Knowledgebase

The main reason for this is that if we included the data of single files, the exported XML files would grow considerably and reach a size that cannot be handled reasonably.

Other export types, like Excel or PDF for example, allow including single files if it has been configured like this in the settings.

Since v9.0 you can also export the whole scan, including single files to an SQLite file. These database files can be reimported and worked with in TreeSize, just as you already know it from the XML files.

In case you need data like history data or growth reports on file level, we would like to recommend our product SpaceObServer. It regularly collects the file system information using a background agent and stores it in an SQL database, including size development and (optionally) all permissions. The reporting is faster and more flexible compared to TreeSize, because it is built on a database and collects data on file level. SpaceObServer offers advanced scripting capabilities through OLE Automation.

Yes. This web page provides an overview on the permissions reporting capabilities of TreeSize.

Right clicking on the header of the Details list will show a popup menu that allows to choose additional columns showing the permissions.
 
If you export a scan to Excel, these columns will be included as well. (To get a full report in Excel, you need to check-mark the option "Tools > Options > Export > Excel > Export the full directory branch" and optionally "Include single files in export"). Excel Auto-Filter is a good tool to filter the exported lists for specific users or groups, or to find folders or files where inherited permissions are mssing or own permissions are added.

Our advanced disk space and file manager SpaceObServer has better reporting capabilities for permissions.

Are the "Owner" or the "Permissions" column active and part of the export? In Active Directory environments, Windows can take a long time to query these values. To speed this up, please disable these columns if they are not needed.

You can compare a scan to another folder using "Scan > Compare with path". This will show the size and file count differences on folder level between the path that was scanned, and the one that was selected for comparison.

No. TreeSize does not actively change the archive bit, and the system only changes the archive bit if a file is written. TreeSize works strictly read-only when scanning and searching and also does not modify the last access date if possible,

To improve the readability of the report, we recommend using a monospace font such as ‘Courier New’.
The font can be changed in Outlook as follows:

Classic Outlook:
1. On the File tab, choose Options > Mail.
2. Under Compose messages, choose ‘Stationery and Fonts’.
3. On the Personal Stationery tab, under "Composing and reading plain text messages", choose font.

New Outlook:
1. On the View tab, select ‘View settings’.
2. Select Email, then Compose and reply.
3. Set the mail format to ‘Text’ and choose a monospace font.

Yes, TreeSize Professional can scan disk image files such as VHDX.

To do this, simply:

1. Open TreeSize.

2. Click “Select Scan Target”.

3. Choose the VHDX file as the scan target in the directory tab.

TreeSize will then analyze the directory structure inside the disk image and display the disk usage just like it would for a regular drive.

Exporting to XML format has some weaknesses, which is why we consider it obsolete. We therefore recommend exporting to SQLite as a better alternative.

This feature will be removed in a future version. Existing XML files can still be used for all other TreeSize functions for the time being. However, please make preparations for your export automation.

This error is caused by an operation that is part of the deduplication process and tries to consolidate the different permissions of the duplicates.

Hardlinks all share the same permission settings, so the deduplication process tries to ensure that access rights that a user previously had will still apply after a deduplication.

Here's an example:
Assuming you deduplicate two duplicates "file A" and "file B".
File A has "read only" access for user X
File B has "read and write" access for user X
File B will be replaced by a hardlink that points to File A
The "larger" set of access rights from File B has to be applied to File A as well

In summary: When one of the files is replaced with a hard link to the other, the process will try to merge the permissions of the underlying data. In the example above, the consolidated access rights would be “read and write” for user x. 

However, this operation is only successful, if the current user is allowed to change access rights for that particular file, or for files in the current folder. It is important to keep in mind that having the access right to change or write a file does not automatically include the access right to change the permission settings of that file.

If you receive an error message "Failed to merge permissions: Access is denied", then this means your current user is not allowed to change these permission settings and no deduplication will be performed for this set of duplicates. 

This can be the case either if he does not have a "Allow" entry for the operation "Change permissions", or if an explicit "Deny" entry exists for that. It is also important to note that a “Deny” entry will always overrule a "Allowed" entry, if both are set.

For all we know so far, this issue seems to be caused by defects in the system itself. It might affect other applications as well.

To fix it, you might try to (please check the installation after each step):

1. Restart the system.
2. Check for pending/available Windows updates
3. Download and run the Microsoft .NET Framework Repair Tool
4. Download and reinstall .NET Framework 4.8
5. Open a command line prompt (Win+R -> CMD -> Ok) and run
   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
6. Open a command line prompt (or use the same as before) and run
   sfc /Scannow
7. Uninstall KB5011048 from the system (how to)
8. Check for updates again or install KB5011048 manually again

Please find more information on DISM and SFC here.