[Q] Please, help!!! repair IMEI Galaxy S4 GT-I9500

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Reba-Jane

New member
Jun 20, 2016
4
0
I would flash the stock firmware with Odin. That will most likely fix the imei issue. Go to sammobile.com to get the firmware. You'll have to register but it's free. Download the firmware for your device. You'll see it's country and provider specific. The file you download is a .tar.md5. Use that in the PDA spot of Odin 1.85. Flashing the stock firmware will most likely wipe your device. Although, I've flashed it and it didn't wipe the device so maybe you'll get lucky. In either case, backup off your device first.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app

I was very nearly happy....I downloaded the file (it took over 2 hours cos I'm at my parents and they have crappy broadband speed)...anyways it ran and then it got to the end and says Checking MD5...finished successfully, then...leave CS, then...all threads completed (succeed 0/ failed 0)
My phone is is download mode while I'm doing this; is that right? It was also in USB debugging, I tried turning that off and doing it again and no difference. I'm not that knowledgable with IT stuff so I don't know what else I need to check. Should my phone be rooted? And how do I check if it is? I'm about ready to throw my phone out the window :(
I'm sorry to be a huge pain. Also does it matter that I don't have a Sim card in my phone at this point?
Becky
 
Last edited:

jd1639

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
16,833
5,404
Minnesota
Odin can be finicky. You don't need to be rooted or have a sim card and download mode is what you want. Try different usb ports and cords. If your using a desktop pc use the usb ports in the back of the computer, not the ones in front. It's not uncommon to have the issue you're having. Just keep trying. I've had to try 4 or 5 times on occasion to get it to work.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app
 

Reba-Jane

New member
Jun 20, 2016
4
0
Odin can be finicky. You don't need to be rooted or have a sim card and download mode is what you want. Try different usb ports and cords. If your using a desktop pc use the usb ports in the back of the computer, not the ones in front. It's not uncommon to have the issue you're having. Just keep trying. I've had to try 4 or 5 times on occasion to get it to work.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app

I changed from my Mac to my Mum's PC again and moved the cable from the front to the back USB port on the tower and it almost seemed to work this time. It almost got to the end but right at the end it seems to stick on the 'Leave CS..' as it's staying on that line for over 20 minutes and nothing else is happening so I just exited and tried running it again and the same thing is happening.
Any ideas?
Am I being too annoying asking so many questions? If I am you can tell me to stop. I appreciate all the help you've given me.
Becky
 

jd1639

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
16,833
5,404
Minnesota
Don't worry about asking too many questions. That's what this forum is for. I'm not sure what to tell you at this point. It's possible that it's a hardware issue and that's why you lost the imei. If there's bad memory the firmware wouldn't flash. It's also possible that the download of the firmware got corrupted. But if it's flashing at all I wouldn't think so. I'd try downloading again to confirm that. There shouldn't be any problem using Odin 1.85 but you could try a newer version, http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2711451. If you use a newer version there is not a PDA slot, use AP. I don't know what else to tell you.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app
 
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himanshu8802

Member
Aug 6, 2016
19
0
Faridabad
Please help!!! Got generic imei on my SGS4 i9500

This happened when i flushed cynogenmod 12.1 . After that tried so many other custom and stock rom but no luck. Now i'm on stock rom 4.2.2. Please assist how i can repair imei. I'm not sure but i think once i have formatted /efs partition from my custom recovery. Thanks in advance.
 

okdark4

Member
Jun 23, 2012
39
5
I can't boot my phone cause I have deleted my efs folder becasue in one of the guides here someone said that if you had full recovery of your efs and you sure that your efs folder is damged than delete the folder and recover, well so I did... (I downgrade from lolipop to 4.4.2, lost my imei in the "process"
I had the efs.img backup on my computer and I moved it to my phone, I deleted my efs folder using root browser and than I used some adb app to type the commend "dd if=/sdcard/efs.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 bs=4096" and I restred my phone, but it never left samsmung logo and I can't boot up my phone I tried to go to stock channgeing roms, nothing helps, in recovery mode it says "E:/can't mount efs" something like that.. and the phone won't boot up, just stuck on samsung logo.

somone have any Idea what can i do?
 

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  • 3


    18/12/13

    Hello all, there are some people pm me with problem of fake imei or not registered on network. I'd like to tell you who have these problems try to search through the site first. If there is no way you can do to retrieve your original imei back then please, pm me your email address or else I won't answer your message. I must look after my daughter full time now so please be patience if I reply your mail late. Thank you

    Angel S.



