Data recovery time varies by device type and failure type. HDD logical failures take 1-3 business days, mechanical failures 3-10 business days; SSD and NVMe 2-7 business days; RAID simple degradation 3-7 business days, multiple disk failure between 2-4 weeks. The diagnostic report is provided within the first 24 hours.

TL;DR

  • HDD logical (deleted file, corrupted file system): 1-3 business days.
  • HDD mechanical (head, motor, platter damage): 3-10 business days, requires a cleanroom.
  • SSD and NVMe: 2-7 business days, depending on controller type.
  • RAID 0/1/5/6 and NAS: 3-7 business days, 2-4 weeks if more than two disks fail.
  • Preliminary diagnostic report within the first 24-48 hours, free of charge.

Detailed answer

Timeline table by device type

Device / failure Typical duration Factor that extends the duration
HDD, file deleted or formatted 1-2 business days Overwrite ratio
HDD, corrupted file system (NTFS, ext4) 1-3 business days Depth of table corruption
HDD, head assembly failure 3-7 business days Donor disk sourcing
HDD, platter damage or seized motor 5-10 business days Cleanroom imaging speed, head map
SSD SATA, controller lock 3-7 business days Manufacturer firmware family
NVMe M.2, chip level (chip-off) 5-10 business days NAND remap, ECC resolution
RAID 5, single disk down 3-5 business days Parity consistency
RAID 5, second disk down as well 7-21 business days Stripe size, offset detection
RAID 6, two disks down 5-10 business days Dual parity sync
NAS (Synology SHR, QNAP) 5-14 business days Number of Btrfs, LVM layers
Virtual machine (VMDK, VHDX) 3-7 business days Snapshot chain length
Encrypted volume (BitLocker, LUKS) +1 day if key is available No recovery if key is missing

Process steps and daily breakdown

  1. Day 0 (intake and visual inspection). The device is received, its serial number and physical condition are recorded. The customer is given a receipt record.
  2. Day 1 (diagnosis). SMART, log and electronic board checks are carried out. If it is an HDD, a firmware-level read attempt is started on the PC-3000. A free preliminary report is sent to the customer.
  3. Days 2-3 (imaging). A sector-level copy is taken from the patient drive to a clone. In mechanical failures, the head is replaced inside a cleanroom (ISO 14644-1 Class 100).
  4. Days 4-7 (logical reconstruction). The file system, RAID parameters or SSD FTL table is rebuilt on the clone. The customer receives a sample file list.
  5. Delivery. After approval, the data is written to new media, hash verification is performed, and the old patient device is returned or disposed of with a destruction record.

DSET field observation: average durations

The average completion times seen in DSET lab records over the last 12 months are as follows:

  • Single HDD cases: 62% were completed before 5 business days.
  • RAID cases: 48% were completed before 7 business days, 12% exceeded 21 days (due to the second disk donor sourcing process).
  • NAS cases: median 9 business days, longest case 27 business days (a 5-disk SHR-2 with three failed disks).
  • SSD cases: 71% were completed within 7 business days, the rest required chip-off.

Which situations extend the duration

  • Donor part sourcing. Finding a compatible donor for older model HDDs and enterprise SAS disks can take weeks. The same PCB, the same firmware revision and the same head map are required.
  • Encrypted volumes. Without a BitLocker recovery key, a LUKS passphrase or an APFS FileVault key, recovery is mathematically impossible. In this case the issue is not duration but feasibility.
  • Intervention history. The customer running chkdsk, fsck, mkfs or third-party recovery software on the disk lowers both the duration and the success rate. Backblaze Drive Stats reports show that the failure rate of drives running on a live volume increases by a factor of 2-3.
  • Missing RAID controller log. If the configuration record of the hardware RAID card has been deleted, the stripe size, disk order and parity direction are found by trial and error, which can add 3-10 days.

Express service option

DSET's express service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. HDD logical cases are completed within 12-24 hours, simple RAID cases within 48-72 hours. The express service fee is 1.5-2 times the standard rate.

What to do first, and what not to do

  • Power the device off, do not keep turning it on and off. Mechanically failed drives lose data with every run.
  • Do not write new files to the device, do not install an operating system on it.
  • Do not run commands like chkdsk, scandisk, fsck, format or mkfs.
  • Contact DSET for a free preliminary diagnosis: you can get an approximate cost with /en/araclar/raid-maliyet-hesaplayici.

For the detailed process and cost specific to RAID: /en/blog/raid-5-coktu-kurtarma-sureci-maliyet. For the incident response flow: /en/rehber/siber-olay-mudahale-playbook-nist-800-61-checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is data recovery guaranteed?

No, no lab can guarantee data recovery 100%. After a free preliminary diagnostic report, DSET provides a success rate estimate and applies a "no fee if no data is recovered" policy.

How many hours does emergency data recovery take?

In the express service, HDD logical cases are completed within 12-24 hours, simple RAID cases within 48-72 hours. Once a case is accepted, the team works without interruption.

Is the data safe during recovery?

Yes. DSET works with the ISO 27001 and ISO 27037 methodology, a copy is taken from the patient drive to a clone, and no write operation is performed on the original media. The entire process is carried out under the customer's NDA.

If two disks fail at once in a RAID array, is there a chance?

In RAID 5, if two disks fail, parity alone is not enough, and a partial image of the second disk must be taken. In about 70% of DSET cases, enough sectors are recovered from both disks to successfully reconstruct the array.

Is recovering data from an SSD harder than from an HDD?

It is generally more complex. On an SSD, TRIM, garbage collection and wear leveling can lead to permanent deletion. NVMe chip-off cases require special equipment (PC-3000 SSD, VNR).

DSET Data Recovery Laboratory Hacettepe Teknokent, Beytepe, Ankara 20+ years of field experience · ISO 27001 · Class 100 cleanroom Phone: +90 536 662 38 09 · Email: [email protected] Free preliminary diagnosis and shipping support.