The data recovery guide
How a laboratory actually recovers your data — device by device. Methods, tools, verifiable success rates and the mistakes that destroy data. Written for IT teams, forensic analysts and individuals who want to understand before deciding.
This guide isn't a brochure: it's our laboratory's method, made readable. For each device, it explains how to recognize the type of failure, what you must never do, the approach we follow in our ISO 5 cleanroom, and the success rates actually observed across 120,000+ cases since 2004.
Three reading levels complement each other at Dafotec: the service page answers "how much, how long"; the Guide (here) explains "how we do it"; the Manual goes down to "why it works", at the level of device physics. Each chapter links to the other two.
Pick your device.
Hard drive
Mechanical, electronic, firmware or logical failure. Head transplant, Service Area, PCB swap, SMR. 95% logical, 78% mechanical.
SSD & NVMe
Controller, FTL, NAND. Reverse engineering of the translation table, Read Retry, LDPC decoding. 82% on firmware failure.
Smartphone
Drop, water, broken board. Desoxidation, micro-soldering, CPU swap, Secure Enclave chain of trust. 80% within 48h.
RAID & NAS
Degraded array, failed rebuild, ransomware. XOR de-striping, SHR/Btrfs rebuild, snapshots. Up to 98%.
USB drive
Broken connector, drive not recognized, Monolith. Micro-soldering, reverse FTL, Spider Web technique. 80%+ on logical.
Memory card
SD, microSD, CFexpress. RAW photos, 4K video, NAND chip-off, signature carving. 85%+ on logical.
The Guide, the Manual: two depths.
The Guide gives you the approach and the right reflexes. The Manual, more technical, unfolds device anatomy and the science of recovery. Start with the Guide; descend into the Manual when you want the detail.
Data Recovery — the manual
73 pages, May 2026 edition. Physical foundations, diagnosis, methods, special cases, the 3-2-1-1-0 rule. Every figure sourced.
Open the Manual →Every technical term
HSA transplant, Translator, reverse FTL, XOR de-striping, Spider Web, Bit Rot, air gap… short, self-contained definitions.
Open the Glossary →Unsure about your device? Ask for a diagnosis.
Diagnosis is free within 24h and commits you to nothing. A lab opinion beats a manipulation that lowers your odds.