yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S III General] delsus:
I think this needs more studying, I'm not sating it's not an issue, but I just checked mount points for each partition in adb checking the mounts folder, and that shows this:

/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /efs ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,barrier=1,journal_async_commit,data=ordered 0 0

which tells me that /efs is not seen as a folder, but a seperate partition with the mount point mmcblk0p3. Therefore unless the Odin tar has an efs.img inside it cannot be changed flashing a stock rom, and this rom only contains system, recovery, boot, modem, cache, hidden, bootloader and trustzone, so by all rights the update cannot change the efs, therefore the problem you are explaining must be down to something else.
[Galaxy S III General] SignetSphere:
Hmm... I kinda of agree to what you're saying. It may not be changing the EFS but it maybe changing on how it reads it I really can't say for sure. The truth is I'm still confused by this issue and since i'm no developer i'm just stating the problem based on what I and some others experienced it. I do hope that a more advanced user(s) can enlighten us with this issue since it can confuse others.
[Galaxy S III General] delsus:
I would suggest trying to find a developer who will help us to at least understand what's going on, just mention there is a problem, and try to find the root cause of the issue, then tell people what it is and what they can do.
[Galaxy S III General] ysrini:
Yes, let's wait for a developer to zero-in on this.
[Galaxy S III General] SignetSphere:
better change the title of the thread then. Add something like *Not confirmed yet, developer input needed*
[Galaxy S III General] ysrini:
I'm not sure if I can edit it now
[Galaxy S III General] MattBooth:
EVERYONE on this section of the site (at the least) should be backing up their EFS folder.
[Galaxy S III General] primus33:
His happened to me too => after few hours i lose my IMEI too with just flash modem & ril from this rom (EMG4) and i use Wanam7.1 based on FME7 leak. But thanks to my EFS save :). I restored my EFS folder & i recover my original IMEI.

And people READ the Advice on this forum => save your EFS folder before any flashs,mods,unlock, etc ...
[Galaxy S III General] Meemo23:
I backed up my efs ages ago when i first got my phone to this day i never had to once restore it. Then yesterday i was flashing the new EMG4 and it changed my imei number. so i just restored it woot...
[Galaxy S III General] diddsen:
wtf... i have no efs backup.

what can ibdo now?
[Galaxy S III General] boomboomer:
Stick with EMG4 modem, it only breaks if you try to downgrade.
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Hello guys. I'm glad to tell you that today I've tested everything attached to this issue and want to let you know.

1. Problem is caused by a modem. On the first boot with XXEMG4 modem it changes /efs folder/partition into some kind of new format.

2. This problem isn't caused by RIL or Samsung ROM. It's caused by a modem. That means it also affects CM/AOSP/AOKP/Other, tested on ArchiDroid 2.X.

3. If we use old modem with already changed /efs we won't be able to connect to the network and our IMEI will change to unknown, starting from numbers 0049.

4. If you don't want to mess with /efs folder anymore or don't have a backup of your old /efs you can temporarily use my emergency zip, which changes modem into XXEMG4, not touching RIL or any other stuff, so it's also compatible with CM/AOSP/AOKP/Other variants.

Most important thing - XXEMG4 doesn't corrupt your /EFS, it changes it into a new format.

For now I strongly recommend to not touch anything linked to XXEMG4 and if you did that already I recommend immediately creating a backup of current already changed /efs partition and using my zip to stay on XXEMG4 modem unless we'll have more info.

I'm using XXEMG4 for about a few days already and don't have any problems with it so we can say that it's stable enough. Just keep in mind changes and you can use it.

It's possible that Samsung made it on purpose so basicly they'll fix it in next release or from now modems pre-XXEMG4 won't be compatible with XXEMG4+.

Thanks, hope it helps.

EDIT:

Yes, you can use any rom for SGS3 with already changed /efs to V2, just stick with my emergency zip and flash it every time you're flashing a new version of your rom. This way you'll have xxemg4 modem whole the time and every rom will work with that. Tested on ArchiDroid 2.0.3 (AOSP), 1.6.1 (XXUFME7) and 1.5.3 (XXEMF1).
[Galaxy S III General] MattBooth:
I wouldn't assume that Samsung will "fix" anything, since this is not broken. I don't think a recommendation to NOT use is advisable at all. Samsung wouldn't risk changing the EFS format of many, many phones only to go ahead and rerun the same risk unchanging them... especially considering the boost in performance this new radio has supposedly brought about.
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Same. Especially because I still think that they made it on purpose.

