Wednesday, May 23, 2012

How to Unlock Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

 XDA is always full of wonderful people. This time its member yassine22 shared the method on unlocking Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.

pix source: samsung.com

Step 1: Root your tab
[ why root the tablet: unlocking the tablet requires access to hidden system files in the root. The root is not normally made accessible to the standard users]
  • From the web, search a Root package (easy to find on the web, just google ‘galaxy’ ‘root zip’ you’ll get a small zip file, it may be root.zip, root2.zip, doesn’t matter)
  • Download the root zip file.
  • Copy it to your tab and remember exactly the folder where you paste it.
  • Turn off you tab.
  • Press simultaneously the volume (-) and power buttons and continue pressing until you got a system screen with two items menu (download, and …).
  • Press the volume (-) again to navigate through the two items of the menu, select upgrade.
  • In the top of the screen, you’ll get a list menu with 4 items. Scroll to item “install from SDCard” (use volume (-) and (-) to scroll).
  • Press power button to select.
  • You’ll have to select the root zip folder, navigate through the folder structure using volume (-) (+) buttons.
  • Press the power button to execute the zip file.
  • Rooting operation will start, you’ll see many progress messages, just wait until the whole process finishes, it takes few seconds.
  • Navigate back the menu item “reboot the tab”, press power button.
[ Your tablet will reboot now, you will notice no change, but the change is there, your tablet is now rooted]

Step 2: Preparing to unlock
  • From the market, install the free app “super user”.
  • Open the newly created shortcut “super user” and validate any message you get, close if necessary, [the SuperUser is an app that will work in the background and grant permissions –when necessary- to other applications to access root. Without it, rooting a tab is meaningless].
  • From the market, install “root manager” [root manager is now your file manager that can go deep through the folder structure and access root folders].
  • Launch the “root manager”, the first time you do that, you’ll be prompted to allow “Super User” to grant permissions to “root manager”, allow that.
  • Take some time to make yourself familiar with “root manager”, it’s a very simple but powerful file manager.
  • Now go back to serious work, locate the folder \efs at the root, [efs folder is very important, it holds all the information to validate your tablet to the GSM/3G operator, it validates the authenticity of your IMEI].
  • Just make a copy of the whole folder and save it in a safe place – your PC or a memory stick-. We’ll be back later to this copy, continue now on the tab.
  • Open \efs folder, locate the file nv_data.bin.
  • Make a copy of nv_data.bin in the same folder \efs and rename the file eg: ORIGINAL_nv_data.bin
  • Delete all the files in the \efs folder except nv.log. Don’t delete the sub folders ( you should normally have the following sub folders .files, imei, gyro….). 
  • Now leave the tablet powered on (don’t turn off) and move to your PC to continue job,
Step 3: Molding the nv_data.bin file
  • In the copy of the \efs folder that you previously made, locate the original file nv_data.bin.
  • Make a copy of this file somewhere in your PC. That’s the copy you will be working on.
  • Edit nv_data.bin with HexEdit.[ If you are not familiar with depths of binary files, don’t be daunted by the array of codes and bytes].
  • Locate the byte 0x181469, it should read 01 value, just edit it to 00 value, do nothing more, just save and exit.
  • Now you have created the molded copy of nv_data.bin.
  • You need to move this copy of nv_data.bin onto your tablet, either using a memory stick or by USB cable. Paste the file in the \efs folder.
Step 4: tweaking the molded nv_data.bin file
  • Now that you pasted the molded nv_data.bin to \efs folder, it needs some minor adjustments before being used.
  • In the “root manager”, press and hold on the newly pasted nv_data.bin.
  • You’ll get a menu, select properties.
  • In the properties box, check all the 9 options (read, write, execute), leave the others.
  • Save and exit root manager.
  • Go the market and install the free app “terminal emulator”.
  • Launch the terminal emulator, accept any message for super user permission.
  • In the terminal emulator, execute the following commands [press enter after each line of command]:
    • su
    • chown 1001:radio \efs\nv_dat.bin
    • reboot
  • It’s done, your tablet will reboot unlocked.

Verification to make sure everything is OK
  • Go to settings, about device, status. Make sure you have a valid IMEI number, the one you have printed on the back of your tablet, not the fake one: 00004**********
  • Insert a valid SIM module, you’ll be promted to enter PIN code if configured so.
  • Enter PIN code.
  • Enter the APN provided by your operator (necessary to access internet 3G).


Warning: unlock/root your Samsung Galaxy Tab may void the warranty as well as brick the device, do it at your own risk.


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source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=26368706#post26368706

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