System information

Recovering a Lost Password
Book Title
24-490
It might be necessary to remove the processor card to gain access to the jumper. Consult
your hardware documentation for complete instructions on removing and inserting the
processor card if necessary. If you had to remove the processor card, reinsert it before
continuing.
Step 15 Power up the router. Use your new or recovered password to gain access to the router.
Password-Recovery Procedure: Platforms Running Earlier Software Releases
Cisco CGS, MGS, AGS, and AGS+ platforms, and Cisco 7000 series routers running software prior
to Cisco IOS Release 10.0 from ROM, all have their configuration registers in the hardware, so you
must physically change the position of the configuration register jumper during the
password-recovery process.
It might be necessary to remove the processor card from the router chassis in order to access the
hardware configuration register jumper. Consult your hardware documentation for detailed
instructions on removing and inserting the processor card from the router chassis if necessary.
Note If your password is encrypted, you cannot recover it. You must configure a new password.
Figure 24-2 shows a flowchart that describes the password-recovery procedure for the following
platforms:
• CGS, MGS, AGS, and AGS+ routers running Software Release 9.1(6) and earlier
• Cisco 7000 series routers running Software Release 9.17(3) and earlier from ROM
The step-by-step procedure that follows and the password recovery flowchart shown in Figure 24-2
apply only to the indicated platforms running the indicated software. There is another procedure for
recovering a password on these platforms if they are running more recent software. See the previous
section, “Password-Recovery Procedure: Platforms Running Recent Software Releases.”