yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
Here it's the question. Do we even know if the imei is in the efs folder. The us gs3 it wasn't. I've asked multiple people to try the method posted by but people won't do it it would be nice to have a definitive answer where the imei can backed up from??

Edit: here's the post. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1804123..... here so a link to the nv generator.exe from the post as the link to download is no good... BTW personal drop box.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] ssCISengineer:
To be honest with you ,i really dont know if qpst is even generating a viable backup, as I have no way to test it.

But, when i do try to make a qcn or a backup USING qpst (like we did for the galaxy s3) i get some absurdly small file, which leads me to believe that it is NOT a viable backup....like 110kb. Also once again i just dont have any way to check it, as this definetly isnt my area of expertise.

im going to try to run qpst today again, maybe i didnt select the correct com port

however how large are the QCN files you are generating using qpst? How large are the backup files you are generating using toolkit?

that will help me see if maybe its just something im doing that is wrong.

---------- Post added at 11:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------

exactly, a lot of these guys think that they are all backed up and start flashing some of those frankenstein buggy craptastic roms and come back crying to tmobile and samsung about a replacment handset. Id like to organize a guide that ACTUALLY does work to backup imei. Not send people to the GS3 forums just because thats the easiest way to do things, when it could be dead wrong (which i suspect it is) and disastrous. Remember that the GS3 i believe chipset is different from the exynos one and they had lots of problems tracking down that imei location.

UPDATE: after properly configuring com ports i NOW have a .qcn file that measures 268kb. This makes me feel a little better at it is more close to thie size i expected, but i still have no way to see what the file ACTUALLY contains....frustrated.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] hkfan:
Did you try this tool to generate your IMEI ?

Mine is 268KB.....G3 forums says its 250 KB,...may be note 2 has more info so thats why liitle bit larger.

---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------

[/COLOR]
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Rhiannon224:
I have a backup using the toolkit, tell me what you need me to look at and I will check my backup. I have a Nandroid backup and a separate backup of efs as well. I am happy to help.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] ssCISengineer:
yes I just now got a .qcn file that measures 268 kb. SO mine and yours are now exactly the same.

But how do we know that the information we need IS actually backed up in that file. That "backup " could be absolutely worthless for all we know!

see what i mean?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] hkfan:
I think we have to wait for someone with all these backups to lose IMEI and and then try restore ...Now I don't feel like flashing any ROM :(
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Rhiannon224:
Has anyone been successful at restoring their IMEI using their toolkit backup? I haven't flashed any custom ROMS yet, this is the longest I've ever stayed with stock ROM. It's still too new and with all the talk of lost IMEI number and development still so limited I haven't been willing to take the risk.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] erickdj:
?

Ok, I'm getting paranoid reading all these cryptic posts about messed up IMEI numbers and bad backups. This is my first Samsung smartphone so I've got no idea what's really being discussed here. In short, are you guys saying that having a clockwork nandroid backup is essentially useless? What am I missing here. For the record, I haven't flashed a custom ROM on my Note 2 yet, only clockwork and root.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
All that i can suggest is make all the backups.. Hopefully you wont need them. i lost my imei on my gs3 bcuz i did something stupid. so
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] hkfan:
There we go more headache http://www.s3forums.com/forum/galax...pst-backup-your-nv-data-imei-us-variants.html

Anyone will already lost IMEI ..try and see what happens
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Darkshado:
The nandroid backup has its purpose, but the NV items, aka cellphone radio settings aren't stored in anything that CWM handles on this device.

Many Samsung devices typically have an /efs partition that contains a file named nv_data.bin (among others) that contain all the juicy bits. As discussed earlier, a tar or dd backup is generally sufficient. This group includes most SGS, SGS II and the non-LTE, international SGS III. The N7100 also seems to be in there.

But Samsung LTE devices: NA SGS III, NA Note II, International LTE devices like the S III 9305 or the Note II 7105 are significantly different.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] hkfan:
And why phone has options for Qualcomm when our phone is exynos based....this is crazy .....we need Dev support here .
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
hereswhat my imei backup looks like from this program...http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1804123 Or you can make a whole phone backup
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] hkfan:
Cannot see attached image....please post again...I am also making backup with this new tool.....so many backups ..this thing better gets restored in case we need or else i ll beat this phone to death
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Darkshado:
I'm currently trying to get my phone and QPST to talk, but I don't have any backup, if someone would be so kind as to forward me a complete one (with IMEI removed if you'd rather) I'd appreciate.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
follow the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQkUozRhGvw&feature=youtube_gdata_player the only difference Dial *#7284# and select "Qualcomm USB Settings" then check RNDIS+DM+MODEM
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Darkshado:
Thanks, already tried that, my problem is that the stock T889V boot.img bootloops, and the N7100 boot.img doesn't work even with what seem to be the correct settings.

