Windows 10: How can I identify the largest files on my hard disk?

Apologies if this is an elementary question. I used to have a utility program called Tree...somethingorother which could do this, but I no longer have and cannot remember the full name.


I use a backup service called Backblaze on my MS Pro Surface 4. I have an external hard drive and a fistful of USB thumb drives, but my main C: drive is still pretty full most of the time. Currently 13.8GB free of 117GB. Backblaze often throws up an error message saying it cannot back up all files because it needs temporary space at least as big as the largest file to be backed up...


So I possibly have a big video file or something sitting in a long forgotten folder. Is there a way to search the whole C: drive and sort by size? Or do I need to find and install Tree...somethingorother?


Thanks in anticipation.

:)

 

External Hard disk contents are not visible.

Hi Pranoti,

For us to narrow down your concern with your external hard disk, we would like to know the following:

• Were there any changes made on your computer prior to the issue (e.g., updates, software installation)?
• To make sure that we have not missed on anything, what troubleshooting steps have you done so far?
• Do you hear any clicking sound when connecting your hard disk?

In the meantime, we suggest that you update all your device driver.

We look forward to your response.

 

Hard disk partition not showing up.

Hi Muhammad,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



This can happen if the Hard-disk drivers are not up-to date. I would suggest you to update the hard disk drivers first. To update the drivers, please follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open Device manager.
   
2. Then Expand “Disk drives”.
   
3. Then Right click on the Hard-disk listed under this category.
   
4. Then click on Update drivers.
   
5. Alternatively you can also try to update the drivers from manufacturer’s website.
   

Once the hard-disk drivers are updated, you will need to allocate the last partition (it is not allocated according to the screenshot) and you will be able to view the partition.



Also note that sometimes the hard disk partitions/drives might be hidden in This PC or My Computer window due to a Registry key. If a DWORD with the name NoViewOnDrive or NoDrives is present under following key in Registry Editor:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Delete the DWORD and your drives will become visible in My Computer window.



Hope this helps.

 

Remove spare hard disk as system disk

Thank you for your reply.

There's a possibility that your HDD was detected as OS drive during the Windows installation. To remove your HDD as system disk, we suggest reformatting it. To do so, please follow the steps below:

• Open Disk Management.
• Right-click on your HDD, then select Format.
• On the Format windows, type your preferred Volume label,
  File system (NTFS is recommended), Allocation unit size (leave as Default).
• Check the Perform a quick format option, then click
  OK.

Note: Please back up your files before reformatting the drive.

Feel free to post back should you need further help.