System Volume Information

[avogelba]

Originally reported by: Anonymous

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Hi,

I was wondering if you guys are going to add the ability for windirstat to view the System Volume Information folder in Windows.
Or is there a way to turn this on?

Thanks

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• Bitbucket: https://bitbucket.org/windirstat/windirstat/issue/151

[avogelba]

Original comment by gen btc (Bitbucket: genBTC, GitHub: genBTC):

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Run As admin? Take ownership of the folder manually?

[avogelba]

Original comment by mirh_ (Bitbucket: mirh_, GitHub: Unknown):

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In my opinion, the program should just be able to read the folder size, end.
Everything else inside it seems pretty.. Hazardous - which should only be touched with Windows own utilities.

Unfortunately, afaik folder size is always calculated by "iterating" size of single files inside.
..
It feels so strange though, for windows not to have an internal "size tracker" buried somewhere.

[avogelba]

Original comment by gen btc (Bitbucket: genBTC, GitHub: genBTC):

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It has to do with following standards and obeying system security permissions. You would essentially be asking for the program to override NTFS security descriptors saying it shouldnt go in there. The best way to access that folder is what i said, and does work as shown: https://puu.sh/wPulz/00f3f3ce8b.png

This is a windows issue.

[avogelba]

Original comment by mirh_ (Bitbucket: mirh_, GitHub: Unknown):

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Doing what you are saying is overriding security and "not following standards".

Besides, giving full control permissions is totally overkill for what the program needs to do.

[avogelba]

Original comment by gen btc (Bitbucket: genBTC, GitHub: genBTC):

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Exactly. My point is that the burden of that should be on the user, not built into the program. I wasnt suggesting the program have full control.

Forgive me for trying to understand the argument, its almost as if you're suggesting that WindirStat is more special than every other program who can't get into that system directory because it should be allowed to know the size. And to override these security permissions to find out the size is, trivial, so it should just do it ? (assuming it could get it done with less than full control) ?

[avogelba]

Original comment by mirh_ (Bitbucket: mirh_, GitHub: Unknown):

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Doing it with less than full control should be quite doable.
Reading should be enough.
Even better, with advanced permissions, only List Folder/Read Data should be required.

Then, to be really honest, above I was hoping for being able to query some whatever windows interface (that could possibly already keep count of it - e.g. disk cleanup has some kind of access to the SVI folder, if it can delete restore points).

But now that I looked a bit around.. Situation isn't so black.
At the very least you could make a "WinDirStat" security group with just the aforementioned permissions to have the program run if user request SVI info.

Otherwise, I read could do some tricks to flag itself as a backup application.
Last but not least, it could rely on launching another windows built-in program to retrieve the thing. Or magical robocoy.

Also, TIL SVI folder is not just about system restore.

[avogelba]

Original comment by gen btc (Bitbucket: genBTC, GitHub: genBTC):

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Now that i put 2+2 together, this relates to this as well: https://bitbucket.org/windirstat/windirstat/issues/159/windirstat-not-finding-redis-data-files#comment-38257831

Claim the SeBackupPrivelege and act as a "backup application", I can agree with this.

[avogelba]

Original comment by mirh_ (Bitbucket: mirh_, GitHub: Unknown):

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Oh. Cool that shooting into the pile solved something eventually.