I tried setting airplane mode with the N7100 boot and flashing back the T889 one, while the setting sticks it doesn't prevent the bootloop.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
pm sent let me know
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] fix-this!:
i agree we need more dev support as im getting a bit worried. as far as backing up our efs i thought doing it through terminal manager was sufficient?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
the radio if you remember the gs3 no exynos because it didn't support our frequencies as for dev support its here roms will come. If people want it quicker buy cyanogen a phone :)
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] fix-this!:
you mean buy him a tmobile note 2? heck id donate towards one.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] mojorisin7178:
So what it sounds like is samsung lte phones like ours have another partiton call efs on them that contains really important things like imei and radio info. And just backing up with twrp or cwm doea not cut it anymore. Even though twrp and I am assuming cwm backup the efs partition it is not working correctly. Is that about it? So we have to find another method to backup the efs and 5hat is what you guys are trying out to figure out here right? I did use the toolkit to make a backup of my efs but i here that might not be good I will check it when I get home. Also I thougbt I read that the op needs to get to adb mode right. I dont know if this will help but if you can get to cwm and flash twrp or use odin I know you can adb sideload In twrp so I would think that puts your phone In adb mode right? I know when I press it I here the computer connect to the phone. It's worth lookin into.

Peace

---------- Post added at 06:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:22 PM ----------

Oh and 1 more thing I would absolutly throw down on gettin a t889 for cyanogen
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] ssCISengineer:
Well I've made backups with toolkit and qpst I guess that's enough. ....
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Darkshado:
Most people here seem confident that an NV backup accompanied by the four efs related partitions on the phone will do the trick.

My current problem is that my phone bootloops way too early for any restoration attempt to go through. And the device isn't found by QPST when I attempt using an N7100 boot.img instead. (It is for the second or so I have between bootloops with the stock boot.img)

Triangle Away doesn't work either, so I'm willing to keep on trying some more before going to the mothership. My latest idea involves looking further into the boot process and altering it to see if I can bring the bootloops to a stop and access the EFS NV data.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] deeznutz1977:
You should try contacting adam outler

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2021058.. cant hurt
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] ssCISengineer:
Oh yea thats a big problem. I dont think I can help much on that I just am not sure what to do.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] jslappa:
Prior to my T889, I was using an International N7100. After flashing something my phone didn't like, I lost my IMEI. In Settings, the IME line just displayed "00" or something of the like. I used the below method using the NV-items_reader_writer program and was SUCCESSFUL in restoring my IMEI. I then followed the same tutorial to back up my EFS. Now, I can't be sure that the folder has the correct NV data, but at least I know I can definitely HEX edit my IMEI back to the phone any time I need to.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1801997

Hope this helps someone.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] bFORTIFIED:
Have you guys seen this? http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1922473

Am I crazy or does this solve the prob? Havent tried it yet but seems to be a tool for our phone.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Darkshado:
That's exactly the sort of insufficient method I was warning about in my OP.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Meditating_Apes:
I just want to say Thanks, Darkshado, for raising this issue. Obviously this is important. Actually I can't believe there's no quick, reliable way to do this important backup. Hope one of the developers will put something together...seems like it would not be too complicated for someone knowledgeable. Many props and thanks to anyone who can post a proven, reliable way to backup the EFS on T889
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] BACARDILIMON:
With all my flashing and messing around that I do I have been nailed by these issues. I use this app and it worked for me.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2080009

Sent from my SGH-T889
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Meditating_Apes:
@ bacardilimon

@BACARDILIMON, Thanks for the reply. Just to be clear, have you had to restore an EFS backup with this app and did it work? Thanks.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] sole_taker:
My note 2 is completely "bricked"!!!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] BACARDILIMON:
Worked for me. I have done it twice. Was scary at first but it def is a big gamble. I been lucky so far.

Sent from my SGH-T889
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] inconceeeivable:
Was there ever a definitive answer on which procedure is necessary on this?

I'm itching to try the Cyanogenmod nightlies, but I do not want to destroy my phone. Can't go back to my 3GS after using the Note.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] janjannsen99:
Not really man. Its still a toss up. Sad really.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Meditating_Apes:
Thanks for that feedback, BACARDILIMON. I've done the Andromizer EFS backup. Of course I'm not going to risk the restore unless really necessary :). Also just did an EFS backup and a Nandroid backup with mskip Toolkit. A tad complicated because you have to flash an insecure boot image with the toolkit before you can do the backups. But mskip has been around for a while and I think he knows what he's doing. It seemed to work just fine and I got a 20mB efs backup and a 1.3 GB nandroid backup.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Darkshado:
Guys, don't forget to read the OP, and make those NV items backups.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] inconceeeivable:
Out of curiosity, is this an issue if you're just flashing AOSP ROMs? Or is it equally dangerous?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] Meditating_Apes:
@Drakshado, Thanks very much for the heads up on that. Just did the NV Reader/Writer and QPST backups per your OP. Went smoothly. Thanks for this whole thread...more people should read it and save themselves a lot of potential headaches.