---------- Post added at 09:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:06 PM ----------

As for now it's just the first release of a new format and it takes some time to prove stability. You can't say after first day of a release that it's completely fine and nothing to worry about :). If same situation appears with newer versions then yes, slowly people will change into new /efs base with less worries.
[Galaxy S III General] MattBooth:
Well, they wouldn't issue the update OTA and via Kies if it was a problem, imho.
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Sudden Death also wasn't a problem until some moment ;).
[Galaxy S III General] d1rekt0r:
So if i have this firmware i should play with it at all ?

Can i at least reflash it , i wanna root it , use triangleaway and than reflash whole firmware again with odin ?
[Galaxy S III General] jae1512:
what if you went from EMG4 to say ELL4 a older PDA or older than that then to any version like EMC2 without loosing the imei/network
[Galaxy S III General] popcorn1122:
new experiment done:

efs backup was done on MG5 modem

MG2 modem was installed.... and MG5 efs backup restored = Network DID NOT WORK

then MG4 modem installed ...and MG5 efs backup restored = Network Worked

then MG5 modem installed ...and MG5 efs backup restored = Network Worked
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
You can test that but it's highly possible that you won't get signal at all on older modems than EMG4.

---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:35 PM ----------

Like I said, MG4+ has EFS V2.
[Galaxy S III General] jae1512:
nope does not work
[Galaxy S III General] ifzaal305:
IMEI

Is there a way to reformat the EFS partition to the old format and bring back the original IMEI???
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Not possible without backup.
[Galaxy S III General] ifzaal305:
I gave my phone to a local repair center, (not samsung service center) they got my original IMEI back (i think they used samsung tool and rewrote the IMEI) my IMEI is Ok, but still no network on any firmware, stock firmware and the BTU firmware. to fix the network, they used the ARIZA patch. now everything works fine (perfectly). I`m just not comfortable with the modified files. want everything to go back to normal.
[Galaxy S III General] nightwing90:
Need an Expert Advise Here!!!

Currently with Omega v43.8 which is loaded with XXEMG4 base. But here in India sometimes feels signal disconnection issue. So thinks that need to Rollback to previous firmware. But as we know the IMEI issue. Already created a backup of EFS before installing the Omega v43.8. So what should i do?? Anyone....

Thanks
[Galaxy S III General] boomboomer:
Either install an older modem and then restore the efs, or try the new EMG5 modem for India?
[Galaxy S III General] nightwing90:
Would u plz elaborate? Coz never tried of restoring IMEI :D
[Galaxy S III General] jignesh4933:
slow internet

bro i m on stock XXEMG5 ........modem mg2......everything working but my play store not working ....also internet download speed drop down to very very slow....almost 2-3 kbps.......i m using 2g...but i got 20 kbps download speed on previous modems........is this problem????...i have no efs backup at all...and i have to stick with this firmware.....help...
[Galaxy S III General] boomboomer:
LOL, nor me. If I had to I'd use Philz recovery to restore the backup I made in it, but I'd have to be really, really sure I needed to. If I were you I'd try the EMG5 first, if that doesn't help then read up on the method you used to create your backup, on how to restore via same method.
[Galaxy S III General] liranz:
go back firmware ...

hi,

i have installed the India latest firmware is there a way to go back let say for the lake firmware 4.2.2 ?

and still have imei number and signal for incoming outgoing calls and messages via network?
[Galaxy S III General] boomboomer:
The firmware you are using is not important, the modem version is. You can't go back to an earlier modem than EMG4 unless you have your efs backup from before you flashed EMG5.

Just install the EMG5 modem (not the system components though) and 4.2.2 should connect fine.
[Galaxy S III General] liranz:
o.k

but how can i do that can you please please tell me how to do it??

i am on EMG5 modem now...

please guide me...
[Galaxy S III General] jignesh4933:
internet working very slowly

i have flashed mg4 modem then upgrage to inu MG5 .......after flashing both modems mg4 and mg2, my internet working very slowly.....try to download internet setting...but its not coming....then have to settle with manual settings......is there a sim card problem or network problem or modem problem????? plz help bro
[Galaxy S III General] whiskerp:
XXEMG4 is fine here. I am getting 12MBPS download speed on T-Mobile UK.
[Galaxy S III General] slaphead20:
Same here, and Wi-Fi is faster too, also on t-mob
[Galaxy S III General] Striatum_bdr:
Hi,

Just to confirm what I thought.

I'm running a cm Rom.

I flashed mg4 modem alone, all is correct.

I flashed back fme7 modem all works flawlessly.

