WS-C2950G-48-EI can't flash firmware

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Hey

I'm having a big problem with my ws-2950g-48-ei. I stucked after trying to upload new firmware. Switch wan't to boot. I get output - error g

hardware not supported by firmware. I have tried to boot c2950-i6k2l2q4-mz.121-22.EA12.bin. Can anyone help me - How to repair it? 

[Leo Laohoo]

Post the entire process. We want to see the exact error message.

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Boot Sector Filesystem (bs:) installed, fsid: 3
Parameter Block Filesystem (pb:) installed, fsid: 4
Loading "flash:/c2950-i6k2l2q4-mz.121-22.EA14.bin"...flash:/c2950-i6k2l2q4-mz.121-22.EA14.bin

Error loading "flash:/c2950-i6k2l2q4-mz.121-22.EA14.bin"

Interrupt within 5 seconds to abort boot process.
Loading "flash:/c2950-i6k2l2q4-mz.121-22.EA14.bin"...###############################################################################################################################

File "flash:/c2950-i6k2l2q4-mz.121-22.EA14.bin" uncompressed and installed, entry point: 0x80010000
executing...

Error: hardware not supported by firmware.
Try loading newer software instead.
System Resetting...

[andrew.butterworth]

Are you sure its definitely a WS-C2950G-48-EI and not a WS-C2950T-48-SI?  The WS-C2950G-48-EI runs the EI image and the WS-C2950T-48-SI only runs the SI image and doesn't support the cryptographic image.  Does your 2950 have GBIC uplinks or 10/100/1000 copper uplinks?

I found the release notes for 12.1(22)EA14 and it states:

c2950-i6k2l2q4-tar.121-22.EA14.tar  - Catalyst 2950 SI1 and EI files. This includes the cryptographic Cisco IOS image and the device manager files.
c2950-i6q4l2-tar.121-22.EA14.tar  - Catalyst 2950 SI and EI files. This includes the Cisco IOS image and the device manager files.

1. Switches that support only the SI cannot run the cryptographic image. For more information, see the SI-only switches listed in Table 1 and the “Cisco IOS Limitations and Restrictions” section on page 15.

I tried to load the image you have onto a SI only switch a few years back and I had the same issues you have.  I had to recover the switch with XModem.

HTH

Andy

There was also a WS-C2950SX-48-SI that had 48 10/100 ports with two fixed 1000BaseSX uplinks.  This also only ran the SI image.