SM-A125W Imei Not Found ? - GSM-Forum

preacher23 · 09-15-2021, 04:29

Hey there,

I have a fully functional SM-A125W and another one that keeps losing IMEI after factory reset and making a phone call.

I just plugged in the fully functional one, and it's saying (in MTK mode) that the imei was not found.

Also, the one that keeps losing it's imei and baseband after the first phone call after a factory reset, i tried the restore imei function and it didn't work either.

Code:

Chimera Mobile Phone Utility version: 29.61.0725  2021-09-14
Autodetect features
Initializing...
Identifying...
Reading data from the phone...
Autodetect features
Reading data from the phone...
Couldn't mount userdata. Probably it's encrypted.
IMEI not found
WorkID: 150424170

**Chimera Tool** · 09-15-2021, 09:34

Dear User,

Based on your works with the device, in MTK mode we cannot provide you the IMEI REPAIR.

But if you change the module to Samsung (in the chimera tool you should see that option once you connect the phone to the tool) you have to see the IMEI REPAIR method. Can you please run that?

Best regards
Sab
Chimera Team

Quote:

Originally Posted by preacher23

Hey there,

I have a fully functional SM-A125W and another one that keeps losing IMEI after factory reset and making a phone call.

I just plugged in the fully functional one, and it's saying (in MTK mode) that the imei was not found.

Also, the one that keeps losing it's imei and baseband after the first phone call after a factory reset, i tried the restore imei function and it didn't work either.

Code:

Chimera Mobile Phone Utility version: 29.61.0725  2021-09-14
Autodetect features
Initializing...
Identifying...
Reading data from the phone...
Autodetect features
Reading data from the phone...
Couldn't mount userdata. Probably it's encrypted.
IMEI not found
WorkID: 150424170

preacher23 · 09-16-2021, 16:41

Greetings:

Code:

Chimera Mobile Phone Utility version: 29.67.2050  2021-09-16
Repair started
Unable to detect IMEI number and baseband version. It seems that the modem does not work or the network is unavailable/disabled.
Gathering phone info...
Collecting information. Be patient! Do NOT disconnect the phone!
Model: SM-A125W
Carrier ID: XAC
Sales Code: BMC
Country Code: Canada
Timezone: America/New_York
Android Version: 11 [RP1A.200720.012] [SDK 30]
Build Date: Tue Jul 27 14:10:03 KST 2021
PDA Version: A125WVLU2AUG5 [july 2021, rev5]
CSC Version: A125WOYV2AUG5 [july 2021, rev5]
Board Platform: MT6765
Network Type: GSM
Multisim Config: SS
Knox Version: v30
Warranty Bit: 1
Security Patch: 2021-07-01
Em Did: 5925C15534F3
Repair imei...
Restarting phone.
Waiting for ADB connection. Be patient! Do NOT disconnect the phone!
The operation is in progress. Be patient! Do NOT disconnect the phone!
Unknown modem
Finished at local time: [09.16.21 11:39:59]
WorkID: 150676483

preacher23 · 09-16-2021, 17:58

Greetings,

I have a few questions about the symptoms I'm having with this phone (A125W)

I have, 1 phone that is working well, it was successfully rooted via magisk, and is running the latest update A125WOYV2AUG5.

Using this phone, I took a complete backup (MTK Mode):

Calibration files (nvram, protect1, protect2, seccfg, misc, nvcfg, nvdata, proinfo)
Firmware files (efs, sec_efs, steady, spmfw, etc)
Miscellaneous (cache, userdata)
Special (partition_table, secondary_partition_table, region-0x0, etc)

Then i have a second phone same model, same fw and I took a full backup of it as well (MTK Mode)

The symptom i'm having is when the user makes the first phone call which works fine and indicates there is no hardware problem, or modem firmware problem, after the phone call ends (user hangs up) 2 seconds later the IMEI and BASEBAND show UNKNOWN.

I factory reset it, the IMEI and BASEBAND come back, then I make a phone call and lose them again, over and over.

I tried flashing original Factory FW A125WOYV2AUFA (previous to this one) via odin same results

I even try to flash everything (MTK MODE) from the working phone to the broken phone, but when doing that, the baseband is unknown and imei blank no matter what i do so there must be a mechanism that prevents (cloning)

This symptom began when the user programmed the phone using ODIN incorrectly by selecting the fifth checkmark (USERDATA) and flashing:
HOME_CSC_OMC_OYV_A125WOYV2AUG5_CL21871223_QB419499 25_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT in it.

