Logical failures

This type of failures is due to damages in the hard disk’s logical structure. The computer’s data is organized into files and directories. The file system of the operating system allows the access to this data. However, this logical structure needs a synchronization of multiple variables which normally the user does not control. A corruption of this complex structure provokes the inability to access the information stored in the disk. This type of failure is accompanied by an alert with which the system tells the user of a possible incidence.

These failures are very common and their causes are usually related with user errors, virus action, system blockings or internal sabotage actions.

Some viruses use attack systems that overwrite parts of the file systems which are vital to allow access to data, such as the partition table or the starting sector and, this way, they are able to disable the systems. In other cases, the user formats or partitions a unit incorrectly. This is a very common case when installing second units in the systems and the error gets compounded in case of several partitions. Another common failure is the accidental deleting of folders or documents. However, in some cases, this case of loss of data results from a premeditated and intentioned action by the user.