Guide and Discussion: Backing up and restoring EFS.

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duraaraa

Senior Member
Apr 1, 2012
2,556
1,711
東京☆Улаанбаатар☆Los Angeles
If you have an unlocked bootloader, it can be pretty easy to brick your phone. If you wipe the wrong partitions, you can lose your EFS and your radio will no longer work.

To prevent against this, my suggestion is that everyone take and keep a backup. Here's how.

The EFS Partitions:
On the Mix 2S there are three partitions you should back up. modemst1, modemst2, and fsg.
modemst1 can be found at /dev/block/sdf6
modemst2 can be found at /dev/block/sdf7
fsg can be found at /dev/block/sde36

How to back them up
First, get into TWRP. TWRP and instructions for flashing it are here:
https://xdaforums.com/xiaomi-mi-mix-2s/how-to/how-to-buy-unlock-root-twrp-recovery-t3786868

Once TWRP has loaded up, connect the USB cable from your phone to your computer, and, assuming you have installed ADB already, get an adb shell by going to command line and typing:
Code: 
adb shell

From there, let's backup all three partitions
Code: 
dd if=/dev/block/sdf6 of=/sdcard/sdf6.img
dd if=/dev/block/sdf7 of=/sdcard/sdf7.img
dd if=/dev/block/sde36 of=/sdcard/sde36.img
exit

Now, you can use adb to pull the files to your computer:
Code: 
adb pull /sdcard/sdf6.img
adb pull /sdcard/sdf7.img
adb pull /sdcard/sde36.img

Keep these backups in a safe place!

Research regarding this
For those interesting in research in this, I have found the following:
• If you wipe modemst1, modemst2, and fsg your IMEI and all NV data on the modem is lost, and the radio does not work.
• You can make a backup with QPST and restore it, and it will restore your IMEI numbers, but the radio still will not work. This is something I'd like to get working very much.
• I am still trying to learn more about this, so if anyone would like to help, please send me backups of sdf6, sdf7, and sde36 of the Mi Mix 2S and let me know which spec you have. I think it may be possible to convert the limited LTE band version to the full LTE band version for example.
 
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underlines

underlines

Senior Member
Aug 26, 2011
489
440
Bangkok
Thanks for starting this topic. It's really important to backup EFS...
The guide would be complete if someone really tried to backup and then restore with this method :D
 
M

micro77

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2006
77
22
Izmir
hi miuiers ;
EFS partitions backup not enough for some new models for restore QCN or EFS ..

therefore my advice for EFS backup using some box or dongle UMT , BST etc.
 
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D

duraaraa

Senior Member
Apr 1, 2012
2,556
1,711
東京☆Улаанбаатар☆Los Angeles
micro77 said:
hi miuiers ;
EFS partitions backup not enough for some new models for restore QCN or EFS ..

therefore my advice for EFS backup using some box or dongle UMT , BST etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I don't think there is anything a box does which QCN doesn't do. If it's in diag mode, all it can do is try to read the nv items and restore them.
As stated earlier, restoring the nv items directly from a QCN or otherwise in diag mode, you can't get the phone to connect to network after this. What would using a box make different about this? I don't think there are any boxes yet which support Mi Mix 2S, but if there are, let me know.

I've already experimented with some dongles (MRT for example), but I get same result as with QPST.
 
Last edited:
M

micro77

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2006
77
22
Izmir
os_man said:
They are not trying to edit or change the imei you wiseguy mikrop, no box needed if you have the brain, which you don't have ;)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

hosht :/

what about oneplus or oppo ?

mister brain ?
:D

READ AGAIN HERE ONE MORE TIME ;

@ duraaraa

"You can make a backup with QPST and restore it, and it will restore your IMEI numbers, "
"but the radio still will not work"

OR HERE;

"you can't get the phone to connect to network after this."


did you get it right now ?

---------- Post added at 01:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 AM ----------
duraaraa said:
I don't think there is anything a box does which QCN doesn't do. If it's in diag mode, all it can do is try to read the nv items and restore them.
As stated earlier, restoring the nv items directly from a QCN or otherwise in diag mode, you can't get the phone to connect to network after this. What would using a box make different about this? I don't think there are any boxes yet which support Mi Mix 2S, but if there are, let me know.

I've already experimented with some dongles (MRT for example), but I get same result as with QPST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

yes you are right no box solution mix2s for now.

also qcn restore not enough for some new models.

but if you use box in EDL mode for backup EFS , sometimes only way for restore EFS , IMEI ,MEID etc.

its tested new model xiaomi phones.
 
Last edited:
D

duraaraa

Senior Member
Apr 1, 2012
2,556
1,711
東京☆Улаанбаатар☆Los Angeles
micro77 said:
hosht :/

what about oneplus or oppo ?

mister brain ?
:D

READ AGAIN HERE ONE MORE TIME ;

@ duraaraa

"You can make a backup with QPST and restore it, and it will restore your IMEI numbers, "
"but the radio still will not work"

OR HERE;

"you can't get the phone to connect to network after this."


did you get it right now ?

---------- Post added at 01:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 AM ----------



yes you are right no box solution mix2s for now.

qcn restore not enough for some new models.

but if you use box in EDL mode for backup EFS , sometimes only way for restore EFS , IMEI ,MEID etc.

its tested new model xiaomi phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

With unlocked bootloader, you can back up and restore efs by backing up and restoring fsg or modemst1 / modemst2 partition on Mix 2S. However if you do not have a backup of these partitions and yours end up wiped, there is no way to restore. This is what I'm hoping to solve.
 
