Frequently Asked Questions
The following are some commonly asked questions and some general
hints...
What is the "wasted space" column in the tree ?
Wasted Space is basically the space that is left over in a
cluster when a file doesn't fully occupy that cluster. A cluster
is the smallest allocatible portion of a hard drive. A space a
file takes up must be allocated in whole clusters - and two
files cannot share the same cluster. So if a cluster size is 8
KB - then a file that is actually only 2 KB in size takes up 8
KB on the disk. So there are 6 KB of wasted space for that file.
What is the difference between the different versions ?
The Personal edition is aimed at the home or office power user,
while the Professional and Expert are aimed at LAN managers
and technical staff. To view a table showing the version
differences - click here.
Why does it
freeze when I try to save to Database?
The most common
reason for this that you are running Disk Triage on another
machine and accessing it via RDP. The Database
configuration file (ADS.ini) needs an additional line in it to
support the RDP access. You need to add the line below
that starts with "MTIER_".
[SETTINGS]
COMMCALLTRACE=1
MTIER_LOCAL_CONNECTIONS=1
How do I register the program after I have ordered on-line?
ShareIt
When you have placed your order via ShareIt - your credit card
is processed and we are notified. At that point we generate and
send you a registration code via email that you can enter the
next time you run the program. It will then turn your trial into
the fully registered version.
eSellerate
When you purchase via the web site (as opposed to via the
program) you will emailed a registration name and key. When you
next start the program - you need to enter the registration
information manually. To register manually - you need to select
File/Manual Registration from the main menu on the Trial
Notification form. There you will prompted to enter the
registration information.
Can I schedule Disk Triage to run at a later time?
Yes. Disk Triage has over 70+ command line parameters that
can be used to schedule scans using any Windows based scheduler
(or the AT command). You can schedule Disk Triage to scan
your disk space, print the report and email it to you - as well
as save the scan to the database - all in one command line.
When I try to manually register after purchasing from
eSellerate I don't see any accept buttons
This seems to
happen on some older version when you have your fonts set to
Large Fonts. You can either temporarily switch to regular
fonts - or contact our support staff and they will help you
register your copy of the application.
How can I find MP3 files and other Space wasting files on my
LAN Drives ?
Many LAN Administrators don't want users to store MP3s, AVIs,
MPegs, etc on their LAN storage space. Most of the times these
are personal files and shouldn't be taking up company storage
space and backup time anyway.
Disk Triage allows you to quickly find these files simply by
specifying the file extensions in the sizing criteria. In the
'File Specs to Include' edit box - you simply specify '*.MP3;*.AVI'
to have the sizing include only those files types - thus
allowing you to quickly determine how much space these files are
using and where they are stored.
How can I see the progress of the Analysis Sizing ?
You can see the progress by checking the 'Allow User to
Interrupt Sizing' and 'Show Directory Progress' checkboxes on
the Sizing tab of the Application Preferences dialog. You can
access this dialog via the edit menu.
However, turning this feature on can slow down the sizing quite
a bit.
How can I change the order of the Columns in the Tree ?
You can change the order of the columns simply by dragging and
dropping the column headers into their new position.
How do I interrupt a sizing ?
You can interrupt a sizing by either clicking on the 'X' button
in the toolbar or by hitting the Esc key. The Allow User to
Interrupt Sizing checkbox must be checked in the Application
Preferences. It is checked by default.
How do I change the printer my reports go to ?
You can change printer the reports go to by choosing Select
Printer from the Report menu and choosing what printer you want
to use for this session. It will only be for this session -
otherwise the reports will go to your default printer.
How can I gather File Owner information ?
You can gather File Owner information by choosing Gather File
Owner Stats on the Basic tab in the upper tab set. In order to
do this you must be running NT/2K/XP.
How can I see what files made up the Sizing ?
You can see the files by choosing 'Toggle Directory Details'
from the popup menu of the Tree. This will then show you a file
list box on the right hand side of the Tree that shows the files
that make up the selected directory. It is important to note
that the File List is tied to the selection criteria of the
Sizing. So if you choose only Word documents (*.doc) that are
older than 10 days - then this is all that will appear in the
File List to the right of the Tree.
How can I modify what buttons are in the toolbar ?
You can modify the toolbar buttons by clicking on the small down
arrow beside any of the individual tool bars. This will then
allow you to choose which tool bars you want available and allow
you to customize which buttons you want in them.
Can I size a network share without having to map a drive
letter to it ?
You can size a network share without mapping it to a drive
letter first. You simply enter the full share path into the
directory edit box ... such as "\\server\share\some_directory"
Why does the sizing take so long ?
The sizing can take long for three reasons. The first is that
the directory structure is huge and has lots of files in it.
The
second is that you have the settings in the Application
Preferences to allow the sizing to be interrupted and to Show
the Directory Progress turned on. The showing of the directory
progress during the sizing can slow down the sizing. The third
is that you have selected to collect extra stats during the
sizing in the checkbox list on the Basic tab.
However, with the settings installed by default - Disk Triage
should be one of the Fastest disk analysis application
available.
Why does Disk Triage minimize when I start a sizing ?
You can choose to minimize Disk Triage when you start a sizing
in the Performance tab of the Application Preferences. It is
turned off by default.
Why do some items in the Analysis tab appear empty ?
Some items in the Analysis tab appear empty because you haven't
selected to gather that information in the check box list on the
basic tab. This is done on the Basic tab in the upper tab list.
Why would I want to save the sizing output ?
You might want to save the Analysis output to allow you to
review it later and generate reports from it. As well in later
releases of Disk Triage there is the ability to compare two
or more saved scans to tell exactly where your disk usage has changed.
Do I need a user id with special privileges to get the file
owner information ?
No. You don't need special privileges to run Disk Triage. You
simply need the ability to read the directories that you wish to
size.
Will it work with drives on Novel, Linux and other servers ?
Yes. Because Disk Triage uses Windows APIs to get the sizing
information - as long as Windows can access the files and
directories on the remote system, Disk Triage should be able to
get the information it needs. For example you can even get file
owner information from a Linux server.
What are the system requirements for Disk Triage?
This really depends on whether you are running it at home or in a business environment. The list below is the minimum requirements. To run against large SAN or NAS devices with millions of files and hundreds of thousands of directories - you should consider having a larger machine.
Operating System : Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP
(Best under NT/2K/XP)
Memory : 128 MB or more.
If you plan on sizing very large directory structures (100,000+)
- then we would suggest that you
have 256 MB or memory or more.
Required Hard Drive Space : 15 MB
Processor Speed (Recommended) : No Restrictions
Screen Resolution (Minimum) : 800 x 600 pixels
Why the name "Disk Triage" ?
Since most people can figure out where the Disk part comes in -
what they really want to know is the use of Triage. Well Triage
has become synonymous with medical work - however what it really
is meant to express is the allocation of scarce resources.
And no matter how much disk space you have, it is always a scarce
resource that needs to be managed and allocated. So, Disk Triage
helps you allocate and manage your scarce resource of disk space.