ETP Server, Local - Remote Drive Index Fix

[CliffyBoy]

1.

I've been using Windhawk Better file sizes in Explorer plugin (https://windhawk.net/) and the SizesES plugin (https://forum.zabkat.com/viewtopic.php?t=12326) with ES 1.5.0.1404a since March 2025. They recently stopped working, and after some troubleshooting I realized that they do still work; the issue relates to how my drives have been added into EverythingSearch.

If my local drives are added under NTFS, the local drives sizes are visible in Windows explorer and in Xplorer2. If my local drives are added under Folders only, they still get indexed but the plugins dont get the sizes from the ES index.

I would just keep everything under NTFS, but the problem with that is my remote drives need to be under Folders because that is the only way the client computers can get direct access to the server folders when connected to the ETP Server. Having local and remote drives in the NTFS and Folders also creates duplicates in the index - A: and \\ComputerName\DriveName which obviously we dont want.

So,
-\\ComputerName\DriveName for local and remote drives under Folders works perfectly for all clients to see and access the server index.

-I need to eliminate the folder duplication of A: and \\ComputerName\DriveName

-The plugins are unable to display Folder sizes in Windows Explorer or Xplorer2 if the drives are not indexed under NTFS.

Can you direct me how to fix these problems?



2.

I would like assistance troubleshooting why ES 1.5.0.1404a is taking longer than normal to rescan indexed client drives that have minimal changes. This is not the normal behavior.

see video link



3.

Is there an ES clean tool that will remove all traces of the program from the registery? Im asking because I suspect something is blocking the plugins from working in my original ES setup config which was local drives under NTFS and remote drives under Folders. At some point over the last few weeks something changed and now folder sizes will only show if everything is under NTFS. If I clean install I can check everything step by step.


Thanks

[void]

If my local drives are added under NTFS, the local drives sizes are visible in Windows explorer and in Xplorer2. If my local drives are added under Folders only, they still get indexed but the plugins dont get the sizes from the ES index.

I think this has something to do with the root folder.
In Everything, if you index

c:\folder

, the root folder is

c:\folder

.
Maybe these third party tools are looking for

c:

before

c:\folder

?

-I need to eliminate the folder duplication of A: and \\ComputerName\DriveName

-The plugins are unable to display Folder sizes in Windows Explorer or Xplorer2 if the drives are not indexed under NTFS.

Can you direct me how to fix these problems?

What are you indexing on the server?
What would you like the client to see?
Please try removing the folder indexes on the server and use ETP path rewriting to change a: => \\ComputerName\DriveName

If you are using the Everything Server, please try enabling network_index_split_roots on the clients:

• In Everything 1.5, from the Tools menu, click Options.
• Click the Advanced tab on the left.
• To the right of Show settings containing, search for:
  split
• Select: network_index_split_roots
• Set the value to: true
• Click OK.

-The plugins are unable to display Folder sizes in Windows Explorer or Xplorer2 if the drives are not indexed under NTFS.

I'm not sure about these plugins, does Everything show the correct folder sizes?

I would like assistance troubleshooting why ES 1.5.0.1404a is taking longer than normal to rescan indexed client drives that have minimal changes. This is not the normal behavior.

The video shows it takes about 5 minutes to rescan your A: drive.
Please send your Tools -> Debug -> Statistics in a bug report
Was it faster in older versions? -Nothing has changed here.



[qipte]Is there an ES clean tool that will remove all traces of the program from the registery? Im asking because I suspect something is blocking the plugins from working in my original ES setup config which was local drives under NTFS and remote drives under Folders. At some point over the last few weeks something changed and now folder sizes will only show if everything is under NTFS. If I clean install I can check everything step by step.

To reset Everything:

• Backup your %APPDATA%\Everything folder and the folder containing your Everything.exe
• In Everything 1.5, from the Tools menu, click Import and Export Settings.
• Select: Reset Settings and click Next.
• Click Reset.

Please make sure Everything is installed correctly:

• In Everything, from the Tools menu, click Options.
• Click the General tab on the left.
• Check Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything.
• Uncheck Run as administrator.
• Check Everything Service. (Please make sure this is tick-checked and not square-checked)
• Click OK.
• Exit Everything (from the File menu, click Exit).
• Restart Everything.

[CliffyBoy]

Hi, thanks for replying.


1.

V - I think this has something to do with the root folder.

Me - While I was waiting for your initial reply earlier, I did some more troubleshooting and saw I did make an error in the ETP transposition; the server C: drive didnt have the full name (see new screenshot). Even with this error, ES and the plugins have been working since August 2025 until December 27, 2025. Whatever is causing the Folder sizes not to show up is recent.

