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Tips to Avoid Data Loss
November202007Tips to Avoid Data Loss
Data loss may occur due to many different reasons—some that you can avoid and some that you cannot. The problems that you can avoid are usually indicated to you in advance by system error displays. Therefore, if you notice that the number of EXE errors, DLL Errors, and Driver errors becoming more frequent, then it is time take some action.
Some of the common threats that may lead to a Windows XP or Vista crash are:
- Malware infections
- Hard disk crashes
- Faulty applications and device drivers
- Registry errors
- Power-related problems such as electrical surges
- Natural disasters, such as flood, fire, and earthquakes
- Theft
- User error
Install an Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Tool
Malicious files copied to your system by various malware programs can cause severe damage to legitimate files and processes on your system, resulting in data loss and system crashes. To keep your PC safe from malware, such as virus, Trojans, spyware and adware, you need to install reliable antivirus and antispyware security tools on your computer. You must keep these tools updated with the latest definitions and enable real-time PC protection to ensure that no malicious program gains access to your system. Additionally, you must regularly scan your PC to ensure that your system is safe from malicious files.
Keep your Hard Disk Free from Errors
All your data is stored on the hard disk. Therefore, hard disk maintenance is crucial to prevent data loss. Windows XP and Vista computers come equipped with different tools and commands that help you in maintaining your hard disk and keeping it free from problems.
- Disk Cleanup: Overtime, a lot of unwanted files and programs accumulate on your PC. This not only fills up the hard disk, but may also cause physical damage to the disk. To prevent these problems, you must use the Disk Cleanup tool to compress old system files and free up space from the disk by removing unwanted files and programs from it.
- Disk Defragmenter: Due to continual addition and removal of data from your PC, you hard disk gets fragmented. This taxes the head of your hard disk and may result in hard disk crashes. To prevent this, you must use the Disk Defragmenter tool to regularly defrag the hard disk.
- CHKDSK: You can also use the command-line utility CHKDSK with various parameters to check and fix hard disk errors. For instance, you may use the /F parameter to fix the detected errors and the /R parameter to mark bad sectors.
Maintain An Error-Free Registry
Registry problems generate many errors on your system. Most of the DLL errors, EXE errors, and other runtime errors are caused by problems within the registry. These errors, in turn, make your PC unstable and may even cause system crashes, which may result in data loss. To prevent this situation, you must regularly remove unwanted, malicious, and erroneous information from the registry. We recommend that you use a registry cleaner tool to perform registry maintenance. You can easily find a registry cleaner that meets your requirements from the Internet. Registry tools usually have a GUI-based, user-friendly interface that makes it simple even for a novice user to maintain a healthy, compact, and error-free registry.
Protect Your Computer Against Power Surges
Implement surge protection and uninterruptible battery supply for your computers to prevent their sensitive electronic components from disastrous voltage spikes. Power surges may also damage your hard disk which may result in data loss.
Backup Your Data
All of the tips mentioned above are important. However, according to the majority of experts, there are only three ways to keep your data safe: backup, backup, and backup. Yes, its true! A good and reliable backup is your final safety tool if a hacker or a malware program gets past all of your defenses and destroys the data stored on your PC and network. Depending on how critical your data is, you must implement a reliable offsite or onsite backup and recovery plan.
Remember, a reliable backup is your only key to restore your systems in case of unavoidable disasters.
