Recover Deleted Samsung SRD and Wisenet DVR FootageRenamed .SSF Files, Retired Software and a Drive That Still Holds Everything
Samsung Techwin recorders outlived the company name twice over, and now the SRD line is end of life, Smart Viewer is discontinued and Hanwha's support site offers Samsung-branded units no agent help. The hard drive inside is unaffected by any of that. It keeps deleted recordings under a renamed file, and the right software on a Windows PC reads them.
Deleted footage on a Samsung SRD or Hanwha Wisenet recorder is recoverable until the unit records over it. The drive holds a small Linux partition and a large video partition, with recordings stored as .SSF files that a delete renames rather than wipes. Hanwha no longer supports Samsung-branded recorders, so the route is the drive: power down, remove it, dock it to a Windows PC without initialising and read it with software built for the layout. No password needed.
Samsung Techwin became Hanwha Techwin in June 2015 and Hanwha Vision in March 2023, and along the way the SRD DVR line, the SDR and SDH consumer kits and the Smart Viewer software were all retired. The recorders are still running in shops, schools and warehouses, and when one of them loses a clip the owner finds that Hanwha's support site lists the model as end of life with no agent-assisted help. This page sets out what the drive holds and how the recordings come back.
What is on a Samsung SRD hard drive?
More structure than most recorders, which helps. A UK recovery lab that worked on an SRD-1670D with two 2 TB drives found each drive split into an ext3 partition of about 20 GB and a much larger XFS partition. The video lived on the XFS partition as .SSF files, each with three companion files, and recordings the recorder had deleted were still there with a D prefix on the file name, which the recorder uses as its signal to ignore them. The lab's fix was to repair the file system, rename the files and let the recorder play them. That is a workable route for a lab; for an owner the same facts mean something simpler. Deleted SRD footage is renamed, not erased, and software that reads the layout lists it alongside everything else.
Consumer SDR and SDH kits are built differently. A forensic examiner who imaged an SDR-B85300N saw only unallocated space with ext-style structures inside it, and IPVM forum members place the SNK, SDR and SDH consumer line among Raysharp-built products. Those kits behave like other Raysharp units, covered in the Raysharp recovery guide. Current Wisenet HRX, XRN and PRN recorders run embedded Linux on their own layout and read the same way as the SRD line in practice.
How are deleted recordings recovered from a Samsung or Wisenet DVR?
- Power the recorder down. SRD units default to overwrite when full, and every day of recording after the loss replaces older .SSF files.
- Remove the drives in order. An SRD-1670 holds up to six drives and an SRD-1685 four. Label each bay, because the recorder spreads recordings across them.
- Dock each drive to a Windows PC. Windows will not mount ext3 or XFS and offers to initialise the disk. Cancel. Use a write blocker for anything that may be evidence.
- Read the layout. Open the drives in DVRXaminer. It reads the SRD and Wisenet arrangement, lists the recordings by camera and time across all drives and includes the renamed deleted files.
- Export to another disk. Save the clips you need as MP4 to the PC or a USB drive.
What about SEC backups and the discontinued Smart Viewer?
SRD recorders back up in two forms. The DVR format can only be played back by the recorder itself. The SEC format, in the manual's words, saves data in Samsung's proprietary format with a built-in viewer for immediate playback on a PC, and the SEC Backup Viewer is what opens it. On Wisenet recorders the SEC export can carry a password and an embedded text log. Hanwha's Smart Viewer, which also made SEC backups, has been discontinued, and the Hanwha knowledge base points owners to Wisenet Viewer, which plays AVI, MP4 and SEC files and exports to MKV or its own WNM format. If you hold an old SEC backup with its three files kept together, Wisenet Viewer or the bundled player opens it. Footage recovered from the drive comes out as MP4 and skips the question.
What do NO HDD, HDD FAIL and HDD Full mean on these recorders?
The manuals define them. NO HDD is shown when there is no drive or the drive is not detected, and the HRX manual adds that a purchased drive not yet formatted for the recorder shows the same icon. HDD FAIL means the drive needs a technical examination. HDD Full is displayed when the recorder has run out of space with overwrite set to Stop. HDD status in the menu runs Normal, Check and Replace. None of these erases anything. The one action that does is Format, and the SRD-840 manual says plainly that formatting deletes all recordings. The XRN manual adds a trap worth knowing: a drive that was used in another device is formatted automatically when fitted. Read a drive on a PC before it goes into any recorder.
Can you get past the admin password?
