/o a backup tool is probably a better bet because I think in probably every case the restore tool will work better than QPST would have.


----------



## Breezer23

con247 said:


> Which restore method? Synergy or nvrestore? Also try this tool: http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1867442
> 
> It can fix w/o backup


I got it back the manual way but I'm stuck in roaming. The real problem I'm having is that I'm just "borrowing" this phone from my dad until the Note II comes out. He's using my Nexus. I can't give him the phone back if it's stuck in roaming all the time. That's not right.


----------



## Breezer23

Thank you! That fixed it. Love you!









I donated $10 to the OP of that post. Thanks again for the heads up. Life saver.


----------



## Goose306

con247 said:


> Which restore method? Synergy or nvrestore? Also try this tool: http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1867442
> 
> It can fix w/o backup
> 
> Edit: @Goose, I'd recommend you replace the QPST backup/restore method with the tool I linked for Breezer23. I say this because QPST will leave you roaming without a backup and sometimes with a backup. Plus, it is a PITA to do the QPST backup anyway. So the restore w/o a backup tool is probably a better bet because I think in probably every case the restore tool will work better than QPST would have.


Yeah, been meaning to do that. I'll get to it either later tonight or tomorrow. Been sick for the last week or so so haven't been feeling like sitting in front of the PC for extended periods doing a re-write.

I'm still going to leave QPST in case there's issues, but I'll prolly knock that down to reserved post 4 and put the new app in post two and call it good.


----------



## Goose306

Bumpin'

First 4 posts re-ordered, cleaned up, app info loaded in there for Verizon variant.

BTW, if anyone knows of similar apps for the other variants, let me know I'll add them to the last reserved post.


----------



## mbh87

There is this tool for the AT&T variant http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804117

It does a full NV backup which has been useful to people as just writing the IMEI back hasn't always brought data back too.


----------



## Goose306

mbh87 said:


> There is this tool for the AT&T variant http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804117
> 
> It does a full NV backup which has been useful to people as just writing the IMEI back hasn't always brought data back too.


Hmm lemme take a look at it then I'll see about throwing that in there too... Looks like that's a util for you guys to use for backups and restores and from 0. Can you guys still use the "su" "reboot nvbackup" command to fix Samsung's derp corrupted backup?


----------



## mbh87

Goose306 said:


> Hmm lemme take a look at it then I'll see about throwing that in there too... Looks like that's a util for you guys to use for backups and restores and from 0. Can you guys still use the "su" "reboot nvbackup" command to fix Samsung's derp corrupted backup?


I ran the "reboot nvbackup" and saw blue text for about a second and then it rebooted. Dunno if it works or if anyone has successfully restored from it though.


----------



## con247

mbh87 said:


> I ran the "reboot nvbackup" and saw blue text for about a second and then it rebooted. Dunno if it works or if anyone has successfully restored from it though.


people have reported on XDA that it restores, but sometimes it gets them stuck in a bootloop so they have to restore a nandroid backup.


----------



## mandiw777

YMMV I have lost all numbers in my settings>about phone>status many, many times. if I do a battery pull & reboot all my numbers come back. Or if I reboot to recovery & restore a nandroid they'll come back. Does anyone know if this is common or are you guys experiencing something different?

Oh I have used the synergy zip too, worked both times.


----------



## drawmonster

Ok, so I didn't backup and lost my IMEI. I followed the tutorial and got everything back, but still have no service. What am I missing?


----------



## Goose306

drawmonster said:


> Ok, so I didn't backup and lost my IMEI. I followed the tutorial and got everything back, but still have no service. What am I missing?


Do post two. Make sure you push the eri as well.

Tapped from my jelly-beaned d2vzw


----------



## drawmonster

Goose306 said:


> Do post two. Make sure you push the eri as well.
> 
> Tapped from my jelly-beaned d2vzw


Ok, pushed the eri too. So Imei fix, then pushed eri. Still have no connection. FML.


----------



## con247

Did you reprovision on the stock rom?


----------



## majixx11

Using the adb reboot nvbackup command, does this backup remain saved to the phone regardless of wiping, flashing a new ROM, odin to stock/root66, or some other type of "reset"? More directly, is it possible to unintentionally erase this backup, and how? Thanks!


