Agent Ransack File Search Utility Freeware
Agent Ransack is a powerful freeware file search utility. It allows for many ways to search for files and file contents using different file parameters and combinations. Many computer users prefer to use Agent Ransack rather than the built-in Windows® Search utility. It often finds files that Windows Search cannot find.
Agent Ransack and FileLocator Pro from Mythicsoft
Agent Ransack is a product of Mythicsoft Ltd., based in England, an independent software company, specializing in high performance, robust, file searching solutions. It is a freeware ‘lite’ version with fewer features than their professional file search software, FileLocator Pro, available for purchase online for $49.95.
The software has been available for many years and has a high rating from users and the editors at CNET® Download.
Agent Ransack Features
It uses fast, multi-threaded search algorithms. It can search the content of Microsoft Office® Word® and Excel® files, OpenOffice®, PDF files, and other text files, but not Outlook® PST email files.
It supports searches using regular expressions (regex) on filenames and content and Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) on content only.
Search results may be printed or exported in TXT or CSV format.
Screenshot- Search Results
Screenshot sample search parameters:
File name: *.txt, containing text: mythicsoft, in folder: Agent Ransack and subfolders, file size: any size, modified: any date.
The discovered file names and file content lines with a text match are shown in the results window. Very easy to use.
Measuring Average File Sizes
I used the file size filter to analyze my data and media file storage. It shows that 38% are small data files under 4KB, 13% are 16-32KB, and 14% are 32-64KB. Only 5% of my data files are larger than 512KB. My PDF files were the largest data files.
My media files (audio, music, photos, videos, PowerPoint slide presentations) are larger. 27% of my media files are larger than 512KB. Only 11% are under 4KB, 12% are 16-32KB, 13% are 32-64KB, and 16% are 64-128KB.
File Sizes by File Type
I used Agent Ransack to analyze average file sizes by file type with the following results:
| File Type | File Size | File Type | File Size |
| .ico | 4KB | .mp3 music | 1.6MB |
| .gif | 8KB | .jpg photo | 2.3MB |
| .htm | 8KB | .ppt* slides | 3.2MB |
| .csv | 10KB | .asf video | 4.5MB |
| .txt | 35KB | .mp3 audio | 5.5MB |
| .png | 48KB | .mp4 video | 30MB |
| .jpg | 62KB | ||
| .doc* | 64KB | ||
| .xls* | 67KB | ||
| .bmp | 92KB | ||
| .rtf | 103KB | ||
| 301KB |
Optimize NTFS Cluster Size Allocations
Knowing average file sizes is useful for planning for storage capacity needs and can be used to optimize cluster size allocations when formatting NTFS® storage media. NTFS choices are 4KB, 8KB, 16KB, 32KB and 64KB.
If you have many small files under 4KB, select a cluster size of 4KB. If you have a lot of large files over 64KB, select a cluster size of 64KB. If you are using a hard disk, there is less file fragmentation and faster performance when using a larger cluster size.
When using a flash drive for storage, use a drive speed test utility, like FlashBench, to help determine the optimum cluster size.
Download Agent Ransack
Download Agent Ransack from Download.CNET.com
Agent Ransack is a useful free tool for a high-speed search for files and content. It is also one of the few tools I found for searching and sorting by file size to determine average file sizes.
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