Setting it up

  1. First, make sure you're running Windows 2000 or XP. Sorry, it doesn't work in Vista.
  2. Download the installer (regular 32-bit) (XP x64).
  3. Run the downloaded file to start the install wizard. It has boring template text, so just keep clicking Next. Typical and Complete installs do the same thing, Custom lets you change where it gets installed.
  4. Now the Folder Size column is available to Explorer, but Explorer isn't displaying it yet. Open an Explorer window in Details view.
  5. Right click on the column headers to see a list of columns you can add. Choose Folder Size.
  6. Now we can replace the existing Size column with the new Folder Size column. Right click on the column headers and uncheck the Size column. Drag the Folder Size column header to where Size used to be.
  7. Make this the default view for all folders. Go to Folder Options from the Tools menu. In the View tab, click Apply to All Folders.

Changing settings

Look in the Windows Control Panels to find the Folder Size control panel. If you're in the confusing Category View in XP, where it says Pick a category, click on Switch to Classic View in the left-hand pane. And then view as Icons. Isn't that better?

Use the control panel to change the way sizes are displayed. Also stop the service to stop any background activity.

Removing

So it crashes every once in a while, and slows down your computer. That's no reason to uninstall it. Well, if you really want to, use the Add or Remove Programs control panel. You'll have to manually fix the columns in Explorer too.