Flash Memory Failure? 1

[trevorh13]

I teach the CCNA syllabus and had two 2501 routers suddenly stop booting this afternoon. We were only configuring static routes at the time so I cant see that the student has done anything - rather than loading the IOS the two routers instead stop at a > prompt. (ROM mode I believe?) I can make them boot from TFTP and have tried erasing the flash and restoring the IOS image file from the TFTP server. This completes with no errors being reported. On rebooting however the router again boots purely to > mode.

I have never seen this before and have been teaching the CCNA for about 5 years now.

I am suspecting that the flash card's in both routers are faulty but a little nagging voice in my head is saying - so why did the copy process from tftp to the flash not fail?

Anyone got any ideas?

As always any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[JOAMON]

What is the config register set to......???

 

[trevorh13]

Have tried it set as 2102 and 2142. In > mode it just says the register is 0x0

Have just found that in > mode sh flash reports that the file has an invalid checksum. The file copied over without reporting errors and the same file will boot the router via tftp.

Is this looking more and more like failed flash?

 

[JOAMON]

Kind of strange that both routers are doing this. When you boot from the TFTP what does the config register show when you do a show version? You might try opening the routers, remove flash, clean contacts and sockets, replace, boot tftp, copy image to flash, reload and see if that helps.

 

[trevorh13]

Ok - one router had indeed ended up with an incorrect config-register although I have no idea how this would have happened. The student who's router it was has been around for some time and he isnt the type for meddling - anyhow set the register to 2102 and it is now fine.

The other - had already checked the register as being 2102.I took the Flash memory out and gave it a good spaying with compressed air then rebooted from TFTP and tried re-copying the file to flash.Still it corrupteded during the copy. I tried copying over a smaller IOS file (Standard IP feature pack rather than the Extended IP\IPX pack and the router boots fine with this.

Not a huge problem for me but just a bit weird.

Anyhow many thanks for your help. It has been greatly appreciated.