----------



## droidxuser123

majixx11 said:


> Using the adb reboot nvbackup command, does this backup remain saved to the phone regardless of wiping, flashing a new ROM, odin to stock/root66, or some other type of "reset"? More directly, is it possible to unintentionally erase this backup, and how? Thanks!


as far as I know the backup stays with you if you flash a new ROM, don't know about odin. If you're still worried about accidentally erasing it you can use synergy backup script so it makes a backup of everything and you can flash it if something goes wrong


----------



## SlimSnoopOS

droidxuser123 said:


> as far as I know the backup stays with you if you flash a new ROM, don't know about odin. If you're still worried about accidentally erasing it you can use synergy backup script so it makes a backup of everything and you can flash it if something goes wrong


I agree, the backup, Part A and Part B, stays with you and also on your sdcard regardless of the rom that you're on. Now if you Odin to stock, this erases *anything* on your sdcard so definitely save this Synergy backup folder Part B, in more than two places off your phone. If you've backed up once and have that Synergy folder on your computer/email/etc just place it back on your sdcard and you're good to go.

As for the backup that you copy to the system itself, I can't speculate on how one accidentally overrides it. I can say this though, so long as you have your IMEI working and listed within your rom (whether it's unrooted stock or a custom rom) you can always just re-run this backup process to backup to the correct blocks and to your sdcard again for peace of mind.


----------



## eman3316

So just to confirm, with nvrestore or the Synergy restore, it brings back you info without the roaming issue. Correct?


----------



## con247

eman3316 said:


> So just to confirm, with nvrestore or the Synergy restore, it brings back you info without the roaming issue. Correct?


Yes


----------



## crane476

con247 said:


> Yes


Does that include MEID? And if I used the tool with an intact IMEI would it hurt anything? My MEID is screwed up but my IMEI is just fine... weird.


----------



## con247

From what I have read, MEID is kinda calculated by the OS from the IMEI and other things. So if your MEID is messed up but the phone functions fine, no reason to worry because just the showing of it is messed up.


----------



## Nick.Tbolt

Should I run the reboot nvbackup every time I flash something?

* Verizon AOKP GS3 *


----------



## con247

Nick.Tbolt said:


> Should I run the reboot nvbackup every time I flash something?
> 
> * Verizon AOKP GS3 *


Once is fine. Flashing won't alter the backup.


----------



## blackhat

I ran the su
Reboot nvbackup

Twice. It overrides it the second time so it's still there and good right.?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Goose306

blackhat said:


> I ran the su
> Reboot nvbackup
> 
> Twice. It overrides it the second time so it's still there and good right.?
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


As long as you saw the blue text at the top when on the bootloader screen during the reboot you are good.


----------



## blackhat

Yeah it came up both times.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## hattar

I went through this process and now my IMEI is back to normal (For reference, I had to flash back to stock to keep the MEID repair utility from crashing whenever I tried). Unfortunately now my phone number is wrong and I still can't get service. Did I miss something? I searched the thread and didn't find anyone else mentioning this problem.

e: flashed stock back on and the number is fine. Hopefully this doesn't recur when I re-flash aokp
e2: every time I flash aokp I lose my number again. Not sure if this belongs here or in the aokp thread.


----------



## droidxuser123

hattar said:


> I went through this process and now my IMEI is back to normal (For reference, I had to flash back to stock to keep the MEID repair utility from crashing whenever I tried). Unfortunately now my phone number is wrong and I still can't get service. Did I miss something? I searched the thread and didn't find anyone else mentioning this problem.
> 
> e: flashed stock back on and the number is fine. Hopefully this doesn't recur when I re-flash aokp
> e2: every time I flash aokp I lose my number again. Not sure if this belongs here or in the aokp thread.


when you lose your number do you lose your imei as well?


----------



## wingchun108tek

hey guys,

I need some help because I think I might be doing something wrong. I lost my IMEI (IMEI =0) today and for the past two hours havn't been able to get it back. 
I'm running AOKP (phantom)

A while back i used QPST to make a backup file that i named backup.qcn. here's what i'm doing.

