SOS - how to resolve bootstrap issue C841

[ajitsgovilkar]

Dear Techies,

Cisco Router 841 is in continuous loop of the following:-

Readonly ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED
loadprog: bad file magic number: 0x0
boot: cannot load "flash:"
System Bootstrap, Version 15.5(1r)T1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2014 by cisco Systems, Inc.

I do not get even a ROMMON prompt , where I could run some command and bring it back to life.

How to stop this loop and resolve the booting issue?

..Ajit

[Leo Laohoo]

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@ajitsgovilkar wrote:

PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED

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Where did this router come from?

[ajitsgovilkar]

Agreed but how to stop the looping message?

I do not get a prompt .

[Leo Laohoo]

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@ajitsgovilkar wrote:

Agreed but how to stop the looping message?

I do not get a prompt .

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Answer my question first:  Where did this router come from and who configured "no service-password recovery"?

[ajitsgovilkar]

Client Team configured that.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@ajitsgovilkar wrote:

Client Team configured that.

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Contact the client team and tell them to replace the router with something that works. 
The reason is because forcing the "password recovery" into a router, with password-recovery disabled, will mean the config of the router will be deleted.  

Do you have the config of the router?

[ajitsgovilkar]

I do have config backup.

That's not an issue. I need to stop this loop and work on it.

I did not get a solution to stop this loop.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@ajitsgovilkar wrote:

That's not an issue. I need to stop this loop and work on it.

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Then read my responses very carefully.  
There are two things wrong and causing the router to go into a crash-boot-loop.  They are: 

1.  Someone has mis-configured the boot variable string. 

2.  Someone "smart" (for lack of a better word) has configured "no service password-recovery". 

Had #2 not been done, stopping the router crash-boot-loop would be relatively elementary.  

So here's the solution: 

1.  Look at the back of the router. 

2.  Near the WAN ports, is there a tiny "Reset" button?

IMPORTANT:  The Reset button plus the presence of "no service password-recovery" command means the router will erase the config.

[ajitsgovilkar]

ok.

will check that.

[ajitsgovilkar]

I tried resetting the device once.

I wish to know method to reset the device.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@ajitsgovilkar wrote:

I tried resetting the device once.

I wish to know method to reset the device.

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1. Power down the router. 
2. Press and HOLD DOWN the Reset button. 
3. Still holding down the Reset button, power up the router. 
4. Keep holding the Reset button down for 20 seconds. 

[Kasun Bandara]

Hi,

seems like a flash issue. better to open TAC and request for RMA.

rate this and mark as answer if this solved your concern

[ajitsgovilkar]

Hello Kasun,

Agreed but how to stop the looping message?

I do not get a prompt .

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Kasun Bandara wrote:

seems like a flash issue.

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No, it is not.  
Someone mis-configured the boot variable string and then "locked themselves out" by using the command "no service password-recovery".