Question : Password recovery on a Cisco Cataclyst 3550 switch

Hello eveyone!

I was following the guide from Ciscos own homepage (https://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps628/products_password_recovery09186a0080094184.shtml) but at stage 12 im running into big problems.

This is what I should do:

12.Copy the configuration file into memory.

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Switch#copy flash:config.text system:running-config
Destination filename [running-config]? 

!--- Press Return or Enter.

1131 bytes copied in 0.760 secs
Sw1#

This is taken directly from my HyperTerminal. What is bugging out for me?

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Switch#copy flash:config.text system:running-config
Destination filename [running-config]?
5700 bytes copied in 2.712 secs (2102 bytes/sec)
UT032033-144524#
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/4, changed state to a
dministratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/5, changed state to a
dministratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/6, changed state to a
dministratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/7, changed state to a
dministratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/8, changed state to a
dministratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/9, changed state to a
dministratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/10, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:12: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/11, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/12, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/13, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/14, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/15, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
4, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/16, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
5, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/19, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
9, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/20, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
10, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/21, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
11, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:13: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/22, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
12, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/23, changed state to
administratively down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
13, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
19, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
20, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
21, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:14: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
22, changed state to down
*Mar  1 00:04:15: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/
23, changed state to down
UT032033-144524#write memory
% Authorization failed.

UT032033-144524#

.....and after that no command work at all!?

Thanks in advance!

Answer : Password recovery on a Cisco Cataclyst 3550 switch

"write memory" copy the running config to start-up config.
"reload" reboots the router (from start-up config, usually).

To reset the router to factory default, follow step 1-6. Then, instead of renaming the config.text file to something else, delete it ("delete flash:config.text" should do it). All the info you want to destroy is in the config.text file. When you reboot the router and it finds no startup config, it should create an empty "config.text" and boot to factory default settings. Your process will accomplish the same effect, but take a couple more reboots.

Just take care to also delete any "config.old" files you may have created during previous password-recovery attempts.