So basically the user selected BL, AP, CP, CSC but additionaly loaded the HOME_CSC into the USERDATA checkbox in odin and flashed them.

The phone shows:
FRP LOCK OFF
OEM LOCK OFF (U)
KG STATUS: CHECKING
MTK SECURE BOOT: ENABLE(0)
SECURE DOWNLOAD: ENABLE

I managed to figure out that the nvdata partition is what is being "corrupted" or "modified" by the system. Because when the IMEI/BASEBAND become unknown, I flashed back just nvdata (MTK Mode) and they came back, make a phone call, hangup, gone again, flash it back, and again IMEI is back.

Does anyone known what is causing this issue? is there a security mechanism? What must I do to restore this phone to working order.

If anyone can shed some light on this issue, it would be greatly appreciated.

preacher23 · 09-19-2021, 16:49

anyone have any clues please ?

**Chimera Tool** · 09-20-2021, 10:22

Dear User,

Based on the log that you posted (thank you for it), the device modem is not working. I would recommend to reflash the phone with stock firmware, then if you can, repair the EFS partition (at the moment the Chimera Tool does not have such a service, for that phone) and then use the IMEI REPAIR.

Best regards
Sab
Chimera Team

Quote:

Originally Posted by preacher23

Greetings:

Code:

Chimera Mobile Phone Utility version: 29.67.2050  2021-09-16
Repair started
Unable to detect IMEI number and baseband version. It seems that the modem does not work or the network is unavailable/disabled.
Gathering phone info...
Collecting information. Be patient! Do NOT disconnect the phone!
Model: SM-A125W
Carrier ID: XAC
Sales Code: BMC
Country Code: Canada
Timezone: America/New_York
Android Version: 11 [RP1A.200720.012] [SDK 30]
Build Date: Tue Jul 27 14:10:03 KST 2021
PDA Version: A125WVLU2AUG5 [july 2021, rev5]
CSC Version: A125WOYV2AUG5 [july 2021, rev5]
Board Platform: MT6765
Network Type: GSM
Multisim Config: SS
Knox Version: v30
Warranty Bit: 1
Security Patch: 2021-07-01
Em Did: 5925C15534F3
Repair imei...
Restarting phone.
Waiting for ADB connection. Be patient! Do NOT disconnect the phone!
The operation is in progress. Be patient! Do NOT disconnect the phone!
Unknown modem
Finished at local time: [09.16.21 11:39:59]
WorkID: 150676483

preacher23 · 09-22-2021, 08:33

is the repair EFS feature planned for the A125W ?

**Chimera Tool** · 09-22-2021, 09:26

Dear User,

At the moment no, but based on the recent issues with some devices, I do believe that we will start working on it. Of course, if we will have any changes in the Tool, we will inform you, and every other user as well.

Best regards
Sab
Chimera Team

Quote:

Originally Posted by preacher23

is the repair EFS feature planned for the A125W ?

preacher23 · 09-23-2021, 17:50

Greetings again,

I was able to successfully update the IMEI (WorkID: 151656230) but unfortunately the IMEI cert still shows fail in *#0011#

I keep running patch certificate in chimera (WorkID: 151656614) and it says Successfully finished but the IMEI certi still shows fails in the service mode menu

What options do i have to fix the imei certificate ?

Wait for an update?

**Chimera Tool** · 09-24-2021, 10:07

Dear User,

Did you write a new Cert to the device before?

Quote:

Originally Posted by preacher23

Greetings again,

I was able to successfully update the IMEI (WorkID: 151656230) but unfortunately the IMEI cert still shows fail in *#0011#

I keep running patch certificate in chimera (WorkID: 151656614) and it says Successfully finished but the IMEI certi still shows fails in the service mode menu

What options do i have to fix the imei certificate ?

Wait for an update?

Abdullah Shafiq · 09-26-2021, 05:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by preacher23

Hey there,

I have a fully functional SM-A125W and another one that keeps losing IMEI after factory reset and making a phone call.

I just plugged in the fully functional one, and it's saying (in MTK mode) that the imei was not found.

