Recover from a system failure using Automated System Recovery

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To recover from a system failure using Automated System Recovery

Make sure you have the following available before you begin the recovery procedure:
- Your previously created Automated System Recovery (ASR) floppy disk.
- Your previously created backup media.
- The original operating system installation CD.
- If you have a mass storage controller and you are aware that the manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file for it (different from driver files available on the Setup CD), obtain the file (on a floppy disk) before you begin this procedure.
Insert the original operating system installation CD into your CD drive.
Restart your computer. If you are prompted to press a key to start the computer from CD, press the appropriate key.
If you have a separate driver file as described in step 1, use the driver as part of Setup by pressing F6 when prompted.
Press F2 when prompted at the beginning of the text-only mode section of Setup. You will be prompted to insert the ASR floppy disk you have previously created.
Follow the directions on the screen.
If you have a separate driver file as described in step 1, press F6 (a second time) when prompted after the system reboots.
Follow the directions on the screen.

Notes

Physical access to a server is a high security risk. To maintain a more secure environment, you must restrict physical access to all servers and network hardware.
Automated System Recovery will not restore your data files. See Related Topics for more information on backing up and restoring your data files.
If you are restoring a server cluster in which all nodes failed and the quorum disk cannot be restored from backup, use Automated System Recovery on each node in the original cluster to restore the disk signatures and the partition layout of the cluster disks (quorum and nonquorum). For more information about backing up and restoring server clusters, see the Related Topics link at the bottom of this page.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.