A program for the visual display of files and folders. Folder size

Among the innovations in the operating room Windows systems 10 - utility for analyzing disk space. It is strange that such a useful tool was not present in the arsenal of Microsoft's operating system before, when hard drives computers provided for a much smaller capacity compared to the volumes of modern hard drives.

So, the peak of the urgency of the problem with the lack of free space on the system disk came at the time of the mass transition of users from Windows XP to 7. These versions of the system were radically different in the size of the disk space used for their needs. Whereas for a full-fledged Windows work XP was quite enough for a system partition of 25-30 GB, a computer with the same disk volume on which Windows 7, new at that time, was installed, after installing a couple of programs and accumulating temporary files, it was left without free disk space.

Users Windows versions up to 8.1 inclusive, faced with the problem of lack of space on the system disk even after using the standard Disk Cleanup utility or third-party cleaning programs, they are forced to resort to a special type of software - the so-called disk space analyzers. These are handy tools that allow you to quickly find weighty files and immediately get rid of them, either by deleting or transferring to another location. Such analyzers scan the contents of the computer and present information about the disk space occupied by various categories of files. Tabular data in such utilities is often accompanied by diagrams for visual estimation of disk space usage.

The disk space analyzer built into Windows 10 is the "Storage" section in the system settings. It is a synthesis of simplified versions of several system utilities that many users are accustomed to seeing in separate programs or separate modules of complex software packages... In addition to the presence, in fact, of a tool for analyzing the occupied disk space, the utility built into Windows 10 is equipped with some system cleaning functions and a primitive uninstaller of the installed software.

Windows 10 Disk Space Analyzer is among others system settings inside the Settings app. This is the "Storage" subsection, which can be opened by selecting the "System" section in the main window of the "Settings" application.

As in any other section of the settings, the "Storage" section can be quickly accessed using the system search.

The "Storage" contains a list of disk partitions and connected storage devices, if any. For each section, data on the total and occupied space are presented.

By opening each disk partition separately, you can see detailed information about the occupied disk space by different categories of files.

One of the items on the system partition of the disk is "System and Reserved". Since the utility is designed for ordinary people, there is only informational information about how much space is occupied by individual system files... Naturally, Windows 10 does not provide any tools for deleting these files. The only thing that is offered to the user is the "Manage System Restore" option, which opens the system properties window with settings for rolling it back to a restore point.

The "Applications and Games" item is the primitive uninstaller mentioned above installed programs which doesn't even provide for uninstalling pre-installed universal apps.

Documents, images, multimedia files are presented in separate categories, but the standard utility does not provide their table with the ability to sort by size. When you press the button for detailed viewing of these files, the system transfers them to the appropriate folders of the user profile inside the explorer to manually delete unnecessary files.

The item "Temporary files", alas, does not provide enough detailed information about which files will be deleted. Experienced users are unlikely to experiment with such understatement, and newbie researchers are likely to free up disk space without realizing what was deleted. Read more about it in a separate article.

The most sensible point of the Windows 10 Disk Space Analyzer is, perhaps, "Other". Here, in descending order of size, folders containing files not categorized as music, videos, documents, and pictures are displayed. Files of these categories are usually stored in user profile folders or specially created directories on non-system disk partitions, and you can review their contents in Explorer or the file manager without any disk space analyzers. The latter will be much more useful to remind the user, for example, about storing weighty files, possibly already unnecessary distributions operating systems or backups.

The integrated system analyzer, of course, is far from perfect and is inferior to many third-party utilities of this software niche both in functionality and in the convenience of data presentation. In general, little can be said about the new tool: Microsoft has built a good simulator for beginners in computer science into the system, but nothing more.

Have a great day!

Lack of free space on your hard drive is a constant problem. With the purchase of a more capacious carrier, it is not solved, but only aggravated: the more information accumulates, the more difficult it is to control it and at the same time observe a certain conditional order.

