Losing data on your PC is always a headache. Whatever the
reason is, the recovery process is always tedious. If you have faced such an
issue and want to figure out what went wrong, you have come to the right place.
Today, we are going to discuss some of the most common reasons that can cause
you to lose data on your Windows PC.
Main Types of Data Loss
Data loss is an incident where sensitive information is compromised due to such reasons as malware, theft, power issue, etc. Data loss is not the same as data unavailability. Data unavailability is a temporary instance and can be a result of a network outage.
There are different types of data loss:
- Intentional action includes all actions that remove a
specific file from your PC.
- Unintentional action is the type of data loss when you
accidentally delete a file or program, misplace something, or corrupt a
specific file.
- There are also different types of failures related to data
loss. For example, there may be a power failure or hardware failure.
- Disaster may also become a reason for data loss.
- Crime (like theft, hacking, sabotage, etc.) can also cause
data loss.
Now, let's discuss some of the major data loss causes on a
Windows PC.
1. Accidental data loss. It's one of the most common causes
of data loss. We all make mistakes and can delete important files accidentally.
Accidental PC data loss often happens when you remove files by misclicking something
or not knowing where it's located or moving to the recycle bin.
2. Updates can also cause data loss on your computer. It's
recommended to disable automatic updates to avoid this issue from happening.
With the automatic updates feature enabled, you risk losing files during
restarts.
3. Formatting drives without knowing there are important
files stored on them can be another cause of the data loss issue.
4. Improper hardware use is another common thing that causes
people to lose their data. For example, some people can overload their hard
drives. Some others do not take proper care of their PC, and misusage often
causes a headache.
5. If your PC became a victim of a virus attack, it could
also cause you a lot of worries. That's why it's recommended to install good
antivirus software on your Windows PC to prevent such situations from
happening. Still, antivirus programs can be hard to work with to restore files.
If you find yourself in such a situation, asking a specialized data recovery
team for help can be a good idea.
6. Shutting down your computer without properly shutting
down all programs is the last but not the least important software corruption
case that can result in data loss.