Check for alternate data streams too - MS use that a lot, these days, for markers on internet-downloaded file and thumbnails for images.
the sysinternals site has a tool to list them.
Aahhh ok. Thanks allend. I accidentally left it checked "Hide protected operating system files".
I have unchecked it now, and it has become what it should be. Folder size and total size of contents comletely match.
This happens all of the time for me as well. For example, I will export out 1000 files from EnCase, but if I right click the folder that I exported it to it will say theres only 993 files. Windows is not calculating the data correctly. I have drilled down to specific folders and the data is the same except windows is just not reporting it correctly. I have not had this issue with Windows 7 yet. Might want to upgrade.
Greetings,
Every Windows system I work with regularly has "hide system files" turned off, full path names turned on, autoplay off, and some other things. This is so automatic that I find myself doing this when working for any period of time on someone else's system.
-David