Recover password / secret

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Hi All.

I have a couple of 800 series routers that are currently configured and working but no access passwords. I dont want to lose the current configs since I dont actualy know some details (adsl settings, VPNs and suchlike).

I was planning to follow the Cisco procedure found at the link below but I think that this will wipe the current config when I issue the copy start run command. Can anyone confirm if this is the case and if there is a way round this?

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products...ducts_password_recovery09186a00800942bc.shtml

I guess I dont understand this procedure since what is the point of setting a password when you boot into 0x2142? Why not just issue the copy start run as soon as you boot in the 0x2142 and then setup passwords etc when you reboot and add all the other required configs?

Hmm, confused!

K

 

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yes you can keep your existing config...

Basically this procedure will let you bypass your startup config which has the enable passwords set, so it loads up a blank template so to speak - this will be your running config, BUT your startup config will still have all the goodness that you want to keep, but because you changed the confreg reg value to 0x2142 it will now ignore that config, not delete it.

So once the router loads up in this recovery mode, it is very important that you you
a) copy the startup-config to the running-config
b) set the enable secret/password
c) no shutdown any interfaces you need
d) change the config-register back to 0x2102 as you want the router to look at the startup config now you have changed the enable password
e) now save that bad boi via the wr command or copy running-config startup-config

Happy days, restart and woooila, there is your old config with the new enable password/secret

This process has saved me many a time!

 

Cheers Sparky

Got this sorted yesterday. It's amazing how much easier it is to administer a router when you have the enable secret

Thanks for your input, made things much clearer for me.

K