Password Recovery for a 1003 went wrong,How do you fix?

[kkerr]

While attempting a password recovery for a 1003 Router, the wrong config reg number was entered. 0x42 was entered instead of 0x2142. When router is booted garbage is displayed on the terminal and the SYSTEM light on the router flashes on/off. I can't enter any commands. Any ideas? Ideally I'd like to keep the exsisting config.

Thanks.

[josrankin · Accepted solution]

The garbage characters usually indicate a speed mismatch. If you're sure the config-reg was set to 0x42, be sure your terminal emulator speed setting is set to 9600. If you still see garbage, try 1200, 2400 and 4800 until you see clear text. Once you're in, you can backup the config by issuing the show start command and copying the output to a notepad file. A show version will tell you the config-reg value.

See http://www.cisco.com/warp/customer/474/pswdrec_1000.shtml

[kkerr]

Hello,

I think this problem is a bit more serious than a speed mismatch. I tried changing all the speeds like you suggested, but I still get garbage output. The fact that the SYSTEM STATUS light flashes on/off makes me think this problem is more serious. The config-reg value was changed incorectly. The value 0x42 relates to a 2500 serious router not a 1003 router which should have been changed to 0x2142.

Anyone with any suggestions? Please.

Regards,

KK

[kkerr]

I tried differant speeds again and this time I managed to talk to the router. Thank you for the advice.

[kkerr]

I tried differant speeds again and this time I managed to talk to the router. Thank you for the advice.