Things You'll Need:
- Cisco 1700 Series Router
- Terminal or Personal Computer (with serial connection or USB to serial connector)
- Cisco Console Cable
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Step 1
Begin to reset the password on your Cisco 1700 by connecting your computer to the router. Take your Cisco Console Cable and connect the serial end to the serial port on your computer. If you don't have a serial port on your computer, use your USB-to-Serial adapter to make the connection complete.
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Step 2
Before powering on the Cisco 1700 router, set the terminal or personal computer to the following settings: 9600 Baud Rate, No Parity, 8 Data Bits, 1 Stop Bit, and No Flow Control. If you are unable to connect, see my instructions on How To Connect To Cisco Routers With Different Connection Speeds.
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Step 3
If you haven't done so already, power on the terminal or personal computer. If you are using a PC, launch your terminal emulation program now to begin your connection. Next, power on the Cisco 1700 router and wait for the device to load.
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Step 4
Within 60 seconds, press Break on the terminal keyboard so that you can direct the Cisco 1700 router into ROMMON. Type "confreg 0x2142" at the rommon >1 prompt in order to boot from the flash chip. The reason for performing this step if to bypass the configuration startup which is where the passwords are maintained. The next step is to type "reset" at the rommon 2> prompt which will restart the router but effectively bypasses the currently saved configuration which is exactly what we want the device to do. If after the Reset you no longer receive output on the screen, view my instructions on How To Connect To Cisco Routers With Different Connection Speeds.
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Step 5
At this point, the Cisco 1700 router is restarting and you will be prompted by the appliance with the "System Configuration Dialog." Essentially you will decline each step by typing "no" after each question. In short, you can bypass the entire setup by pressing Ctrl-C on your (terminal) keyboard. When at the Router> prompt, type "enable" to access the Cisco router. At enable mode, you will type "configure memory" or "copy running-config running-config" so that you can begin with the password recovery. Keep in mind that we are performing this step to preserve your current configuration. If you do not need to save the current configuration you can use "write" or "copy running-config startup-config" to erase your startup configuration.
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Step 6
If you have any passwords are that are unencrypted, type "show running-config" so that you can list them for use again. Otherwise, all encrypted passwords will need to be changed to a new password. Enter into configuration mode so that you can update the password, "configure terminal." Once at the Hostname (config)# prompt, type "enable secret password." Don't forget to return the Configuration Register by typing "config-register 0x2102." Exit from terminal configuration by pressing Ctrl-Z on your keyboard. Once at the Hostname# prompt, enter "copy running-config startup-config" or "write memory" to save your changes. Restart (reload) your Cisco 1700 router and wait for the prompt before you enter your newly created password. Viola, your back in business!