    Wait a minute!!!

    Hello all,

    Down below you will see the original thread of this topic and the help from many people who are very kind to me. Anyway, I just wanted to update that I found a way to get my original IMEI back now. But... still can't make any call... :(

    So, for everyone who has the problem of "Error mount efs" just wait a minute before try to do anything with your phone... I have posted the new thread about the problem of my phone but seems like people like to come and post in this thread more...

    First Issue!!!!! for people who have efs corrupt...

    Your problem started at the same point as mine... If you need me to help please, kindly explain all the details to me to my private message box... and please leave your e-mail so, I can mail you back in case I don't have time to come and answer you here... Normally when your efs corrupt, your phone can't boot up normally. You will stuck on Bootloop... which is softbrick... so, don't panic... be calm... everything's gonna be fine... I was panic at that time and ended up that... there must be some mistake been made to my phone when I sent it to repair... So I suggest you who have this efs corrupt problem to take a deep breath and search through internet a lot... learn more about your phone first before you do anything...


    Second Issue!!!!! for people who have imei changed...

    For the phone that has problem about imei changed only...(no error mount efs) I strongly suggest you to... restore your efs backup first... If you don't have efs backup... Then I suggest you to go back to the last firmware you are on... if that's not help... let's try the stock firmware of your phone... If the single file is not enough let's do it separately with PDA, MODEM and CSC...

    I have learned new thing about the Samsung firmware that... they are not prefect... many firmware of Samsung can harm your efs folder and make your imei change... even though your phone never been root, never been on custom firmware, never installed infected apps, doesn't mean you will never ever have this imei problem... Again...people, be clam... everything's gonna be fine... There are tools and methods that can fix your situation... but as I said...you must know your phone first before you do anything...

    BEWARE!!!!!
    I must tell you the truth that I'm not an expert... I'm just the girl who has the problem with my very first Samsung phone, and I'm trying real hard to find a way out from this situation... with help from good friends of mine all around the world... They all are so kind and so helpful to me so, my phone can boot up normally again but...not completely fix yet!!! My problem is harder, tougher... and more difficult to fix... there's a tool that may fix my phone's problem now...but I just wanna try to do something else first to see what exactly is the problem of my phone... so I can give you all the details about it later, clear and true. Including the solution of these problem also...


    Down below is the beginning of my problem...

    Original thread:

    Hello everyone,

    My name is Angel from Thailand, I have problem with my S4 GT-I9500 two weeks ago about "error mount efs" anyway, after a week of searching for solution I've finally made my phone boot up normally.

    But the IMEI is a fake one "004999010640000" I'm trying to find a solution for this problem but so, far...going nowhere... tried many methods from this site and many other sites but still can't fix it... the phone right now can connect to wi-fi, I can use social app and connect internet as usual but can't call out or accept call...

    The phone is on latest stock firmware I9500XXUBMEA root already... I try to look in the files from efs folder, open nv_data.bin in Hex Editor but can't see IMEI anywhere... I'm not sure if it's the right place to look for or not but after search through internet for week I found some picture of nv_data.bin in Hex Editor, it's from the good phone with good IMEI, I can see that in text field it has IMEI there...but mine is not!!!

    Then I found article about EEPROM, that it contains the real IMEI permanently. So, I'm trying to find a way to read or pull out that file from EEPROM but...there's none can answer this...

    So, I'm back to search for IMEI repair service, but no one can guarantee that it supports model GT-I9500...

    So, I'd like to ask...if anyone has idea of how to fix this IMEI problem?? I'm so exhausted now... I just bought this phone for only one month...now it can't make any call... I really need help for this issue... so, please...if anyone has idea for a way out, please point me direction...(not SAMSUNG Service...my phone is not in service...) Thank you so much for your time...
    :)

    Angel S.
    3
    Once upon a time... lol.....

    Soorry I cant help you out..but just wanted to know how you lost Your IMEI No. so just to make sure i dont do the Same..