Also, the one that keeps losing it's imei and baseband after the first phone call after a factory reset, i tried the restore imei function and it didn't work either.

Code:

Chimera Mobile Phone Utility version: 29.61.0725  2021-09-14
Autodetect features
Initializing...
Identifying...
Reading data from the phone...
Autodetect features
Reading data from the phone...
Couldn't mount userdata. Probably it's encrypted.
IMEI not found
WorkID: 150424170

Did u solved the problem?

preacher23 · 09-28-2021, 08:54

i have not solved the problem yet.

I factory reset the phone, then I took a backup of NVDATA partition, then i made the first phone call and the IMEI showed as unknown, baseband unknown and then i took another backup of NVDATA, i mounted both backups in linux and looked at what happened:

After investigating the nvdata partition, and comparing it with the partition of the working phone, i realized there are two files missing in the broken phone:

AllFileCheck
AllMapCheck

These files after the first phone call are restored, but it trips the KG from Checking to Prenormal.

Also:

In the folder /md/NVRAM/NVD_DATA these are some of the changed:
CK10_001
CK14_000
EC75_002
EC76_008
EX03_000 (this file is added)
EX04_000
FILELIST (this file is added)
IM03_001
(and about 10 more files changed)

In the folder /md/NVRAM/NVD_IMEI these files are changed:
INFO_FILE
FILELIST
IP03_001
IP21_000

Also in the folder /md/NVRAM/CALIBRAT this file is changed:
FILELIST

Also in the folder /md/NVRAM/NVD_CORE this file is ADDED (it was not there before, perhaps the incorrect odin flash ruined that sector where the file was):
FILELIST

These changes to the partition cause the IMEI+Baseband to report as UNKNOWN

After a factory reset the imei and baseband comes back.

I tried to remove knox after gaining root but that is not possible, the phone becomes unusable.

I will try to work on the partition and see if there's a way to "restore it" back to working order, but i'm not too sure what is going on, i don't have the source code, i'll try and look at the logs or look at the system logcat to see if it really is KNOX that is messing things up.

I will also try to rewrite the IMEI and put it in airplane mode to see if the patch works.

Does anyone have any specifics on what CHIMERA is patching? maybe i can extract the working IMEI certificate and restore it manually?

I'll keep at it and figure this out eventually

preacher23 · 10-03-2021, 03:57

Does anyone know how to rebuild NVRAM using a donor NVRAM?

Unpack? Edit? Any tools available?

sahelkhan022 · 05-01-2023, 19:12

i have same issue any fix ?

**Chimera Tool** · 05-02-2023, 13:42

Dear User,

Please provide the workid from your phone, so we can check the issue.

Thank you,
ChimeraTeam

Quote:

Originally Posted by sahelkhan022

i have same issue any fix ?

09-15-2021, 04:29	#1 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	SM-A125W Imei Not Found ? Hey there, I have a fully functional SM-A125W and another one that keeps losing IMEI after factory reset and making a phone call. I just plugged in the fully functional one, and it's saying (in MTK mode) that the imei was not found. Also, the one that keeps losing it's imei and baseband after the first phone call after a factory reset, i tried the restore imei function and it didn't work either. Code: Chimera Mobile Phone Utility version: 29.61.0725 2021-09-14 Autodetect features Initializing... Identifying... Reading data from the phone... Autodetect features Reading data from the phone... Couldn't mount userdata. Probably it's encrypted. IMEI not found WorkID: 150424170

