zip advisor Contents

The Zip Advisor from scv systems is the easiest most convenient way to track and manage disk space on your PC. We've all gotten the dreaded "Out of Disk Space message." Most of us as well have a zippy compression tool on our machine. So how is that we ever get an "Out of Disk Space message?" We are busy people, busy getting things done, and data management is likely the last thing we have time for, if we even think of it at all.

Using Zip Advisor is as easy as opening the Windows95 Explorer. In seconds you can see a useful overview of where in the virtual world you could possibly have acquired 500 mysterious megabytes just sitting like a data log jam on your hard drive. Zip Advisor quickly gives you access to the folders on your computer containing any amount of data, and tells you how much is zipped and unzipped. And this is obviously invaluable if you have ever tried to go through folder by folder on an entire drive and determine if there is any unwanted data, or data you don't use often that could just be zipped up for the time being. With some new software these days demanding 200+ megabytes of disk space, Zip Advisor can be yoiur best friend in the battle for disk space.

Getting Started

The Main Window

Viewing the Results

Customizing zip advisor

about zip advisor


Main Window

The Main Window consists of 3 major areas: the Path Bar, the List Window, and the Toolbar. Also, sing the List Window requires the use of the right click pop up menu described at the lower portion of this page.

The Path Bar.

The Path Bar is located just under the Title bar of zip advisor. Clicking on the Path Bar allows you to choose the path you would like to view.

The List Window.

The List Window contains six columns of information and uses a right click pop up menu to manage your data.

Path. Shows complete path of every subfolder for the chosen path to view.

Unzipped. Displays the number of unzipped bytes in folder.

Zipped. Displays the total number of zipped bytes in folder.

Percentage %. Shows actual percentage of folder contains zipped data.

Most Recent. Lets you know when you last zipped a file in the folder.

Priority. Displays theoretical need for zipping based on zipped to unzipped ratio and total data in folder.

Right Click pop up menu.

The right click pop up menu is how you will access, manage, and zip with the zip advisor. It has six different items to make manuevering as easy as possible.

Explore. Allows you to open a Window's Explorer window displaying the files in any folder.

Recycle Files. Quick and easy way to send all files in the selected folder to the recycle bin. This method leaves the folder in place.

Recycle Directory. This functions the same as Recycle Files but sends the selected folder to the recycle bin as well.

Ignore this Path. This allows you to quickly add a path (known to contain data which you know will never be zipped) to the zip advisor settings you would like to skip when scanning. This spares you the pain of seeing hundreds of megs worth of space taken up by that fat bloated program you really don't use that much, every time you check your drive for free space.

Properties. This gives a pop up window with a quick summary of the folder.

Refresh List. After zipping up many files this allows you to quickly rescan the current path and review your progress against full disk disease.

The Toolbar.

The Toolbar contains the Exit button, the Settings button, and of course the help button to read this thoroughly exciting help file. As well different status bars will appear when selecting paths or folders. When Selecting a new path a status bar will let you know how much of the drive is currently scanned. When viewing a specific folder a % zipped status will appear and display the percent zipped for any selected folders (if no folders are selected it will display percent zipped for the entire path).

Related Topics.

Viewing the Results

Customizing zip advisor

About zip advisor


Viewing the Results

Selecting a Path.

Clicking on the Path Bar, this will call up an Open Window. Simply locate the Drive or folder you would like to scan. Select the Drive or folder by clicking on it once and then press "Enter" or click "OK". If you do not select a folder by clicking on it whatever folder you are currently in will be the path.

Note: Path here indicates the folder and all subfolders from the folder you've chosen to scan.

Viewing the Results.

Once zip advisor has finished scanning the path the results will appear in the list window as described in the previous section, the Main Window.

The List Window functions similarly to the Windows95 Explorer. Simply scroll down and locate any folders which contain large amounts of data that are not zipped.

When you have located a folder with an unseemly amount of data, right click on it, and choose Explore to view the contents.

An Explorer window will appear allowing you to view the files directly.

Now you will either:

Upon realizing that the folder you are viewing contains a gigabyte of email from two years ago (that's a lot of mail huh?) you will now want to zip some of it up.

Select the files in the Explorer window and right click on them and select Add to Zip (if you are using Winzip or some other  Explorer Extension, otherwise follow the instructions for the compression tool you normally use).

Now that you've zipped up the needless mail, you will want to delete the now needless files. Right click on select Delete or press "Delete" on your keyboard.

Or:

Realizing you have that much out of date data that you never want to look at again you could easily choose to send the files or folder to the recycle bin by selecting Recycle Files/Folder directly in the zip advisor window.

 	Now that you've zipped up and/or deleted all that wasted data you will want to review the results. Right click in the List window and choose Refresh List (or press F5). You will now happily see that you no longer have a gigbyte of disk space wasted on years old email.

Related Topics:

Main Window

Customizing your zip advisor

About zip advisor


Customizing zip advisor

The zip advisor settings window is accessed by the button middle button on the toolbar. The window itself is divided into three tabs.

Zip extensions. This shows what are valid archives on your system. If you do not see a type listed you know to be valid on your system simply click the Add button, and enter the new extension.

Paths to Ignore. Displays all paths zip advisor will skip when scanning a Drive or Path. This is particularly handy for system and program files known to contain large amounts of necessary files. You may add a path directly in the Settings window on the Paths to Ignore tab by typing the path in yourself, but we recommend selecting paths to ignore using the right click menu in the List Window. See Main Window.

File Types to Ignore. This is another way to streamline the chore of trimming down used disk space. If you have a large number of files with like extensions which you never or rarely plan to zip up, this allows you to skip them as well in the process of scanning a path. Simply click Add on the File Types to Ignore tab of the zip advisor Settings Window, and key in the extension you wish to ignore.

Related Topics:

Main Window

Viewing the Results

About zip advisor


about zip advisor

zip advisor 1.0  was developed by scv systems

Copyright 1997 by scv systems

Concept and programming by scott c. virtes

Help File and Testing by rev. zoe somebody

We can be visited on the web at:

http://www.scvs.com/

on the phone at:

619.781.4021

by email at:

scv@scvs.com

  by conventional mail:

1313-K Simpson Way

Escondido, Ca 92029

If you haven't Registered, do it now.