How to Fix Corrupted Data on a Computer

Corrupted data is something to be expected in a computer's lifespan. Over time, the files on a computer's hard drive can become corrupt as the disk grows in age, or when the computer is affected by malicious software such as a virus. This corrupted data can cause problems on your machine, including system failures, random reboots and program crashes. Reinstalling the original program will overwrite any corrupted data contained in the program files on your hard drive.

Things You'll Need

• Program Installation Disks

Instructions

1. Determine which program is associated with the corrupted data by the error messages you are receiving. For example, if you consistently receive a "File Not Found" error when starting Microsoft Word, it is likely that the corrupted data is a Word file.

2. Reinstall a fresh version of the program which currently contains corrupted data. Insert the installation CD for the program into your computer's CD drive.

3. Double click on the "My Computer" link.

4. Double click on your CD drive letter (typically the "D" drive).

5. Click on the "Setup.exe" file contained there to begin the reinstallation process.

6. Select the option "Install/Reinstall" to reinstall the program. All of the files associated with the program will be patched over, fixing the corrupted data.

References

• Computer Hope: Reinstall