Service password-recovery is enabled by default, you could use the show version to check the state of the serv ice password-recovery.

By default, service password-recovery is enabled, you can recovery the password with mode button when the switch is boot up, just as the catalyst 2950 serials. You could set the state of the service password-recovery to disabled. If you do it , when you want to recovery the password with the mode button when the switch boot up. The IOS prompt you “  ”

If you choose the yes, the password is clear but all config in the config.text file is clear either(vlan.dat maybe clear at the same time), so if you set the service password-recovery state to disabled, you should backup the config.text and vlan.dat files.

no service password-recovery: Disable password recovery.

This setting is saved in an area of the Flash memory that is accessible by the boot loader and the Cisco IOS image, but it is not part of the file system and is not accessible by any user.

Disabling password recovery will not work if you have set the switch to boot manually by using the boot manual global configuration command. This command produces the boot loader prompt (switch:) after the switch is power cycled.