Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?

Subject: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 11:00 AM

Yes, another program suggestion for PC users!

If you ever have concerns about what is taking up space on your PC, or just want a way to visualize the relationship of different types, try Space Sniffer

I have used 3-4 programs which will analyze and report on files & folders...(and will provide links for those interested)...but this one is unusually excellent. (and free, of course...and portable)

For a statement by the author, read the Features page

It is fascinating just watching the progress as it works thru things...(though you CAN go do other things while it is working)

You may be amazed at what it finds.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Nick
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 12:09 PM

Is it similar to Treesize or has it advantages?

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 12:28 PM

Treesize is nice, but gives you just a list. This gives an interactive graphical pattern. It is similar to WinDirStat, which has very colorful interactive graphics. (Me? I like 'em all? WinDirStat allows you to see a list AND graphics and use one format to examine the other....)

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 12:31 PM

WinDirStat also allows you to choose colors and display features.....it may be overkill for many.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 06:42 PM

Thanks for that, Bill. Yes, it is interesting to see it at work. My C drive runs about 80-90% full all the time. Right now it's 57G of 289G free. I have to keep dumping TV shows (mostly local news and CBS Sunday Morning) to keep it out of the red zone -- it's likely I wouldn't have watched them all anyway!

But the key find was over 50G of camera video from last year that I am pretty certain that I won't ever need again. So after a quick look at those, I can nearly double my free space. And you can zoom in on a section to see even more clearly what is there.

The other internal drive is not quite so crowded, but I intend to look at it later. (I know it has some of the TV shows that I couldn't seem to part with when ditch time came on the C drive!)

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 06:53 PM

Isnt it as easy (With the accessibilty of External Hard Drive these days) to keep 'Memories' on an external ?

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 07:08 PM

It is easy to keep many things on an external drive... I have two of those one for my backups of C: and one for many musical files. But it still is useful to be able to examine them now & then.

Glad it helped, DWR...

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 07:27 PM

Gosh, you don't KNOW how much external space I have available! But somehow they keep filling up! Right beside me is a 1T, a 500, a 200 AND an 80 -- that's an oldie that probably cost as much or more than the 1T. Then there are the portables, a pair of 160s and . . . :)

Dale (Thinking back to my first PC which was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1G and I thought it was really something. The six o'clock news takes 3G!)

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 07:31 PM

Oh, and most, if not all of that 50G consists of volleyball match footage from the 2008 season which has been long since been converted to DVD, given out to the kids and tucked away somewhere. Not exactly "memories", though I do keep a set of the DVDs for myself, and do have occasion to use them, but not often past the season they cover.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 07:47 PM

LOL... that video stuff can take a lot of space!

(Me? I have several thousand Child Ballad examples and lots of folk videos from YouTube.....and many images of my woodturning projects!)

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 07:51 PM

re: taking up space. It sure is different from having boxes full of video cassettes...both Beta & VHS! You still can't watch it all, but the physical space is saved!

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 09:18 PM

Open Access to all your Files? It is called a TROJAN.

Dude you have been sucked.

Subject: RE: Tech: Where are your files? What takes space?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 09 - 10:10 PM

Access? Nonsense! That program doesn't do anything except tell ME about my own files. It doesn't 'call home' and has been double-checked by 2 security programs.

Paranoia plays no favorites.