There are many utilities for finding duplicates, obsolete and other unnecessary files, but the disk service does not eliminate the need for independent "parsing of blockages". These files, as is often the case, are stored in folders of various nesting levels. Using the file manager toolkit for searches is one option. By the way, even the standard Explorer has a filter and search. However, there are more efficient, comprehensive solutions for analyzing disk space. Typically, they include features such as:

• Scan disks and directories
• Data visualization: display the file structure as a chart, graph or map
• Extended statistics and its export
• Search for duplicates, temporary files
• Filters and advanced search
• Additional tools

Today's guidebook participants are mostly free programs... The exceptions are FolderSizes and TreeSize, although the latter also assumes free version in Free edition. As a result, the list of participants looks like this:

• TreeSize
• Scanner
• WinDirStat
• Space sniffer
• JDiskReport
• Xinorbis
• FolderSizes

TreeSize Pro

TreeSize is a utility for finding files that waste disk space. Includes both information functions(visualization, statistics, export) and service: search for duplicates, obsolete files, etc.

The left pane of the TreeSize window contains a menu for selecting disks and a tree of directories, where you can navigate and select a scan source.

The results are displayed on the right side of the tabbed window. In the Chart section, a chart is available from which you can find out the percentage of directories within the selected source. It is also easy to change the display of data in the form of graphs or maps. Detailed information about the catalog (amount of data, occupied space, etc.) is available in the Details tab. Extensions -distribution of data by their content: video, graphics, text and others. Age of files contains information about the age of files. In addition, it will be useful to analyze the history of disk filling (History). All data is available for export to XLS, CSV, HTML, TXT and other formats.

Top 100 lists the largest files on the disk. The accompanying information in the columns of the table allows you to find out the date of the last access or creation of the file - this will help you make a decision: to delete or leave the file.

Search (File Search menu) is of equal interest in TreeSize. You can use all data types (All Search Types): this, in particular, includes the search for obsolete, temporary files, duplicates. The advantage of searching through TreeSize is undeniable: the program is multithreaded, works over the network, and supports templates.

Alas, the free (in fact, trial) version of TreeSize is significantly inferior to the paid one: multithreading, advanced search, visualization and many other important functions are not supported.

Summary. TreeSize Pro perfectly complements the capabilities of any file manager, allowing you to thoroughly analyze the occupied space of disks and directories. Well-customizable interface and search, visualization, export - a standard set in the kit.

[+] Functionality
[+] Advanced file search
[+] Fast multithreaded scanning
[+] Additional tools

Scanner

Scanner - free utility for content analysis hard disk... Lack of settings, minimum of options - nevertheless, Scanner is a fully functional solution.

In the left part of the window, you can select a disk for analysis, you can also get information in the available files on all disks using the "Total" button in the lower left corner.

In the center is a pie chart that displays the file structure as segments. Segments, as you can easily notice, have several levels of nesting and different colors. When you hover the cursor over a certain area of ​​the diagram, information is available about the number, size of files, and their location. You can move to the directory by clicking on it, or perform operations with the file through the context menu.

Summary. The program will be useful for quick visual analysis of the occupied disk space. As for the available operations with files and directories, they are enough only to delete and open files. In other words, you won't be able to use Scanner as a file manager (with search, display modes, statistics).

[+] Ease of use, intuitiveness
[-] Minimum number of file operations

WinDirStat

WinDirStat is a free utility for analyzing and cleaning hard disk from unnecessary files.

The program scans the specified sources (directories or local drives) and provides information for analysis in an easy-to-read form. The directory structure is displayed as multi-colored segments of various sizes, according to the occupied space, at the bottom of the WinDirStat window. The color-to-file type table is in the upper right corner.

This representation of the structure has its drawbacks: for example, you cannot find out the file size on hover, there are no overlays. Therefore, in the case of WinDirStat, there is not enough alternative ways visualizations such as graph and chart.

