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SQLite seem to run faster, but it also allows the operating system to freely
reorder writes, which could result in database corruption if a power failure
or hard reset occurs prior to all content reaching persistent storage.</p>

<p>For maximum reliability and for robustness against database corruption,
SQLite should always be run with its default synchronous setting of FULL.</p>

<tcl>hd_fragment hardwarefault</tcl>
<h2>4.0 Disk Drive and Flash Memory Failures</h2>

<p>An SQLite database can become corrupt if the file content changes 
due to a disk drive or flash memory failure.  It is very rare, but disks 
will occasionally flip a bit in the middle of a sector.</p>

<h3>4.1 Non-powersafe flash memory controllers</h3>

<p>We are told that in some flash memory controllers the wear-leveling logic
can cause random filesystem damage if power is interrupted during a write.
This can manifest, for example, as random changes in the middle of a file
that was not even open at the time of the power loss.  So, for example,
a device would be writing content into an MP3 file in flash memory when a
power loss occurs, and that could result in an SQLite database being
corrupted even though the database as not even in use at the time of the
power loss.</p>

<tcl>hd_fragment fakeusb</tcl>
<h3>4.2 Fake capacity USB sticks</h3>

<p>There are many fraudulent USB sticks in circulation that report to have
a high capacity (ex: 8GB) but are really only capable of storing a much
smaller amount (ex: 1GB).   Attempts to write on these devices will
often result in unrelated files being overwritten.  Any use of a fraudulent
flash memory device can easily lead to database corruption, therefore.
Internet searches such as "fake capacity usb" will turn up lots of
disturbing information about this problem.

<h2>5.0 Memory corruption</h2>

<p>SQLite is a C-library that runs in the same address space as the 
application that it serves.  That means that stray pointers, buffer
overruns, heap corruption, or other malfunctions in application can
corrupt internal SQLite data structure and ultimately result in a
corrupt database file.  Normally these kinds of problems manifest themselves