SLOUGH, England, December 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever had that sinking feeling when your computer goes into meltdown or you accidently erase the wrong file?

A new survey by LG Electronics has shown that for men, data loss can be extremely stressful, with 18 per cent saying that it would be comparable to being hit by an unexpected bill. Others went further and said that losing files had been as distressing as losing their job (10%), writing off their car (9%) and, in one per cent of cases - going bald!

Women who have been affected by loss of personal data through the malfunction, loss or theft of a home PC or laptop say that it can be as distressing as the death of a favourite pet, no longer fitting into a pair of favourite jeans or, in some cases, the illness of a friend or loved one.

Yet when it comes to protecting this data, over half (55%) of both men and women simply rely on their existing hard drive for storage, according to the LG survey, and are totally unprepared for unexpected events such as loss, damage or theft.

"With home PCs and laptops vulnerable to malfunction, accidental damage and loss or theft, it is crucial that more of us wake-up to simple, inexpensive external storage devices to prevent being out of pocket in the event of data loss," says LG Electronics' Warren Lewis.

"NAS devices are both easy to use and highly affordable, making them one of the most important technological advances now available to consumers and home workers.

"One such product, the new LG Super-Multi NAS, is a stylish compact digital storage device that makes it easy to access large files and securely store important work documents, photos and a range of other digital files. Storing films, photos and other essential data on an inexpensive external storage device is not only advantageous in terms of easy access, but it is also essential for safeguarding digital content in the event of loss, theft, damage or technical malfunction."

Facts

- The LG survey profiled over 2,000 men and women across the UK - A separate poll revealed that the biggest cause of data loss amongst students was hardware malfunction (70%). A further 19 per cent had erased data accidentally while - in 17% of cases - the loss was due to accidental damage - As many as 64% of UK students surveyed said that if their hard drive failed or the data on it was lost, they would be forced to reproduce many hours of work. 11% reported that they may even fail a module or subject, while three per cent went further and said that they may even fail their course - For a full survey report, please contact rebeccae@whiteoaks.co.uk