HiLook and HiWatch RecoveryDeleted Footage From Hikvision's Value Brands
HiLook and HiWatch recorders are everywhere in UK and European installs, sold as the budget line next to full Hikvision kit. They share the same firmware family, which is good news when a clip is deleted, the playback timeline goes blank or the installer's password is lost: the drive can be read on a PC the same way, and the footage comes back as ordinary video files.
Deleted footage on a HiLook or HiWatch DVR can usually be recovered, because both are Hikvision brands and the hard drive uses the Hikvision disk layout. The video stays on the drive until the recorder loops over it. Shut the unit down, take the drive out, dock it to a Windows PC without initialising it and read the Hikvision layout with software built for it. The recorder's password plays no part, so a lockout does not stop the recovery.
Hikvision runs several brands beside its own name, and HiLook and HiWatch are two of them, aimed at smaller installs and sold through the same distributors. Under the badge sits Hikvision hardware and Hikvision firmware. That is why the apps, the reset routes and the way the hard drive is written all match the parent brand, and why the recovery below is the Hikvision method with a different name on the box.
Are HiLook and HiWatch really Hikvision?
Yes. Industry OEM directories list HiLook and HiWatch alongside Ezviz as Hikvision sub-brands that ship instead of the Hikvision name, and UK distributors sell HiLook as Hikvision's value range. The quickest confirmation is on your phone: HiLook units are set up in the HiLookVision app, which is published by Hikvision, and both brands also work with Hik-Connect. If your recorder lives in either app, everything on this page applies to it.
Why does a HiLook drive show as unallocated on a PC?
Dock a HiLook or HiWatch drive to Windows and Disk Management labels it unallocated or not initialised, then offers to fix that. Decline. The drive is not blank. Hikvision recorders write a master sector carrying their own signature, an index that maps each channel and time range to a position on the disk and the video itself as raw H.264 or H.265 in large blocks. None of it is a Windows file system, so Windows reports nothing. Software that understands the index reads every recording straight off the drive, including entries the recorder has deleted from its own list.
What should you avoid on a HiLook or HiWatch recorder?
Two routines on these units destroy footage, and both look like the sensible thing to do.
Do not initialise the drive in the Storage menu, and do not keep the recorder running. When a HiLook or HiWatch unit shows the drive as abnormal or uninitialised, its menu offers to initialise it and Hikvision's own troubleshooting says to format when the error persists. That step writes a fresh layout over the recordings. And a recorder set to overwrite keeps looping, so every hour it stays on erases older video. Power it down first, decide second.
"HiLook, HiWatch or Hikvision on the badge, the drive inside speaks the same language, and that is what we read."
Rollins Duke, video forensics, RecoveryTools
How is footage recovered from a HiLook or HiWatch DVR?
The work happens on a Windows PC with the recorder off. Nothing is written to the drive.
- Power the recorder off. Pull the plug rather than wait, so the loop stops where it is.
- Lift the drive out. Open the case and unclip the SATA data and power leads. HiLook and HiWatch desktop units usually hold one drive, so there is no bay to confuse.
- Dock it and leave it unallocated. Connect the drive through a SATA-to-USB dock. When Windows offers to initialise it, cancel. For evidence work, use a hardware write blocker.
- Read the Hikvision layout. Open the drive in DVRXaminer. It follows the index, lists recordings by channel and time and flags the deleted ones.
- Preview, then export elsewhere. Check the clip, then save it as MP4 or AVI onto another drive with the recorder's timestamp kept.
What if you are locked out of the HiLook or HiWatch unit?
A lost admin password is common on installer-fitted units, and it changes nothing above, because reading the drive never touches the login. If you also need the live recorder working again, the Hikvision reset routes apply to HiLook and HiWatch: choose Forgot Password on the login screen, then verify through the Hik-Connect app by scanning the on-screen QR code, through the reserved email, through the security questions set at activation or with the GUID file exported earlier. Where none of those were set up, the recorder can export an XML file or QR code for Hikvision support to answer. The routes are listed on the Hikvision password reset FAQ. The local reset menu that older firmware had was removed in 2016, so there is no hidden button route on current units.