By clicking on a segment, you can get detailed information about the corresponding file and its location. With files, such standard commands are available as deleting (to the Trash or permanently), viewing properties, copying the path, and others. In the "Cleanup" section of the program settings, you can create custom actions that allow you to add up to 10 operations from the command line: deleting files, archiving, recursive deletion, and others.

In general, almost all WinDirStat settings come down to styling, displaying the structure and listing of directories. Any additional utilities, reporting tools, statistics, search are not provided here.

Summary. WinDirStat provides good customization options, but the lack of additional tools and display modes significantly limits the program's use.

[+] Custom scan
[+] Command line support
[-] One file display mode
[-] Lack of detailed statistics and reporting

SpaceSniffer

SpaceSniffer is a free utility with a fully customizable interface and map display mode. Against the background of similar solutions, such functions as multithreading, search (including network), NTFS support are noteworthy.

For processing, you can select not only a drive from the list, but also a directory by specifying the path in the Path line. As a result of scanning, a map is formed in the form of blocks. The nesting level can be adjusted using the Less / More Detail buttons - accordingly, the detail is decreased or increased. By clicking on a block, you can familiarize yourself with its contents without going to the catalog. Navigating deeper through the catalogs is no less convenient. There are no additional display modes in SpaceSniffer, however, you can customize the appearance to your liking through the main settings (Edit - Configure).

The statistics functions are modestly presented. If desired, you can export to a text file: summary information, a list of files, as well as files grouped by folders. Interestingly, reports can be created using templates.

Additional features include tags and a filter. Filtering is performed by the specified mask, the syntax is described in the Filtering help. Search by size, folder name, tags, attributes and other data is possible. Tags allow you to make selections from data for subsequent filtering and batch operations. They can be thought of as temporary bookmarks within a session.

Summary. SpaceSniffer does not stand out for its wide functionality, but attracts with its speed of work, rather convenient display of data in the form of a map and additional tools such as a filter and tags.

[+] Multi-window interface
[+] Integration with Explorer
[+] Filters and tags
[-] No search

JDiskReport

Free cross-platform utility JdiskReport analyzes which files take up the most disk space. In addition, the program provides statistics on the distribution of data, which can be viewed in the form of graphs and charts.

By selecting a directory or disk for scanning, the user can get acquainted with collected information or save the result as a snapshot for later opening. This is true when permanent work with large amounts of data.

Statistics are divided into tabs: Size, Top 50, Size Dist, Modified and Types. The Size section shows the ratio of files in the selected source. There are several display modes to choose from: 2 types of charts, graph and table. The Top 50 lists the largest, oldest and newest files - potential candidates for deletion. The Size Dist, Modified and Types sections allow you to see the distribution of files by their size, modification date and type, respectively.

On the one hand, statistics really do give ground for thought, on the other hand, navigation through files and sample directories is not well thought out in JdiskReport. That is, no file operations are available, there is only the "Open Explorer ..." item in the context menu. There is no export, except that the file table and related information can be copied to the clipboard.

The program settings are mainly responsible for the interface. Themes are plentiful, but, say, there were no options for displaying columns or a directory tree.

Summary. JdiskReport bypasses Scanner and WinDirStat in functionality thanks to file distribution statistics. But there is also weak sides- first of all, there are no operations with files and directories.

[+] Statistics
[-] No export
[-] Non-functional context menu

Xinorbis

Xinorbis is a hard disk data analyzer with the ability to view statistics in the form of tables, charts and graphs. The program supports scanning from various sources: hard drives, removable media, software local network, FireWire, etc.

When choosing a scan source, you can specify multiple paths, include and exclude items, add favorites. The scan results are displayed as a Summary: this information will help you quickly identify the largest file or directory, familiarize yourself with the distribution of data by type, etc.

Detailed information is collected in the Folder properties section of the Tasks section. Data can be viewed in the form of custom graphs, charts, structured by data type or file extension. Information about data age (Dates), history (History), occupied size (Folders) is available. The Top 101 section contains a list of not only the largest and smallest files. The file table displays properties such as creation, modification and last access dates.

