Analysis of the contents of the hard drive. Review of free programs

operating room Windows system features an Explorer tool that allows you to get an idea of ​​what's on your drives. In addition to the list of files, we also see information about their size and the date of creation or modification. This, however, is too little information to find the data that clogs the disk the most.

The applications in this article can be divided into two categories. The first is programs that specialize in disk visualization. This graphical representation of data is perceived better than a list of files. The second group of tools are applications that show statistics on the participation of individual file types among all information stored on selected storage media.

WinDirStat

Represents the sizes and number of files on the computer's hard drive in graphical form, as well as on removable media of our choice.

Advantages of WinDirStat

• An accessible form of graphical visualization
• Also works in old Windows versions
• You can define how elements are displayed
• Tree cards

Flaws:

• Lack of ability to detect coloring for more file types

Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

SpaceSniffer Portable

SpaceSniffer scans and shows you the contents of selected drives in an easy-to-read hierarchical color scheme.

Benefits of SpaceSniffer

• No installation required
• Wide possibilities for filtering data that is visualized

Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

TreeSize Free

TreeSize Free allows you to quickly scan the contents of any media, and the results are displayed in a drop-down tree.

Benefits of TreeSize Free

• Convenient sorting by size, number of files or folders
• Copes with alternative data streams file system NTFS
• Interface adapted for touch screens

Flaws:

• Only in English version

Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

JDiskReport

JDiskReport - for lovers of statistics in the form of charts reminiscent of Excel charts. Instead of trees, we have histograms and pie charts.

Benefits of JDiskReport

• Interesting graphic schemes
• Lots of different statistics, including breakdown by size and creation date
• Java version available that runs on any Java platform

Flaws:

• Windows version requires Java installed

Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

FolderSize

FolderSize is highlighted by the summary window. It displays charts and a list of files or folders that can be sorted by various criteria.

Benefits of FolderSize

• Displays charts and file list in one window
• Allows you to pause and resume the scanning procedure, quickly takes into account changes in already scanned places

Flaws:

• Free version does not allow scanning of matched hard disks and network

Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

Question from a user

Hello.

Tell me how I can find out what space is occupied on my disk. The fact is that I looked at the size of all the folders on it, added them up - and it turned out to be less than the total occupied space in the disk properties (on my computer). What to do?

Good time!

Yes, it’s time to remember one saying: “no matter what size your HDD- sooner or later it will be filled...".

In general, in your case, the space may have been taken up by various hidden and system files (by default, Explorer does not display them). In my opinion, the easiest way to analyze the occupied disk space (i.e., get a convenient and visual “picture” of who “chopped off” all the space) is to use the help of a special tool. utilities

As a rule, they can do it in 1-2 minutes. analyze your entire HDD and display the results in the form of a convenient diagram (and based on it, anyone, even a novice user, will be able to find out in which direction to “dig” and what to delete...).

And so, now closer to the topic...

How to find out what's clogged up your hard drive [Analysis!]

WinDirStat

A very small utility (less than 1 MB) that can show you in a matter of minutes which folders and files take up the most space. Moreover, all this is done very clearly, and the search for the “culprit” happens very quickly!

Below I will show with my own example how I found a file that “took up” 12 GB!

And so, after installing and launching the utility, simply select the disk(s) that you want to analyze, click OK. See screenshot below.

After which you will see a color diagram: each "rectangle" is a file, the size of the rectangle is drawn relative to the file size. Those. thanks to this work, you immediately find the largest files on the disk and can start deleting them...

Analysis of my disk / Clickable

For example, a file took up 12 GB of space on my disk pagefile.sys(see screenshot above). For those who have a problem with the same file, I will say that this is the page file. It is used automatically by the system, but it can be limited or transferred to another disk (how to do this is described in one of my articles, the link is given below).

Not enough disk space? We remove all garbage and configure system files (including pagefile.sys) in just 5 steps-

TreeSize

TreeSize - main program window

This program, unlike the previous one, does not create charts, but it conveniently sorts folders according to their size. Moreover, opposite each folder, a certain percentage value is “lit” relative to its size (the entire disk is 100%).

I’ll note one more convenient thing: from its window you can open any of the folders (files) in Explorer. TreeSize "sees" all files and folders on the disk (including hidden and system ones), so be careful when deleting everything...

Note : It is possible to import analysis results into an HTML file.

Scanner

A similar utility, although its size is even smaller. After launching, the utility will quickly scan the disk and show you a pie chart: by hovering your mouse over its individual sections, you can find all the folders and files that have begun to take up too much space...

Please note that on the left in the program menu you can select any of the hard drives that your Windows OS sees.

SpaceSniffer

Note: the program does not require installation.

SpaceSniffer differs from other similar programs in its very original interface and slightly different approach to business (perhaps this is why it is in demand).

When you first launch it, the program will show you all the disks, and after you select one of them, it will begin scanning. After which, a visual diagram will appear in front of you: by moving through it, you will quickly find that the extra space on the disk has been “chopped off” (see screenshot above).

