Your World of Legal Intelligence
 United Kingdom | +44 (0) 20 7284 8080

Chapter EM2812

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date12 April 2016
Record NumberEM2812

Just like paper based records computer records can be altered, lost, destroyed or damaged. However, some of the risks are different to those for paper records. The common reasons given for the lack of data or the loss of computer records are as follows.

Powercuts

The only loss should be the small amount of data which has not been saved to disc, and this should be minimal in almost all circumstances.

Disk damage possibilities
  • The only copy of the data was on a floppy disk and someone put their coffee on it. It is true that placing hot cups of coffee on floppy disks causes irreparable damage to some or all of the data. The actual amount of data lost varies according to the length of exposure to heat. Disks left on radiators or on window ledges also suffer in this way. Some of the data which has not been destroyed can be recovered.
  • The only copy of the data was on a floppy disk and it was left close to a telephone, modem or fax machine. It is true that the magnetic fields generated by these items can damage data on floppy disks, but CDs are generally more resilient.
Deleted files

The files were deleted accidentally. It is possible to do this, but, the main operating systems for most small computers have a number of fail safe features in them. These include checking with the user by way of an on-screen message whether the user really wants to delete the file selected. It is easier accidentally to delete a file by selecting a...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT