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SpaceSniffer Does Eye Candy Drive Space Analysis

Windows only: Drive space visualiser utility SpaceSniffer takes the mundane task of cleaning up your drive and makes it more pleasant with some impressive graphics.

SpaceSniffer works similarly to previously mentioned SpaceMonger—it provides a drill-down treemap view of your drive so you can quickly identify where your drive space has gone. The difference is that SpaceSniffer does it with style—drilling down into a directory with an animated zoom effect that makes it a lot more pleasant to use.

SpaceSniffer joins a very large group of similar utilities—you can take your pick between: DriveSpacio, Windirstat, Free Disk Analyzer, Primitive File Size Chart, Xinorbis, Simple Directory Analyzer and Treesize Free—all of which do the exact same thing with different graphical interfaces: they help visualise your hard drive usage. There’s no right answer between the different utilities, you should use the one that works for you.

SpaceSniffer is a free download for Windows only—but instead of visualising your drive usage all the time, you should learn how to use Belvedere to automate your own self-cleaning PC.

SpaceSniffer [via Download Squad]

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • garbanzo-bean

    SequoiaView is prettier...

    garbanzo-bean

  • Bill Clark

    That's impressive graphics? Holy crap, how do you feel about the PS3? :)

  • googeling

    Tried, looks impressive. Currently no use for it yet but will keep it. :)

  • Jrsy Devil's Food Cake®

    @Jrsy Devil's Food Cake®: Dang typo..

  • Jrsy Devil's Food Cake®

    @DiskInventoryX>/a>

  • saxdrummer

    What's a good solution like this for the Mac? I use OmniDiskSweeper but it doesn't have any kind of visualization.

  • ub

    @Bill Clark: Yea isn't Windirstat like ... a lot prettier?

  • Vince Hradil

    Looks nice - I've always used windirstat, but the biggest problem I have is that I would like to "exclude" certain directories (like .snapshot directories on ufs mounted drives), but windirstat doesn't do that. Does anyone know if any of these other tools does that?

    Vince Hradil

  • Vince Hradil

    Looks nice - I've always used windirstat, but the biggest problem I have is that I would like to "exclude" certain directories (like .snapshot directories on ufs mounted drives), but windirstat doesn't do that. Does anyone know if any of these other tools does that?

    Vince Hradil

  • azpat

    windirstat offers a right click delete, I've used others that gave me no way to delete stuff from within the app, so I keep going back to windirstat.

    azpat

  • q335r49

    Good lord is this pretty. I feel like im using a computer in the movies!

    q335r49

  • azpat

    windirstat offers a right click delete, I've used others that gave me no way to delete stuff from within the app, so I keep going back to windirstat.

    azpat

  • HobWebs

    Been using Overdisk for some time now and it is very small and easy to use. I like the layered pie chart way of expressing the space usage: [users.forthnet.gr]

  • HobWebs

    Been using Overdisk for some time now and it is very small and easy to use. I like the layered pie chart way of expressing the space usage: [users.forthnet.gr]

  • cha0sunity

    I think I'll stick with Sequoiaview

  • alaiacano

    @[grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net]

    alaiacano

  • rickatnight11

    I much prefer WinDirStat.

  • TheFu

    Anyone know of a Linux tool that does this that isn't just "view"? I'd like to be able to move and delete folders easily.

    I have seen a shell script that mixes `tree` with `hogs` but misplaced it sometime in the last 10 years.

    TheFu

  • dimatx

    @joelena: Agreed, very fast, very lightweight, but powerful. Good set of options to drill down quickly. I like it!

  • aj_robins

    @azpat: Yes, windirstat FTW!

    aj_robins

  • joelena

    I saw this and thought, "Yeah, like we need another of these", but I'm pretty impressed. There are 2 things that make it stand out from all the others I've tried:

    1. you get the same right-click menu for files as in Explorer, not some small selection of options.

    2. you can look at the structure of multiple drives side-by-side, each in its own sub-window.

  • betawind

    @Bill Clark: PS3 = Jesus in a can

    betawind

  • StartingAces

    @azpat: very much endorsed. I check windirstat every so often to make sure I didn't accidentally dupe my whole music collection or something like that. Great way to keep tabs on space.

  • jazmatician

    Yeah, you guys forgot Sequoia View. Teh awesome.
    [www.win.tue.nl]

    jazmatician

  • jwilson27

    Does anyone know of a hard drive analysis tool that will show me old files / folders? For example, a filter that will show me only the files / folders that are 6 months old or older?

    Thanks!
    Jason
    TechDiY.net

    jwilson27

  • Mike Kenyon

    I love Spacemonger because it is so fast, but SpaceSniffer looks fantastic while it combs your hard drive! Thanks for this!

    Mike Kenyon

  • ChantalKabma

    I love SequoiaView too. It hasn't been updated in years - but it still looks the best and just works right.

    ChantalKabma

  • ZebadiahLagman

    WhatSize is what i used to use.

    ZebadiahLagman

  • JulietEmu

    You omitted the ultimate Disk Space analysis tool: Sequoia View http://w3.win.tue.nl/nl/onderzoek/onderzoek_informatica/visualization/sequoiaview/

    JulietEmu

  • OpalMagooin

    Max OS x users can use "Disk Inventory X" for similar, graphical results Not the writer, but I like it a lot. http://www.derlien.com/

    OpalMagooin

  • SunetraHizello

    are there any of these that work over ftp? that would really make my day/year.

    SunetraHizello

  • k0shyX

    @HobWebs: Wow, OverDisk is really nice, thanks for posting it!

  • HobWebs

    @k0shyX:

    You're welcome! :)

  • Dignan17

    Well, this application certainly is better than WinDirStat on one front: it isn't the ugliest application I've ever seen. I could never understand why/how people could actually use WinDirStat when it meant looking at such an ugly app.

    And I repeat, check out Scanner, as recommended above.

    Dignan17

  • Dignan17

    @paintbox: +1 from me! I've tried to recommend this after every article that Lifehacker does about space measuring tools, and for some reason they've never tried it. It's super compact, portable, and I far prefer the way it presents its data to the programs like the one above that Lifehacker seems to love so much.

    Dignan17

  • turbotape

    @Vince Hradil: I believe SpaceMonger does it.

    turbotape

  • turbotape

    @ub: Yes, if colorful, blobby, shiny, glaring graphics is your thing, then yes, WinDirStat is prettier.

    If you however appreciate aesthetics, simplicity, minimalism, cleanliness and colours that match, then I'd say Space Sniffer.

    turbotape

  • wescook

    @jwilson27: I think your best bet would be to check the homepages of the tools suggested above, and look for a filters feature to mentioned.

  • Diabolic Preacher

    deletion within windirstat is one major reason besides being open source that i love it and end up using it exclusively.

  • Charles Thomas Horovitz

    The sequoia one works pretty well though it can be slow at times. And for serving a pretty singular purpose it does it while lookin' the purrdiest I think. Also, this will be my first comment after lurking for ages. Feels great.

    Charles Thomas Horovitz

  • kazemizuhi

    @azpat: Spacemonger.

  • Kiri Komori

    @Kiri Komori: now Steam is my biggest memory hog, the way it should be

    Kiri Komori

  • Kiri Komori

    good god thank you

    thanks to this I found out that my WINDOWS folder was the memory hog taking 72GB out of my 160GB HD

    did some windows install cleanup
    C:\Program Files\Windows Installer Clean Up\msizap G!
    and now the folder is down to 6 GB

    Kiri Komori

  • paintbox

    Well ok I have this running. It is attractive. I can't say if it will be useful, but it's a true geek toy if ever there was one. Whether it could be a utility, time will tell.

    paintbox

  • paintbox

    Scanner

    [www.steffengerlach.de]

    paintbox

  • EmilioCarme

    You guys should try WinDirStat.

    EmilioCarme

  • EldwinCactuar

    I've got to agree that SequoiaView is better than any of the disk space display programs I've seen. It hasn't been updated in years, but it doesn't need to be. I easily clean up a terabyte drive, finding the big pieces quickly even when they are made up of lots of little pieces. And it's a free download. Kudos to the developers! I don't understand why similar programs keep showing up in lifehacker -- it seems to me like a solved problem!

    EldwinCactuar

  • ub

    @turbotape: Oh. Well color me tasteless then, but I like shiny blobby and glaring.

    I also like Michael Bay films... In fact the only thing that windirstat is missing is a few awesome explosions.

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