3 Easy Ways to Avoid Data Loss!

The top three causes of a computer crash are hard disk failure, malware infections, and registry damage. In this article, we are going to discuss how to deal with these causes of computer crashes and prevent data loss.

Store Your Files on a Different Drive

Most of the time data loss occurs when your operating system or the hard disk on which the operating system is installed fails. If you have only one hard disk on your system, it is recommended that you create at least two partitions on it. Install Windows in the first partition and store your data in the second partition. This way, even if your operating system fails, the chances of losing your data are quite low.

If possible, it is recommended that you install a separate hard disk on your system and store your data on this new disk. This way, even if your operating system or the system hard disk fails you will have your data intact.

In addition to this, there are a few other preventive maintenance tasks that you need to perform to keep your hard disk healthy. Regularly use the Disk Cleanup tool to cleanup unwanted information from the disk. Also, periodically run the Disk Defragmenter tool to consolidate your files and speed up data access time on your disk.

Note: Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup tools are shipped along with both Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems.

Keep Your PC Free from Registry Problems and Malware

Registry problems may occur due to several reasons— the accumulation of a large number of unwanted, obsolete, and invalid entries, malicious keys added by malware such as virus and spyware, fragmentation of registry files, and system crashes due program or power failure. Registry problems not only drastically slow down your PC, but may also generate several computer errors. This is the reason why you must regularly scan and repair registry errors in order to keep it in a healthy state. It is also recommended that you regularly backup the Windows Vista registry and Windows XP registry to ensure that even if the registry fails you can easily restore it.

Today, a large number of registry tools are available on the Internet that you can use to easily perform several registry maintenance tasks, such as scan and repair registry errors, defrag and consolidate the fragmented registry files, backup the Windows registry, and remove malicious information from it. In addition to scanning and repairing registry problems, it is also recommended that you install reliable and efficient antivirus and antispyware tools on your PC. You must use these tools regularly to perform full system scans and get rid of any malicious information from it.  

Backup Your Data

Last but not least, to avoid data loss, create regular data backups of your files. Depending on the criticality of your data, you must implement a backup system that is reliable and efficient. With so many different types of storage media available these days, you can choose to back up your data on CD-ROM, DVD, Zip Drive, Pen drive, external hard disk, tapes, or even choose a reliable online backup facility. If the data is really critical, it is suggested that you create at least two copies of it, and keep at least one copy at a safe offsite location.