!.) I plug my phone into the USB let my comp recognize it and note the correct COM port. Then I copy and paste the Terminal Code in post #2 for Enabling. 
2.) I open QPST Software Download and go to the restore tab and verify the COM port my phone is on.
3.) I browse my desktop and select the backup.qcn file. 
4.) I press start.

So after I press start, i get the error "could not communicate in diagnostic mode". If anybody could help me I would be forever grateful I am literally going nuts because I can not make any calls. I was thinking that maybe the enabling code wasn't working because when i copy and paste it, nothing really visible happens or changes. (for those wondering I am using "su" in the first line). I'm pretty much a noob so I have a feeling it's something i'm doing.


----------



## Goose306

wingchun108tek said:


> hey guys,
> 
> I need some help because I think I might be doing something wrong. I lost my IMEI (IMEI =0) today and for the past two hours havn't been able to get it back.
> I'm running AOKP (phantom)
> 
> A while back i used QPST to make a backup file that i named backup.qcn. here's what i'm doing.
> 
> !.) I plug my phone into the USB let my comp recognize it and note the correct COM port. Then I copy and paste the Terminal Code in post #2 for Enabling.
> 2.) I open QPST Software Download and go to the restore tab and verify the COM port my phone is on.
> 3.) I browse my desktop and select the backup.qcn file.
> 4.) I press start.
> 
> So after I press start, i get the error "could not communicate in diagnostic mode". If anybody could help me I would be forever grateful I am literally going nuts because I can not make any calls. I was thinking that maybe the enabling code wasn't working because when i copy and paste it, nothing really visible happens or changes. (for those wondering I am using "su" in the first line). I'm pretty much a noob so I have a feeling it's something i'm doing.


Do you only have a QPST backup? That can work sometimes but its not really recommended anymore, I pretty much just kept the info there for historical sake, its deprecated. If you only have a QPST backup I'd try doing the restore from 0 method listed in Post 2, should fix your right up (I have no idea what your QPST error is, but its notoriously finicky)


----------



## eyupozturk

I didn't find Qualcomm Usb settings. Please help
I attached screenshot


----------



## con247

eyupozturk said:


> I didn't find Qualcomm Usb settings. Please help
> I attached screenshot


What rom? Some have it stripped 
Sent from d2_vzw


----------



## eyupozturk

con247 said:


> What rom? Some have it stripped
> Sent from d2_vzw


yesterday there was original rom, today i installed the criskelo teamrom jellybean v14.0, in both it doesnt work.
thanks.


----------



## Goose306

eyupozturk said:


> yesterday there was original rom, today i installed the criskelo teamrom jellybean v14.0, in both it doesnt work.
> thanks.


That's for International variant (quad exynos) correct? If so that's why you don't use these options for your IMEI backup. You guys should be fine with a basic EFS backup.


----------



## bobd2754

Has anyone had a bootloop after running the nv backup in terminal? This happened to me, but I may have typed in nvrestore by mistake.


----------



## droidxuser123

bobd2754 said:


> Has anyone had a bootloop after running the nv backup in terminal? This happened to me, but I may have typed in nvrestore by mistake.


When I did it this is what happened
ran the nvbackup in terminal emulator
phone goes black and shows the blue text on the top (from what I've been told it means the backup worked)
then it went into the cyanogenmod boot animation and stuck there for a couple of minutes
then phone restarted again from the samsung logo.

this happened when the OP of this thread got updated for the new methods. I haven't had a problem since


----------



## Goose306

Yup after I ran the su nvbackup method I have never lost anything and haven't heard of anyone else personally, or at least permanently losing it and having to manually restore. I had one wonky reboot where I lost my baseband but rebooting again fixed it. And I've easily flashed probably 30-40+ different AOSP-based ROM builds since I did that.


----------



## con247

Goose306 said:


> Yup after I ran the su nvbackup method I have never lost anything and haven't heard of anyone else personally, or at least permanently losing it and having to manually restore. I had one wonky reboot where I lost my baseband but rebooting again fixed it. And I've easily flashed probably 30-40+ different AOSP-based ROM builds since I did that.


On XDA someone said they lost it after doing "reboot nvbackup" but a "reboot nvrestore" put them back to business as usual.


----------



## xeno2011

Do you need root to run the backup scripts in adb or terminal? Just got my S3 and want to do it the right way. Thanks.


----------



## con247

xeno2011 said:


> Do you need root to run the backup scripts in adb or terminal? Just got my S3 and want to do it the right way. Thanks.


Yes.


----------



## whatbeup

How do you know when you lose your ime or whatever? I think I've list mine or something but I'm not sure...

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Goose306

whatbeup said:


> How do you know when you lose your ime or whatever? I think I've list mine or something but I'm not sure...
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


Really??

See if your IMEI is listed under About Phone....


----------



## whatbeup

Goose306 said:


> Really??
> 
> See if your IMEI is listed under About Phone....


O ok, that's what I was thinking, but I want sure thx

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## tiger13

that you for this post, I was unaware of the missing ime issue, now I have backups just Incase

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2


----------



## cvo515

i used both adb and synergy back up methods. thanks for the help. my synergy backup file size is 12.3 mb...sound about right?


----------



## SlimSnoopOS

cvo515 said:


> i used both adb and synergy back up methods. thanks for the help. my synergy backup file size is 12.3 mb...sound about right?


Yup, just about right


----------



## con247

Hey goose, if you could update post #2 to to say that you must be running radio G7 or lower to use the repair app. The HD, HE, and newer block the tool.


----------



## Goose306

con247 said:


> Hey goose, if you could update post #2 to to say that you must be running radio G7 or lower to use the repair app. The HD, HE, and newer block the tool.


Good point. Actually found that out myself helping someone else out restoring IMEI. Will get it edited asap.

EDIT: Done.


----------



## griz.droidx

I have a question I hope it belongs here. I'm still rather new to the s3, but backed up my imei using the terminal su nvbackup method. I've installed several roms since buying this phone with no issues. Last night I was installing my first TW rom and it seemed as if my signal and data weren't as good as before. I assume if the rom flashed a radio, (the tw rom from beans) that I would need to re-activate. But since I could make calls and 3g was spotty, I'm sure there was no radio flashed. Today at work 3 miles up the road, 3g seems a bit better, but usually when data is off, I have 1-2 bars, when I turn it on I get more like 2-3 or a steady 2 when it's usually one bar here especially inside, I guess this could be due to the data connection being more reliable?

Anyway, How would I know if I lost my IMEI? Again, I had backed it up from terminal a while back. I apologize if this belongs somewhere else.

Thanks to all the Devs and others who make things easy for the rest of us.


----------



## Goose306

griz.droidx said:


> I have a question I hope it belongs here. I'm still rather new to the s3, but backed up my imei using the terminal su nvbackup method. I've installed several roms since buying this phone with no issues. Last night I was installing my first TW rom and it seemed as if my signal and data weren't as good as before. I assume if the rom flashed a radio, (the tw rom from beans) that I would need to re-activate. But since I could make calls and 3g was spotty, I'm sure there was no radio flashed. Today at work 3 miles up the road, 3g seems a bit better, but usually when data is off, I have 1-2 bars, when I turn it on I get more like 2-3 or a steady 2 when it's usually one bar here especially inside, I guess this could be due to the data connection being more reliable?
> 
> Anyway, How would I know if I lost my IMEI? Again, I had backed it up from terminal a while back. I apologize if this belongs somewhere else.
> 
> Thanks to all the Devs and others who make things easy for the rest of us.


Settings -> About Phone lists IMEI is it all 0s or saying Unknown?

Tapped from my jelly-beaned d2vzw with 4.2 gapps


----------



## griz.droidx

Nope it has a number 99???????????. Still I don't think I'm getting the signal and service that I was getting when I first got the phone. I haven't tried a different modem either. I am on Hilbe's AOKP and the Correct Lean Kernel. No clock settings changes from stock LK settings. I've flashed a number of roms and I doubt that they would have flashed a new modem but it's possible I supposed I flashed Beans TW ROM called Jelly "Beans" a while back, and that's when I first noticed it. I've since flashed others, I have signal, and 3g, it's just much weaker than usual.

