ShowSize

Announcing ShowSize 5.0.2

A new version 5.0.2 of ShowSize is about to be released. This version officially supports Vista and contains many new exciting features. If you are using Windows Vista, we recommend that you get the new ShowSize 5 immediately and start using it as described in installation notes. Even if you are not using Windows Vista yet, you will find many new useful features in ShowSize 5.

Please check out the new features as described below. Please let us know how you like them. We will appreciate an early response, especially if you see any release-stopper problems.

How to get and install ShowSize 5:

All paid users with valid subscription can get ShowSize 5.0.2 from our special user support area at support.showsize.com. You just need to login with your contact email address that is supposed to be on our files. If you face any problems, do let us know your preferred login address.

Installation notes (PLEASE READ): Note that ShowSize 5 needs a new license key that you will get from the user support area along with the download link. Also, ShowSize 5 installs in a separate folder so that you can keep using it along with earlier ShowSize 4 and can compare the results of both versions. If you see any problems, do let us know.

Highlights of ShowSize 5

Officially supports Vista:

• Detects and suggests running as administrator when required for advanced usage.
   
• Contains utilities to install menus in Explorer with proper Vista permission prompts.
   
• Unused Files report discontinued! A major Windows Vista related change is that we have discontinued Unused Files report and Used Date column for the reasons mentioned in the help topic "Report discontinued." The report appears on earlier Windows systems but with a severe warning because the report can still be useless for volumes shared with Windows Vista computers.

New, redesigned scanning, reporting and filtering engine:

• New design ensures that we can easily add new reports in future based on your suggestions.
• Elimination of System and Hidden items now does not require a rescan but just a change in the filters.
• Symbolic link skipping is now supported (but not in ShowSize PE).
• Customizable color features have been added to identify System/Hidden items, symbolic links and to test filtered items.
  
  

New "Only Folders" Report:
(*** This feature is not available in ShowSize PE)

This is similar to Only Files and presents all the folders in one flat list. For example, I have sorted this "Only Folders" report on names, and I can see all the same named folders at a glance irrespective of how deep they are located. This is different from the Folder Sizes or Folders and Files report where such a sorting is not possible due to hierarchical display.

New Find Names feature:

Searching for a file or folder name in any report is now very convenient. Clicking on a Find Names tab on the right opens a search pane where you can enter the characters to search for in the name. It fill ups all the names found in the list. Click on any name, and it positions to that item on the main report.

New Owners Report:
(*** This feature is only available in 5-user-licenses or better of ShowSize, not in PE)

This is similar to the File Types report except that the files are grouped by Owners. In the following example, I can see files of the owner SYSTEM.

Saving and Sharing of Reports:
(*** This feature is only available in 5-user-licenses or better of ShowSize, not in PE)

You can save a ShowSize report by using the menu Tools--Save Report. Other users can view such a report by opening it with the menu Tools--View Report. A report can be viewed this way even on a system where that drive location is not present.

The following picture shows a report being viewed. This looks quite the same as a live report except that the left pane is not there. Also, you CAN NOT do any LIVE operations on the files or folders of a report being viewed. For example, you can not open those folders in explorer, start a command prompt on them, delete folders and files, etc. Other than that, all the report viewing features, printing options and filters work on the saved report.

Starting a command prompt:

You can right-click on the report and start a command prompt or administrator command prompt (Vista) on the selected folder or the containing folder of the selected file.

Auto refresh:
(*** This feature is not available in ShowSize PE)

The Auto Refresh feature allows you to leave a ShowSize window on for a long time, rescanning or refreshing automatically in a preset interval. The idea is that without any intervention, you get to see the latest reports on a disk location. The auto refresh stops as soon as you do any operation on that window. So if you don't want to disturb it, start another ShowSize to do your operations while leaving the Auto-refresh copy of ShowSize running.

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Version specific history: There are always other minor improvements, new options and fixes not listed on this highlights page. To see a version specific history list of changes, please follow these steps in your copy of ShowSize (or PE) 5:

• Click on Help--Help Topics to open the help file.
• Go to the New Features topic at the top.
• Follow the web link shown for "Known problems, fixes and new features specific to this particular version."