So now I've got the following backups: Andromizer, mskip Toolkit, TWRP, QPST, NV Reader/Writer, and of course Titanium. Seems like enough :). And for the paranoia, a photo of the Status screen, under the battery, and the box labels. May be a little overkill ?, But better safe, etc. If all that is not enough, well I guess I just might be f'ed :) Or a meteorite could strike my phone. Again, thanks for the thread and heads up.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] SlsAustin:
Informative post
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] garydv2002:
Stock Samsung recovery pulled straight from stock firmware and packaged as a Odin flashable tar file. I decided to do this for those who may want or need to flash the stock recovery. I have tested this and worked fine on my phone. I am not sure if it will work with any other carrier besides AT&T so if you try it do so at your own risk and if it works report it and I will add any other confirmed carriers that it works for. I am not responsible if you brick, melt or blow up your phone so don't cry to me lol...

Below is the link to download the tar file. If anyone wants to make a cwm flashable zip feel free to and post a link to where it can be downloaded....

Edit....

It has been confirmed that this will work on Bell devices also...

http://db.tt/AvISQtPy
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eddied042092:
sorry to ask such a nooby question but is this the stock recovery as in the ROM or as in a recovery like cwm or twrp?
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] rani9990:
This is pure stock. Not custom (new vocab: custom is what you call cwm and twrp, stock is, well, stock ;P)
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eddied042092:
Thanks lol I knew that already its just I just barely upgraded to thw gs3 from an htc vivid and im not sure if this had an hboot menu like that one did you know? Im just a little new to the whole samsung thing my bad
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] lessthanzach:
Samsung doesn't have hboot. Only recovery and download (Odin) modes.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eddied042092:
Can you explain to me what the odin mode is for?
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] garydv2002:
Odin mode or download mode is for flashing a new firmware. I mainly posted this stock recovery for the ones using a custom recovery like cwm or twrp and just wanted to flash the stock recovery back so they could update their phones via a OTA update. If you are running a recovery like cwm or twrp and your phone tells you that you have a ota firmware update available it will not let you install it with a custom recovery. To update via a OTA update you must have the stock Samsung recovery. So now anyone using cwm or twrp can just flash this stock recovery download everoot from the play store for free then run ever root update their phone run ever root again and never even lose root privaledge on their phone....
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] HiKsFiles:
Has anyone tried it on a canadian i747m yet ?

I'm not willing to be the first one to try it out as I can't afford to brick it due to software incompatibility. :/
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] skrambled:
Thanks for posting this Gary! And good to see ya here, we gotta get the remaining skyrocket crew to join the dark side lol :p

Does anyone know if stock recovery is required to perform official OTA updates with the S3 on AT&T? I remember needing stock recovery for updates to the S2 Skyrocket, but I'm not sure if anything's changed with the S3 (and I did see a Rogers user say he was able to get the jb OTA while using TWRP for recovery, so maybe it isn't necessary?).

EDIT: Also wanted to mention, in case anyone is wondering, this .tar does work with Mobile Odin Pro. Just used it successfully.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] garydv2002:
From what I've heard yes you do need the stock recovery to ota update on the s3. Again I hadn't tried it but that's what I hear anyway.

Oh and its good to be here. I still have my rocket. Its used for highly experimental testing and flashing lol.. I've soft bricked it three times since I've had my s3 in less than a month lol. I just hope my next experiment whatever that may be isn't my last lol...
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eduardo_b:
You didn't mention it, or I missed it, but this is LH9 stock, yes?
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] skrambled:
As far as I know the stock 3e recovery has not changed, it's the same for any build number for the S3. The stock recovery is on a partition separate from the rom so it shouldn't matter which build you're on.

(99% sure on this but someone please correct me if I'm wrong)
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eduardo_b:
Stock 3e recovery? Not familiar with this, so research seems in order. Thanks.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] HiKsFiles:
Stock 3e recovery == Stock Samsung recovery ;)

However, I'm still curious to know if the stock recovery is indeed the same for any build number / variant of the North American GS3... :confused:
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] mymusicathome:
Anyone know if this triggers the counter?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747M
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] garydv2002:
It did not trigger my flash counter....

And I also agree with skrambled I think the stock recovery is for all builds of the S3
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] rizzo269:
Worked perfect on my att gs3 running jelly bean. Thanks for posting. I would also be curious if this works on the other variants as well.