So it's not the modem that changes efs but the whole Sammy Rom.

So for those running custom roms you can flash this modem alone. As long as you don't flash the whole Rom with (mobile)Odin or kies you're good.

Btw I'll stay with the new one for now to test it.
[Galaxy S III General] mildavidec:
Hey guys that's my experience with EMG4 FW.

I start from stock EMF6, with odin mobile pro I flash EMG4 FW.

I just unchecked the modem partition.

I flash and works without problem.

Modem still the old one EMF6. Here the picture of all settings I used.

After that I installed an old modem and ril without problem. Phone calls still works and data line too.

Inviato dal mio GT-I9300 con Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy S III General] rafa6571:
Guys I have a nandroid from stock BTU before XXEMG4... If i make a total wipe and I restore my nandroid everything should be fine right?
[Galaxy S III General] zoot1:
No it will not ...AFAIK nandroid does not backup the efs partition
[Galaxy S III General] txpxsx:
I have good network reception here in Indonesia
[Galaxy S III General] @Phoenix:
I flashed MG4 modem a week ago and only discovered this thread after that... then i thought to myself "Sh*t, i dont have a backup of the efs partition..."

[MENTION=4115816]Striatum_bdr[/MENTION], after i read your post and because i'm on [MENTION=2332422]temasek[/MENTION] ROM, i decided to give it a try to go back to a previous modem and guess what, it worked :good:
[Galaxy S III General] mab71:
Thanks... may i know what tool you used to backup your efs folder? Does ktool in playstore do the job nicely?
[Galaxy S III General] p33t-r:
If you restore any <mg4 rom from nandroid after installing mg4 modem, modem isn't restored. So if you didn't have problems with network/imei on mg4 you can successfully restore previous rom and still have signal. I just did it on NeatRom mg4 and restored my ARHD md3 nandroid. Modem stayed on mg4.
[Galaxy S III General] nabil2000:
successful flash of XXUFME7 i9300

If I understand well to successfully get the modem working with the 4.2.2 official Samsung leak, from

KIES_HOME_I9300XXEMG4_I9300OXAEMG4_1314436_REV00_user_low_ship.tar.md5

to

I9300XXUFME7_I9300OXAFME7_I9300XXUFME7_HOME.tar.md5

one needs the additional step of flashing the modem file

xxemg4.zip

please kindly confirm...

thanks

---------- Post added at 11:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 PM ----------

this was a follow up on a start up Q thread I started:

when I flash this 'official' ROM, 4.2.2 leaked official XXUFME7

it changes the IMEI to 0049990xxx...,

and so I get only emergency calls allowed for the phone...

the rest looks ok, but I reverted to last 4.1.2 -

I am on O2 monthly contract - is that a problem?

otherwise, even though it lost phone capability, everything else seemed cool...

any idea around this without having to fiddle trying to restore the IMEI back to original...

when I flash back the last official released 4.1.2, the IMEI corrects itself...

a guru at O2 finds it weird... LOL! and said O2 does not support flashing with Odin, only through Kies...
[Galaxy S III General] MattBooth:
The EFS is also changed during an CWM/TWRP flash as well.
[Galaxy S III General] MBurns2:
So all future version of 4.1.2 or 4.2.2 will change efs partition like mg4? Thanks
[Galaxy S III General] popcorn1122:
It seems all roms with date July 16 2013 onwards will have new format of efs.
[Galaxy S III General] Striatum_bdr:
If you flash the whole Sammy Rom you mean, with baseband included.

Flashing baseband ONLY don't change efs. I (and other users) have done it and reverted to older ones without problem.

By the way this baseband is far better than previous ones I can go up to 12Mbps in 3g, so I keep it.
[Galaxy S III General] nabil2000:
Problem solved:

how to successfully get the modem working with the 4.2.2 official Samsung leak, from

KIES_HOME_I9300XXEMG4_I9300OXAEMG4_1314436_REV00_user_low_ship.tar.md5

to

I9300XXUFME7_I9300OXAFME7_I9300XXUFME7_HOME.tar.md5

when I flash this 'official' ROM, 4.2.2 leaked official XXUFME7

it changes the IMEI to 0049990xxx...,

and so I get only emergency calls allowed for the phone...

the rest looks ok, but I reverted to last 4.1.2 -

I am on O2 monthly contract - is that a problem?

otherwise, even though it lost phone capability, everything else seemed cool...

any idea around this without having to fiddle trying to restore the IMEI back to original...

when I flash back the last official released 4.1.2, the IMEI corrects itself...

a guru at O2 finds it weird... LOL! and said O2 does not support flashing with Odin, only through Kies...

