Before you do anything else, you should always take one specific step to see if your problem can be resolved. You want to run your computer’s scan disk option followed by a thorough defrag. After that is done, run a registry cleaner on your computer. Think of this as cleaning your house so that you can find the keys you lost. Rather than take drastic measures, sometimes the simplest ones prevail. Your computer makes a mess of itself after a while and you need to run regular scans and defrags as well as clean the registry for old files left behind that do nothing but waste space and memory.

Software issues are probably the biggest reason for frequent crashes after a scrambled registry. There can be a huge variety of reasons why your computer is crashing when it comes to software. The number of software conflicts, notably among anti-virus software, are far too numerous to name. However, you should research conflicts between your anti-virus software and other programs before you start deleting files. And consider minimizing the number of programs you use. Having too many programs running at startup can just be too much for your computer at times.

One of the worst answers to, “Why does my computer crash” has got to be hardware problems. Hard drive failure is one of the most dreaded things you can hear from a techie. It means buying new hardware and possibly losing your old data if you didn’t back it up. But these failures are often preventable and, at the very least, recognizable. Keep your computer in a cool, well-ventilated area where it won’t overheat or get bumped and knocked all the time. In addition, always keep an ear out for strange noises. Most hard drives will let you know well before they kick the bucket.

If you take the extra steps to help insure your computer’s health, you won’t have to worry about frequent crashes. Just make sure to run a registry cleaner and your computer’s defragmentation software on a regular basis. Most software conflicts are preventable as well so long as you make sure you know of any possible issues beforehand. And when it comes to hardware failure, you always want to be on alert for any signs your computer is giving you. From noises to performance issues, these signs should never be ignored. If you learn how to prevent these problems, you may never have to ask, “Why does my computer crash” again.

The first thing most people do when their hard drive crashes, after the shouting and swearing, is to open up the computer. Maybe the cables are slipping out or it’s a problem with the wiring. However, in most cases the problem is simply that the hard drive sustained some sort of trauma and has simply died. As painful and frustrating as that is, it is a fact that all computer owner have to live with. If you heard signs of possible failure, such as scratching, grinding or even some noises that sound like they came right out of Star Trek, the odds are that there is nothing you can do yourself to recover the data.

But believe it or not, many people immediately try to fix the problem themselves. Opening up the actual hard disk is spelling doom for the contents therein. There is a reason that computer parts are assembled in a clean room. Any dust and debris inside can completely destroy a drive when it starts spinning. Since the reader and the surface it reads are only a micron apart, even the smallest particulates can clog the works. Never, under any circumstances, open your hard disk. And trying other solutions, such as freezing the drive, are no more likely to help. The fact is that you may need a professional to help you.

There are other solutions such as free data recovery programs that you can find online. While they may work, they can be very technical and might only recover useless fragments of files. Only a professional with a clean room and the right tools is qualified to attempt data recovery on a dead drive. While it may be expensive, it can often be the only way to get back your information. If that information is extremely important to you, it may just have to be an expensive lesson learned.

If you learn to avoid the causes of hard disk failure and you learn to recognize a dying drive, you may be able to save yourself from this irritating and possibly financially draining process. It is so complicated and difficult that many companies who manufacture hard disks do not even offer data recovery services. They will outsource that work to someone who specializes in it. So learn to avoid the problem all together. Hard drive failure is entirely preventable and completely worth the extra effort to safeguard your data.

The first thing to know is what exactly can cause a hard drive failure. There are any number of different specific things, but some of the more common ones are pretty easy to avoid. Many drive fail due to vibrations or physical knocks to the drive. They are delicate machinery and even the smallest bumps, such as vibrations from a loud subwoofer, can cause scratches. Extreme heat is another avoidable reason many drives fail. While most BIOS setups come with the option to shut the computer down if it gets too hot, even that may not prevent your drive from burning out. Electrical shocks may also destroy a drive. Anyone who has had lightning hit their house and shut off their power knows that a sudden jolt can destroy most electronics.

