'Computer rage' a growing problem

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Nov. 14 (UPI) -- While all kinds of computer gremlins can destroy data, a U.S. computer recovery company says human anger or error is often to blame.

Ontrack Data Recovery based in Eden Prairie, Minn., has compiled a list of some of the strangest ways people lose computer data, reported the BBC Sunday.

In one incident, while an office building was under construction a steel beam fell onto a laptop that contained all the plans for the building.

In another incident, a man became so angry with his malfunctioning laptop that he threw it into a toilet -- and then flushed the toilet a few times. He might have felt better, but the data was gone.

"Data can disappear as a result of natural disaster, system fault or computer virus, but human error, including 'computer rage,' seems to be a growing problem," said Adrian Palmer, managing director of Ontrack.

The company recommends backing up data on a regular basis -- and, perhaps controlling your anger.