Cisco Catalyst Switch Password Recovery (not having front mode button)

Unplug the power cable.

Power the switch and bring it to the switch: prompt:
Some of the Catalyst series switches do not use an external mode button for password recovery. Instead the switch boot loader uses the break-key detection to stop the automatic boot sequence for the password recovery purposes. Hyperterm running on Windows 2000 uses Ctrl + Break. On a workstation running UNIX, Ctrl-C is the break key.

Immediately Switch will show


*** The system will autoboot in 15 seconds *** 

Send break character to prevent autobooting. 

Then Issue commands

switch : flash_init

switch : load_helper

switch : dir flash:

above command dir flash: will show available files in your switch's flash drive

Now you have choice either to delete those configuration files or just recover password preserving your configuration

If you want to delete then


switch : delete flash:


Delete all files other then your boot image bin file will clear All configuration from your switch

Other wise

switch: rename flash:config.text flash:config.old

then issue boot command

Enter "n" at the prompt to abort the initial configuration dialog.

At the switch prompt, type en to enter enable mode.

then in enable mode

Switch#rename flash:config.old flash:config.text 

Switch#copy flash:config.text system:running-config

Switch#conf t

Switch(config)#enable secret

Switch(config)#enable password  

!--- To overwrite existing vty password 
Switch(config)#line vty 0 15

Switch(config-line)#password

Switch(config-line)#login 
 
!--- To overwrite existing console password
Switch(config-line)#line con 0

Switch(config-line)#password

Write the running configuration to the configuration file with the write memory command.

Switch#write memory