Extra Windows in File Explorer

On Tue, 13 Jun 2017 08:59:25 -0400, Paul
wrote:

wrote:


Try looking at:

https://s13.postimg.org/565cyd6yf/aaaaaaa.jpg

Tom

This is the closest match so far.

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-vi...-8-1-explorer/

http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

It's possible you had that installed on the OS, before
you did an Upgrade Install ?

I actually dd the free upgrade from W7 a long while ago....



Notice that the window created, isn't an exact match, as
the Title isn't centered.

Hmm

*******

So now you can go to Control Panels : Programs and Features
and check for signs it is present/installed. You could also
look in one of the Program Files directories, if you run out
of other places to check.

If you no longer have a Control Panel in the right-click of
start, you can type "Control" into the Cortana Search Hole,
or even try running "control" as an executable, and that
may give you a Control Panel to play with. Then look in
Programs and Features. I usually pin my Control Panel
to the Task Bar, so I "won't lose it".

That's a good idea. Better than a desktop icon.
I don't see anything I shud remove in P&F.


*******

If you're still stumped for a way to stop it, look through
the Autoruns window, and see if it's a startup item. This tool
offers tick boxes for (attempting) to stop pests of various
sorts. This tool is no match for malware though, which will just
undo whatever this program does for you. This mainly helps
with "non-aggressive" software.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/...rnals/bb963902


Autoruns sure is interesting. I never saw it before. Thanks.

The thing is unlikely to be an on-demand Shell Extension,
because you'd have to do something with the mouse to get
it to appear. Since it seems to show up all the time, it
could well be using some other mechanism. Nirsoft makes
a tool for viewing Shell Extensions.

(Download is around 85% down the page...)

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html

Paul

wrote:
On Tue, 13 Jun 2017 08:59:25 -0400, Paul
wrote:

wrote:

Try looking at:

https://s13.postimg.org/565cyd6yf/aaaaaaa.jpg

Tom

http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

The MSI installer has files like

FolderSizeColumn.dll
FolderSize.cpl
FolderSizeSvc.exe
FolderSize.exe

The description says that it's harder to customize File Explorer
on Vista or later. And apparently, that is where the Service
comes in. You might look in Control Panels : Administrator
and then Services, and see if you can spot a FolderSize there.

Since the installer is an MSI file, it should have
left some trace. The download I got (I grabbed the 64 bit one)

FolderSize-2.6-x64.msi

If you're Indexing your entire C: , you may be able to find those.
If you're not Indexing using the Windows Search indexer, you can
always use Agent Ransack or VoidTools Everything.exe to carry out
a search of C: .

But really, it's a lot easier to just uninstall it. It
shouldn't need Revo Uninstaller.

Paul

On Tue, 13 Jun 2017 09:45:16 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jun 2017 08:59:25 -0400, Paul
wrote:

wrote:


Try looking at:

https://s13.postimg.org/565cyd6yf/aaaaaaa.jpg

Tom

This is the closest match so far.

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-vi...-8-1-explorer/

http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

It's possible you had that installed on the OS, before
you did an Upgrade Install ?

I actually dd the free upgrade from W7 a long while ago....



Notice that the window created, isn't an exact match, as
the Title isn't centered.

Hmm

*******

So now you can go to Control Panels : Programs and Features
and check for signs it is present/installed. You could also
look in one of the Program Files directories, if you run out
of other places to check.

If you no longer have a Control Panel in the right-click of
start, you can type "Control" into the Cortana Search Hole,
or even try running "control" as an executable, and that
may give you a Control Panel to play with. Then look in
Programs and Features. I usually pin my Control Panel
to the Task Bar, so I "won't lose it".

That's a good idea. Better than a desktop icon.
I don't see anything I shud remove in P&F.


*******

If you're still stumped for a way to stop it, look through
the Autoruns window, and see if it's a startup item. This tool
offers tick boxes for (attempting) to stop pests of various
sorts. This tool is no match for malware though, which will just
undo whatever this program does for you. This mainly helps
with "non-aggressive" software.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/...rnals/bb963902


Autoruns sure is interesting. I never saw it before. Thanks.

The thing is unlikely to be an on-demand Shell Extension,
because you'd have to do something with the mouse to get
it to appear. Since it seems to show up all the time, it
could well be using some other mechanism. Nirsoft makes
a tool for viewing Shell Extensions.

(Download is around 85% down the page...)

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html

Paul

I have gotten nowhere so far. I do notice for the first time that the
second window's header says 'folder size'. Maybe if I can find how to
remove that option, it will get rid of said window?
Thanks
Tom

wrote:


I have gotten nowhere so far. I do notice for the first time that the
second window's header says 'folder size'. Maybe if I can find how to
remove that option, it will get rid of said window?
Thanks
Tom

I don't think that comes from Windows.

Raymond Chen (a developer at Microsoft and commenter on all
things Windows), does not feel such features ("Folder Size")
are scalable. When a Microsoft developer thinks about such
features, the feature has to work with everything. It would
have to work with local disks, dynamic disks, file shares,
mapped drives, OneDrive. A concern for a developer, is
what happens if a folder has 20 million files. How long
would it take to compute.

