"NTLDR is missing" error when you try to run Automated System Recovery in Windows Server 2003

When you try to complete an Automated System Recovery (ASR) restore operation in Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the computer restarts, and you may receive errors that are similar to the following:

This problem occurs because the computer tries to start from the hard disk instead of from the CD-ROM. During the text mode part of the Setup program, ASR runs the Autochk.exe tool on the system and boot volumes. If the Autochk.exe tool finds orphaned security descriptors, the security descriptors are removed, and the computer restarts. However, the errors that are described in the "Symptoms" section occur because of operating system files that were not previously copied to the hard disk.

To resolve this problem, make sure the computer restarts from the CD-ROM when you run ASR again. By default, your computer may not automatically start from a CD-ROM. A message that is similar to the following typically appears during the startup process:When you receive this message, press a key to use the CD-ROM to start the computer. When the text screen appears, press F2 to start the ASR wizard. The text mode part of the Setup program must run again for the ASR restore operation to be completed successfully.

When orphaned security descriptors are found, the descriptors must be removed from the partition. Any disk cleaning operation may cause data loss. We strongly recommend that you back up all your data before you perform any disk cleaning operation.