    Hello,

    Well, very easy..lol... I never use custom rom before..so my S4 always be on stock rom.. Last update that I did I updated through Kies.. all was well.. my phone is root..and I decided to find out which app will suits me best so I did install and uninstall many apps and usually after uninstall I'll do wipe cahe and dalvik.. so I did the same as I did everytime.. the last app that I used was swapper2.. but I don't think it's the app that make my phone down..or maybe it is..I'm not sure.. all I did is I'm about to uninstall the app swapper2..but since I did re-partition my extSdCard..and use it as swap for ram I think I should unmount the extSD. first.. then reboot the phone and will come back to uninstall the app.. and that's when it happened..I didn't make any back up...the last one that I had I just delete it earlier of that day...but well, since the normal backup can't backup the efs folder...I'm still wonder what's the difference it could be...

    After I unmount the extSD. from swapper2 I reboot the phone..then it stuck on Samsung logo..and go nowhere since then.. I used the swapper2 for 2 days already and the phone was fine.. so, I'm not sure if it's the app or me did something wrong.. after that the S4 stuck and can't boot up normally...
    A week passed...after visit the shop that I bought the phone from and another shop..there's no one there can make my phone boot up...then they said..maybe something inside broke down..need to change..when I asked "Oh...what is broke down?" none can't tell...so, I decided to get my phone back from them..and started searching on internet.. many people have problem with efs corrupted.. then I found the article on a web call DroidView... the guy there.. Mr.Rakesh helped me out... actually on this site has threads about the code to mount efs also.. but that time my phone can't boot...there's no way to install Terminal Emulator app from Google Play...

    At last...the hero appeared...^_^ The tool that I used to enter the code that Mr.Rakesh gave me was the Terminal Emulator...which I used it through the Aroma File Manager that I opened in recovery mode of PhilZ Touch Recovery... so, must give PhilZ and his friends the full credit for that...without his recovery...I can do nothing... I tried to connect my phone through adb shell but it said the status of device is off all the time...there's no way that can use any code to force the efs to mount without the PhilZ tool...

    After that... the phone works just fine... except...the IMEI is lost...(well..not lost..it's the fake one...some say it's a default IMEI that your phone will use if the efs files corrput and the system can't find your IMEI data...) so I can't make any call... when I check the details of the phone it shows the firmware..it shows the baseband..it shows the kernel...it shows everything the phone must show you except the IMEI. !!! when I check the files in efs folder...the serial data there also be all zero... now I'm stuck with this phone for two weeks... eat less...sleep less... and still can't find a way to fix the IMEI... I search on many sites...some forum have members that have IMEI problem like mine also.. some decided to sent it back to Samsung Service...but even the Samsung Service can't fix the problem... they changed the motherboard instead!!! my phone is not in service...it's a phone from outside country...the csc code shows XME, means it's the phone for sell in Malaysia... so...what I can do now is keep on searching for solution... I'm not intend to give up til I find one... I never fix the phone before...in fact...I have no idea about the android phone... but if I can fix one problem of it...then I may fix another problem too... with all the help from many people who share their good details in those articles and threads...(God bless them all...)

    So, that's my story... :) I hope nothing will happen to your phone... It's such a heartache for me...coz this phone is a gift from my boyfriend... he works so hard to bought it for me..just because of my curiosity...I broke my gift in less than a month!!! (stupid me!!!)

    At last... just so you know...again... there's no one...and nothing...as far as I know by now that can fix the IMEI problem of the model GT-I9500 of Galaxy S4. I'm so curious again...that who's gonna be the first... but not me...for sure...the Hex Editor made me sick already...since yesterday...like my eyeballs gonna pop out from my head...lol... ^_^

    Very long story huh?... just wanna make sure no one made mistake like me again... so, please after make full back up of your system and datas... just hit the button to backup the efs too!!!

    Angel S.
    3
    I had the problem with fake imei and i flashed original firmware that came with the phone and now i have my imei back again (GT-i9500) gsm work now!
    2
    [Solved]

    [Solved]
    Thanks to: bogdan003 and 666.NightAngel

    It seems that when changing firmware with different region it may show you, your IMEI as fake.

    I didnt backup the EFS before flashing and i didnt know the original region, BUT

    for some reason the Kies is showing me the ex region as the current one "TTT"
    so i went to: http://samsung-updates.com/device/?id=GT-I9500
    search for TTT and then download and flash it.

    it WORKED now i have my IMEI again :)

    BTW the kies show me the ex firmware version again ILO
    2
    my problem solved
    download one of this modems from here
    and flash it to ur cell via odin
    princple of flashing modem files it must be put on phone section of odin but i accidentally put it on pda section and flash it .....problem solved
    i flash this modem - XXUBMG9