Today, most people own a number of gadgets that they utilize for personal, as well as professional use. Truly, electronic devices are a big part of most people’s lives and along the way it is inevitable that you will encounter some problems. In Los Angeles, data recovery problems are among the most common issues. In some occasions, data are corrupted, deleted unexpectedly, or become inaccessible to you. Fortunately, there are professionals in California and all over the US who can help you recover your missing files. To avoid this, it is best to learn more about data loss and how you can avoid it.
What’s Causing Data Loss?
There are several reasons why that data in your computer or smartphone is missing. Here are some of them:
- Human Error – One of the most frequent causes of data loss is human error. It may be hard to believe and admit it but users, themselves, are often to blame when it comes to data loss. In fact, the most common human error when it comes to devices is accidentally deleting a file, a document, a picture, etc.
- Damaging Viruses and Malwares – A number of viruses attack your computer every day, especially if it is connected to the internet. Although the World Wide Web has a lot of advantages, it brings a lot of risks as well. Data loss can be a side effect of these malwares but it is not the worst problem they bring; there are viruses which are specifically meant to damage and steal your business data.
- Mechanical Damages to the Hard Drive – The hard drive in your computer is where all your data are stored. It is also one of the most fragile parts in the computer; as a matter of fact, it breaks down more often compared to other parts and once your hard drive is damaged, losing data is inevitable. Even your professional service provider could not guarantee that your lost files can be recovered once your hard drive develops some serious problems.
- Power Failures – Data loss due to power failures may occur when your power source is suddenly cut off while you are working on something. In this case, you lose your file because you were not able to save it before your system shut down. It may also happen if you shut your computer down without undergoing proper procedures because a reboot in your operating system may soon follow.
- Computer Theft – Losing your computer also means losing your data, especially when you do not have any backup strategy in place. Although losing your computer is difficult and expensive, losing your data will be even more problematic for you. Imagine not only losing your work files but also those family pictures you made sure to save in your laptop.
- Water Damages – Spilling drinks and liquids to your devices may result into the short circuiting of some important electronic components in your computer or laptop. Your hard drive may be covered with a protective case but upon heavy exposure to water, it can also lead to damage which will later on result to data loss.
- Natural Disasters – Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and fires are uncontrollable and unpredictable. They can damage your device or computer, resulting to the loss of your data.
Preventive Measures to Avoid Data Loss
Some of the causes written above are simply inevitable or unavoidable; however, that doesn’t mean that you cannot take precautions to safeguard your gadgets and their contents. Here are some of the things you can do to avoid data loss.
- Back Up Your Data RegularlyMany people are using external drives to back up their files and data but this is not enough. You have to create regular backups of your data so that you have copies of your files in the occasion that their original versions are corrupted. If you do not have an external hard drive, you can also use Universal Serial Bus or USB to store your backup files.
- Look Out for Suspect Email AttachmentsThese email attachments are usually accompanied by harmful malwares and even if you think they don’t contain viruses, they might still cause data loss. Email attachments with the same name as your previous document can cause that file to be replaced and deleted especially if you save them in the same location. You may want to create a different folder where you can store all your email attachments without worrying about the previous ones you worked hard for.
- Be Wary of User ErrorWhen you are working on a document or using a software, there may be instances wherein you inevitably make a mistake. It is important to take note of these errors so you can easily undo what you have done. Many programs like your word processor have safeguarding options which helps you undo these mistakes.
- Keep Your Computers Safe and DryIn order to keep your computers and devices damage-free, make sure to store them in a safe, dry, and dust-free place. Another way to prevent physical damages to your devices is by storing them in a location where they cannot be easily accessed.
- Install Virus-Detection Protection ProgramsViruses can be deadly to your data (as discussed above). The best way to prevent them is by installing antivirus programs that would detect malware and protect your device, applications, and files against them. Just make sure to keep programs updated.
Follow the tips stated above to prevent your files from being corrupted and lost. Aside from these preventive measures, there are also professionals who can help you retrieve your missing data. Group Micro is one of the best tech repair shops in Los Angeles and we offer data recovery services to help individuals retrieve their missing files.
