One very common cause of lost data amongst computer users from all walks of life; being they home computer users, business users or even IT support technicians, is that which occurs following an issue with the machine that prevents it from booting. Data loss is often a side affect of attempts to get the machine working again.

If you have been here before then at least you will have a vague or depending on your experience a deeper level of knowledge here, but for many potential data loss scenarios are a new computing horror to overcome, so what typically should we be looking out for?

Your computer appears to be starting normally but fails to present the log in window: Typically this can be put down to a number of different causes that could be either hardware or software centric. What this means is that it may be a mechanical problem such as a hard drive failing, or could be one of your drivers failing or a corrupt system file. Starting in safe mode may help but not always.

Operating System becomes slow: When it comes to a Microsoft Windows operating environment it is not unusual, over time for the OS to become cluttered with background processes that slowly grind the system to a near halt. In such cases it may be deemed that a full reinstallation of the OS is required in order that it reach a more useable state.

Virus or Malware infection: Computer viruses and other Malware applications, if not properly handled from the start, will inevitably lead to situations whereby a full reinstall is the only option to truly remove all trace of the malicious software from the system.

OK so you have been unlucky and have suffered from the worst potential problem, your system is dead and the only option left is to reinstall your operating system. So how could you have avoided data loss?

The best way to avoid data loss in the first place is to follow a simple protocol. Backup your important data on a regular basis. There is simply no good excuse for not doing this as external drives and online backup centers are readily available to all.

External hard drives can be purchased in most computer shops now days and a quick search online for online backup will also give you a number of remote back up options.

So what options do you have to get your important or vital data back? If things seem really bad and saving the data is crucial, don’t take any risks and contact a data recovery specialist. They will have a whole host of solutions available to save your data and whilst it cannot be guaranteed, they do stand the best chance of success.

You can find more great advice on remote data backup and USB data recovery here.