So Raymonds considered opinion, is they will never
build such a thing.

That's why I started looking for pictures of third-party
attempts.

I think you could easily build a *limited* one of those,
using the Search Indexer. The Search Indexer is hooked into
the USN Journal, and is alerted any time a file is added
or deleted. The Indexer would be in a position to tally
folder sizes, at the same time as it built an inverted
index on a new file. This technique would not handle FAT32
volumes, and would have many other limitations. But at least
the scheme would be as scalable as the Search Indexer is.
It takes about three hours here, for the Indexer to rebuild
Windows.edb for the C: drive, just to give some idea how
much time it takes. But the incremental effort to keep
stats on an NTFS volume up to date after that, would
be manageable.

*******

In any case, I'm recommending looking for signs you have
a third party application installed. In particular, the
Folder Size on SourceForge, uses a service to compute the
info, and places a window *beside* the Explorer window, due
to the difficulty of modifying the Explorer window. So look
for signs of a third-party application. I'm not seeing any
evidence this is a Microsoft feature.

Paul

Paul wrote:
wrote:


I have gotten nowhere so far. I do notice for the first time that the
second window's header says 'folder size'. Maybe if I can find how to
remove that option, it will get rid of said window?
Thanks
Tom

I don't think that comes from Windows.

Raymond Chen (a developer at Microsoft and commenter on all
things Windows), does not feel such features ("Folder Size")
are scalable. When a Microsoft developer thinks about such
features, the feature has to work with everything. It would
have to work with local disks, dynamic disks, file shares,
mapped drives, OneDrive. A concern for a developer, is
what happens if a folder has 20 million files. How long
would it take to compute.

So Raymonds considered opinion, is they will never
build such a thing.

That's why I started looking for pictures of third-party
attempts.

I think you could easily build a *limited* one of those,
using the Search Indexer. The Search Indexer is hooked into
the USN Journal, and is alerted any time a file is added
or deleted. The Indexer would be in a position to tally
folder sizes, at the same time as it built an inverted
index on a new file. This technique would not handle FAT32
volumes, and would have many other limitations. But at least
the scheme would be as scalable as the Search Indexer is.
It takes about three hours here, for the Indexer to rebuild
Windows.edb for the C: drive, just to give some idea how
much time it takes. But the incremental effort to keep
stats on an NTFS volume up to date after that, would
be manageable.

*******

In any case, I'm recommending looking for signs you have
a third party application installed. In particular, the
Folder Size on SourceForge, uses a service to compute the
info, and places a window *beside* the Explorer window, due
to the difficulty of modifying the Explorer window. So look
for signs of a third-party application. I'm not seeing any
evidence this is a Microsoft feature.

Paul

From the picture he posted, it seems pretty certain that he has the
Folder Size app installed;
http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

If it's running, it should be visible somewhere;
An icon in systray that will allow you to turn it on/off.
An entry in Programs list.
An entry in Control Panel/ Programs.
Maybe an entry in Services.
A program in Processes of Task Manager.

Ed

On Wed, 14 Jun 2017 13:31:50 +0100, Ed Cryer
wrote:

Paul wrote:
wrote:


I have gotten nowhere so far. I do notice for the first time that the
second window's header says 'folder size'. Maybe if I can find how to
remove that option, it will get rid of said window?
Thanks
Tom

I don't think that comes from Windows.

Raymond Chen (a developer at Microsoft and commenter on all
things Windows), does not feel such features ("Folder Size")
are scalable. When a Microsoft developer thinks about such
features, the feature has to work with everything. It would
have to work with local disks, dynamic disks, file shares,
mapped drives, OneDrive. A concern for a developer, is
what happens if a folder has 20 million files. How long
would it take to compute.

So Raymonds considered opinion, is they will never
build such a thing.

That's why I started looking for pictures of third-party
attempts.

I think you could easily build a *limited* one of those,
using the Search Indexer. The Search Indexer is hooked into
the USN Journal, and is alerted any time a file is added
or deleted. The Indexer would be in a position to tally
folder sizes, at the same time as it built an inverted
index on a new file. This technique would not handle FAT32
volumes, and would have many other limitations. But at least
the scheme would be as scalable as the Search Indexer is.
It takes about three hours here, for the Indexer to rebuild
Windows.edb for the C: drive, just to give some idea how
much time it takes. But the incremental effort to keep
stats on an NTFS volume up to date after that, would
be manageable.

*******

In any case, I'm recommending looking for signs you have
a third party application installed. In particular, the
Folder Size on SourceForge, uses a service to compute the
info, and places a window *beside* the Explorer window, due
to the difficulty of modifying the Explorer window. So look
for signs of a third-party application. I'm not seeing any
evidence this is a Microsoft feature.

Paul

From the picture he posted, it seems pretty certain that he has the
Folder Size app installed;
http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

If it's running, it should be visible somewhere;
An icon in systray that will allow you to turn it on/off.
An entry in Programs list.
An entry in Control Panel/ Programs.
Maybe an entry in Services.
A program in Processes of Task Manager.