The navigator context menu in Xinorbis is more than functional: it not only contains the standard Explorer commands, but also provides export, archiving, Hex editing, and checksum generation.

The Advanced section contains tools such as finding duplicates by name and size. Other teams are also expanding their search capabilities. The most interesting section is Folder Detail, which is a filter by a number of parameters: text, size, file attributes, owner, category.

An important advantage of Xinorbis is customizable reports in HTML, CSV, XML and others. As a result, it takes just one click to create a file.

Summary. Xinorbis is the hardest to find shortcomings because it takes into account all the standard features of the file analyzer: from charting to exporting reports.

[+] Reporting
[+] Filter and search
[+] Flexible configuration and functionality

FolderSizes

FolderSizes is a program for scanning and analyzing disk space with the ability to export results as a report. Includes tools for searching files based on a variety of criteria: size, owner, age, etc.

FolderSizes interface consists of several panels (navigator, disk list, graphics, address bar), as well as a ribbon-ribbon divided into tabs. The main section is Home, where basic tools for analysis, export and other operations are available.

In the address panel, you can specify not only the standard path, but also the server or NAS devices, network and removable media (Analyze path (s) option). The file panel is flexible, it is easy to hide or add additional columns. Scan results can be viewed as graphs, charts or maps in the Bar Graph area. Extra options related to displaying information in panels are available in the Graph tab.

To create reports, the File Reports tool is used, which searches for the specified criteria and displays detailed information in a readable format. Report export is available in HTML, PDF, XML, CSV, TXT and other formats, including graphic. FolderSizes can be easily linked to a scheduler to automatically generate reports on a schedule.

In addition to the standard reporting functions, trend analysis is possible in FolderSizes. For this purpose, the Trend Analyzer tool allows you to familiarize yourself with the change in size, number of files, and other criteria.

Filter and search with support for rules, built-in archiver, command line- the possibilities of FolderSizes can be enumerated further. The functionality of the program is beyond competition.

Summary. FolderSizes pleases with the presence of all the tools necessary for analysis, a user-friendly interface, additional features that are not available in other programs (for example, trend analysis and archiver). As a result, it will be interesting for a wide audience to study.

[+] Fully customizable interface
[+] Tool for trend analysis
[+] Convenient navigation through files and directories
[+] Filter and search

Pivot table

A small nimble program for determining the size of folders on hard drives.

Man is a creature who is always not enough :). He always needs more money, more power, more ... (continue the associative array yourself;)). Such "greed" is no less strongly manifested in relation to the computer.

It would seem that the recently appeared terabyte hard disks should "please" almost all ordinary users with their capacity. But no - there are "experts" who run out of space on such a hard drive in just a couple of weeks!

They install dozens of games, download hundreds of gigabytes of information from the Internet for days, and then they also wonder: "Why did my computer run out of memory?" All this, of course, is a little exaggerated (well, very little :)), however, in fact, there are people who absolutely do not monitor the use of space on a PC, clogging it with hundreds of gigabytes of various "garbage".

If you find that there is too little free memory left on your hard disk, it's time to arrange a total "cleaning" of the hard drive. You can manually view the size of each folder, open them and delete them unnecessary files, but you can simplify your life a little by using the utility FolderSize.

This program quickly scans your entire HDD and gives information about the size of the selected files and folders. What to delete and what not - judge for yourself;). The commercial equivalent of FolderSize is the FolderInfo utility:

Comparison of the FolderSize program with the paid analogue of FolderInfo

Despite the fact that FolderSize is somewhat inferior to its paid counterpart in functional terms, it has a number of positive differences in its interface. It is quite simple (compared to a lot of tabs and additional information in FolderInfo) and, most importantly, it is in Russian.

The main disadvantage, in my opinion, is the need to manually mark all files and folders subject to the sizing procedure (should be corrected in the next edition).

Setting FolderSize

To install the program, you just need to run the executable file setup.exe and wait a little while the required data is copied to your PC. Upon completion of the installation, you will see the utility window that starts up:

At the top we see a small toolbar, and the rest of the space is reserved for the program's working area, which is divided into 4 sectors: the address bar (top), the list of files and folders (left), the information panel (top right) and the message bar (bottom right) ...

FolderSize does not require any additional settings and is ready to work after installation. I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the principle of the utility using a real example.

An example of working with FolderSize

Let's say we want to see what we have in Drive D;). We find it in the list on the left and click the plus sign next to the drive letter - the root folder of the selected section with a list of attachments will unfold in front of us.

Now we right-click on the letter of the selected drive, and in the context menu that appears, click "Mark nested nodes". After that, green checkmarks should appear next to all items in the expanded list. Now all that remains is to go back to the context menu and this time to press the button "Size of marked nodes":

The scan of the selected section will start and after a couple of seconds (the scan duration depends on the size of the selected directory) in the right column you can see the statistics of memory usage:

By default, all subfolders of the selected directory are sorted alphabetically, but for convenience, you can sort them by size. To do this, just click on the inscription "Size" in the top line:

Thus, we see that largest size we have a folder called "Videos". It remains to go to this folder and clean it, deleting old unnecessary movies. There are several ways to navigate to the desired folder or file in FolderSize.

Method 1: open the context menu and select the "Open" or "Open location" item in the "Tools" section.

Method 2: click on the desired element with the mouse wheel;).

Additional FolderSize Functions

The last important function of FolderSize is the ability to keep track of the size of the folders you need. Let me explain again with an example. In the previous step, we found out that the “Videos” folder is taking the most space on Drive D. Let's keep an eye on her :):

We call the context menu of the folder and find the item "Track size". After activating it, the following window will open:

In this window, we need to set a limit, upon exceeding which the FolderSize will inform us about exceeding maximum size folders:

You can simply delete the oversize message, but the next time you start it, it will appear again, and will appear to us until we either clear the folder, or increase the quota, or cancel tracking at all :).

conclusions

FolderSize will be an effective help for those who decide to put things in order on their hard drive, but at this stage it lacks "globality", or something :). The program only shows the total size of folders, not displaying the internal hierarchy of subdirectories and files.

Thus, in order to find one large file that takes up the maximum space in the directory, you will have to use the exclusion method, or manually mark all attachments, which is not very convenient. But there is also a kind of plus in this - you can see for yourself how much unnecessary "junk" you have accumulated on your hard drive;).

Good luck in the difficult task of fighting for the cleanliness of your hard disk :)!

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

The utility for analyzing the used space on the disk allows you to visualize how the space on the hard disk is used, determining the size of all directories, including subdirectories and files stored on this disk.

This can be very useful if you want to free up disk space on your computer. Having determined which directories and files take up the most space, it is easy to find unnecessary ones among them and delete, freeing up maximum space with a minimum of effort.

I described an overview of seven paid and free utilities for analyzing disk space usage for Mac OS X below in the article.

An overview of seven utilities for analyzing free space on a Mac's disk

I ranked the applications in ascending order of impressions from the utility, from negative to positive.

release date latest version quoted at the time of this writing: January 2014.

Application testing was conducted on MacBook Pro Mid 2012 and OS X 10.9.1.

DiskWave

Price: Free of charge
10.08.2012
0.4.0.246
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
Site: diskwave.barthe.ph
Apple AppStore: No

The application uses a simple and at the same time convenient way of presenting data, different from all other utilities - directories and files are presented in a regular list. Next to each directory and file, their size is written (font color depends on the size). The list can be sorted by name or by size.

The settings are also concise, but it seems to have everything you need. I don't like it when there are too many settings and dealing with them becomes a task comparable to flying an airplane.

DiskWave had every chance of being great free utility for analyzing disk space, if not for one "but": I was able to analyze a separate folder, but when analyzing the entire disk, the application stably crashes, and given the date of the last update, there is no need to wait for a quick "fix".

But suddenly it will work for you, try it.

