Suppose you suddenly fail to open your files, and an error message appears, saying that it’s unreadable. In that case, these files may have just become corrupted, and you have to know why. Let’s find out the answer to the previous question, as well as solutions that can get your data back.
What is File Corruption?
File corruption is the unintended absence and/or presence of data in files. It usually occurs when a file is written to a storage device or if a transmission goes wrong. For instance, if you shut down your PC during an update at just the right time, your system files can be half-written. Or, if you are saving a document while the program handling it freezes and force-quits, you might be walking away with a corrupted file.
File corruption can cause many issues, including indecipherable data. Imagine if an ordinary sentence turns into a string of unintelligible characters! This will render the file completely unusable. What’s worse, files might become unreadable to computers, too. That occurs when a file’s metadata becomes corrupted, causing the app to be unable to recognize the file format.
What’s more, if there are broken instructions in apps, they might not be able to run or crash at some point. Moreover, if system files are damaged, certain features will be unreachable, or the operating system might fail to boot.
Why Do Files Become Corrupted?
There are a number of reasons why your files might become corrupted. One of them is physical defects, such as bad sectors, which cannot be read and can cause serious data loss.
Another thing is to never interrupt software updates unless they are stuck! If so, the app or the operating system involved might become damaged. An unexpected shutdown of an app when writing files to a storage device might result in a corrupted file.
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Moreover, there might be a bug in the software. In that case, the file might be saved inadequately, or there’s a higher risk of an application failure, which could cause files to become corrupted. In that case, you have no choice but to wait for an update or find an alternative.
Additionally, malware can cause these problems too. They can either render files worthless directly or mark working parts of the hard drive as bad sectors.
How to Fix Corrupted Files
The easiest way to recover from file corruption is to make backups. Ideally, you should store a copy on an external hard drive and the cloud. In that case, you can retrieve it whenever something goes wrong with your files to prevent data loss.
However, if you don’t have backups or all backups are corrupted, you need to use more advanced methods to get your data back. For instance, if you’ve recently created a restore point, you can use System Restore to recover the previous state of your computer. However, keep in mind that all changes created after this point will be lost, so you have to choose the most recent restore point for this action. But before using System Restore, make sure that you have tried all built-in recovery options.
If even that doesn’t work, you have to use data recovery software, which can be more of a hassle. Look at what file types they cover and the customer ratings. Continue the search if the app seems unreliable, ineffective, or insecure.
If the corrupted files are system files, you might not be able to access your system to retrieve any of your backups. Try to let the computer recover itself through the Startup Repair function first. If it doesn’t work, use the System Restore function or uninstall updates that are added recently. Otherwise, you might have to take more drastic measures, such as inserting recovery commands or reinstalling your operating system.
If all recovery options are exhausted, and your only choice is to get rid of the file, it’s not worth it, especially if the file contains important or irreplaceable information. Therefore, your best option is to back up before something goes wrong!
Conclusion
We’ve learned why files become corrupted and how to recover usable data from them. Remember that file corruption can occur anywhere and at any time. Your best solution is to back up, back up, and back up. To find out more, please visit the websites in the resources used in this article.
References and Credits
- Jonathan Terrasi. (2020, December 2). What Does Corrupt File Mean? Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.lifewire.com/what-does-corrupt-file-mean-4692863
- Walter Glenn. (2017, December 14). What Is a Corrupted File, and Is There a Way to Get It Back? Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.howtogeek.com/336099/what-is-a-corrupted-file-and-is-there-a-way-to-get-it-back/
- Jane Williams. (2019, January 14). What Does It Mean When Your File Is Corrupt? Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/mean-file-corrupt-70768.html
- Mustard IT. (2017, Februasry 7). Corrupted Windows Files: What they are and How to Fix Them. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.mustardit.co.uk/it-blog/corrupted-windows-files-fix/
- Leo A. Notenboom. (2016, August 5). Why, or How, do Files Become Corrupt? Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://askleo.com/why_or_how_do_files_become_corrupt/
- Liz Cornwell. (2010, February 11). What Is a bad sector and how can I repair it? Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.auslogics.com/en/articles/bad-sector/
- Microsoft Support. (n.d.). Open a document after a file corruption error. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-a-document-after-a-file-corruption-error-47df9d48-2165-4411-a699-1786ac734bc3
- Ryan Dube. (2020, May 11). How to Fix Corrupted Files. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.lifewire.com/fix-corrupted-files-4705951