I was recently trying to factory reset a Cisco Express 500 switch for use at a customer site. I researched Cisco’s website and other websites, but nothing I tried would work. The basic steps are these:
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Hold down the mode button while applying power to the switch.
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After the mode lights turn amber, let go and the switch will reset to defaults.
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After a short time a port (usually port 1) light will start blinking. Plug your workstation/laptop into that port. Your workstation/laptop should then acquire a DHCP address from the switch.
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You should then be able to access the web GUI using the default IP address.
Unfortunately, none of the online documentation I read mentioned the fact that this only worked when Windows XP was the operating system. Windows Vista or Windows 7 will not work. I did not find this out until after the fact when another engineer, who had also struggled with this issue, informed me that this was the case.