Check Windows XP directory size information with Diruse

by Greg Shultz | Mar 30, 2005 8:00:00 AM

Tags: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows XP, Greg Shultz, Diruse, Windows XP Tips Newsletter

Takeaway: A great way to gather the information you want is to use the Windows Support Tools' Diruse command line tool. Here's how.

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If the vast amount of available space on your hard disk is dwindling, you're probably wondering where all that space has gone. To figure that out, you may open Windows Explorer and look for the folder or folders that are using up all the hard disk space. Or, you can save some time by right-clicking each folder, selecting Properties, and checking the Size report on the General tab.

However, an even better way to gather the information you want is to use the Windows Support Tools' Diruse command line tool. In its basic syntax, the Diruse command displays the number of files in each folder and the total size of the folder in bytes in a nice tabular format. By using the optional parameters, you can configure the Diruse command to focus on specific folders and report folder size in kilobytes or in megabytes. Other parameters will even allow you to flag folders that exceed a size that you specify.

To use the Diruse command line tool, you'll need to download and install Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools (this assumes that you've installed SP2).