2.

V - What are you indexing on the server?
What would you like the client to see?
Please try removing the folder indexes on the server and use ETP path rewriting to change a: => \\ComputerName\DriveName

Me - The server computer is indexing all local and remote drives on it. I would like the clients to see the same and each other. I will correct the ETP server name error, redo the ETP path rewrite, and post another screenshot.

3.

V - I'm not sure about these plugins, does Everything show the correct folder sizes?

Me - Yes, ES shows correct folder sizes and these are reflected in Windows explorer and xplorer2 for all local drives indexed under NTFS. Remote drives under Folder also used to show Folder sizes but stopped working recently.

4.

V - The video shows it takes about 5 minutes to rescan your A: drive. Was it faster in older versions? -Nothing has changed here.

Me - It has been faster in the current version 150.1404a. For some reason it just starts going extra slow in the fast rescan. This is a local drive on one of the client computers, and typically it will take 1-2 min if there for small changes or less time if there are no changes.


Current Plan - thanks for guiding me over each step. I'll do the ETP rewrite, reset ES, and readd the server local and remotes drive. After the full index is completed, I'll see if there are any changes in the fast rescan speed. If not, I'll forward the debug log via Tools -> Debug -> Statistics.

Expect a response by tomorrow evening or the latest Monday morning.

Thank you for your assistance.


P.S. Instead of having the server responsible for indexing its own local and remote drives, and the two clients via \\xxx\xx, is it possible to have each client simply index their own local drives and have the server combine those indexes into the main searchable index which is accessible to all the computers?

[CliffyBoy]

Hello,

As per your instructions, I completed the ETP rewrite on client1, uninstalled ES 150.1404a on the server pc using Revo Uninstaller, rebooted, ran Eusing Registry Cleaner, ran CCleaner (for registry), and reinstalled ES 150.1404a on the server pc, reinstalled the ETP and ES Server plugins, reset ES from the Tools menu, but ES is still remembering my original settings. As soon as I start it, it tells me it is reindexing the drives. If anything it should be indexing for the first time, not reindexing. I checked the ES Tools/Options and see all my original settings are still in place. It also shows my drives still listed under Folders which it shouldn't if all my settings were actually reset to default. My ES settings and executable are both in the standard locations for typical ES installation.

How do I totally clear and reset ES to readd Settings and Drive information?

Thanks

[CliffyBoy]

There is no option in the ES uninstaller to keep files or uninstall everything, so of course I assumed it would uninstall everything which it didnt.
After hunting around the forum, i found helpful info and:

deleted everything from C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming except plugin.ini which was created today
deleted everything from C:\Users\User\AppData\Local except log folder

This cleared all options and seems to have truly reset ES. Why doesnt Resetting through "Tools menu, click Import and Export Settings, Reset" or simply uninstalling ES work?

Anyway, now proceeding to re-add options, drives, and test.

[void]

Me - It has been faster in the current version 150.1404a. For some reason it just starts going extra slow in the fast rescan. This is a local drive on one of the client computers, and typically it will take 1-2 min if there for small changes or less time if there are no changes.

Fast Rescan still needs to rescan ALL folders.
Files are not rescanned if the folders date modified doesn't change.
It will still take several minutes to perform a fast rescan, but should be faster than a normal full rescan.

P.S. Instead of having the server responsible for indexing its own local and remote drives, and the two clients via \\xxx\xx, is it possible to have each client simply index their own local drives and have the server combine those indexes into the main searchable index which is accessible to all the computers?

Not with ETP.
You can do this with the Everything Server.

slight ETP path rewrite error-should be C-PRI-Root

What are your etp_client_rewrite_patterns and etp_client_rewrite_substitutions values in your Everything.ini ?
Maybe there's a trailing backslash in there?
A quick way to view and edit these values: In Everything, type in the following search and press ENTER:

about:config

Why doesnt Resetting through "Tools menu, click Import and Export Settings, Reset" or simply uninstalling ES work?

Everything is not deleting the backup.ini
I will have this fixed in the next update.

To reset Everything:

• Exit Everything (File -> Exit)
• Delete your %APPDATA%\Everything\Everything-1.5a.ini
• Delete your %APPDATA%\Everything\Everything-1.5a.backup.ini
• Restart Everything

[CliffyBoy]

Ok, if I have any future issues I will be sure to post them individually. Its hard to focus on several at a time in one post.
1.
- I've uninstalled Windhawk and RaiDrive, combed the registry for remnants, and am now only using SizesES plugin with xplorer2. SizesES works fine only if drives are indexed through NTFS; it doesnt work with drives indexed under Folders only. - I made a video to show what I mean.