No tripping of the flash counter either.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eggwardo:
I don't use ODIN enough to remember. Which button do i pick to flash the "stock recovery.tar"? (bootloader, PDA, PHONE, CSC)

thanks
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] garydv2002:
Pda.... make sure re-partition IS NOT checked....
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] johnye17:
this stock recovery, will it "upgrade" my phone to 4.3? as in make all the adjustments already made go back to new? asking because i accidentally upgraded what i think was a Knox security thing that crashed my SuperSU and now i cant even start it.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] mn1968:
If anyone has a flashable version of this stock recovery it will be appreciated. I just received my S3 from eBay and have discovered it has a faulty charging port so connecting via PC/odin is not possible. I have rooted with TowelRoot but before I go too far (in case I decide not to keep the phone) I want to be able to restore everything.

Thanks,

Edit - Never mind. I copied the stock recovery with terminal emulator. Now I have a backup just in case.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] slide83:
Does the non-branded International Note 2 battery door fit the Verizon version? If so, I'll be replacing that and putting a sticker over that hideous branding on the home button the first day I get my phone.

PS: FU Verizon
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Alice Kaye:
Well, if your planning on buying a cover for it I wouldn't sweat the backplate as it will be covered anyway.

That being said, as far as the button goes, I personally don't even notice it, however I did see that Spigen had started selling aluminum button covers. :) I actually started considering them.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] slide83:
I won't be putting mine in a cover. Still wondering if the international back plate will fit. I assume it will, but I don't want to buy one on ebay unless I know it does.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Shamrock13:
You can always try going to a T-Mo or ATT store and trying their backs on the device if they allow it. :p
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] sway40:
Go to Sprint and ask for a battery door, it's unbranded, att has that globe thing on the back.

tappin from the note ll
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] accchoi:
I bought the Sprint Version, and it fits.

I have Korean back plate, Sprint version, and obviously the VZW version... All the batter back plates have same pattern.

Picture shows VZW - Korean "no carrier' version - Sprint Ver.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] tigersfa8:
Where from?

Where did you buy them from?

How much were the prices?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] accchoi:
I got both from E-bay. I think I paid about $20 for Sprint Version and $30 for Korean Version. Of course, Korean version was new in plastic.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] luke1333:
links please i would love to buy a korean one!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] accchoi:
Sorry, I can't post link because I'm new. LOL

On E-bay, please search for "OEM SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 2 II GT-N7100 TITANIUM GRAY BATTERY BACK DOOR CASE COVER"

or

GENUINE OEM SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE II 2 GT-N7100 WHITE BATTERY BACK DOOR COVER CASE for white.

Ebay seller name is 'shimshop' He ships out directly from Korea. Hope this helps
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Rsmin:
Not sure if you are interested in it, but I bought the Samsung "official" flipcover that replaces the battery cover with a new one that is attached to the flip cover and the only thing it says on the back cover is Samsung and I bought this flip cover from Verizon.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] luke1333:
I found one for $19.99 & it only has note ii on bottom of it and nfc built it. I will order Friday probably. Need a pay check after buying note and DNA and having s3 lol

Not an iPhone.....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] accchoi:
LOL I feel your pain. I need to sell my S3.. to cover up the cost....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] luke1333:
Yeah I got my note for $450 and think I can sell my s3 for that or more lol

Not an iPhone.....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] JasonGeiger:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=181004910002

There's brushed metal battery doors also, but I think I'll be getting the official flip cover.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Shamrock13:
I'm ecstatic that the Note 2 isn't differentiated on all carriers like a lot of phones are nowadays.

I might buy that Korean one just because it's simple.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] luke1333:
Ok I ordered one! Anybody wanna buy an s3? Lol

Not an iPhone.....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] dominick_7:
Anyone know where to get a black plastic/brushed metal style battery cover (not flip case) preferably with NFC? Was thinking I'd like to get the Otterbox Defender, mod the original grey case to have it fit the Hyperion Extended battery in there, then switch it out with one in black in case using the regular batter I find it's too bulky for painting and drawing.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] stu5797:
I would like to buy a sprint back cover in titanium Grey but ebay has so many fakes its horrible. They have decent fakes but I want the real Samsung one
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] 1ManWolfePack:
Order it directly from Samsung. They have them for all carriers in America. Samsung mobile. You can google the rest.

Whoever dropped the info about the unbranded sprint covers -- thank you!! I'm going in next week. Verizon branding is hideous.

Has anyone attempted surgery on a flip cover yet? :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] randpost:
I couldn't find sprint battery covers on Samsung mobile. I purchased mine from Ebay for 16.99 shipped from NJ USA, received mine after 3 days from ordering. I can confirm that these are 100% original OEM Sprint covers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-OEM-Sam.../150971589937?ssPageName=ADME:L:eek:C:US:3160