road trips and data loss.

The world of 2020 is quite unexpected. In order to maintain social distancing while still getting out of the house, many people are planning to take a road trip this summer. Since portable devices such as laptops, iPads and smartphones have become an integral part of our life, people will naturally take them on the road. They are also extremely useful and we can create a large amount of data with them every day by taking photos and videos.

While on the road trip, we must not forget that all common causes of data loss, such as human error, hardware failure, computer viruses, software corruption, moisture, mechanical damage, theft and loss travel with us. In addition to these, we often forget that heat in a hot car can damage our electronics as well and potentially cause data loss.


Here are some tips for keeping your electronic devices safe and minimize data loss in the summer heat:

1. Don't leave your devices in a hot car because prolonged exposure to high temperatures can negatively affect their mechanisms. If you really must store your devices in a vehicle, keep them in padded cases and place them in the trunk or underneath a seat out of direct sunlight. Hiding your phone, laptop, or camera in the trunk of your car may trick thieves, but it won't prevent heat damage.

2. Keep devices in the shade when not using them. If you are outdoors and having fun in the sun, find a shaded place to store your devices.

3. If you need to use your devices outdoors for a longer time, stay in the shade to protect your devices from the damaging sun.

4. Store your devices in a thermal cover which will keep them much cooler than if left out in the open.  
 
5. Don’t leave the screen facing the sun. Long exposure to the burning summer sun can bleach the screen.

6. It is important to stay careful when you come back inside as well. Keep electronics out of direct sunlight and make sure that your room doesn’t get too hot for your devices.  

7. Back up your data regularly.


If something goes wrong and you lose your data: don't panic and act rationally. Kotar Data Recovery has 20+ years of data recovery experience, including from devices that have been damaged by extreme conditions such as heat.

But most importantly, use common sense and stay safe and healthy.