Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD

Subject: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 02:31 PM

For those using Windows who use a lot of space on their drives, or just wonder what they DO have clogging up things, here is a free program which gives you a great way to view things.Space Sniffer

As it says, it is based on a concept called "Treemap" developed at the computer labs at the Univ. of Maryland.
If you follow the links, you can read about technical stuff and its history and spinoffs....including a very interesting image browsing/display program called PhotoMesa, which is java based, and should run on any machine.

Further, there is a program similar to SpaceSniffer called WinDirStat which uses the same basic idea with a 'prettier' display and some extra tricks to allow examining files by category.

Finally, if the idea appeals to you, the program IndexYourFiles will VERY quickly make indexes of your files, in any area you wish, and allow you to view stuff you hadn't realized was there, and display the contents of many of them. It is better in some ways than a simple 'file search', as it is **instaneous** once the index is done. You can save different indexes of different areas. (Of course, re-indexing would be necessary now & then if your data changes much.)

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 02:32 PM

Are any of these in the "download only today" category as some of your past great tips have been?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 02:42 PM

Nope... they are there. They are not even 'new'... I just decided to post 'em.

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 02:46 PM

Note: Photomesa creates thumbnails and a database, so that could be an issue for those with lots of images on a small drive....and it WILL require java (which I don't mind at all).

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 03:08 PM

These things are always fun. Liked and have used:
X-Tree
Back Orafice (Cult of the Dead Cow)
SpinRite

But for a GRAND network analyzer - BOEING (yes they make airplanes too)

Watch this 7 minute video.

http://narus.com/narus-chip7min.html

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 04:12 PM

Photomesa seems to be Windows only and requires .net. Looking at the page, perhaps older versions were Java based?

--
I remember using XTree in Dos.

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 04:15 PM

Those are 'interesting' garg, but these are not maintainance and recovery or remote control, but just organizing and visualizing what YOU have to allow better decision making.

(and, ummm.. "Back Orfice" has a checkered and naughty history)

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 04:19 PM

Hmmm. Jon, I think it uses both .net and Java... I have had .net for quite awhile, and didn't realize. Sorry to mislead any Linux or Mac folks.

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 06:50 PM

"Back Orfice" has a checkered and naughty history

....and so has Gargoyle. Right, Garg?

[grin]

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 08:09 PM

C:\>tree /?
Graphically displays the folder structure of a drive or path.

TREE [drive:][path] [/F] [/A]

     /F   Display the names of the files in each folder.
     /A   Use ASCII instead of extended characters.

Type C:\>tree > tree.txt. Open tree.txt using Word. Print if desired ??????

I don't think I'll print mine. For Folders only (without listing filenames) the tree for my C:\ root is 758 pages. I'd guess that tree /F would give about the same text file size as DIR.

DIR *.* /S > CDir.txt makes the CDIR.txt file at about 1800 pages the last time I looked.

You can list all the files with either method, and in Word you can search for a filename much more accurately than anything a Vista "Search" can do.

Regardless of which you use, it's easy to tell what folder contains the file you find, and DIR gives you all the file sizes and the total for each folder/directory, as well as total number of files, number of folders, and total cumulative size of all the files.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: Bill D
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 09:48 PM

refreshing: because this needs a 2nd chance....and because I have been offline with snow problems for 24 hrs.

(those are DOS commands, John? My head don't work that way... *grin*.
Those programs I suggested are fantastic graphic tools to quickly get an idea about what is where on your drive(s).

Try it-- you'll like it.

Subject: RE: Tech: Amazing/useful way to see PC files-BillD
From: GUEST,Tony
Date: 28 Jan 11 - 09:37 PM

I tried IndexYourFiles. It's a nice idea, but apparently it can only search for words, not for phrases. If you enter a phrase, it returns all the files that contain those words anywhere. If it could operate on phrases (i.e. text strings with blank spaces) it would be a big help in finding song lyric files. Does anyone know of one that can do that?