M

micro77

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2006
77
22
Izmir
duraaraa said:
With unlocked bootloader, you can back up and restore efs by backing up and restoring fsg or modemst1 / modemst2 partition on Mix 2S. However if you do not have a backup of these partitions and yours end up wiped, there is no way to restore. This is what I'm hoping to solve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

first dont need unlock for EFS backup or restore via box (easy way ) or coding ( little bit hard way ) .

just test point to phone for EDL and after you can backup or restore EFS , fsg or modemst1 / modemst2 partitions .
 
D

duraaraa

Senior Member
Apr 1, 2012
2,556
1,711
東京☆Улаанбаатар☆Los Angeles
micro77 said:
first dont need unlock for EFS backup or restore via box (easy way ) or coding ( little bit hard way ) .

just test point to phone for EDL and after you can backup or restore EFS , fsg or modemst1 / modemst2 partitions .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I think maybe that's incorrect. It's not possible to enter EDL mode without unlocked bootloader. Also, with Mi Mix 2S, EDL mode seems to not work (for example MiFlash can't flash in EDL mode on it). But maybe I am wrong?
 
D

duraaraa

Senior Member
Apr 1, 2012
2,556
1,711
東京☆Улаанбаатар☆Los Angeles
micro77 said:
first dont need unlock for EFS backup or restore via box (easy way ) or coding ( little bit hard way ) .

just test point to phone for EDL and after you can backup or restore EFS , fsg or modemst1 / modemst2 partitions .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Ah, yes, that's right. I forgot about test point.
Still, there is no solution, as far as I know, unless you have a backup of the partitions when they are still valid.
 
W

Wcosta

Member
Jan 28, 2014
13
1
Thanks so much I don't understand much and some terms are new to me but I much appreciate for the topic so I can at least save modem files.
Always learning.
 
D

DrDexter

Member
Oct 10, 2014
14
2
40
Odessa
So i got back up those partitions, by boot (not install) twrp v.8 through built in terminal and save it on /usb_otg.
Now if something happened with those partitions how to restore everything back?
 
.\\D-ZFR

.\\D-ZFR

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2018
247
50
Hi @duraaraa can u help me with my mix 2s. losts imei, baseband, network. but wifi, bluetooth is ok. can u edit those files with my imei number so i can restore using qpst or something? i can send it to u
 
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    D
    duraaraa
    If you have an unlocked bootloader, it can be pretty easy to brick your phone. If you wipe the wrong partitions, you can lose your EFS and your radio will no longer work.

    To prevent against this, my suggestion is that everyone take and keep a backup. Here's how.

    The EFS Partitions:
    On the Mix 2S there are three partitions you should back up. modemst1, modemst2, and fsg.
    modemst1 can be found at /dev/block/sdf6
    modemst2 can be found at /dev/block/sdf7
    fsg can be found at /dev/block/sde36

    How to back them up
    First, get into TWRP. TWRP and instructions for flashing it are here:
    https://xdaforums.com/xiaomi-mi-mix-2s/how-to/how-to-buy-unlock-root-twrp-recovery-t3786868

    Once TWRP has loaded up, connect the USB cable from your phone to your computer, and, assuming you have installed ADB already, get an adb shell by going to command line and typing:
    Code: 
    adb shell

    From there, let's backup all three partitions
    Code: 
    dd if=/dev/block/sdf6 of=/sdcard/sdf6.img
dd if=/dev/block/sdf7 of=/sdcard/sdf7.img
dd if=/dev/block/sde36 of=/sdcard/sde36.img
exit

    Now, you can use adb to pull the files to your computer:
    Code: 
    adb pull /sdcard/sdf6.img
adb pull /sdcard/sdf7.img
adb pull /sdcard/sde36.img

    Keep these backups in a safe place!

    Research regarding this
    For those interesting in research in this, I have found the following:
    • If you wipe modemst1, modemst2, and fsg your IMEI and all NV data on the modem is lost, and the radio does not work.
    • You can make a backup with QPST and restore it, and it will restore your IMEI numbers, but the radio still will not work. This is something I'd like to get working very much.
    • I am still trying to learn more about this, so if anyone would like to help, please send me backups of sdf6, sdf7, and sde36 of the Mi Mix 2S and let me know which spec you have. I think it may be possible to convert the limited LTE band version to the full LTE band version for example.
    View
    1
    D
    duraaraa
    underlines said:
    Thanks for starting this topic. It's really important to backup EFS...
    The guide would be complete if someone really tried to backup and then restore with this method :D
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    I already did back up and restore with this method, several times. It works.
    View
    1
    M
    micro77
    hi miuiers ;
    EFS partitions backup not enough for some new models for restore QCN or EFS ..

    therefore my advice for EFS backup using some box or dongle UMT , BST etc.
    View
    1
    os_man
    os_man
    micro77 said:
    hi miuiers ;
    EFS partitions backup not enough for some new models for restore QCN or EFS ..

    therefore my advice for EFS backup using some box or dongle UMT , BST etc.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    They are not trying to edit or change the imei you wiseguy mikrop, no box needed if you have the brain, which you don't have ;)
    View

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