GrandPerspective

Price: Free of charge
Latest release date: 25.08.2012
Reviewed version: 1.5.1
Site:
Apple AppStore: No

GrandPerspective immediately after starting the application asks you to select a directory for scanning. Unlike DiskWave, GrandPerspective coped with scanning the entire disk. After completing the scan, you can see a slightly psychedelic picture:

Very similar to the image of a processor crystal under a microscope. But in terms of practicality, perhaps I do not understand something, because Disk Inventory X and Space Gremlin also use a similar display, but it is inconvenient for me to look at these multi-colored squares and rectangles. You have to force yourself to associate them with files. But maybe this way of displaying will be convenient for you, I don’t know.

What is accurate and objectively inconvenient is the need to click on the squares or move the cursor over them to find out what kind of file is hidden behind them.

But in the settings you can choose a color palette for the squares, for example, "blue mountain tulips"! :)

If this method of visualizing files on disk is convenient for you, then the rest of this application copes with its task.

Space gremlin

Price: 129 RUB (at the time of publication there was a discount on the purchase).
Latest release date: 1.03.2011
Reviewed version: 1.2
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
Site: www.spacegremlinapp.com
Apple AppStore: itunes.apple.com - Space Gremlin

This utility has a strong resemblance to Disk Inventory X and GrandPerspective in the way of data visualization, but with a noticeable advantage - instead of squares, files are displayed as, you will not believe, files, and directories as containers that include other directories and files.

The application has no settings, although, perhaps, this is a limitation of the demo version. Considering that the result of the disk analysis cannot be viewed in the form of a list, but only in the form of a visual display, and that the application has not been updated for several years, I would not spend money on it.

Disk Inspector

Price: 269 ​​r
Latest release date: 08.02.2013
Reviewed version: 1.0.4
System requirements:
Site: nektony.com/disk-inspector
Apple AppStore: itunes.apple.com - Disk Inspector

Simple both in functionality and in appearance utility. Disk space usage data is presented in the form of a pie chart. You cannot see the list of files, there is no window with settings. A very simple, I would even say, primitive application.

Considering the limited functionality, price and lack of updates after the first release, I cannot recommend Disk Inspector for use.

Disk Expert

Price: 329 r
Latest release date: 22.12.2011
Reviewed version: 1.0.1
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
Site: nektony.com/disk-expert
Apple AppStore: itunes.apple.com - Disk Expert

Disk Expert uses pie charts for visualization, just like Disk Inspector and DaisyDisk. In my opinion, this is the most convenient and visual representation of the disk contents that I have seen.

Instead of a list of files, Disk Expert displays the largest files, which is better than nothing, but it's more convenient for me when, along with a graphical display, there is also a simple list of directories and files on the disk, sorted by size, for example, like Disk Inventory X, DiskWave and DaisyDisk.

Disk Expert does not have a separate window with settings.

Although this application coped with the entire disk analysis, once during the review Disk Expert closed with an error. Considering its price and the fact that updates have not been released almost since the release of the application, I would not recommend spending money on it, although Disk Expert copes with its task.

Disk Inventory X

Price: Free of charge
Latest release date: 9.10.2005
Reviewed version: 1.0
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
Site: www.derlien.com
Apple AppStore: No

Despite the fact that the last version of this application was released almost 10 years ago in 2005, it continues to remain not only workable, but also the best among the free analogues.

Although colored squares are used here for visualization, there is also a list of directories and files with their sizes, which makes it easier to understand the information presented. You can also view statistics by content type.

There is nothing supernatural in the application settings.

Good free app, it is a pity that new versions do not come out and it looks like it has been abandoned by the developer.

DaisyDisk

Price: 329 r
Latest release date: 26.11.2013
Reviewed version: 3.0.2
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 and higher (version with support for 10.5 is available)
Site: www.daisydiskapp.com
Apple AppStore: itunes.apple.com - DaisyDisk

This utility is permanently installed on my Mac and, in my opinion, it has only one drawback - it is paid.