The program also allows you to delete or move files directly from the window, and search for files using a specific filter (for example, by their extension).

In general, the program deserves high praise, I recommend it for use!

DiskView

DiskView main window

This program differs from others in that it works even on relatively old operating systems Windows NT 4, 2000, XP ( new Windows 7, 8, 10 - of course supported).

Otherwise, the work is similar: a disk diagram is built, using which you can easily determine which file occupies which clusters.

The program is free, it does not support Russian.

JDiskReport

Supported: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X

An excellent program for HDD analysis. Allows you to find your lost place in minutes! Thanks to the extremely convenient pie chart, you can immediately see which folders have taken up all the space.

I note that when you enter the largest folder: the diagram is rebuilt, and you again see which files/folders are already taking up space in it, etc.

By the way, the program has a top 50 - it will show all the largest files on the disk!

Spyglass

A simple free program that allows you to quickly build diagrams based on occupied space on HDD. I note that Spyglass also includes a “locator” that detects complete duplicate files.

From the program window, you can open any folder or file, or even send them to the trash (this will not work only with system files).

Additions on the topic will be very helpful!

That's all for now, good luck!

Good afternoon.

Very often, users ask me the same question, but in different interpretations: “What is the hard drive full of?”, “Why has the space on the hard drive decreased, since I haven’t downloaded anything?”, “How to find files that are taking up space on the HDD ? etc.

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

Analysis of 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 required, high speed (it analyzed a 500 GB hard drive in a minute!), and takes up very little space on the hard drive.

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

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

2. SpaceSniffer

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

Another utility that does not require installation. When starting, the first thing you will do is ask you to select a drive (specify a letter) to scan. For example, my Windows system disk has 35 GB of space, of which almost 10 GB is occupied by the virtual machine.

In general, the analysis tool is very visual, it helps you immediately understand what is full of your hard drive, where the files are “hidden”, in which folders and on what topic... I recommend it for use!

Rice. 2. SpaceSniffer - analysis of the Windows system disk

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, painting the diagram in the desired color (see Fig. 3).

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

Rice. 3. WinDirStat analyzes the “C:\” drive

4. Free Disk Usage Analyzer

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

This program is the simplest tool for quickly searching large files and optimizing disk space.

Free Disk Usage Analyzer helps you organize and manage your HDD free disk space by searching for the largest files on the disk. You can quickly find where the largest files are located, such as videos, photos and archives, 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 clean your HDD from junk and temporary files, delete unused programs, find the largest folders or files, etc.

5.TreeSize

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

This program cannot create charts, but it conveniently sorts folders depending on the space occupied on the hard drive. 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 is English language- dealing with it is quite simple and quick. Recommended for both beginners and experienced users.

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

By the way, significant space on your hard drive can be taken up by so-called “junk” and temporary files (by the way, they reduce the free space on your hard drive, even when you don’t copy or download anything to it!). It is necessary to clean your hard drive periodically special utilities: CCleaner, FreeSpacer, Glary Utilites, etc. More details about such programs.

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

Good luck with your PC.

Question “What is taking up so much space on my hard drive?” sometimes it can confuse you. It would seem that all the weighty folders with documents, music, films, and also installed programs we know, but... When we click on “Properties” hard drive and look at the ratio of full and occupied volume, we understand that there is an obvious discrepancy here - several (or maybe a dozen or two) gigabytes of our precious disk space have disappeared somewhere.

In such cases, you can audit the contents of user profiles, check hidden system files and folders, the size of the paging file (Pagefile.sys), the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys), the System Volume Information folder, which stores system restore checkpoints, run the standard Windows utility– “Disk Cleanup” and so on. But these manipulations are not always able to shed light on the truth.

This entry lists several programs whose function is to analyze the structure and volume of information that is stored on the computer's hard drive. For me personally, it is important that these programs are free, easy to use, and most importantly, provide reliable information. I suggest we take a closer look at the programs that meet the specified conditions.

SpaceSniffer is a portable, free program that helps you understand the folder and file structure of your hard drive. SpaceSniffer's visualization diagram will clearly show you where large folders and files are located on your devices. The area of ​​each rectangle is proportional to the size of that file. You can double click on any sector to get more detailed information about it. If you are looking for specific file types such as JPG files, or files older than a year, use the “Filter” option to select the conditions you specify.

The program has many settings, but its interface is in English. The information it produces seemed to me not very convenient for visual perception and, as a consequence, for evaluating it. But in principle, it works quickly and efficiently. In any case, once you get used to it and delve into the settings, it’s quite possible to use it.

WinDirStat collects information from the selected disk and presents it in three views. A directory list, which resembles the Windows Explorer tree structure, appears in the top left corner and sorts files and folders by size. The extended list that appears in the upper right corner shows statistics about different types files. The file map is located at the bottom of the WinDirStat window. Each colored rectangle represents a file or directory. The area of ​​each rectangle is proportional to the size of the files or subtrees.

