Windows reporting wrong drive usage.

I am using XP Home SP2 Beta R2. I was doing some maintenance and i noticed that the system is reporting the incorrect usage. Drive C is a 100GB Western Digital WD1000BB-00CAA1. Drive D is a 120GB Maxtor 6Y120L0. I added up the total usage in the root directory by totaling the properties of each sub directory. Drive C totals just under 6GB but the usage pie shows that I am using 68GB. Drive D totals 11GB but the usage pie shows 16GB. Does anyone know why this is?

 

Speaking of finding file sizes:

This app, or one like it, I think everyone should have: DiskPie2 by Neil Rubenking http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1556425,00.asp

Shows all folders, hidden as well, in graphic pie charts by size and/or file type. This is in the PCMAG Shareware library and can be downloaded for a one time fee of $5.97.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks for the try Pete, I display hidden and system files.

 

Ron - I'm at a loss on C: with the huge difference there between 6GB & 68GB.

D: (totals 11GB but the usage pie shows 16GB) could easily be a matter of lots of 'slack space' on the drive where you have lots of small files and fairly large clusters so that any piece of a cluster used ties up the whole cluster. The pie will absolutely display what is seen by the system as 'used'.

Is the drive formatted FAT32? XP won't format FAT32 but can use a drive done by something else. The cluster size is 32Kb and that can certainly create huge amounts of slack space when compared to the 4Kb clusters you have with NTFS.

In theory (and if I didn't goof the math someplace), a 100Gb drive formatted FAT32 would show as over 90% full if you put 3,000,000 files of 1Kb each on the drive even though the files would occupy only around 3Gb of actual drive space.

 

NTFS Newt, I understand that D may just be slack. But C only adds up to 10% of what is reported.

I really am concerned with C. I rechecked the numbers 3 times. This only occurred after I updated to SP2 Beta RC2. Prior to this it was always in the ballpark of slack.
Thanks for the try Newt.

 

Ron - about the only suggestion I can make for C: is to get a copy of AgentRansack and do some searching. Start with only files over a fairly large size to cut down on the amount of stuff you are seeing. 100Mb and larger maybe.

Hopefully it will locate something to account for all the space you seem to have lost.

If nothing shows up that way and since the issue started after the SP2 RC2 load, get a copy of the release version of SP2 and remove the beta then load the production version and if you still see the problem, get with Microsoft tech support since it may be a bug in the SP.

 

Charles, Ok I bought it.

Here is the pie of my 100 gig drive.

 

Hi Ron,

I see you got DiskPie. Just confirming your problem. Has all the earmarks of a drive that hasn't been fully formated.

I think that you should take Newt's advice and uninstall the RC and wait for the release version of the 16th. We're not in exactly charted territory here.

How is the weather down the Shore? Rotten here in southern Middlesex County. I can hardly get on the internet and stay there.

Regards - Charles

 

Yes I got it but check this out. This is a shot of the properties of C.
The weather here the last couple days has been great. This afternoon we had thunder boomer's but no rain. Just heat I guess.

 

Hmmm. Download the MPSReports from Microsoft. Scroll down and get the MPSRPT_SETUPPerf.EXE version. Run this tool, (takes a while) then open up the CAB it generated in C:\WINDOWS\MPSReports\Setup\Reports\Cab. Paste in the YOURCOMPUTER_DISKINFO.TXT and DISKMAP.TXT files and lets see whats doin

 

Got it.

I got the release version of SP2 today and no change. I really do not think it is SP2.

 

OK Joe here they are.

 

Code:

NTFS Information for Drive C:\
Volume Size
-----------
Volume size            : 95393 MB
Total sectors          : 195366401
Total clusters         : 24420800
Sectors per Cluster    : 8
Free clusters          : 7131834
Free space             : 27858 MB (29% of drive)

Allocation Size
----------------
Bytes per sector       : 512
Bytes per cluster      : 4096
Bytes per MFT record   : 1024
Clusters per MFT record: 0

MFT Information
---------------
MFT size               : 112 MB (0% of drive)
MFT start cluster      : 16
MFT zone clusters      : 1777568 - 1842240
MFT zone size          : 252 MB (0% of drive)
MFT mirror start cluster: 3052617

Well, the good news is that its not anything sketchy. Your drive is happy. So now the trick is going to be finding the hidden files.
Are you 100% without a doubt positively certain this didn't show up till you put on the RC?
Lets start off with elminating the basics.
Chkdsk c: /f /r (let it reboot you if it needs to)
Under Folder Options -> View uncheck 'hide protected operating system files'
Try that pie slice thingy after that and see if there is a change.
Under My Computer->Properties check your system restore settings for C: and see how much space its using.

 

No I am not that certain. Sorry I just don't remember.

I will run check disk now, I'll be back

 

Done with no noticeable change.

This was un-checked.

Attached.

System Restore is set to 12% or 11447MB.

Another thought, why is C so distorted and D so close?

 

FYI
Well after loading DiskPie I had a problem restarting my computer. I checked the settings and it started with Windows. This would not allow me to Restart Windows. I took the check mark off Start with Windows and now Windows restarts fine.

 

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the heads up. I've not had problems with it - but then again I don't let it startup - it's on demand, used, then "put away ".

Have had it for so long, don't remember what the original settings were - its something looked at once - then forgoten about.

Regards - Charles

 

Ok. i've been pondering this.

How many files are on your hard drive? do a DIR /s from c:\ root and lets get the count.
Di you notice your space utilization changed between the first pie post, and your post-chkdsk post by 1.5 gigs?

Do you have a cable modem or dial up? I am not quick to mention this, but what if someone hackzored your machine, and is using it to store gigantic piles of ****? There are lots of ways to 'hide' files on a drive if you are a hacker. If you are dialup, this is not an issue since they couldnt get 45 gigs on your machine thru a teeny tiny modem line.

this is an interesting mystery.

 

Results below.

Yes I have deleted several files I don't need and removed a couple of programs.

Cable modem.

I have a firewall running all the time.