Search for all windows folders containing a single file (as opposed to 2+ files)?

Question

Kind of an odd parameter, but it would be useful if I could run a search that returned only folders that contain a single file. Folders with 2 or more files don't get returned. Can this be done in windows? I could also live with a search that returned the files themselves.

Answer 1

ONE way this can be done is by using the built-in windows scripting:

Two plain text files need to be created in a single folder:

search.vbs with contents (basically picked up from code samples, modified slightly by me):

strDir = "i:\"
ignoreFolderCount = false

'*********************

set FSO = createobject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set objDir = FSO.GetFolder(strDir)
getInfo objDir, ignoreFolderCount


'**********************
Sub getInfo(pCurrentDir, ignoreFolderCount)

   For Each aItem In pCurrentDir.SubFolders
      getInfo aItem, ignoreFolderCount
   Next

   if pCurrentDir.Files.Count <= 1 then
      if pCurrentDir.Subfolders.Count = 0 or ignoreFolderCount then 
         wscript.echo pCurrentDir
      end if
   end if
End Sub

search_launch.bat with contents:

echo off
echo "Running process..."
cscript.exe search.vbs > search_results.txt
echo "Process complete"
pause

The first two lines of the search script take a folder path (change to suit), and a decision to ignore folders with one file which ALSO have a subfolder. The rest just recursively searches folders and checks the file count.

The search_launch batch file will launch the script using the console (rather than the windows gui) and will redirect output (the folder paths) to a text file called search_results.txt. This will be empty or it will have the names of any folders which match your criteria.

I got an "access denied error" when using against c:\ (probably need to run the batch file as admin), and this probably does not detect hidden files.