The solution, check here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=44189929#post44189929
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
The solution is in post 1 of this thread. If you ever have had MG4, you either need to keep the MG4 modem forever, or restore EFS. If you flash a rom that includes a modem.bin, just reflash the MG4 modem again...or restore efs.

Your solution doesn't really make much sense to me. You seem to be going around things in a long way
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
^ This. And if you flash a rom which in fact changes your modem simply flash my emergency zip afterwards to change it back to XXEMG4. Not that hard I think.
[Galaxy S III General] nabil2000:
It does make sense to me though :P

because I do not wish to root my phone...

---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 PM ----------

That supposes I have root or installed CWM or TWRP which I do not want...

I tried to flash your modem.bin on its own with Odin and it fails... same with the one extracted from the 4.1.2 XXEMG4 ROM which I presume is the same as yours...
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
If you don't want custom recovery then you don't need to change your rom as well.
[Galaxy S III General] nabil2000:
As I wrote, if I just upgrade the ROM without modding the update ROM, I lose modem connectivity and IMEI...

so I still need to remove the modem.bin from the update ROM... (so I keep the MG4 modem of the UK 4.2.1 latest update)

what I did makes sense, and this is the only way it works by just using Odin...

1. rename I9300XXUFME7_I9300OXAFME7_I9300XXUFME7_HOME.tar.md 5 without .md5 extension i.e.

I9300XXUFME7_I9300OXAFME7_I9300XXUFME7_HOME.tar

2. in Linux delete modem.bin from the resulting .tar archive

3. flash, with Odin 3.04, I9300XXUFME7_I9300OXAFME7_I9300XXUFME7_HOME.tar (that had modem.bin removed)

This will keep the correct modem.bin of KIES_HOME_I9300XXEMG4_I9300OXAEMG4_1314436_REV00_u ser_low_ship.tar.md5

and so solves the problem...

and all this can be done without rooting or custom recovery...
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Of course you can do that, same way as you can pack modem.bin from xxemg4 into .tar and flash as PHONE...
[Galaxy S III General] sponky514:
I updated to this stock version (MG4) and installed the NeatROMFull, and its working great for me!!! I did not lose my IMEI, but my question is, if I change to the indian stock firmware, I will lose my IMEI?, or if I update to this Indian Firmware can I install any other customs roms with no problem?

Thanks!!!
[Galaxy S III General] nabil2000:
yes I know :) (but without .md5 extension)
[Galaxy S III General] whiskerp:
If you tar the modem.bin (tar cvf modem.tar modem.bin) you can then flash modem.tar with Odin.
[Galaxy S III General] Smartie36:
Would that be mobile odin your talking about, only ask as I've flashed many different modems using desktop odin and i always flash the modem.bin file on it's own and never had a problem, I'm guessing mobile odin works differently, I've never used it.
[Galaxy S III General] nabil2000:
No idea what is Mobile Odin, I just used Odin 3.04 - which will not accept modem.bin untarred...
[Galaxy S III General] ysrini:
See if this link helps you!
[Galaxy S III General] yukou:
okay so let's make it clear

If I'm using modem before I9300XXEMG4 , just backup whole efs folder in /efs?

This back up will be needed when someday I want to use firmware bfore I9300XXEMG4

If i wan to use firmware after I9300XXEMG4 so I just flash rom like usual

no matter what rom I use (Custom rom from some developers or stock rom)

is my conclusion correct?
[Galaxy S III General] ysrini:
Yes.
[Galaxy S III General] ulisse83:
I flashed the stock rom I9300XXEMG4 and now i would try the leaked jelly bean 4.2.2 I9300XXUFME7, can i do this without problem to new efs partition?
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Is it that hard to read my post?
[Galaxy S III General] radixon:
Guess its too far back for some people. :)

Sent
[Galaxy S III General] popcorn1122:
After the 4.2.2 flash you will need to flash the MG4 modem.
[Galaxy S III General] ifzaal305:
IMEI changed

Guts PLz help me... I too used the I9300XXEMG4 firmware and went back to an older firmware and my IMEI changed. I followed all ur recommendations and advise to the letter.

1) used the XXEMG4 modem with the stock firmware

2)flashed back the I9300XXEMG4 BTU firmware back

In both instanced im not getting my original IMEI, Im only getting 049 IMEI, with inability to make calls...

Plz help, ill be very grateful
[Galaxy S III General] boomboomer:
If you've already flashed the full stock rom using odin on your pc and the imei number is still missing then your efs folder is probably damaged.

