7 Most Common Causes of Data Corruption or Loss in Access

One of the most widely used database software is Microsoft Access. Access files may get corrupted or lost completely due to various reasons. In this article, we will look at some of these reasons.

DataNumen Access Repair

Whether you’re doing a school project or working on a new system for work, your database software is one of the most important tools on your computer. Microsoft Access has been trusted by millions of professionals across the world as their preferred database software. Your Access database is however at risk of corruption or loss due to the following reasons:

Malicious software

Viruses and other malicious software can attack your computer. They can corrupt or disable specific ACCDB and MDB files, the whole Access software or even the Windows operating system. It is advisable that you always have up-to-date antivirus software installed to avert these threats. You should also be careful when installing third-party software and plugins. Avoid opening suspicious emails from unrecognized sources as they sometimes have a virus attached.

Failed software

Software failure is mainly caused by incorrect file system recovery. It can also be due to resource conflict in the operating system and file system. It’s therefore important to keep your OS and file system conflict-free. Always use the right file system recovery software.

Sudden system shutdown

A sudden or accidental system shutdown can lead to corruption of the active database. The shutdown could be due to power failure, system issues or accidental initiation of the shutdown process. You should have a reliable power supply and work carefully not to accidentally shut down the system. Additionally, close all the programs that you’re not using while you’re using Access. This will free up some RAM space.

Multiple users accessing a database

One of the primary reasons of database corruption is too many users accessing that database concurrently. Access has a limit on the number of users who should be accessing it simultaneously. To be safe, only one user should be using the database at a go.

Failed hardware

This mostly occurs when you try to run some of the latest Access software on old or incompatible hardware. It is advisable that you get the Access version that is most compatible with your hardware to avoid this problem.

System crashes

A very common cause of data loss, especially on Windows Office software, is a system crash. It’s disheartening when you have been working for hours on a database and out of nowhere the system crashes. The data is often lost with no manual way to recover it.

Editing Access data in the memo format

This does not lead to data loss. Nevertheless, when done continuously, it changes the VBA data which causes a change in the database design and therefore corrupts it. Prevention is the best way to keep your MS Access database safe. However, sometimes you might lose it inevitably. What do you do in such circumstances? Using dedicated recovery software like DataNumen Access Repair will not only enable you to recover corrupt databases, but will also allow you to find the completely lost ones and finish that project you almost gave up on.

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