The program is not portable, but it has a Russian-language interface. I didn’t delve too deeply into its settings, but one nuance immediately caught my eye - the System Volume Information folder, according to the program, is empty. In fact, this is not the case, System Restore is enabled and a little over 3 GB is currently used for it. So the program lied.

TreeSize Free

Not portable, choice of two languages: German and English. Microsoft certified. Allows you to launch the program in the usual way or from the context menu of a folder or drive. This is a very convenient opportunity, in my opinion. The program shows you the size of the selected folder, including subfolders. The results are presented in a Windows Explorer tree view, so you can expand the selected folder or drive and navigate to the file at each level. To analyze hidden system folders the program asked to restart the PC.

Disktective is a free, portable utility that reports the actual size of directories and the distribution of subdirectories and files within them. The selected folder or drive is analyzed and the result is displayed in the form of a tree and chart. The interface is English, information collection is fast.

The interface is English, not portable. DiskSavvy is a fast and easy-to-use disk space analyzer that allows you to monitor disk space usage on your computer. hard drives, network drives and NAS servers. The main window shows the percentage of disk space used by each directory and file. You can also easily view pie charts showing the results in graphic format. Has a large number of settings.

DiskSavvy is available as a free version, as well as a full, Pro version that provides additional features and technical support. The free version allows you to scan a maximum of 500,000 files, with a maximum hard drive capacity of 2 TB. It supports long file names, unicode file names, and allows you to copy, move, and delete files directly within the program. Cool program, I liked it.

For each selected folder or drive, GetFoldersize displays the total size of all files in that folder or drive, as well as the number of files and their attachments. You can use GetFoldersize to scan an unlimited number of files and folders on internal and external hard drives, DVDs, and network share drives. This program supports long file and folder names and unicode characters and has the ability to display file sizes in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. GetFoldersize allows you to print a folder tree and save the information in text file.

Versions of GetFoldersize are available in both portable and installable versions, so you can carry it with you on a flash drive or external USB drive. However, if you install GetFoldersize, all its features will be added with the option to launch from the context menu in Windows Explorer, which will allow you to start scanning the volume of a folder or drive by right-clicking on it. The interface is English, there is a good selection of settings.

RidNacs is a fast disk space analyzer that scans local drives, network drives or individual directories, displaying the results in a tree and percentage histogram. You can save scan results in several formats (.TXT, .CSV, .HTML, or .XML). Files can be opened and deleted directly in RidNacs. During installation, you can add the option to run the program in the Windows Explorer context menu. When you scan a folder, it is added to the list of favorite drives. You can also change appearance histograms by installing special skins (skins). The program is not portable; it has 2 interface languages ​​- English and German. She could not analyze some folders, as can be seen in the screenshot.

Portable Scanner program shows a pie chart with concentric rings to show the space usage of your hard drive, external hard drive, network drive. Moving the mouse over the segments in the diagram allows you to display the full path to the object at the top of the window, as well as the size of the directories and the number of files in the directory. Right-clicking on a segment provides additional options. It is possible to delete selected directories to the Trash directly from the program. The archive with the program contains 2 reg files, one of which is used to add the scanner to the Windows Explorer context menu, and the other to remove it.

I liked Free Disk Analyzer more than all other programs. During the installation process, you are offered a choice of 5 languages, Russian is present. The free disk analyzer displays your disks on the left side of the window, much like Windows Explorer, allowing you to quickly navigate to the desired folder or file. The right side of the window displays all subfolders and files in the selected folder or disk, the size and percentage of disk space that the folder or file uses. Tabs at the bottom of the window allow you to quickly select and view your largest files or folders. You can manage your files directly within the program, just like in Windows Explorer. From additional features It is worth noting the launch of the program uninstaller, as well as the settings menu, which allows you to filter only certain files:

If you have previously had problems with “losing” disk space, tell us how and with the help of what programs (or actions) you solved them.

Modern size hard drives amounts to terabytes, but the free space on them still disappears somewhere. And if you are the owner of a high-speed, but much less capacious solid-state drive, then the situation can become completely catastrophic.

With these three programs, you can visually assess what and how much space is taking up on your disk, and decide whether to clean it up.

The most popular cleaner for Windows has in its arsenal a special tool for searching large files. It is located in the “Service” section and is called “Disk Analysis”.

Disk space usage is illustrated with a pie chart showing the distribution between the main file types - images, documents, videos. Below is a table with detailed information on each type.

After startup and a preliminary assessment of the fullness of the hard drive, WinDirStat provides a complete map of its status. It consists of various squares, the size of which corresponds to the file size, and the color to its type. Clicking on any element allows you to find out its exact size and location on the disk. Using the buttons on the toolbar, you can delete any file or view it in the file manager.

SpaceSniffer is a great alternative to CCleaner and WinDirStat. This free application can show a disk fullness map in the same way as the previous utility does. However, here you can easily adjust the viewing depth and the amount of detail displayed. This allows you to see the largest directories first, and then dive deeper into the bowels of the file system until you get to the smallest files.