How to Visualize Files on Your Hard Drive
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During our last GoToMeeting, we took a look at what Will had on his desktop. He was using StepTree in order to view and manage the files in his hard drives. This free program is extremely extensive, and will allow you to keep control of what’s on your computer.
StepTree is basically a Tree-Map extended into three dimensions where the size of files and directories is mapped to area in the visualization. Therefore, the area of a directory in the visualization is indicative of the sizes of all the directories below it.
There are thousands upon thousands of files in your hard drive when the computer is new – long before you ever add your first program or document. Anyone who thinks they have full control over every one of those files is sadly mistaken. Using a free program like StepTree lets you keep track of your files, and maintain your hard drive properly.
Every week we do a GoToMeeting with people from our live community. GoToMeeting is the perfect way to collaborate and share what’s on your desktop with others. You can use it for your next business meeting, or just to show off your latest gaming achievements to your friends. Make sure you join us for the next one!
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8 Comments
Dod
March 3rd, 2009
at 8:16am
Hi,
Personnaly I use TreeSize freeware version for years, but it’s folder’s size oriented not per file type.
You also have WinDirStat freeware that do same as StepTree but no 3D and much much faster !
regards.
Dod
March 3rd, 2009
at 8:22am
oups…and I forgot…StepTree use TONS of memory.
I tested it on a small 40GB with 55.000 files 3.000 folders partition : it used 250MB physical RAM plus 200MB of swapped memory !!!
Kerrick
March 3rd, 2009
at 8:56am
I use WinDirStat Portalbe from PortableApps.com, it’s really handy.
RabbitsInBlack
March 4th, 2009
at 4:18am
Nice Idea looks like almost the Jurassic Park Idea but could use some improvement. The question is, tho, Why? It really does show real purpose just some Icandy.
emerysteele
March 4th, 2009
at 7:01pm
Wow this is so cool. I have been looking for something kind of like this for a little while and then i came here and found it. You guys are awesome. Thanks Chris & WillFM.
Diabolic Preacher
March 5th, 2009
at 9:52am
WinDirStat on windows, filelight on kde are my favorites. Its only upon using these tools that you know where all the actual space hoggers are hiding. remnants of installers, temp files, intermediate media files, the movie you thought u deleted and the that tiny text file with your bank account number :P well, not really, but it helps…we don’t need 3d but a 2d area map, is great and windirstat lets you delete the files from there itself if you want to free up space, or you could visit the folder in explorer and clear up things yourself.
StepTree looks like old software.
Alex Tsui
March 5th, 2009
at 1:25pm
There are many things interesting about this program. We regularly think of data and files on our Hard Disk Drives as hexadecimals and binary codes that no normal human can naturally comprehend. Yet, this program changes almost everything on the statement I have just provided.
This program says something to its users. This program says that files are not just bits of numbers and letters, but more of an image. It is based on the way it is organized and works in an interesting way. To see a different view on files on a regular hard disk drive is just astounding.
Patrick Korkuch
March 6th, 2009
at 8:38pm
This looks so cool! I’ve been looking for a way to see files on a hard drive, and this looks like the perfect solution.