Ed

Right on the money Ed! Task Manager showed the 'folder size' app. No
idea from whence it came. I killed the task, and the problem window
disappeared.

Thank you much - and everyone else too.
Turned out to be simple, but I was stuck and frustrated.

Tom

wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jun 2017 13:31:50 +0100, Ed Cryer
wrote:

Paul wrote:
wrote:


I have gotten nowhere so far. I do notice for the first time that the
second window's header says 'folder size'. Maybe if I can find how to
remove that option, it will get rid of said window?
Thanks
Tom

I don't think that comes from Windows.

Raymond Chen (a developer at Microsoft and commenter on all
things Windows), does not feel such features ("Folder Size")
are scalable. When a Microsoft developer thinks about such
features, the feature has to work with everything. It would
have to work with local disks, dynamic disks, file shares,
mapped drives, OneDrive. A concern for a developer, is
what happens if a folder has 20 million files. How long
would it take to compute.

So Raymonds considered opinion, is they will never
build such a thing.

That's why I started looking for pictures of third-party
attempts.

I think you could easily build a *limited* one of those,
using the Search Indexer. The Search Indexer is hooked into
the USN Journal, and is alerted any time a file is added
or deleted. The Indexer would be in a position to tally
folder sizes, at the same time as it built an inverted
index on a new file. This technique would not handle FAT32
volumes, and would have many other limitations. But at least
the scheme would be as scalable as the Search Indexer is.
It takes about three hours here, for the Indexer to rebuild
Windows.edb for the C: drive, just to give some idea how
much time it takes. But the incremental effort to keep
stats on an NTFS volume up to date after that, would
be manageable.

*******

In any case, I'm recommending looking for signs you have
a third party application installed. In particular, the
Folder Size on SourceForge, uses a service to compute the
info, and places a window *beside* the Explorer window, due
to the difficulty of modifying the Explorer window. So look
for signs of a third-party application. I'm not seeing any
evidence this is a Microsoft feature.

Paul

From the picture he posted, it seems pretty certain that he has the
Folder Size app installed;
http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

If it's running, it should be visible somewhere;
An icon in systray that will allow you to turn it on/off.
An entry in Programs list.
An entry in Control Panel/ Programs.
Maybe an entry in Services.
A program in Processes of Task Manager.

Ed

Right on the money Ed! Task Manager showed the 'folder size' app. No
idea from whence it came. I killed the task, and the problem window
disappeared.

Thank you much - and everyone else too.
Turned out to be simple, but I was stuck and frustrated.

Tom


If all you did was kill the task, then it'll be back next time you boot.

Ed

On Wed, 14 Jun 2017 21:56:17 +0100, Ed Cryer
wrote:

wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jun 2017 13:31:50 +0100, Ed Cryer
wrote:

Paul wrote:
wrote:


I have gotten nowhere so far. I do notice for the first time that the
second window's header says 'folder size'. Maybe if I can find how to
remove that option, it will get rid of said window?
Thanks
Tom

I don't think that comes from Windows.

Raymond Chen (a developer at Microsoft and commenter on all
things Windows), does not feel such features ("Folder Size")
are scalable. When a Microsoft developer thinks about such
features, the feature has to work with everything. It would
have to work with local disks, dynamic disks, file shares,
mapped drives, OneDrive. A concern for a developer, is
what happens if a folder has 20 million files. How long
would it take to compute.

So Raymonds considered opinion, is they will never
build such a thing.

That's why I started looking for pictures of third-party
attempts.

I think you could easily build a *limited* one of those,
using the Search Indexer. The Search Indexer is hooked into
the USN Journal, and is alerted any time a file is added
or deleted. The Indexer would be in a position to tally
folder sizes, at the same time as it built an inverted
index on a new file. This technique would not handle FAT32
volumes, and would have many other limitations. But at least
the scheme would be as scalable as the Search Indexer is.
It takes about three hours here, for the Indexer to rebuild
Windows.edb for the C: drive, just to give some idea how
much time it takes. But the incremental effort to keep
stats on an NTFS volume up to date after that, would
be manageable.

*******

In any case, I'm recommending looking for signs you have
a third party application installed. In particular, the
Folder Size on SourceForge, uses a service to compute the
info, and places a window *beside* the Explorer window, due
to the difficulty of modifying the Explorer window. So look
for signs of a third-party application. I'm not seeing any
evidence this is a Microsoft feature.

Paul

From the picture he posted, it seems pretty certain that he has the
Folder Size app installed;
http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

If it's running, it should be visible somewhere;
An icon in systray that will allow you to turn it on/off.
An entry in Programs list.
An entry in Control Panel/ Programs.
Maybe an entry in Services.
A program in Processes of Task Manager.

Ed

Right on the money Ed! Task Manager showed the 'folder size' app. No
idea from whence it came. I killed the task, and the problem window
disappeared.

Thank you much - and everyone else too.
Turned out to be simple, but I was stuck and frustrated.

Tom


If all you did was kill the task, then it'll be back next time you boot.

Ed

Thought of that - I went to Task Manager - Startup and disabled
something called 'Folder Size Window' by 'Brio'. The window has not
come back.
Tom