You may have heard that the key to a successful relationship is to be a good listener. Well, it’s no different for computer hard drives. If you listen carefully, it will tell you just what you need to know. There is no specific sound that a failing hard drive makes, but nearly all suspicious noises indicate a problem. If you hard drive is running happy and healthy, you shouldn’t even notice it. But when you have to start asking yourself what that clicking noise is, something is wrong. It’s time to back up your information and get a new drive.

But you can do quite a bit to keep that from happening and extend the life of your drive. Just as important as learning the causes of hard disk failure, you need to know how to care for your drive so that it lives as long as possible. Most importantly, protect your computer from the daily bumps and dings that so many go through. Keep it in a place where it will not sustain any knocks because that can easily damage the hard disk. Always make sure the temperature is low because heat can quickly damage a drive. And finally, always keep it connected to a surge protector. Never have your computer plugged directly into the wall. Even when it is turned off, this still leaves it in danger.

It’s much easier to spend money on a new drive because you want to rather than because you have to. And you don’t have to worry about losing all your vital information in a sudden crash if you take care of your drive. By being gentle with the computer and by always paying attention to the causes of hard disk failure, you will help your drive live as long as possible and you won’t lose everything on it when it eventually does need to be replaced.

Here’s a bit of good news, though. Hard drive failures rarely “just happen”. Telltale signs of hard drive failure are actually exhibited before the drive eventually quits on you. While the symptoms themselves are manageable, ignoring them is something you wouldn’t want to do.

Early warning symptoms of an impending hard drive failure include:

1. Your computer often freezes without probable cause. This is usually accompanied by an unresponsive mouse and an undetected keyboard. The only thing that can get it going again is a restart that doesn’t go through the proper shutdown process.

2. Your files mysteriously disappear. While a lost file or two may have been caused by an accidental deletion on your part, the chances of this happening too often cannot be passed off as errors all the time.

3. The computer locks up during booting. The occasional hanging during the boot process shouldn’t worry you too much but when it happens like every other startup, these could be red flags for a serious problem.

4. Accessing, opening, or saving files are taking awfully slow. It’s like your computer’s memory has suddenly shrinked into nothingness such that even small document files are too much for its capacity.

Again, let me emphasize that any of the above symptoms occurring a few times are not necessarily signs of hard drive problems. A repeated pattern of these however, is too dangerous to disregard. Besides, why wait until it’s too late? Start your data backup now!

So now how do you know when the inevitable has already happened?

The actual hard drive failure is mechanical in nature so you could probably hear metallic noises coming from your computer. That would be the read/write head thrashing about within the drive but not functioning the way it should. The most definite sign of a crashed drive is when your computer refuses to boot and all you get is an error screen advising of a critical system malfunction, aptly called the blue screen of death. If you have not bothered to backup files by then, it does spell doom and gloom for you.

Perhaps you have not experienced any of the above situations and are still feeling confident about your data at this point. So then let me talk about what it would take for you to recover from data loss without a computer backup file. That’s if it can be done at all.

When this happens, all is not actually lost because in some cases, the data can still be retrieved by data recovery software or companies. Be prepared though because this service is going to cost you a pretty penny. The cost could rise to about $300 to $400 dollars and even then there’s no assurance that all your data can be recovered. Tough luck.

I use Carbonite Backup as my online backup service. It provides unlimited storage space and automatic backup, and considering that the subscription fee costs only $54.95 per year, why waste time before backing up your files? That’s just around one sixth of how much data recovery costs! You can also opt to use CDs or external hard drives to do data backup, and these devices don’t cost much either.

I have accumulated a lot of data over the years, and continue to do so. That’s why I try to protect my computer files as securely as possible by using an external hard drive as my onsite backup and Carbonite as my remote backup service.

Don’t wait until you observe signs of hard drive failure in your computer. Make the effort to back up your files ASAP! File backup methods don’t really cost all that much and yet you have the assurance of being spared from the stress, hassle, and opportunity loss that comes with losing data.