C:Watch

The Windows Storage Intelligence & Safe Cleaner Application

Continuously understand how disk space changes over time, identify what is consuming space, detect recurring cache regrowth, and safely reclaim gigabytes with dry-run protection.

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💡 The Core Problem

Most Windows users and developers eventually face the exact same frustrating question:

"Why is my C: drive filling up, where is the space going, and what can I safely delete?"

Traditional disk cleaners and tree analyzers only tell you what files exist right now. They don't tell you how your disk changed, why a folder grew by 20 GB this week, what tool created it, or what will break if you delete it.

C:Watch is a Storage Intelligence desktop application built from the ground up to continuously track filesystem differential deltas, project storage exhaustion trends, detect recurring regenerating bloat, and provide safe, transparent cleanup with full human rationale.

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✨ Key Features

📊 Storage Telemetry Dashboard Live capacity readouts, real-time burn rate calculations (+MB/day), days-to-full forecasts, and visual category heatmaps.	📁 Hierarchical Storage Explorer Interactive path breadcrumb navigation, proportion-of-parent allocation meters, and instant search filtering.
📄 Largest Files Locator Quickly identify individual space hogs ranked by byte weight with visual size tiers (>10GB, >2GB, >500MB) and category filter chips.	📑 Duplicate Files Finder Multi-phase SHA-256 byte hash engine with smart selection presets (Keep Newest, Keep Oldest) and safe deletion workflow.
📈 Storage Timeline & Differential Deltas Compare historical SQLite snapshots across timeframes (24h, 7d, 30d, 90d) to isolate the exact folders that accumulated space.	🔄 Recurring Growth Detector Identifies regenerating caches (npm, pip, Docker, Gradle, build artifacts) with calculated regrowth velocities.
🧹 Recommended Safe Cleanup Transparent safety classifications (SAFE, LOW RISK, REVIEW) with human rationale, dry-run simulation, and live progress reporting.	📋 Diagnostic Intelligence Reports Generates executive filesystem diagnostic summaries with KPI metrics and 1-click export to standalone styled HTML reports.

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🛡️ Safety & Privacy Guarantee

• 100% Offline & Local: Zero network requests, zero telemetry, zero analytics. All scanning and history records are stored purely on your local machine.
• No Accidental Deletions: Every cleanup candidate explains:
  1. Why is this here?
  2. What happens after cleanup?
  3. Will it regenerate automatically?
• Dry-Run Confirmation: Visual summary with running total recovery counter before any file operation executes.

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📥 Installation

Option 1: Standalone GUI Setup Wizard (Recommended)

1. Download CWatch-Setup-v1.1.2.exe from GitHub Releases.
2. Double-click the executable to launch the step-by-step installation wizard.
3. Configure your installation path and shortcut preferences, then click Install.

Option 2: Setup Zip Package

1. Download CWatch-v1.1.2-win-x64-Setup.zip.
2. Extract the archive and double-click Setup.cmd (or Setup.exe).
3. C:Watch will install to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\CWatch and create Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts.

Option 3: Portable Package (No Installation Required)

1. Download CWatch-v1.1.2-win-x64-Portable.zip.
2. Extract anywhere and launch CWatch.UI.exe.

Option 4: Build from Source

# Prerequisites: .NET 8.0 SDK
git clone https://github.com/MR-1124/CWatch.git
cd CWatch

# Restore & Build
dotnet build CWatch.sln -c Release

# Run
dotnet run --project src/CWatch.UI/CWatch.UI.csproj -c Release

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🏗️ Architecture & Technology Stack

d:\Project\CWatch\
├── src\
│   ├── CWatch.Core\            # Domain models, enums (SafetyLevel, StorageCategoryType), contracts
│   ├── CWatch.Storage\         # SQLite snapshot repository & history management
│   ├── CWatch.Analysis\        # Differential delta engine, growth analyzer, trend forecasting
│   ├── CWatch.Cleanup\         # Safe cleanup providers (System Temp, Node, Pip, Docker, Windows)
│   ├── CWatch.Infrastructure\  # Win32 API interop (Explorer, Process Locking, Disk Telemetry)
│   ├── CWatch.Monitoring\      # Background sampling timer & disk low alarms
│   └── CWatch.UI\              # WPF MVVM desktop UI with Nordic Terminal design system
└── tests\
    └── CWatch.Tests\           # Comprehensive unit & integration test suite (27 passing tests)

• Runtime: C# 12 / .NET 8.0 Windows Desktop (WPF)
• Database: Local SQLite with WAL mode via Microsoft.Data.Sqlite
• UI Architecture: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) with XAML data binding and async command orchestration
• Styling: Bespoke Nordic Terminal Design System (Matte Charcoal & Safety Orange palette)

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📸 Screenshots

Dashboard	Storage Explorer
Cleanup	History & Trends

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Check CONTRIBUTING.md for setup and conventions, and ROADMAP.md for ideas ranging from good first issue to bigger architectural work.

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

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Built with ❤️ for Windows users and developers who value their disk space and privacy.