Although Windhawk is not shown in the video, it also will only work under NTFS but not Folders only. Is there an API or something else the plugins should be using to connect with the ES Folder index?

2.
- Client1 screenshots shows Windhawk and SizesES working with ES 1404a perfectly with drives indexed under NTFS.

3.
The ETP path rewrites have been fixed. If you still see an error pls let me know

A-SEC-WorkSpace
B-FTP-6
C-PRI-Root
D-OWC-Ninja

[CliffyBoy]

4.
etp Folders only and etp NTFS + Folder screenshots shows how searches look on the client computer with etp server enabled. If I need to use Everything Server instead of ETP to get the search listing to show correctly,

- will this work using Folders since the remote drives dont use USN Journal?

Im trying to set up EverythingServer but not sure of this instruction:

Set the Path to the local server path, for example: D:\media
Set the Remap to the network share, for example: \\server\media

Do you mean

A:\A-PRI-WorkSpace
\\Primary1\A-PRI-Workspace

If this is correct, do I add local drives separately in the Client Settings menu or should all drives for the server and client be listed on the server computer?

[Kilmatead]

Not to clutter this thread, but just to give Void some clarity:

As the author of the x2 plugin and contributing author of the other one, I can state that they both essentially rely upon GetFolderSizeFromFilenameW (ES SDK v3.0.0.9), with appropriate error handling on UINT64_MAX (that is, at its simplest, what reflects the "Ok" or "No Index" status display as far as x2 is concerned).

There were no recent changes made to the plugin which could account for why (as the OP states) it worked before, and then stopped a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately I do not have a network of my own to do any testing with, so I can't comment on that.

[void]

- will this work using Folders since the remote drives dont use USN Journal?

Yes, the server will attempt to monitor changes to folders and keep your clients up to date.
The server will do a daily rescan of your folders by default and keep your clients up to date.

Do you mean

A:\A-PRI-WorkSpace
\\Primary1\A-PRI-Workspace

Yes.
Do this once on either the server side or the client side. (not both)
Do this just for files on your server.

do I add local drives separately in the Client Settings

Yes, on the client side, add your local drives.

A:\Sec_Hidden-L

From your etp_client_rewrite_patterns, there's no rewrite for A:\Sec_Hidden-L.
What would you like to rewrite this to?

As the author of the x2 plugin and contributing author of the other one, I can state that they both essentially rely upon GetFolderSizeFromFilenameW (ES SDK v3.0.0.9)

Thanks for your post Kilmatead,

I suspect it's the ETP rewrite causing the issue.
GetFolderSizeFromFilenameW wants the same path as it is on the ETP server, not the rewritten path. (so it will never work nicely)
The Everything Server should fix the issue.

[CliffyBoy]

Thanks Kilmatead and Void for your assistance so far.

The plugins themselves are ok, the issue is how they're interacting with the ES index. I've disabled the ETP Server and setup the ES Server and got it to work in a few different configs, just not with all the elements I need together. I've now deleted everything to focus simply on a three drive setup where I need:

- Folder Sizes to show on local and remote computers
- Remote Indexes to be accessible to local and remote files/folders
- Remote Drive to show Folder size locally and in remote index

Using the below data, can you provide me with the syntax and indicate the ES settings location (NTFS, Folders, ES Server Include Only) to properly setup the ES Server? If the 3 conditions arent met, I will take screenshots of each ES Settings section and the local and remote index search output to help refine the ES Server setup. - Thanks

Code: Select all

Drive
Letter   ComputerName      DriveName             ShareName                DestinationFolder     Location
------   ----------------- -----------------     -----------------        -----------------     ------------
A:       Primary1          PRI-WorkSpace         A-PRI-WorkSpace          Pri_Hidden-L          Server
C:       Secondary         SEC-Root              C-SEC-Root               Sec_Hidden-L          Client1
Z:       Primary1          Currant-richavocet    Z-Currant-richavocet     Watch                 Server (RemoteDrive)

[CliffyBoy]

I made a chart to track the plugin and share drive behavior using various ES options

see updated chart below 1.19.26

[void]

On the Server:

Index only the following:

Tools -> Options -> NTFS

Check Include in database for the following:

A:
Z:

Uncheck Include in database for any other drives.

For the A:, set Include only to:

Pri_Hidden-L

For the Z:, set Include only to:

Watch

Uncheck Automatically include new fixed volumes.
Uncheck Automatically include new removable volumes.
Uncheck Automatically remove offline volumes.



