Winter Storms Can Cause Hard Drive Failures, Warns Datarecovery.com

Edwardsville, IL, January 11, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Several winter storms hit the Midwest this week, costing computer users millions of dollars in lost data according to DataRecovery.com, a world leader in professional hard drive recovery services.

"We've already received a number of hard drives from businesses and personal computer users through our St. Louis laboratory," said Ben Carmitchel, President of DataRecovery.com. "Over the next month or so, we expect to receive several hundred more. Major storms usually cause data loss, unfortunately, and this storm was particularly rough for our customers."

According to Datarecovery.com, hard drive failures are the most common cause of data loss for businesses and personal computer users. The company offers several tips for winter computer maintenance; first, all computers should be connected to protected power sources, preferably with a backup, as electrical failures cause most physical hard drive issues. An appropriate power supply can drastically reduce the chances of electronic issues during any type of storm.

Sensitive electronics also need protection from extreme weather. If a laptop or desktop computer sits in a cold environment with temperatures of under 60 degrees, the computer should sit in a room temperature environment for at least four hours before operation. This allows the computer's hard drive to adjust to the new temperature, preventing hard drive read/write head issues. Computer owners should also ground themselves before handling their hard drives. Static electricity can build up during dry winters, and static discharge can instantly damage electronics.

Most importantly, computer users should regularly back up important files. A regular backup plan can prevent permanent data loss on any system, regardless of its size, and Carmitchel notes that data recovery should be a last resort.

"We offer data recovery for all types of hard drives, servers, and other storage devices," said Carmitchel. "Of course, we'd rather help our clients avoid data loss in the first place, particularly during harsh winter weather."

Datarecovery.com is a world leader in data recovery and computer forensics. With four locations in California, Illinois, Arizona, and Toronto, the company provides a variety of services to thousands of clients each year. Visit www.datarecovery.com for more information.