The data is presented in the form of a well-readable pie chart, and there is also a list of files and directories. Directory navigation is also made simple and convenient.

The application has everything you need to analyze the occupied disk space, and there is nothing superfluous.

Just the same Spartan settings.

Also, this is the only application from the review that is regularly updated by the creators and new versions continue to come out, which is important for an application, especially a paid one.

Conclusion

It seems to me that there are only two options out of all the reviewed applications that are worth paying attention to.

• If the free application is important to you, then you should stop at Disk Inventory X.
• If you're willing to pay, then the best option is DaisyDisk.

The rest of the applications either lose in functionality or have stopped updating, which may lead to the fact that after the next OS X update they stop working.

But it's up to you to decide which application to choose.

Good afternoon.

Very often users ask me the same question, but in different interpretations: "what is the hard drive clogged with?" ? " etc.

To assess and analyze the occupied hard disk space, there are special programs, thanks to which you can quickly find all unnecessary and delete. Actually, this is what this article will be about.

Analysis of the occupied hard disk space in diagrams

1. Scanner

Official site: http://www.steffengerlach.de/freeware/

A very interesting utility. Its advantages are obvious: it supports the Russian language, no installation is required, high speed work (she analyzed a 500 GB hard drive in a minute!), takes up very little space on the hard drive.

The program presents the results of its work in a small window with a diagram (see Fig. 1). If you visit the desired piece of the diagram with the mouse, you can immediately understand what takes up the most space on the HDD.

For example, on my hard disk (see Fig. 1), about a fifth of the occupied space is occupied by movies (33 GB, 62 files). By the way, there are quick buttons to go to the trash and "add and remove programs".

2. SpaceSniffer

Official site: http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/index.html

Another utility that does not need to be installed. At startup, the first thing will ask you to select a drive (specify a letter) for scanning. For example, my Windows system drive has 35 GB occupied, of which almost 10 GB is occupied by a virtual machine.

In general, the analysis tool is very visual, it helps to immediately understand what the hard drive is clogged with, where the files are "hidden", in which folders and on what topic ... I recommend using!

Rice. 2. SpaceSniffer - analysis system disk with windows

3. WinDirStat

Official site: http://windirstat.info/

Another utility of this kind. It is interesting primarily because in addition to simple analysis and drawing up a diagram, it also shows file extensions by painting the diagram in the desired color (see Fig. 3).

In general, it is quite convenient to use it: the interface is in Russian, there are quick links (for example, for emptying the trash, editing directories, etc.), it works in all popular Windows operating systems: XP, 7, 8.

Rice. 3. WinDirStat analyzes drive "C: \"

4. Free Disk Usage Analyzer

Official site: http://www.extensoft.com/?p=free_disk_analyzer

This program is the easiest tool to quickly find large files and optimize disk space.

Free Disk Usage Analyzer helps you organize and manage free disk space on HDD by finding the largest files on the disk. You can quickly find where the largest files, such as videos, photos and archives are located, and move them to another location (or delete them altogether).

By the way, the program supports the Russian language. There are also quick links that will help you clear the HDD from junk and temporary files, remove unused programs, find the largest folders or files, etc.

5.TreeSize

Official site: http://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free/

This program does not know how to build diagrams, but it conveniently sorts folders, depending on the occupied space on the hard disk. It is also very convenient to find a folder that takes up a lot of space - click on it and open it in Explorer (see arrows in Fig. 5).

Despite the fact that the program on English language- to deal with it quite simply and quickly. Recommended for both beginners and advanced users.

Rice. 5. TreeSize Free - the results of the analysis of the system drive "C: \"

By the way, so-called "junk" and temporary files can occupy a significant amount of space on the hard disk (by the way, because of them, free space on the hard disk decreases, even when you do not copy or download anything to it!). The hard drive needs to be cleaned periodically special utilities: CCleaner, FreeSpacer, Glary Utilites, etc. More details about such programs.

That's all for me. I would be grateful for the additions on the topic of the article.

Happy PC work.