Whether it’s a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet, a PDF, an image, or even a Windows system file, corruption can happen. When this happens, a message stating that the file or directory is damaged and unreadable will appear. An additional notice reads, “The file [filename] has material that is illegible by Word. Would you like to have this file restored?”
Either directly opening the file with a double click or attempting to access it from within an application causes these issues. In case you see one of these alerts, here are some solutions to try.
File Corruption
Corruption of files can occur for various reasons. The hard drive sector containing the data was physically damaged, which is a common cause. To put it simply, a poor sector is one that has suffered some sort of physical harm.
Corrupted file errors can also occur when many files share the same memory location. Two files may accidentally share the same memory cluster if the operating system has a flaw or the computer crashes. Data corruption can also be caused by viruses that incorrectly label entire disc sectors as bad.
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Restoring Damaged Files
It’s impossible to foresee when you’ll encounter a corrupt file error. Around 50% of the time, a corrupted file can be fixed. You can examine if the cause of your corrupt file problem can be determined by trying the suggested solutions.
Start by running a disc check on the hard drive. If you run this programme, it will check the hard drive for damaged areas and try to repair them. If the file still seems corrupted after the sectors have been fixed, try opening it again.
Run the CHKDSK command. The tool we examined in the previous section, is in its command form. If the check disc utility was unsuccessful, you might as well give this a shot.
The SFC /scannow command must be used. The purpose of this command is to detect broken Windows system files and fix them.
Edit the file’s format. Open the file in any programme that supports automatic conversion from other file formats, or use a free tool specifically designed for this purpose. To use a file-conversion tool, you may, for instance, open a damaged Word document in a PDF reader. Most file corruption problems can be fixed by just converting the file.
If your files are damaged, fix them with software. Try a file repair programme if you really need to fix the file and get your data back. Hetman, Repair Toolbox, and FileRepair are just a few of the many options, and they’re all either free or inexpensive. You can use Digital Video Repair to fix video files, Zip Repair to fix ZIP files, or OfficeFIX to fix Microsoft Office documents that have been corrupt.
Prevent Data Corruption
Due to the fact that file corruption can occur for a variety of reasons and on any file, it is crucial to maintain a regular backup schedule. You should always have a copy of your critical data, therefore always use backup software. A corrupted file can then be restored from the backup.
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Is It Possible for A Virus to Manifest in A File that Has Been Corrupted?
Corruption in a file may be caused by a virus, but it is not a virus. If you suspect a virus is at blame, the best course of action is to scan your system using an antivirus product.
What Should I Do if I Discover that A File Has Become Corrupted?
By protecting your hardware and data from corruption caused by power outages, an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) powered by batteries may be an invaluable addition to any home or workplace. In most cases, you may avoid corrupted files by combining this method with a reliable backup service from which you can restore any lost data.