Data recovery FAQ: answers to your questions
Find answers from our specialists to the most frequently asked questions about data recovery: hard drive failures, SSD, RAID, USB drives, pricing, turnaround times and process. SOS Data Recovery (Tesweb SA), Swiss specialist since 2006 with over 10,000 cases handled, answers your questions.
Why consult our data recovery FAQ?
Our technicians answer the most frequently asked questions about hard drive, SSD, RAID, NAS, USB drive and memory card failures. Each answer is based on over 10,000 cases handled since 2006 and regularly updated. If you cannot find the answer to your question, contact us — free diagnosis within 3 hours.
What to do in case of an emergency (clicking hard drive, critical data)?
Immediately turn off the device to prevent further damage. Do not attempt data recovery software yourself. Contact us — our emergency service is available 24/7 with immediate support.
What tools and equipment do you use in your lab?
Our laboratory is equipped with professional-grade specialized tools: PC-3000 stations from ACE Laboratory for low-level media reading, a binocular microscope for microsoldering, a BGA soldering station for NAND memory chips, and an ISO 5 certified laminar flow cabinet for all physical interventions on hard drives. This equipment allows us to handle mechanical hard drives as well as SSDs, phones and magnetic tapes.
What types of clients use SOS Data Recovery?
We work with all types of clients: individuals who have lost family photos, SMEs whose server has crashed, large companies (banks, insurance companies, industry), universities, hospitals and public administrations. Each case receives the same level of care and confidentiality.
What types of clients use our data recovery services?
Our data recovery services are aimed at five categories of clients: individuals (loss of photos, personal documents), SMEs (server failures, failing disks), large companies (incidents on storage arrays, RAID), public administrations (critical service continuity), and medical or educational institutions (sensitive and regulated data). Any organization or individual facing data loss—whatever the cause (hardware failure, accidental deletion, physical damage, or cyberattack)—can call on our experts.
What types of magnetic tapes do you support?
Supported magnetic tapes include a wide range of professional and consumer formats: LTO (Linear Tape-Open), all generations (LTO-1 to LTO-9); DAT/DDS (Digital Audio Tape / Digital Data Storage), formats DAT-72, DAT-160 and DAT-320; DLT and SDLT (Digital Linear Tape / Super DLT); QIC (Quarter-Inch Cartridge); Travan; as well as proprietary and professional formats on request.
According to the LTO Consortium, the LTO format represents more than 90% of the professional magnetic tape market in 2024, with a native capacity of up to 18 TB per cartridge (LTO-9). Our technicians are trained to recover data from obsolete or damaged media, regardless of the format.
What types of media can SOS Data Recovery handle?
All digital storage media: HDDs, SSDs (SATA, NVMe, M.2), USB flash drives, memory cards (SD, microSD, CF), smartphones, tablets, RAID and NAS servers, magnetic tapes (LTO, DLT, DAT, AIT) and optical media (CD, DVD, Blu-ray). More than 11,300 media of all types have been processed since 2006.
What types of media can you handle?
We work on all types of media: hard drives (HDDs), SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, NAS (Synology, QNAP), RAID servers, smartphones, tablets, and virtual machines (VMware, Hyper-V). Regardless of the brand or file system.
What types of media can you handle?
All digital storage media: HDDs, SSDs (SATA, NVMe, M.2), USB flash drives, memory cards (SD, microSD, CF), smartphones, tablets, RAID and NAS servers, magnetic tapes (LTO, DLT, DAT, AIT) and optical media (CD, DVD, Blu-ray). More than 11,300 media of all types have been processed since 2006.
What types of media do you accept?
We handle all common and professional media: mechanical hard drives (HDD), SSDs (SATA, NVMe, M.2), servers and RAID arrays, USB flash drives, memory cards (SD, microSD, CF), smartphones, tablets, magnetic tapes (LTO, DLT, DAT, AIT), CD/DVD/Blu-ray. If you have any doubts about your media, submit your form — our technicians will respond within 3 hours.
When is a digital forensics expert called upon?
Digital forensics expertise is requested in many professional and legal contexts:
- Commercial litigation — searching for evidence of embezzlement, breach of confidentiality clause, internal fraud
- Criminal proceedings — judicial assistance on seizure of computer equipment, analysis of seized media
- Security incidents — post-incident analysis of a cyberattack, identification of the intrusion vector, extent of the exfiltration
- Labor law — searching for evidence of offenses committed on company equipment (harassment, data theft, abusive use)
- Divorce or family proceedings — recovery of digital evidence in civil proceedings
- Insurance — incident reconstruction for claims reporting
Where is my data processed?
All data recovery operations are performed in our laboratory in Ins (Anet), canton of Bern, Switzerland. Your data never leaves Swiss territory. The intervention can also be carried out directly on-site at the client's location. This location guarantee is essential for data subject to the nLPD (RS 235.1), in particular sensitive data within the meaning of Art. 5 para. 1 (health, law, finance), the transfer of which abroad is strictly regulated by Art. 16-17.
Where is your lab located and how do I send my media?
Our lab is located in Ins (Anet), in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. You can send your media by registered mail, drop it off at one of our 50+ partner collection points in Switzerland, or hand it over to us directly on site. We provide secure packaging on request.
Where is your laboratory located?
Our laboratory is located in Ins (Anet), in the canton of Bern, in the heart of Switzerland. It is attached to our administrative offices and accessible by postal delivery or direct deposit.
Which AIT generations do you support?
We support all AIT generations: AIT-1 (25 GB), AIT-2 (50 GB), AIT-3 (100 GB), AIT-4 (200 GB), AIT-5 (400 GB) and AIT Turbo. Our fleet of drives covers all of these formats.
Which DAT/DDS formats do you support?
We support all DAT formats: DDS-1, DDS-2, DDS-3, DDS-4, DDS-5, DAT 72 and DAT 160. Our range of streamers covers all of these standards.