If you have trouble opening a file or getting it to operate properly, then the file may be corrupted. If this file is essential for a program to work, you may also get a notification that the program is having problems and may need to re-install. If you wish to prevent future corruption, you should look at some common causes of file corruption:
It wasn’t saved correctly
One of the most common reasons a file becomes corrupted is because it was not saved properly. This could be because the program shuts down as a file is being edited or saved, and a design flaw or similar type of error causes the file to become corrupt rather than just failing to save the newer version.
Data transfer error
If you initiate a data transfer and interrupt the process before finishing, your data may become lost or corrupted. When a file becomes corrupted due to problems transferring data, it likely happened from improperly ejecting a USB drive. However, this can also occur due to a network problem, although it is less common. If your network suffers from interference or the satellite used to transmit the information becomes blocked while you are saving or editing a file, then this could also result in file corruption.
Improper program or system shutdown
If your program or system shuts down suddenly or in an otherwise improper manner, your information may be in trouble. There are many reasons your computer may shut down—crash, power source, program bugs, etc. If a file is even open during these situations, it could become damaged.
Viruses
Viruses wreak havoc on a system in many ways. One of the most annoying has to be manipulating the computer or program’s ability to save, sometimes changing the process completely, resulting with information loss and damage. There are several other causes of file corruption due to a virus—for example, identifying otherwise normal sectors as bad sectors, resulting in these files being damaged.
Hardware failure
Your file corruption could also be caused by a hardware failure. Hardware fails because it is damaged, old, worn, experiences a head crash, or another issue. Also, if your file tries to save to a bad sector, your data may be lost or unusable.
So, how can data loss and damage be prevented? One way is to use an advanced recovery and repair software, such as DataNumenExcel Repair. This is just one product available for retrieving types of data—DataNumen also makes powerful recovery software for SQL servers, Word, Outlook, and other products.
Alan Chen is President and Chairman of DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, includingoutlook repair,sql recovery, word recovery and excel software products. For more information visitwww.circareview.com.