Will the recovered HiLook footage play?
Recovered clips are exported as standard MP4 or AVI, so they play in any player. That is a point in favour of recovering from the drive rather than relying on the recorder's own export, which on the Hikvision platform produces a file that needs VSPlayer or a conversion. If you already have such an export that refuses to open, see Hikvision MP4 will not play.
What can be recovered from a HiLook or HiWatch drive?
The state of the drive sets the result. Here is how the common cases compare.
| Situation | Likely outcome |
|---|---|
| Clip deleted or missing from playback, unit still running | Recoverable until the loop reaches it, so power off now |
| Timeline shows no video for a day that should exist | Often recoverable, the index entry is gone but the blocks remain |
| Drive shown as abnormal, not yet initialised | Recoverable, read it before anyone formats |
| Drive initialised in the Storage menu | Partly recoverable until new recording covers the old blocks |
| Password lost or installer gone | Recoverable, the login is not used |
| Unit will not power on | Yes, read the drive on a PC |
In short
- HiLook and HiWatch are Hikvision brands, so the drive uses the Hikvision layout and the Hikvision recovery method.
- Windows shows the drive as unallocated. Cancel the initialise prompt and never format in the Storage menu first.
- Power off, dock the drive, read the index with software built for it and export as MP4 to another drive.
- A lost password does not block recovery. The Hikvision reset routes get you back into the live unit if you need that too.
Common questions
Can deleted footage be recovered from a HiLook DVR?
Usually yes. HiLook is a Hikvision brand, so the drive uses the Hikvision layout and the deleted video stays in place until the recorder loops over it. Power the unit off, dock the drive to a Windows PC without initialising it and read the index with software built for the Hikvision layout. The clips export as standard MP4.
Is HiWatch the same as Hikvision?
HiWatch is a Hikvision sub-brand, sold mainly outside North America as a value line. The hardware and firmware come from Hikvision, which is why HiWatch units work with Hik-Connect, use the same reset routes and write the hard drive the same way. Any Hikvision recovery or playback guide applies to a HiWatch recorder.
Why does my HiLook hard drive show as unallocated on my PC?
Because the drive holds Hikvision's own layout, a master sector, an index and raw video blocks, with no Windows file system on it. Windows cannot map that, so it reports unallocated or not initialised. The recordings are intact. Cancel the initialise prompt and read the drive with software that understands the layout.
Do I need the HiLook password to get the footage?
No. Reading the hard drive on a PC does not involve the recorder's login. A lost or unknown admin password is not a barrier to recovery, and neither is a recorder that has failed. The password only matters if you want to use the live unit again, which the Hikvision reset routes handle.
How do I reset a HiLook or HiWatch DVR password?
Use Forgot Password on the login screen and verify through the Hik-Connect app QR code, the reserved email, the security questions or the GUID file, whichever was set up at activation. If none were, export the XML file or QR code the recorder offers and send it to Hikvision support. Recover the footage from the drive first if it matters.
Will recovered HiLook footage play in a normal player?
Yes. Recovery software exports the clips as standard MP4 or AVI with the timestamp kept, so they open anywhere. That avoids the problem with the recorder's own exports, which on the Hikvision platform need VSPlayer or a conversion before they play.
Get the HiLook or HiWatch footage back
DVRXaminer reads the Hikvision layout on the drive, lists deleted and missing recordings and exports them as playable MP4, with no login needed. Run the free trial and list the recordings before you buy.
Sources
- IPVM Hikvision OEM directory listing HiLook and HiWatch as Hikvision sub-brands
- Hikvision password reset FAQ and the 2017 reset-method notice on the removal of the local reset menu
- Han, Jeong and Lee, Analysis of the Hikvision DVR file system, ICDF2C 2015