Thanks Goose for helping this S3 newb. I havent been online in a while and so please forgive the delayed response. Thank you for the quick one.


----------



## SlimSnoopOS

griz.droidx said:


> Nope it has a number 99???????????. Still I don't think I'm getting the signal and service that I was getting when I first got the phone. I haven't tried a different modem either. I am on Hilbe's AOKP and the Correct Lean Kernel. No clock settings changes from stock LK settings. I've flashed a number of roms and I doubt that they would have flashed a new modem but it's possible I supposed I flashed Beans TW ROM called Jelly "Beans" a while back, and that's when I first noticed it. I've since flashed others, I have signal, and 3g, it's just much weaker than usual.
> 
> Thanks Goose for helping this S3 newb. I havent been online in a while and so please forgive the delayed response. Thank you for the quick one.


Then you definitely still have your IMEI intact.

No custom rom modifies or installs a new modem along with the rom, this only occurs if you Odin flash stock images. The best thing you can do is to try flashing another modem and seeing if that improves your relative signal. Also, the signal bars aren't the most accurate depiction of signal, your dbm is more accurate since you can get a feel for the average dbm with a more concrete value. Check via Settings/About Phone/Status/Signal Strength, the closer it is to 0 the better your signal is. So -90 is much better than -115.

For me, I have absolute crappy signal and my dbm sits at -105 to -115 on a daily basis. At best, that translates to two bars of signal. No modem will magically grant me 2-3 consistent bars given that my environment impacts and degrades my signal regardless of phone.


----------



## Goose306

I'd also try a SIM reprovision. There's really no harm, just nandroid first.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2


----------



## griz.droidx

A lot to learn I still have. Wow sim reprovision and modem upgrade. I would try another modem but can't re-activate with *228 in my area. I have to drive 45 min to the closest verizon tower. With my X, I could install a stock based rom and using the dialer manually activate it. I think you can do that on this one as well, but I'm not entirely sure.

I will look into SIM reprovisioning. Thanks for the tips fellows.


----------



## con247

NEVER dial *228 on an LTE phone. It doesn't need it and can damage the sim card.


----------



## Zehlek

Thank you for this, now I can flash without fearing lol


----------



## amaruk

do you have to do this from stock? I did it after installing CM10.


----------



## islandtime

in the samsung repair utility it hangs on eri, it says waiting to connect. when i try to choose com4 which is where device manager showed me it was connected, it just freezes. also no matter what usb port i put it on it says com4, is that correct? thanks for any help.


----------



## Goose306

islandtime said:


> in the samsung repair utility it hangs on eri, it says waiting to connect. when i try to choose com4 which is where device manager showed me it was connected, it just freezes. also no matter what usb port i put it on it says com4, is that correct? thanks for any help.


Did you downgrade your radio first? That's usually what happens when you are on a newer radio.


----------



## islandtime

Goose306 said:


> Did you downgrade your radio first? That's usually what happens when you are on a newer radio.


i did and it worked. however when it came back up all my numbers were back and correct, but i lost cdma. checked all the obvious, everything looks as it should. verizon couldnt even see my phone on their end. they are sending me a new one


----------



## con247

Did you re-provision the sim card?


----------



## islandtime

con247 said:


> Did you re-provision the sim card?


No, somehow i fried the cdma antenna, they sent me a new phone, i put my sim card in and was good to go. Most bizarre thing with 4g working and cdma not at all.


----------



## trparky

Is this only a problem with Verizon versions of this phone? The IMEI wipe issue that is. What about the GSM/HSPA+ version of the phone (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.)?

Why I ask is that I'm six months away from the end of my contract and I'm ready to kick Verizon to the curb. I'll most likely be going to AT&T. I'm at the stage where I'm researching possible replacement phones. I'm torn between the GS3 and the Nexus 4.