You do not need to for the footage, since the drive is read directly. For the recorder, older Samsung units ship with admin and 4321, which the SRD-840 manual confirms. Hanwha's end-of-support article lists the factory defaults and front-panel or remote button combinations for SHR, SRD and SDE series units, noting that Samsung Techwin products no longer receive agent-assisted support. Some SDE and SHR models reset by holding two front buttons while powering on, which keeps the recordings. Wisenet XRN, HRX and PRN recorders have no default: the password is set in the installation wizard and a rear reset switch held for about five seconds brings up a new-password prompt.
Which Samsung or Hanwha case do you have?
| Recorder | Drive layout | Deleted footage |
|---|---|---|
| SRD series DVR (SRD-440 to SRD-1685) | ext3 system partition plus XFS video partition with .SSF files | Renamed with a D prefix, recoverable until overwritten |
| Wisenet HRX, XRN, PRN | Embedded Linux, recorder's own video layout | Recoverable until overwritten |
| SDR, SDH, SNK consumer kits | Raysharp-type layout (forum attribution) | See the Raysharp guide |
| Any of the above, recorder dead | Unchanged | Full recovery from the drive |
| Drive moved into another recorder | Auto-formatted on XRN | Partial, stop the new unit at once |
In short
- Samsung SRD drives hold a small ext3 partition and a large XFS video partition; deleted .SSF recordings are renamed, not erased.
- Hanwha offers no support for Samsung-branded recorders, so the drive is the route.
- Power down, remove and label the drives, dock them without initialising and read them with software that knows the layout.
- SEC backups open in Wisenet Viewer or the bundled player; recovered footage comes out as MP4.
Common questions
Is deleted Samsung SRD DVR footage recoverable?
Yes, until the recorder loops back over it. SRD recorders store video as .SSF files on an XFS partition and mark a deleted recording by renaming it with a D prefix rather than erasing it. Power the recorder down, remove the drives, dock them to a Windows PC without initialising and read them with software that understands the layout.
Does Hanwha still support Samsung SRD recorders?
No. Hanwha's end-of-support article states that Samsung Techwin products no longer receive agent-assisted support, and the SRD line is listed as discontinued. Smart Viewer has also been discontinued in favour of Wisenet Viewer. Footage recovery from the drive does not depend on Hanwha support.
What is a Samsung SEC file and how do I open it?
SEC is the backup format SRD and Wisenet recorders write for playback on a PC. It comes with a built-in viewer, and the backup is saved as three files that must stay together. Open it with the bundled SEC Backup Viewer or with Hanwha's Wisenet Viewer, which plays SEC, AVI and MP4. Wisenet SEC exports may carry a password set at export time.
What does NO HDD mean on a Samsung or Wisenet DVR?
The recorder has no drive or cannot detect the one fitted, and on HRX models a new drive that has not been formatted for the recorder shows the same icon. HDD FAIL means the drive needs examination. Neither erases recordings. Formatting does, so read the drive on a PC before accepting a format.
What is the default password on a Samsung DVR?
Older Samsung recorders use admin with 4321, confirmed in the SRD-840 manual. Hanwha's end-of-support article lists defaults and reset button combinations for SHR, SRD and SDE units. Wisenet XRN, HRX and PRN recorders have no default; the password is set in the installation wizard. Recovery from the drive needs no password.
Are Samsung SDR and SDH kits the same as SRD recorders?
No. The SDR, SDH and SNK consumer kits are a different platform, placed among Raysharp-built products by IPVM forum members. A forensic image of an SDR-B85300N showed ext-style structures in unallocated space rather than the SRD partition layout. Those kits follow the Raysharp recovery guide on this site.
Read the Samsung drive Hanwha will not help with
DVRXaminer reads the Samsung SRD and Hanwha Wisenet drive layout on a Windows PC, lists recordings by camera and time across every drive from the recorder, includes the renamed deleted files and exports MP4 with timestamps. The trial scans and previews without limit.
Sources
- Data Clinic case study, recovering deleted CCTV from a Samsung SRD-1670D (ext3 and XFS partitions, .SSF files, D prefix)
- Samsung SRD-840 user manual (DVR and SEC backup types, SEC Backup Viewer, NO HDD and HDD FAIL messages, admin/4321 default, formatting warning); SRD-1670DC manual
- Hanwha HRX-1620 and XRN-2011 manuals (NO HDD definition, SEC password option, auto-format of drives from other devices, wizard-set password)
- Hanwha Vision knowledge base: Smart Viewer backup and discontinuation (49232317691027), factory defaults for end-of-support Samsung Techwin recorders, legacy SDH/SNK reset
- Wisenet Viewer datasheet (SEC, AVI, MP4 playback; MKV and WNM export); Hanwha Vision corporate history
- Forensic Focus thread on the Samsung SDR-B85300N; IPVM Raysharp OEM discussion (consumer SNK, SDR, SDH line)