Whether you rely on your various devices for daily tasks, business operations, or storing personal memories, losing data can be an absolute nightmare. There are many potential causes of data loss, but it can broadly be categorized into two types: physical damage and logical corruption.
Understanding the nature of your issue is key to data recovery. With that in mind, join us as we explore the differences between physical damage and logical corruption, as well as the various data recovery options available to you.
What Is Physical Damage?
In the world of data recovery, physical damage refers to any harm that comes to the hardware of the storage device. These mediums can include hard drives, solid-state drives (SSDs), USB drives, and any other forms of physical media wherein you store data. Common causes of physical damage include dropping the device, water or fire damage, electrical issues, and simple wear and tear over time.
Symptoms of Physical Damage
It’s relatively easy to detect signs and symptoms of physical damage, as they are readily visible or audible. Some common signs and symptoms include things such as:
- Visible damage to your device
- Overheating
- The device is not being recognized by a computer
- The device making unusual noises (such as clicking, grinding, or whirring sounds
If your device has been dropped, exposed to water, or is currently overheating, it’s vital that you address the issue as soon as possible. The longer you allow these problems to persist, the harder the data recovery process will become. Your device may suffer worsening damage that results in permanent data loss.
Data Recovery Methods for Physical Damage
If your data loss occurred because of physical damage, there are two main ways in which to address it. However, both require professional data recovery services. A skilled repair technician may be able to disassemble your device and repair damaged components.
If the parts are beyond repair, you’ll need hardware replacement services. In some cases, replacing damaged components like printed circuit boards (PCBs) can restore access to the data. Still, depending on the severity of the damage, some of your files may be permanently lost or corrupted, and in these instances, the data can never be recovered.
What Is Logical Corruption?
Logical corruption involves problems with data, files, systems, or software. Common causes include malware attacks, software crashes, power outages, and accidental deletion.
Compared to physical damage, though, logical corruption represents a complex type of data loss, especially when the root cause is a malware attack. All too often, logical corruption means you’ll lose out on your data permanently.
Symptoms of Logical Corruption
You may be experiencing logical corruption if any of the following applies to your device:
- Files or folders disappear
- An error message pops up when attempting to access files
- The file system is displayed as “RAW” or appears unformatted
- Your operating system fails to boot
If you notice any of these issues, contact a data recovery professional right away. The sooner you get to the bottom of the issue, the better your chances of minimizing your data loss.
Recovery Methods for Logical Corruption
If you’ve encountered logical corruption, there are a few potential solutions. For one, numerous data recovery tools can scan your storage device for recoverable fields and attempt to restore them. These tools can often recover data from formatted drives and files deleted from the recycle bin.
If the problem has directly impacted your operating system, you may also be able to use a system restore point. Restoring your device rolls back its operating system to a previous state (i.e., 24 hours ago).
Preventing Data Loss
As you’ve seen, there are a number of strategies for restoring data loss as a result of both physical damage and logical corruption. That said, prevention is always the best strategy. With that said, here are a few tips to protect your data:
Use Surge Protectors
Since power outages and surges can easily corrupt data, it’s wise to invest in surge protectors, which guard against electrical damage. If you are running a business space, consider investing in a commercial surge protection system. It’s an approach that will simplify the process of protecting all of your devices and drastically reduce the likelihood of surge-related data loss.
Keep Your Software and Antivirus Programs Up to Date
Make sure to install any available software updates in a timely manner. Many of these updates include bug fixes and patches designed to make your software less vulnerable to attacks.
Speaking of attacks, use quality anti-virus software to thwart cyber criminals and protect your data. If you aren’t sure where to begin, partner with an experienced IT partner that configures firewalls and anti-virus solutions.
Handle Your Devices Carefully
Use caution whenever you move, handle, or manipulate your devices. Keep liquids away from your computer systems and invest in cases or other protective gear. If your company issues laptops, assign each employee a protective carrying case and screen protector. Taking a few extra steps to safeguard your devices can prevent a data loss nightmare.
Shut Down Your Computer Properly
If your computer freezes up or becomes completely unresponsive, you may need to perform a forced shutdown. Aside from these instances, always shut down your device using the standard protocol.
Otherwise, you risk corrupting files and losing valuable data.
Invest in Data Backups
Regularly backing up your data is often the best defense against data loss. It’s especially important to back up business data, as a loss of said information could disrupt your normal operations.
Investing in data backup services can give you peace of mind in case the unexpected happens. You can backup your data using external hard drives or other self-managed devices.
However, the more practical option involves partnering with a backup services provider like California Computer. We implement planned backups to ensure your data is safe, secure, and available in case you need it!
Need Help With Data Recovery? Contact California Computer
As Los Angeles’ leading data recovery team, California Computer can assist with all of your data loss issues. We offer recovery, backup, and firewall services to address all phases of data management. Contact us to learn more.