Restore the efs backup you made, before you ever flashed anything.

If you didn't make a backup then you need a service centre repair.
[Galaxy S III General] ifzaal305:
mmmm Thank You
[Galaxy S III General] sidtheone:
Need Adivice

I had already got the OTA and had already updated before I even rooted the phone . This is the first time I would be flashing a ROM and the fact people are loosing IMEI is scary . And just wanted to confirm if the following steps are what I will need to do.

Build # is I9300XXEMG5

Baseband/Modem

I9300DDEMG2

Please help me understand what I will need to install in order to go to a Custom Rom now.

is it

1)Create an efs backup

2)Install the "custom rom"

3)Install the modem provided ( can i re-flash my own ?) using ODIN

4)If imei doesnt work then flash efs back again.

if nothing work

Flash TWRP recovery to get back to current state?

i am using HC-kTool to backup efs is that alright ?

Please correct if i missed something.
[Galaxy S III General] radixon:
Always backup your efs! But since you are starting from mg4 already, you already have the new format efs. Use TWRP to create a nandroid backup of tour current setup (you can even backup your efs from here too). Then flash the rom of your choice. If it goes wrong then you always have your nandroid to restore via TWRP.
[Galaxy S III General] ba1atu:
I have build number XXEMC2. Am i safe?

(Baseband I9300BWELK1), not rooted yet, from UK, android version 4.1.2
[Galaxy S III General] slaphead20:
Safe from what?

Nothing will ever protect against the folly of not reading and learning ;)
[Galaxy S III General] androidloverzz123:
Yeah just stick with what you have
[Galaxy S III General] nmsv:
If I ever flash my phone to this newer roms that changes the EFS structure then, in the future, I have to look for custom ROMs based on that newer structure, right?
[Galaxy S III General] popcorn1122:
Gradually all stock rom updates via OTA or kies will have new modem structure in efs.

Hence do not panic. For safety keep the efs folder backup in a safe place. Old EFS folder format is only used if you wish to use any rom which is older that July 16 2013.
[Galaxy S III General] radixon:
You can still use any rom, you just have to use the MG4 modem. Which justarchi has so kindly posted earlier in this thread.
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Small edit.

Also you don't need to flash my zip every time if your rom doesn't touch modem. For example most AOSP/CM based roms don't touch it at all, ArchiDroid 1.6.1 and 2.0.3 doesn't touch it as well but usually sammy-based roms in fact change modem. So just stick with xxemg4 and use whatever you want.
[Galaxy S III General] The Divide:
Quite happy with this rom and I feel comfortable that I dont need to downgrade. Strangely, I did a factory restart to as I felt that I needed a blank canvas and it despite my device status being normal, the binary counter being 0 and official I somehow still have root. I was under the impression that I would loose root if I did this? Not that I am complaining :good::laugh:
[Galaxy S III General] alankstiyo:
is there any way to solve this without backing up the EFS?

not sure, like an emergency restore from kies
[Galaxy S III General] emuashui:
That means, if I flash rom >= MG4 only without flashing any modem, the result will be roms flashed >= MG4 and OLD modem as well as /EFS format retained ?
[Galaxy S III General] JustArchi:
Nope, XXEMG4 rom doesn't work well with pre-XXEMG4 modem, my friend tried to release new rom with XXEMG4 but older modem and in fact it was more unstable than any previous version. Personally I wouldn't risk corrupting /efs. For now the best solution is either to stick with xxemg4+ roms or with older roms and flashing my zip after flashing. You'll need to do so ANYWAY because as you can see Samsung won't revert this change and it's only a matter of time, unless you want to stay on 4.1.2 forever.
[Galaxy S III General] marekPLPH:
Hi there.

unfortunately i just got my GS3 from my provider and was prompted to have an OTA update which i did. After the update i was curious if this MG4 firmware is the most recent firmware for GS3 and stumbled upon this thread. AFter the update the phone works ok actually very good IMO but to be on the safe side i want to back up EFS folder. So what confuses me is that in order to back up EFS file i need my phone to be rooted right?

Here are a few of my confusions:

1. will CF-AutoRoot work on this firmware

2. what EFS app is the quickest and safest way to back up EFS ( i know there are plenty out there but im not familiar with every app i see )

After backing up my EFS i will unroot the phone since i only need EFS for future back up/restore purposes.

Thanks in advance
[Galaxy S III General] SignetSphere:
Yes you will need root access to backup the efs.

Now for your questions...

1. Yes. CF Autoroot will still work.

2. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1308546