----------



## con247

islandtime said:


> Is this only a problem with Verizon versions of this phone? The IMEI wipe issue that is. What about the GSM/HSPA+ version of the phone (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.)?
> 
> Why I ask is that I'm six months away from the end of my contract and I'm ready to kick Verizon to the curb. I'll most likely be going to AT&T. I'm at the stage where I'm researching possible replacement phones. I'm torn between the GS3 and the Nexus 4.


No it isn't actually. On XDA you can check out info regarding the GSM variants' issues here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801997


----------



## whatbeup

My IMEISV is 0, but my regular IMEI has numbers like it normally does, is that a bad thing or is it supposed to be 0? What's the difference between the two?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Zehlek

I tried second backup and it wouldn't work. I flash in TWRP and I get an error. I'm on rogers/AT&T


----------



## Goose306

Zehlek said:


> I tried second backup and it wouldn't work. I flash in TWRP and I get an error. I'm on rogers/AT&T


Second backup is for d2vzw only just run the terminal commands and you should be good.... Keep forgetting to update OP, sorry

Tapped from my 4.2 jelly-beaned d2vzw


----------



## Zehlek

Goose306 said:


> Second backup is for d2vzw only just run the terminal commands and you should be good.... Keep forgetting to update OP, sorry
> 
> Tapped from my 4.2 jelly-beaned d2vzw


Awesome thanks


----------



## jrob09BHS

synergy zip file just saved my butt. Thanks goose for putting this together


----------



## Goose306

jrob09BHS said:


> synergy zip file just saved my butt. Thanks goose for putting this together


You should thank TrevE not me... nevertheless you're welcome 

Tapped from my 4.2 jelly-beaned d2vzw


----------



## odmejia

Anyone experiencing issues with the IMEI repair tool not responding? I even downgraded my modem to G7 and still wont connect. Going to try to the QPST here in a bit, any help would be great,thx


----------



## Goose306

odmejia said:


> Anyone experiencing issues with the IMEI repair tool not responding? I even downgraded my modem to G7 and still wont connect. Going to try to the QPST here in a bit, any help would be great,thx


Uninstall all the drivers and reinstall.

Also are you on JB or ICS? I believe best results come from ICS and radio at G7 or below, you may even go to an earlier radio before G7.


----------



## tdbone1

i have a SPH-L710 (Sprint CDMA) and I am Currently Stock Android 4.1.1 (no root and no recovery) and everything looks just like factory in "Download mode"
I have tried to make a backup of the IMEI area with QPST 2.7.378 I believe and phone is detected just fine and I select "Software Download>Backup" and I then put in the SPC code and then hit Start and the phone starts to backup and all is looking until I get to 47% then I get error.
Status = Memory Backup Failed
Error = Received an invalid command from phone

I have left rom stock and then rooted and installed cwm and it still does the same exact thing.

So my question is:
How do us sprint users backup our imei area?
Im about to switch phone from sprint to boost or cricket and i want to make sure i get everything important backed up so in case i need to revert i can.

can someone please provide help

thanks


----------



## ke0kie

Goose306 said:


