Best (free!) tool to view folder size and sort folders in size order

I have a 500Gb NAS drive which I've nearly filled and need to clear out.
I'd like to be able to just look down the (400+?) folders and see their size, and sort the folders in size order so I can find and attack the largest first.
Windows doesn't seem to have a way of showing the folder size in list form (rather than hovering over each one in turn) or sorting them (largest to smallest).
I've just had a quick look on this site for a (free) utility which does this, and found ExplorerXP (but can't download and check for a few hours).
Is this the best (free) tool for this job, or can anyone recommend another?

(For info, I've also seen something called FolderSize, but it isn't hosted here and the page on Sourceforge suggested it slows the machine and crashes every once in a while, so I've ruled that out)

Many thanks.

 

i have Vista and when i open a folder i can choose the view. i choose: details view, then i choose the columns. so i choose: size to be one of my columns. then click the column header and files are sorted by size. HTH

 

Sorry, I should have said I'm using XP on the machine in question.

Just to emphasise also that it's the folder (not file) sizes I want to see/sort

 

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ok

 

Thanks Gloozit, looks interesting.

 

Well I downloaded Jam Treesize, which looks nice, but you can't access network drives in the free edition, and I needed to clean out my NAS drive.

ExplorerXP works fine with the NAS drive ... but I'm having a little trouble deleting folders ... seems to go through with the process of doing it, but it's still there at the end?? So I've been using it to spot the big folders, and then deleting them from My Computer. Anyone know of a setting I need to change?

 

You might like to try Scanner v 2.10 by Steffen Gerlach.
Link is http://www.steffengerlach.de/freeware/
Not available through MG unfortunately. :cry

See thumbnails. Drill down through drives, Folders and Sub-Folders to see the space hoggers. :cool

Bazza

 

Thanks for that bigbazza.

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What I could do with now is a utility which will allow me to both see folder sizes on the NAS drive AND delete them (explorerXP won't delete them for some reason) ... if anyone knows one?

 

I use eraser http://majorgeeks.com/Eraser_d4221.html
I installed this on all my computers. I have an external 80GB hd attached (it moves from PC to PC). In the past two weeks, I have erased files/folders using this program on my external device.
You have a choice of erasing 1, 3, 7 or 35 times. One is usually sufficient and doesn't take long.

One word of caution, my external is formatted FAT32 and FAT32 has a size limit of 4 GB so I never try to erase anything approaching the 4GB limit. I prefer to erase directories in small batches. It takes longer but at least I know it will be permanently gone.

 

A couple of others for you to try:

Xinorbis 4.0.2 for Windows 2000/XP/Vista
http://www.freshney.org/xinorbis/

My note: I have used it. FREEWARE, but not as good as the SHAREWARE program Folder Size at http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/
As you probably will only be using it once or twice, FolderSize is a better choice. In the View tab, make sure "Show Graph view" is checked for bar graphs of Folders.

Another I haven't tried is at
http://directorysize.moleskinsoft.com/

To be able to compare different Folder sizes on different drives, you may have to screenprint each drive, in turn. Doesn't seem to be a program, that I could find, that will list Folder sizes of 2 different hard drives at the same time.

For screenprints, one of the programs I use is Gadwin PrintScreen at http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/ The other one I use is a very old program dating back to W95. Still one of my favourites in XP Pro SP3, but not easy to find to download it. :-D

Bazza

 

Well, thank you very much ... really appreciate the time and effort for me.

I'll have a look at the suggestions and let you know how I get on.