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Data Loss Caused By Logical (Software) Failure
Article Summary: Computers have definitely proven to be a boon for mankind. However if something goes wrong, then they can prove to be quite a bane for their user, as the individual is heavily dependent upon the correct functioning of computers.
A lot of things can go wrong with a computer system. There can be a hard disk drive crash which might make the data on the system inaccessible to its user. Similar to the hard disk drive crash, a software or logical freeze can be debilitating for the computer user.
A logical failure or a software failure, as it might be called, is many times more common as compared to a hard disk drive crash. Though there can be several other problems with the hardware of the computer, nevertheless problems with its software are more common.
There can be numerous reasons behind a software failure of a computer system. Some of them are:
- System Malfunction: There might be a problem with the operating system of the computer. In this scenario the computer may even refuse to boot; there could be any other difficulty arising on account of the same.
- Accidntal Deletion: An individual may be clearing his or her computer system of unwanted information stored on it. In doing so he or she might accidentally delete a useful file and empty the recycle bin before realising the mistake.
- Reformatting: There may be an occasion where the data storage media requires to be reformatted. If appropriate back up of the files is not taken, then one is bound to lose all the data during the reformatting process.
- Software Corruption: At times, the software which is used to operate a computer system can get corrupted. In this situation the computer may fail to use the right kind of binary sequence or respond to a given command in the expected manner.
- Virus Attack: A virus attack can take place if one opens an email attachment which has got a virus in it. There are some websites also which may be the cause of the spread of computer viruses. They can seriously hamper the normal functioning of the computer.
- Employee Sabotage: There might be a disgruntled employee who wishes to hit back on his bosses or to harm the company in some way. Such an employee, if he has access to the computer systems, can sabotage the computer systems.
- Deleted Partitions: A deletion of computer partitions can also lead to deletion of files and programmes in the given partitions. Therefore, one should always be careful before deleting the partitions.
- File System Corruption: At times the file system structures of the computer can get corrupted. This will cause the computer to behave in an erratic manner and if one desires to work upon a file, one may not be able to do so.
- Power Spike: This is the most common cause of logical failure in the computer systems around the globe. In case of a power spike one is bound to lose at least that data which has yet to be saved on the computer.
- Electrostatic Discharge: When any two objects have varying electrical potential then a sudden high discharge of current from one to the other is called an electrostatic discharge. This can cause a computer to malfunction.
- Overwriting: Overwriting is another very common reason behind the logical failure of the computer systems. If any data written on the hard disk drive is written over by another set of data then the original data will not be accessible to the computer user.
In certain given instances, such as the overwriting of data, the data can be destroyed permanently. In fact overwriting is often used to destroy data that one may not want, accessed by someone else. Repeated overwriting is one of the surest ways to lose any kind of computer data.
Excessive file fragmentation is another cause of destruction of data in a permanent manner. In this case, what happens is that a large file may be broken by the computer system and spread across different clusters of the disk.
One must always guard against logical failure of the computer system. It can strike suddenly out of no where and disrupt the smooth functioning of the computer. A logical failure can actually lead to permanent loss of data.
In order to protect oneself from this scenario, one must always keep a copy of all important data. These copies of the files can be kept on the computer itself or on some other data storage media.
Article Source: http://www.upublish.info
About the Author:
James Walsh
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on computer crime and Computer Forensics see http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk
