FOLDER SIZE REPORTING

Introduction

In an era of increasing digital security concerns, software integrity has become a critical priority for both personal and business computing environments. This article outlines Key Metric Software’s comprehensive approach to ensuring the security and integrity of our software products, with particular focus on malware and adware prevention strategies.

Distribution Policy and Product Integrity

Adware-Free Commitment

Key Metric Software maintains a strict no-adware policy across our entire product portfolio. This commitment stems from our business philosophy that quality software should be monetized through direct value delivery rather than through intrusive advertising mechanisms or third-party revenue sharing arrangements. Our business model is built on developing high-performance applications that justify their purchase price through operational value.

Authorized Distribution Channels

To ensure maximum security, Key Metric Software products should only be obtained through our official distribution channels. Unauthorized sources cannot guarantee the integrity of our software and may distribute modified versions containing security vulnerabilities or malicious code. All official downloads are available exclusively from our product websites.

Technical Security Measures

Key Metric Software implements a multi-layered approach to product security:

Secure Development Infrastructure

All development and build processes occur within hardened environments designed to prevent unauthorized code injection or tampering during the software creation process.

Digital Signature Implementation

Each software component is digitally signed using Extended Validation (EV) certificates, providing verification of both publisher identity and code integrity. This applies to all executable files and the installation packages themselves.

Secure Distribution Infrastructure

Completed software builds are transferred to secure hosting environments that undergo continuous security monitoring and regular penetration testing to prevent unauthorized access or modification.

Multi-Engine Malware Scanning

Prior to release, all software packages undergo comprehensive scanning using multiple industry-leading malware detection engines. For example, FolderSizes installation packages are submitted to VirusTotal for analysis by dozens of different security products to ensure no false positives or security concerns exist.

Ongoing Security Commitment

This overview represents one facet of Key Metric Software’s comprehensive security strategy. Our security processes undergo regular review and enhancement to address emerging threats and incorporate industry best practices.

Recommendations for Customers

To maximize security when using any software product:

1. Always download from authorized sources, preferably directly from the software publisher
2. Verify digital signatures before installation when available
3. Maintain updated security software on all systems
4. Report any security concerns immediately to the software vendor

Key Metric Software remains committed to providing secure, reliable software solutions that protect our customers’ data and systems while delivering exceptional operational value.

Have you ever noticed that a 10MB file might actually consume 10.1MB on your drive? This discrepancy between a file’s actual size and the space it occupies on disk isn’t a glitch—it’s a fundamental aspect of how file systems work. Let’s explore why this happens and how it affects your storage management.

The Two Key Storage Metrics You Need to Know

Some software tools, including our FolderSizes disk space analyzer, report two distinct size metrics for each file system object:

• Actual Size – The true data content size of the file (what you typically see in file properties)
• Allocated Size – Also called “size on disk,” this represents the actual space consumed on the storage device

Understanding this difference is crucial for effective storage management and can help explain why your drive fills up faster than expected.

How Disk Allocation Works: The Cluster System

Disk space is allocated to files in fixed units called clusters (sometimes called allocation units). Think of clusters as the minimum “parking spaces” that files can occupy on your drive. The size of these clusters varies depending on several factors:

• The file system type (NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, etc.)
• The size of the storage partition
• Specific formatting settings applied to the drive

Most Windows users today are running the NTFS file system, which typically uses a default cluster size of 4KB (4,096 bytes). This means storage is allocated in 4KB chunks, regardless of the actual file size.

Why Your Files Use More Space Than Their Actual Size

Since all files must occupy one or more complete clusters, their “size on disk” (allocated size) is always a multiple of the file system’s cluster size. Here’s how this works in practice:

• A 1-byte text file will still consume an entire 4KB cluster
• A 4,097-byte file requires two complete clusters (8KB)
• A 10MB file that isn’t exactly divisible by 4KB will use slightly more than 10MB of disk space

As a result, any file with a size that isn’t an exact multiple of the cluster size (and most aren’t) will “waste” a portion of its last cluster. This wasted space is commonly referred to as “cluster overhang” or “disk slack.”

Calculating Wasted Space on Your Drives

You can estimate the amount of space wasted due to cluster overhang by using a simple formula:

Estimated Wasted Space = Number of Files × (Cluster Size ÷ 2)

For example, if an NTFS file system with 4KB clusters contains 50,000 files, the estimated wasted space would be approximately 97MB (50,000 × 2,048 bytes). On large drives with millions of files, this can add up to significant storage loss.

FolderSizes can report this cluster overhang not just for individual files but also for entire folders, giving you a complete picture of storage inefficiency across your system.

Other Factors Affecting Allocated Space

Several other factors can affect the relationship between actual and allocated size:

• File System Compression – Compressed files may have an allocated size smaller than their actual size
• Sparse Files – These special files can have allocated sizes much smaller than their logical size
• File Fragmentation – Heavily fragmented files may use additional space due to management overhead
• Advanced File System Features – Features like deduplication can affect space allocation

Why This Matters for Storage Management

Understanding the difference between actual and allocated size is important for:

• Accurate storage planning and capacity management
• Optimizing drives with many small files
• Choosing appropriate cluster sizes when formatting drives
• Troubleshooting discrepancies between reported and available space

For detailed analysis of how your storage is being used, including actual vs. allocated size metrics, download FolderSizes and get a complete picture of your disk space utilization patterns.

Conclusion

The difference between a file’s actual size and its allocated size is an inherent characteristic of modern file systems. While individual files may waste only a small amount of space, the cumulative effect across thousands or millions of files can be substantial. By understanding these concepts, you can make more informed decisions about your storage management strategy.

FolderSizes v9.1 has been released and is now available for download. There are a few notable changes in this build that we’d like to review.

First, we’ve made dozens of user interface enhancements that include the re-introduction of a dark theme (by popular request) and improvements to existing themes. We’ve also improved the scaling of UI elements for high-resolution monitors – including revised icons, enhancements to the installer, better print scaling, and much more.

There are many changes “under the hood” as well, including improved behavior when analyzing DFS shares, improved PDF exports, and various bug fixes.

And finally, the minimum Windows OS requirements have been updated to Windows 7 SP1 or later (or Windows Server 2012 R2 or later). Anyone needing support for older operating systems (Windows Vista, Server 2008) can still download and install the previous FolderSizes v9.0 release.

P.S. We also recently released Permissions Reporter v3 – a major version upgrade to our world-class NTFS permissions reporting solution. We hope you’ll give it a try.

FolderSizes version 9 introduces enhanced installation capabilities that allow administrators to apply license keys during deployment, including support for silent installation scenarios. This feature streamlines the deployment process in enterprise environments.

To use this feature, invoke the FolderSizes v9 installer with the following syntax:

“fs9-setup.exe” LICENSE_CODE=”XXX-XXX-XXX-XXX”

In practice, it will usually be necessary to fully qualify the path to the installer executable. For example:

“c:\myfolder\fs9-setup.exe” LICENSE_CODE=”XXX-XXX-XXX-XXX”

Note that you can combine this capability with one of the following silent installation flags:

– basic UI: /qb (only a progress bar will be shown during the installation)
– no UI: /qn (no UI will be showed during the installation)

And now a final example that installs FolderSizes 9 silently and applies a license key:

“c:\myfolder\fs9-setup.exe” LICENSE_CODE=”XXX-XXX-XXX-XXX” /qn

Key Metric Software has released FolderSizes 9 – a new major version of our world-class disk space analysis software for Windows.

With over a year of development and testing under its belt, FolderSizes 9 introduces sweeping improvements to nearly every feature and function offered by the product. Over a hundred enhancements and fixes make this version of FolderSizes our best yet.

For a high-level overview of what’s new in FolderSizes 9, please see:

https://www.foldersizes.com/features/whatsnew

Or head straight for the download page and try it for yourself:

https://www.foldersizes.com/download

In addition to all the feature enhancements, we’ve also added support for consultant licenses. These allow consulting individuals and companies to use FolderSizes 9 to service their customers broadly, and at reasonable prices.

FolderSizes 9 also finally ends our long-standing support for Windows XP and Server 2003. Microsoft stopped supporting these operating systems back in April of 2014, so it was (probably well past) time for us to do the same. FolderSizes 9 also looks forward by adding official support for Windows Server 2019 and the latest builds of Windows 10.

I’m amazed, at times, when I look back at the growth of FolderSizes since its introduction in 2003. That’s over 16 years of continuous development. And we have no intention of slowing down. So check out the new version and let us know what you think… because we’re always planning for the future.