> *Restoring IMEI With No Data Roaming Application [Verizon]*
> 
> *So, you went and lost your IMEI and didn't do your backup? That's too bad. We can help though.*
> 
> *You need to be on the G7 or earlier radios for the tool to work. If you need to downgrade your radio, please refer to the main radio thread in Development  by clicking here.*
> 
> First thing's first, get the files needed from the xda thread here *(and while your at it give the developer some thanks!)*
> 
> http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1867442
> 
> *Note:* That is also where the initial writeup for this thread came from. I am not going to host the files myself as they are his work and I am not responsible for maintaining them. I have a copy I am keeping for backup, and if the ones on XDA go down I will upload them elsewhere as an alternate mirror. In the meantime the XDA download is preferred in case he pushes updates or similar.
> 
> *Now, go into Diagnostic mode on the phone.*
> 
> If you are on Touchwiz - enable the Hidden Menu:
> 
> - Go to dialer.
> - Press *#22745927
> - Enable the Hidden Menu
> - Go to dialer.
> - Dial **87284 (USBUI)
> - Enable "PDA" on "PhoneUtil"
> - In "Qualcomm USB Settings" choose "DM+MODEM+ADB"
> - Hit OK.
> 
> - *When you are done fixing your IMEI do not forget to come back in to this same menu (the same method) and change USB back.*
> 
> *If you are on AOSP:*
> 
> Get the scripts from the xda thread and execute them in gscript or similar program - or type the following into terminal manually:
> 
> *Enabling:*
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> echo 0 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 0<br />
> echo smd,bam > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_rmnet/transports<br />
> echo diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_diag/clients<br />
> echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_acm/instances<br />
> echo rmnet,acm,diag > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions<br />
> echo 1 > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable
> 
> *Disabling (when done fixing):*
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> echo "" > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/f_mass_storage/lun_ex/file<br />
> echo 0 > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/enable<br />
> echo "mtp,acm,adb" > /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions<br />
> echo 1 > /sys/devices/virtual/android_usb/android0/enable<br />
> vold
> 
> OK - now we are enabled. Make sure you have the app from XDA and the drivers. Go ahead and get the drivers installed and get the program running.
> 
> *Now lets fix your IMEI:*
> 
> 1. Find your IMEI under the battery on the device, you should see a sticker. Copy the IMEI down and power on the device.
> 
> 2. Connect the device to your computer and open "Device Manger"
> 
> 3. Check under "Ports" and Look for Samsung and Note the Comport it is on.
> 
> 4. Open the software and under comports select the comport number you found your device on then click connect.
> 
> 5. Check the IMEI number of to the left, and note the ERI message. If it is red and says your ERI is missing or not found. Please do both methods.
> 
> 6. If your ERI is not found, click on "Repair" in the ERI section, if your IMEI is missing, when asked to reboot click "NO" other wise click yes and you are done.
> 
> 7. Type your IMEI in the IMEI box, Do not worry about MEID it will auto fill once IMEI is typed.
> 
> 8. You will notice that the last number is added automatically this is done using the Luna Algo and is a checksum number.
> 
> 9. Once you have typed your IMEI click on "Repair" in the IMEI section, once the repair is done your phone will auto reboot.
> 
> 10. Please check your ERI and IMEI under Settings/System/About/Status. Your IMEI should appear and ERI version 5 should be there.
> 
> *Congratulations, you fixed it!*
> 
> *Here's some videos if your more visual:*
> 
> *Fixing IMEI:*
> 
> *Uploading ERI:*


I'm trying to do the fix in post #2

I already flashed my radio to G7 with odin, and confirmed in phone settings that shows up there. Do I need to go older than G7 radio?

i hit a snag on step 4

Using ( I admit a fairly old ) windows xp home edition laptop w/ .net 4 framework installed. I've done all the Windows XP updates (that took a while let me tell you) and I noticed in the videos it looks like Win7, maybe I should try a newer win7 laptop?????

STEP 4. Open the software and under comports select the comport number you found your device on then click connect.

it returned pop up window red circle with X and says

unhandled exception has occured in your application. If you click continue, the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click quit, the application will close immediatley.

error output from detail button:

See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.OverflowException: Arithmetic operation resulted in an overflow.
at SamsungMEIDRepair.Tools.Subarray.SubArray[T](T[] data, Int32 index, Int32 length)
at SamsungMEIDRepair.Tools.SerialPort.ReadBuildId()
at SamsungMEIDRepair.frmMain.ReadPhoneInforamtion()
at SamsungMEIDRepair.frmMain.btnConnect_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at DevComponents.DotNetBar.ButtonX.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at DevComponents.DotNetBar.ButtonX.OnMouseUp(MouseEve ntArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at DevComponents.DotNetBar.PopupItemControl.WndProc(M essage& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.O nMessage(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.W ndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.3643 (GDR.050727-3600)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
SamsungMEIDRepair
Assembly Version: 3.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 3.0.0.0
CodeBase: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ilana%20Garon/Desktop/GS3%20stuff/imei%20and%20eri%20repair%20files/Samsung_MEID_RepairV3.5/Samsung%20MEID%20Repair.exe
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.3644 (GDR.050727-3600)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.3644 (GDR.050727-3600)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.3644 (GDR.050727-3600)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
DevComponents.DotNetBar2
Assembly Version: 10.7.0.0
Win32 Version: 10.7.0.0
CodeBase: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ilana%20Garon/Desktop/GS3%20stuff/imei%20and%20eri%20repair%20files/Samsung_MEID_RepairV3.5/DevComponents.DotNetBar2.DLL
----------------------------------------
Accessibility
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.3053 (netfxsp.050727-3000)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Accessibility/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Accessibility.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.3082 (QFE.050727-3000)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Core
Assembly Version: 3.5.0.0
Win32 Version: 3.5.30729.1 built by: SP
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Core/3.5.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Core.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

