Running out of disk space is a frustrating experience. And trying to work out what the space is being used for is even more frustrating. Disk Space Fan is a helpful utility that shows the contents of the hard disk in a pie chart with sections for different folders.

Scanning the hard disk can take a while depending on the size and number of files. It didn't slow down other programs on the computer, so it can be left to run while you check your email.

When the graph appears, a list of the biggest folders appears on the left. The portions of the graph can be clicked on to see more details about that folder and how much space is used by sub-folders. This makes it easy to quickly pin down problem folders.

Once a folder is in the top list on the left, a right-click displays a menu including the option to open the folder. The goto root option returns the view to the full drive. There are also forward and back buttons.

Browsing a hard disk to free up space can be risky if you don't know exactly what the files you are deleting are for, but Disk Space Fan is a quick way to find large files and folders.

While this version is free, there is a premium version that costs US$19.95. This can scan for and delete duplicate files and exclude files based on their type, size and location.