Password not recognized by Linksys router..WTF!!!

[Tekk]

Well my router had been working fine but last nite the power went out for quite a while. After it turned back on I went to my computer and turned IT on and was gonna come here to read some shtuff Unfortunately...I wasn't connected. So I try to go to my routers page and hmmm..its not responding. Its happened before when the power goes out. So I reset the router (little red button) and try again. Still no go. SO after some fiddling and several resets, I get into the setup page. So I go down to PPPoE and fill in the requested stuff (I had the 1.40 firmware BTW) and then clicked on apply. DAMN! Guess what pops up....the login window that asks for the username/password to access the router. I had this problem almost a year ago when I first got my router...I ended up sending it back to Linky and they fixed it. Anyway, I was severely angry. I tried changing the password to something but every time I went to the change password screen, it would already be filled with about 15 * which I had never noticed before. So basically...I couldn't apply the PPPoE settings because it wouldn't recognize the password! Hell...even if I left the password as the default "admin" I could get into the router but I couldn't apply those settings. And like I said...changing the password doesn't do anything.


SO I finally hoped that upgrading the firmware would fix it and it did...but Im afraid because it still shows my password as being this looooong thing when its not. It even shows my password for PPPoE to be loooong to. Like instead of being "******" it shows "************". Anyone experienced this password error before? Should I be worried? Or maybe its a sign that I should get that BEFW11S4 that I've been eyeing

[Bopper]

I have the same router.
the pasword field is filled with long "*************", but I never specified a password.
I just us the Admin Password. It must be normal to have the password show up like that, but I could not begin to tell you why it would be that way.

[DVNT1]

That is a minor way to increase security from the "over-the-shoulder" activity. no, I'm not kidding

This way it always gives the impression of a long password to make it less attractive to a potential hacker.

Of course they may have another reason but it fits the description (standard number of *s regardless of password length).

[Tekk]

well that is a definite relief. But have you guys ever had that password error? Its weird but its fixed now