Any ideas?! I'm combing this long thread, haven't seen this issue addressed yet...


----------



## ke0kie

I just tried this on a win7 machine, get the same error.

What gives, should I use an older radio than the g7!?!?!?


----------



## NicT

I backed up my imei with qpst now my laptop wont recognize my phone. What did I do wrong?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Spotmark

Try taking the battery out.


----------



## NicT

Take it out and plug it in or pull battery and restart? What is it set on in the hidden menu from the factory?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Goose306

NicT said:


> Take it out and plug it in or pull battery and restart? What is it set on in the hidden menu from the factory?
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


MTP. Change the USB setting back to MTP.

Sent from my 4.2 jelly-beaned SCH-I535


----------



## razorloves

thanks for the write-up, goose. used it to backup my shit.


----------



## apophis9283

Is this still needed? Going to run AOKP 4.2.2. Not sure if maybe this was fixed in an update already.


----------



## razorloves

apophis9283 said:


> Is this still needed?


yeah


----------



## goldsmitht

Anybody know if I need to keep a synergy ROM nandroids on my phone to be able robust the synergy imei zip? Orbits all I need in that folder, regardless of what ROM I'm on:blink:

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## SlimSnoopOS

goldsmitht said:


> Anybody know if I need to keep a synergy ROM nandroids on my phone to be able robust the synergy imei zip? Orbits all I need in that folder, regardless of what ROM I'm on:blink:
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


Nope! Works regardless of your rom.


----------



## bignasty407

alright guys i need some serious help here.

i have followed the process for pushing the imei number to my phone, i have done this twice, and for some reason i still have no data connection, i can tell you that under my ERI it says none, yet everything else looks to be intact.

my issue with fixing the ERI is that, there is a link in the OP to XDA this is now broken, so i cannot get the .exe program i need to continue, does anyone have a link to the "Samsung meid repair exe" that featured in the tutorial video for ERI?

thanks in adv.


----------



## Goose306

bignasty407 said:


> alright guys i need some serious help here.
> 
> i have followed the process for pushing the imei number to my phone, i have done this twice, and for some reason i still have no data connection, i can tell you that under my ERI it says none, yet everything else looks to be intact.
> 
> my issue with fixing the ERI is that, there is a link in the OP to XDA this is now broken, so i cannot get the .exe program i need to continue, does anyone have a link to the "Samsung meid repair exe" that featured in the tutorial video for ERI?
> 
> thanks in adv.


Hello -

This was brought to my attention at another forum I have a similar post at. I don't know why the creator's links went dead, however in the meantime you should be able to find the needed files here: http://adbtoolkit.com/misc/device/samsung/galaxys3/sch-i535/


----------



## xx0z0xx

i'm trying the last option on a tmobile s3 with no luck

my current status is similar to the one on this post...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29503208&postcount=6

only difference is, i don't get any service at all

so, my question is...do i need to be running android 4.0?

i'm rooted and running 4.1.1 btw

any help is appreciated in advance

tnx


----------



## xx0z0xx

i just used odin to flash 4.0.4 back into the phone, and repeated the steps for Last Option w/o any luck

any ideas are welcomed

tnx


----------



## bignasty407

i have to send my phone back to vzw so my main concern isnt so much trying to fix it 100% but to restore it as close to stock as possible. .

thank you for that link!!!!!


----------



## azlou1210

I read through all the backup instructions and backed up my imei number. First, I am not having a problem. I would like to back up the info from my phone to PC and external hard drive. Where do I find the backup data please?

Sent from my rooted Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk.


----------