09-16-2021, 17:58	#4 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	Greetings, I have a few questions about the symptoms I'm having with this phone (A125W) I have, 1 phone that is working well, it was successfully rooted via magisk, and is running the latest update A125WOYV2AUG5. Using this phone, I took a complete backup (MTK Mode): Calibration files (nvram, protect1, protect2, seccfg, misc, nvcfg, nvdata, proinfo) Firmware files (efs, sec_efs, steady, spmfw, etc) Miscellaneous (cache, userdata) Special (partition_table, secondary_partition_table, region-0x0, etc) Then i have a second phone same model, same fw and I took a full backup of it as well (MTK Mode) The symptom i'm having is when the user makes the first phone call which works fine and indicates there is no hardware problem, or modem firmware problem, after the phone call ends (user hangs up) 2 seconds later the IMEI and BASEBAND show UNKNOWN. I factory reset it, the IMEI and BASEBAND come back, then I make a phone call and lose them again, over and over. I tried flashing original Factory FW A125WOYV2AUFA (previous to this one) via odin same results I even try to flash everything (MTK MODE) from the working phone to the broken phone, but when doing that, the baseband is unknown and imei blank no matter what i do so there must be a mechanism that prevents (cloning) This symptom began when the user programmed the phone using ODIN incorrectly by selecting the fifth checkmark (USERDATA) and flashing: HOME_CSC_OMC_OYV_A125WOYV2AUG5_CL21871223_QB419499 25_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT in it. So basically the user selected BL, AP, CP, CSC but additionaly loaded the HOME_CSC into the USERDATA checkbox in odin and flashed them. The phone shows: FRP LOCK OFF OEM LOCK OFF (U) KG STATUS: CHECKING MTK SECURE BOOT: ENABLE(0) SECURE DOWNLOAD: ENABLE I managed to figure out that the nvdata partition is what is being "corrupted" or "modified" by the system. Because when the IMEI/BASEBAND become unknown, I flashed back just nvdata (MTK Mode) and they came back, make a phone call, hangup, gone again, flash it back, and again IMEI is back. Does anyone known what is causing this issue? is there a security mechanism? What must I do to restore this phone to working order. If anyone can shed some light on this issue, it would be greatly appreciated. Last edited by preacher23; 09-16-2021 at 18:02. Reason: clarity

09-23-2021, 17:50	#9 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	Greetings again, I was able to successfully update the IMEI (WorkID: 151656230) but unfortunately the IMEI cert still shows fail in #0011# I keep running patch certificate in chimera (WorkID: 151656614) and it says Successfully finished but the IMEI certi still shows fails in the service mode menu What options do i have to fix the imei certificate ? Wait for an update? Last edited by preacher23; 09-23-2021 at 17:51. Reason: clarity*

09-28-2021, 08:54	#12 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	i have not solved the problem yet. I factory reset the phone, then I took a backup of NVDATA partition, then i made the first phone call and the IMEI showed as unknown, baseband unknown and then i took another backup of NVDATA, i mounted both backups in linux and looked at what happened: After investigating the nvdata partition, and comparing it with the partition of the working phone, i realized there are two files missing in the broken phone: AllFileCheck AllMapCheck These files after the first phone call are restored, but it trips the KG from Checking to Prenormal. Also: In the folder /md/NVRAM/NVD_DATA these are some of the changed: CK10_001 CK14_000 EC75_002 EC76_008 EX03_000 (this file is added) EX04_000 FILELIST (this file is added) IM03_001 (and about 10 more files changed) In the folder /md/NVRAM/NVD_IMEI these files are changed: INFO_FILE FILELIST IP03_001 IP21_000 Also in the folder /md/NVRAM/CALIBRAT this file is changed: FILELIST Also in the folder /md/NVRAM/NVD_CORE this file is ADDED (it was not there before, perhaps the incorrect odin flash ruined that sector where the file was): FILELIST These changes to the partition cause the IMEI+Baseband to report as UNKNOWN After a factory reset the imei and baseband comes back. I tried to remove knox after gaining root but that is not possible, the phone becomes unusable. I will try to work on the partition and see if there's a way to "restore it" back to working order, but i'm not too sure what is going on, i don't have the source code, i'll try and look at the logs or look at the system logcat to see if it really is KNOX that is messing things up. I will also try to rewrite the IMEI and put it in airplane mode to see if the patch works. Does anyone have any specifics on what CHIMERA is patching? maybe i can extract the working IMEI certificate and restore it manually? I'll keep at it and figure this out eventually Last edited by preacher23; 09-28-2021 at 08:58. Reason: more info

05-01-2023, 19:12	#14 (permalink)
sahelkhan022 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 26 Member: 2434831 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 4	i have same issue i have same issue any fix ?

09-19-2021, 16:49	#5 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	anyone have any clues please ?

09-22-2021, 08:33	#7 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	is the repair EFS feature planned for the A125W ?

10-03-2021, 03:57	#13 (permalink)
preacher23 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Member: 633412 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 1	Does anyone know how to rebuild NVRAM using a donor NVRAM? Unpack? Edit? Any tools available?