What are some tips for preventing data loss in a Windows operating system?

My experience has taught me: the best backup solution is the one you can forget. Therefore I recommend OneDrive to all my clients. Enable it to backup your user account folders (Documents, Desktop, Photos etc), then you don’t need to think about backing up. Just using the computer normally, saving in your usual locations, will make sure your data is safe. However, one caveat, some people have a tendency to save files in non-standard locations (e.g. in the root of the C: Drive), this must be addressed, to make sure they now use the OneDrive enabled folders

Try a raid system or even clone your disk from time to time use a sandbox app to install apps that are uncertain apps that may contain virus and other malicious software. You can also use an external drive connect it and save everything you do there then disconnect when you do not need it and just use it copy the info on your local drive use it then save it on your local Drive then pass it over to the external drive That way you due not loose info or passwords or even sensitive data

OneDrive is the way to go! Cloud sync instantly with access to it from anywhere. Target it as your profile folder and you’ve got your whole computer profile synced and backed up to the cloud if anything happens to your computer.

Ironically my experience is that many users don't really comprehend where their data files reside. They look at the application creating their data, ( word, Excel, etc..); Presumably once they understand this a creation of a common " Data" folder & yes one drive, google drive..etc. best option!" for all the software tools best practice.

Having multiple copies of the data on: a) the same device … even if it’s on: b) two different physical drives … and even if it’s in: c) the cloud is NOT a good backup. Look up “The Great KDE Disaster Of 2013,” where an open source software project almost lost years of progress due to an error, which was quickly replicated over 1500+ mirrors. The code was saved by a lucky coincidence, a glitch, where one of the mirrors did not sync. This story has a happy ending; your data might not be as lucky if you are only storing your backups in the cloud, or on devices, which can be accessed at any moment. Of course, use the cloud! However, also make an offline backup, unplug it, and store it in an offsite location for a maximum protection.

Every day, it's essential to utilize a Cloud Storage platform for real-time data synchronization or employ an External Drive, Tap, or other external storage device to prevent data loss.

This rings true even more with laptops. You wouldn’t believe how many stability issues and quirks were resolved simply by running laptop update utilities. Some examples of vendor specific hardware utilities are Lenovo vantage, HP support assistant and Dell command update

To be fair, as imperative as updating your system and software regularly is, in my experience it always carries the risk of data loss. Many a time, and personally I've lost data and I've come across clients having lost their data due to incomplete, faulty or buggy updates. Always remember to only update to stable versions and most essentially BACK UP your data before you attempt to.

By utilizing antivirus and firewall software, you can boost your security posture, prevent known malware from infecting your beloved computer and they also add a layer of protection for new users to your most advanced Network Engineer.I have consulted single clients to large companies for over a decade and I always suggest a strong combination of software for defense and monitoring. Windows Defender is great tool that I make sure is installed on most client end workstations. With the ever-growing API (Application Programming Interface) libraries of antivirus companies, you can even at times add custom alerts and this will deliver a customized experience for any situation! Attackers tend to write malware that targets unprotected systems.

Anti-virus software can be an extreme pain, constant updates, eating away at your system resources and shooting some of your trusted files first and asking questions later. It can be a struggle, I know. But so is paying a security or insurance company to keep your business guarded with no guarantee or even hint that you're always in danger. But just in case right? There are a copious amount of free reputable anti-virus solutions or for larger corporations naturally on-the-clock white hat hackers constantly trying to improve security. Even a little protection can make a huge difference.

User training is a must in this area, the weakest point of the defence is your least tech-aware user opening a file they shouldn’t or responding to a phish. Microsoft have some great threat and email targeting routines that you can run against your user base to gauge how people interact with suspect emails, and you get feedback on just how much information they enter. It also prompts them for a quick training session if they do something they shouldn’t, so it is a ‘safe’ way for them to learn. In this era of GDPR and malicious content - user awareness is essential, and anything that can help users adapt is creditable.

This is a great idea for older hard drives. However, don't do a defragmentation on an SSD, as this will actually shorten the lifespan of the drive. This is due to the amount of write/rewrite cycles the chips have before failure.

There are plenty of options to choose when it comes to data recovery. I personally make use of trusted third-party vendor software from reputable companies like EaseUS and AOMEI as they have multiple wonderful solutions across the board that put data backup and recovery in proverbial Lehman's terms for the average person.

Don’t pick-up free or random storage devices like USB flash drives or micro USB flash drives as they may contain malware that can compromise the security and durability of your files and programs. If purchasing a used hard drive, format it on a computer that isn’t your main computer this way you can check the durability and integrity of the drive. If it is a bad or damaged drive, it won’t damage your main computer.

Backup your data using any cloud storage solution e.g one drive (Make sure the settings take backup whenever changes are made to your files) & Resolve any security/maintenance issue flagged by windows ASAP.

Data loss is a instance where your data either get corrupted, intentionally or unintentionally deleted, hijacked due to hacking, loss as a result of theft or loss arising due to software or hardware failure. In order to prevent these kind of losses, there are measures that are necessary to be put in place. Loss arising due to theft of IT infrastructure could be prevented by ensuring adequate security of the IT infrastructures environment. A solid intrusion detection system should be put in place. Putting in place access control management that helps to audit each user access to data.