Install the Everything Server plugin.

Enable the Everything Server.
Add a user account.
Add the following Include onlys:

Path:

A:\Pri_Hidden-L

Remap to:

\\Primary1\A-PRI-WorkSpace

Path:

Z:\Watch

Remap to:

\\Primary1\Z-Currant-richavocet

Do you use any mapped network drives on the client side?



On the Client:


Index only the following:

Tools -> Options -> Network Indexes

Click Add....
Set the host to:

Primary1

Set your username and password.

Tools -> Options -> NTFS

Check include in database for the following:

C:

Uncheck Include in database for any other drives.

Set Include only to:

Sec_Hidden-L

Uncheck Automatically include new fixed volumes.
Uncheck Automatically include new removable volumes.
Uncheck Automatically remove offline volumes.

[CliffyBoy]

Hi,

Please review the screenshots of the 1st ES Server test batch. The remap didnt work. I dont think its a network issue because I set up the server in different configs already successfully.

1. searching for the Hidden- folder on the Client only showed the local hidden folder on C:, not A: or Z: Hidden- folders from the Server

2. as expected, Z: did not show up on the client or server searches. In my tests, the remote drives do not show up at all in searches using NTFS. Also, in screenshot 4-162437 "enable USN Journal" is not checked; I didnt leave it out - it gets auto unchecked probably since the Remotes dont use USN.

3. Screenshot 9-163811 shows Client drives that will be mapped once we get a working setup going.

4. im working on filling out the chart and doing screenshots for an almost fully working server config, I should be finished in about an hour

Thanks

[void]

Thanks for the screenshots.

Looks like the server is setup correctly.

1. searching for the Hidden- folder on the Client only showed the local hidden folder on C:, not A: or Z: Hidden- folders from the Server

We remap

A:\Pri_Hidden-L

to

\\Primary1\A-PRI-WorkSpace

So a

hidden-

search wouldn't match anything.

Please try a

root:

search and see if

\\Primary1\A-PRI-WorkSpace

is listed.

2. as expected, Z: did not show up on the client or server searches. In my tests, the remote drives do not show up at all in searches using NTFS. Also, in screenshot 4-162437 "enable USN Journal" is not checked; I didnt leave it out - it gets auto unchecked probably since the Remotes dont use USN.

I am not too familiar with a "RemoteDrive".
Maybe Include only doesn't work with a "RemoteDrive"..
Are you able to index the Z: drive with an empty Include only?
I'm guessing Everything cannot open a volume handle to a "RemoteDrive", I would need to see debug logs to confirm.
Please try adding your Z:\Watch folder as a folder index under Tools -> Options -> Folders.
Uncheck Include in database for your Z: drive under Tools -> Options -> NTFS.

[CliffyBoy]

Hi Void,

- I cleaned up the chart to make it clearer; If you can turn the no's from Folder \\xxx\xxx to yes's from Folder x:\, everything will be fixed and 100%. Please advise how i can fwd the logs and screenshots to you directly because they are too numerous for the thread.

- On a second look, I dont understand why you're mapping A:\Pri_Hidden-L (a folder on the A: drive)
to \\Primary1\A-PRI-WorkSpace (The A: drive itself). Is this helping to map A:\ to \\Primary1\A-PRI-WorkSpace (Also A)?

- The Remote Drives do not work with NTFS at all. They do work as \\Folders and \Drives. I added the ES debug logs for the NTFS config Server and Client for you to review.

- According to my observations getting the folder sizes via plugin (Windhawk/ES Sizes) is determined by how ES is configured (NTFS, Folder A:, Folder Custom \\) which is unexpected. The expectation is that if the information is available (ES Index), all requestors (plugins) should have access to it from all configurations.

Using A GPS Satellite example, all receivers within the geographic coverage area should be able to get available data from the satellite regardless of location; whether it be the Main Highway, Service Road, or Off Road. Either the plugins dont have full access or ES doesnt provide access to the available indexed data for all configurations. Maybe this is simply due to specific remapping issues, or additional tie-ins need to be created to make all the connections - I dont know. From my tests so far, NTFS is the most restrictive config. The chart and screenshots show each step where the plugins work and don't work. In some screenshots, you can clearly see that Xplorer2 is able to access the ES index using \\x\, and in the opposite window on a different drive it is unable to connect to the Index. Watch the Status ES Column for <OK> (Pipe+) or <No Index / Unresolved / Deferred> (Pipe+). The situation seems to be similar for the Windhawk plugin.


Thanks