Tool that lets you understand how folders and files are structured on your disks

SpaceSniffer

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Download SpaceSniffer 1.3.0.2

SpaceSniffer

  -  1.58 MB  -  Freeware
  • Latest Version

    SpaceSniffer 1.3.0.2 LATEST

  • Review by

    Michael Reynolds

  • Operating System

    Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    Uderzo Umberto / External Link

  • Filename

    spacesniffer_1_3_0_2.zip

  • MD5 Checksum

    7f47d50c449ee16a079c5787746dc790

SpaceSniffer is a user-friendly and efficient tool that allows you to easily locate and reclaim your valuable free disk space. With its intelligent cached scanning engine, powerful filtering system, and visually appealing animated disk layout, you can effortlessly find those forgotten, space-consuming files such as large JPEGs, database backups, and more. SpaceSniffer stays synchronized with the file system by listening to file system events, ensuring accurate and up-to-date results. It can even scan NTFS Alternate Data Streams.

Initiate a scan process to assess the overall situation of your disk. The size of elements displayed in the view corresponds to the size of folders and files on your disk. Want more information about a large folder? Simply click on it, and the selected element will be expanded to reveal its contents. Need even more detailed information? Continue selecting elements, and SpaceSniffer will unveil their secrets to you. If you want a closer look at a smaller folder, just double click on it, and it will zoom to fill the entire view.

It aims to be intuitive and incorporates graphical effects that some may consider unnecessary. However, these effects serve to enhance understanding of the scanning process. For example, the zoom in/out effect helps users navigate through the visual representation. The blinking effect highlights recently scanned or changed items, allowing for quick identification. While some may find these effects superfluous, I personally find them helpful in my own usage of the tool and hope that others will also find them useful.

Features

SpaceSniffer offers a fast and user-friendly experience, allowing for effortless navigation. Its drag and drop support simplifies the process of examining files. The export module enables the generation of customizable textual reports. The tool's intuitive structure layout and multiple views cater to different media types. Elements within the views can be zoomed in on, akin to browsing a website. Access to the Windows folders and file popup menu is available through a right-click.

The view content can be restricted by applying simple yet powerful filtering criteria. Additionally, files can be temporarily tagged with four different colors, facilitating filtering based on these tags. Different views of the same media can display elements according to distinct filtering settings. The tool's geometry, colors, and behaviors are fully customizable to suit individual preferences. Notably, navigation remains possible even while a scan is in progress.

It employs a smart cached scanning engine, enabling multiple views and a single scan process. It also allows for the refinement of a zoomed area through a secondary scan, even while the main scan is active. The tool responds to file system events, ensuring synchronization and alerts users through blinking elements. Furthermore, it is capable of scanning NTFS Alternate Data Streams.

One of SpaceSniffer's advantages is that it does not clutter the system registry; it relies solely on a plain XML configuration file. Moreover, it is a portable application, requiring no installation. Simply place the executable file in a desired location, and you're ready to go.

FAQ

What is SpaceSniffer, and what does it do?
The app is a disk space analysis tool for Windows PCs. It helps you visualize the space usage on your hard drive and identify large files and folders that are taking up valuable storage.

How do I install SpaceSniffer on my PC?
To install SpaceSniffer, you can visit the official website or a trusted software download platform, download the setup file, and run the installation wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Is SpaceSniffer compatible with all versions of Windows?
Yes, SpaceSniffer is compatible with most versions of Windows, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7. It works on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Can SpaceSniffer scan network drives or external storage devices?
Yes, it can scan not only your local hard drives but also network drives and external storage devices such as USB drives and external hard disks. Simply select the desired drive or directory for analysis.

How does SpaceSniffer represent disk space visually?
It uses a treemap visualization, where each file and folder is represented by a rectangle. The size of the rectangle corresponds to the space it occupies on the disk. You can navigate through the treemap and explore folders by expanding or collapsing them.

Can I delete files directly from SpaceSniffer?
No, The program is a disk space analysis tool and does not have built-in file deletion capabilities. However, you can right-click on a file or folder in SpaceSniffer and choose to open it in Windows Explorer, where you can delete or manage the files.

Does SpaceSniffer require administrative privileges to run?
No, it does not require administrative privileges to run. However, if you want to analyze system-protected areas or restricted directories, you may need to run it as an administrator.

Can SpaceSniffer show the types of files occupying disk space?
Yes, it can display file types using different colors or patterns. This feature allows you to quickly identify and differentiate between various file types, such as documents, images, videos, and more.

Can SpaceSniffer scan compressed or encrypted files?
Yes, it can scan and analyze the contents of compressed files, such as ZIP archives. However, it cannot analyze the content of encrypted files or files that are password-protected.

Is SpaceSniffer a free software?
Yes, the app is free for personal and commercial use. You can download and use it without any cost. However, donations to support the development of the software are always appreciated.

PROS

Intuitive visual disk space analysis.
Support for scanning network drives and external storage.
Customizable file type visualization.
Compatible with various versions of Windows.
Free for personal and commercial use.

CONS

Limited support for encrypted or password-protected files.
Can't analyze content inside compressed files.
Lacks advanced filtering and sorting options.
It has been a long time since there was an official update.

Conclusion

There is a wealth of additional features in SpaceSniffer. For system administrators and advanced users, the software offers the ability to search for specific files using filters (including the option to combine multiple filters), tag individual files for easy tracking, and exclude tagged files, among other functionalities. With numerous customization options available, including its free, clean, and portable nature. Enjoy!

  • SpaceSniffer 1.3.0.2 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

What's new in this version:

- Fixed binary export file format (Version 2). Now text elements are encoded in Base 64 format to prevent special characters corruption. Version 1 files are still readable

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