Can you fix stupid? 881W can't enter rommon bootloop

[WWTK]

Hello everyone,

OK I admit I did something stupid, however I am hoping someone can give me a hand.  I have an 881W that goes into a bootloop on powerup.  The entire loop process lasts about 1 second or so and I never am able to break out to rommon.  I am connected to the console port via a real serial port, and have tried hyperterminal, TeraTerm, ProComm and a couple of others all with the same result of break not working.  I have read the article about the proper break seqence, but I don't think the router stays active long enough to get to the point where I can break out.  The fan/leds cycle with each repeat of the loop every second.

System Bootstrap, Version 12.4(22r)YB5, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2009 by cisco Systems, Inc.

C880 platform with 262144 Kbytes of main memory

Readonly ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED

loadprog: error - Invalid image for platform
e_machine = 221, cpu_type = 180
boot: cannot load "flash:c800-universalk9-mz.SPA.158-3.M1.bin"

System Bootstrap, Version 12.4(22r)YB5, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2009 by cisco Systems, Inc.

C880 platform with 262144 Kbytes of main memory

Readonly ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED

loadprog: error - Invalid image for platform
e_machine = 221, cpu_type = 180
boot: cannot load "flash:"

The above messages will cycle indefinitely at the aforementioned roughly 1 once a second interval.  I have tried the hold reset on powerup also to no avail although the loop is the same it is considerably slowed.

Thank you for your kind support,

WWTK

[Deepak Kumar]

Hi,

The IOS Image which you uploaded is not for this platform. You can download the correct image from here:

https://software.cisco.com/download/home/282084445/type/280775090/release/15.3.3-JA1

Regards,

Deepak Kumar

[WWTK]

Hello Deepak,

Yes, I realize that the problem is I can not load it since I can not access the router or get into rommon.

Regards,

WWTK

[Deepak Kumar]

Hi,
hard reboot the router and press BRK/ESC button continues during the boot.

Regards,
Deepak Kumar

[WWTK]

Hello Deepak,

As I stated above, I have tried with many software packages to enter rommon with sending a break and it does not work the router is rebooting too quickly.

Regards,

WWTK

[Deepak Kumar]

Hi,

This is happening because you had configured "No service Password-recovery" command.

Here is the guide 

https://community.cisco.com/t5/networking-documents/cannot-break-to-rommon-because-the-no-service-password-recovery/ta-p/3131504

Regards,

Deepak Kumar 

[WWTK]

Hello Deepak,

I have read that article and it is useless as the router has to boot to the point of decompressing the image and in my case the router can never get that far since i loaded the incorrect file to flash. The only messages I receive are the ones posted above and they repeat indefinitely, that is as far as the router will boot and it only lasts literally for once second between boots and the same lines repeat again and again. I have let it sit and cycle like that for up to 30 minutes and it never changes.

Regards,

WWTK

[WWTK]

Hello All,

Anyone have any other thoughts or is the router now a paperweight :(

Regards,

WWTK

[WWTK · Accepted solution]

Hello Everyone,

I guess to fix something stupid you must do something even exponentially more stupid than your first stupid move.  ;)

I have my router back running again, but I can't say that I can recommend my procedure to anyone as it is as likely to destroy the router as it is to fix it.  But since I had a paperweight anyways I decided to figure out a way to invalidate the flash so I could get to rommon.  So I opened the cover up and began looking around but other than a possible JTAG port I saw nothing really promising.  This is the point I decided to take the jump from a dumb mistake to a super stupid hail mary and it worked.  While the router was in its boot loop, I poked at the ram expansion slot with a screwdriver shorting out the pins in an effort to get the router to believe it could not read the flash.  It took many many tries but I finally succeeded in getting into rommon and booting my backup image in flash.  My config was still there and all i had to do was fix my boot command and I was back in business.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my problems and super thanks to those who attempted to help.

Regards,

WWTK

[HenriqueTocha4866]

I did the procedure like explained and guess what, it worked! Thanks a lot.