Screenshot of WinDirStat |
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| Developer(s) | Bernhard Seifert and Oliver Schneider |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.1.2 (#2) / 2 September 2007 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Disk space analyzer |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | windirstat.info |
WinDirStat is a graphical disk usage analyzer for Microsoft Windows, notable for presenting a sub-tree view with disk use percentage alongside a usage-sorted list of file extensions that is interactively integrated with a colorful graphical display (a treemap).[1][2][3] Created as an open source project released under the GNU GPL, it was developed using Visual C++/MFC 7.0. The project was inspired by KDirStat (a KDE application, since replaced by Filelight) for Linux.
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WinDirStat has been downloaded more than 4.2 million times from the official source since the original release in October 2003.[4] As of October 2011, it is the 6th most frequently downloaded "Storage" software on SourceForge with over 30,000 downloads per week.[5]
The most recent release was in September 2007 and development stopped for some time after that. However, the project's blog noted that development resumed in May 2009.[6]
Source is provided for all released versions on the project SourceForge page in ZIP format.
WinDirStat is developed via Mercurial revision control.
WinDirStat releases are distributed through SourceForge.
| Version | Date | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.2 (#2) | September 2007 | Added translations: Finnish, Dutch, Russian, Estonian |
| 1.1.2 (#1) | September 2006 | Spanish, Hungarian, Italian, and Czech translations. Minor optimization |
| 1.1.1 | January 2005 | "Christmas Release" Pacman replaces progress bar, Polish translation, localization tweaks, documentation updates, bugfixes |
| 1.1.0 | January 2004 | Added French translation, feature tweaks, bugfixes |
| 1.0.1 | December 2003 | Bugfixes, added more display columns, added drive selection dialog |
| 1.0.0 | October 2003 | First release. 1.0.0 README states: Design and many details are based on KDirStat (kdirstat.sourceforge.net). WinDirStat is "a KDirStat re-programmed for MS Windows". |
Some notable reviews are highlighted below.
Steve Bass of PC World provided a brief review of the 1.1.2 release of WinDirStat, summarizing its usefulness:
Windirstat is [a] colorful and nifty tool to check the makeup of your hard drive -- especially if you're looking for immense files. It scans your drive and produces a treemap that shows each file as a colored rectangle that's proportional to the file's size...[7]
CNET reviewed the most recent release of WinDirStat, giving it 5 of 5 stars and noting:
...this great piece of freeware offers you an informative visual display of your hard-drive usage... you'll see all of your files ... displayed in a rainbow of colors. WinDirStat assigns colors to each file type, such as MP3, ZIP, EXE, JPG, and so on. By default, the files that take up the most space are colored blue, the second heftiest are red, and the third largest green... WinDirStat is loaded with features for managing your files, such as the ability to automatically delete files without even bothering with the Recycle Bin. It's one of those tools that you didn't know you needed until you started using it, but once installed, it's hard to imagine life without it...[8]
Gizmo's Freeware directory featured WinDirStat in a January 2010 list of best free disk analysis software with a 4 of 5 stars review, noting:
The open source program WinDirStat is [an] outstanding program. It uses three ways to display the disk usage: a directory list, a file extension list and a rectangular treemap. The visual presentation, overall usability and scan speed makes this a great tool to visualize disk usage.[9]
The German computer magazine c't (magazin für computertechnik) published a review of WinDirStat with it bundled in a CD in October 2006.[10]
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