10 DiskShow Features Every Power User Should TryDiskShow is a powerful disk-visualization and management tool designed to help users quickly understand how storage is being used and free up space more effectively. For power users who demand speed, precision, and advanced controls, DiskShow offers a variety of features that go beyond simple space charts. Below are ten features every power user should try, with practical tips and examples for getting the most from each one.
1. High-resolution treemap visualization
One of DiskShow’s core strengths is its treemap view, which displays folders and files as nested rectangles sized by disk usage.
- Tip: Zoom into dense areas by double-clicking a rectangle to isolate problem folders.
- Use case: Quickly identify a single large backup file or a folder of forgotten disk images occupying tens of gigabytes.
2. Real-time scanning with incremental updates
DiskShow can perform live scans and show incremental updates as files change. This is ideal for monitoring build directories, virtual machine disks, or large downloads.
- Tip: Enable incremental mode when watching folders that change frequently to avoid full rescans.
- Use case: Monitor a CI build server’s artifact folder to catch runaway log growth.
3. Advanced filters and file-type highlighting
Filter by file type, size range, age, or name patterns; highlight file types (e.g., videos, installers, ISOs) with custom color schemes.
- Tip: Create a saved filter for “older than 1 year and >100 MB” to find long-forgotten large files.
- Use case: Find and remove old virtual disk files (.vdi/.vmdk) that no longer correspond to active VMs.
4. Duplicate detection and hardlink awareness
DiskShow can locate duplicate files across one or multiple drives, and it understands hardlinks so it won’t miscount shared data.
- Tip: Use checksum-based detection for accuracy on large datasets; use quick-size-and-name scans for a fast pass.
- Use case: Reclaim space by replacing duplicate media files with symlinks (or by deleting duplicates) while preserving one canonical copy.
5. Integrated file preview and metadata inspection
Preview images, videos, archives, and documents directly from DiskShow and inspect file metadata (timestamps, EXIF, permissions) without opening external apps.
- Tip: Use metadata sorting to find large files created by a particular application or within a specific timeframe.
- Use case: Identify large raw photo files by camera model and decide which to archive.
6. Custom cleanup scripts and actions
Power users can attach custom shell scripts or commands to DiskShow actions (delete, move, compress), enabling automated workflows.
- Tip: Create a “compress and archive” action that zips selected files, moves the archive to cold storage, and leaves a small stub file.
- Use case: Automate archival of monthly build artifacts to an external drive with a single right-click.
7. Network and NAS scanning with credentials
Scan remote file shares, NAS devices, and mounted network drives using stored credentials; DiskShow handles permissions and SMB/NFS nuances.
- Tip: Use scheduled scans for network shares to track growth over time and avoid surprises.
- Use case: Monitor a shared media server for unauthorized large uploads or duplicate content.
8. Historical snapshots and change visualization
DiskShow can store snapshots of a scan and visually compare them to show growth, shrinkage, and the emergence of new large files.
- Tip: Keep monthly snapshots for important drives to spot trends and predict future needs.
- Use case: Detect a sudden surge in log file sizes after a software update by comparing snapshots.
9. Exclusion rules and safe-mode deletions
Define exclusion rules for paths or file types to protect critical data; use a “safe-mode” delete that moves files to a configurable quarantine instead of permanent removal.
- Tip: Exclude system directories and user profiles by default; enable safe-mode when running bulk deletions.
- Use case: Confidently clean temporary build artifacts while ensuring nothing critical is accidentally removed.
10. Command-line interface (CLI) and scripting API
For users who prefer automation, DiskShow offers a CLI and scripting API to run scans, export reports (JSON/CSV), and trigger cleanup tasks from scripts or cron jobs.
- Tip: Combine DiskShow’s CLI with monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana) by exporting JSON reports on a schedule.
- Use case: Automate disk usage alerts and generate weekly CSV reports of top space consumers for IT teams.
DiskShow’s combination of visual clarity, automation, and network-aware features makes it a robust choice for power users who need to manage large and complex storage environments. Try the features above in sequence: visual discovery (treemap), focused filtering, safe cleanup with backups or quarantine, and finally automation via scripts and snapshots to keep storage healthy over time.
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