VBScript Drive Property

last modified April 9, 2025

The Drive property in VBScript is part of the FileSystemObject. It returns a Drive object corresponding to the drive in a specified path. This property provides access to drive information like available space, drive type, and file system. It's essential for scripts that need to manage storage devices.

The Drive property helps retrieve detailed information about storage devices. It works with various drive types including hard disks, CD-ROMs, and network drives. This tutorial covers the Drive property with practical examples to demonstrate its usage.

Drive Property Overview

The Drive property is accessed through the FileSystemObject. It takes a path string and returns a Drive object. The Drive object contains properties like TotalSize, FreeSpace, and DriveType. This property is read-only and doesn't modify the drive.

Key features include retrieving drive information without direct file operations. It supports all drive types recognized by the operating system. The property raises an error if the specified drive doesn't exist. Understanding this property helps create robust storage management scripts.

Basic Drive Information

This example demonstrates retrieving basic information about a drive. It shows how to access the Drive object and display its properties. The script gets the drive letter, volume name, and file system type.

basic_drive_info.vbs

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set drive = fso.GetDrive("C:")

WScript.Echo "Drive Letter: " & drive.DriveLetter
WScript.Echo "Volume Name: " & drive.VolumeName
WScript.Echo "File System: " & drive.FileSystem

Set drive = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing

The script creates a FileSystemObject and gets the C: drive. It then displays basic drive properties. The DriveLetter property returns the drive letter. VolumeName shows the drive's label.

Checking Drive Space

This example shows how to check a drive's total and free space. It demonstrates using the Drive object's size-related properties. The script calculates used space and displays all space information in GB.

drive_space.vbs

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set drive = fso.GetDrive("C:")

totalGB = drive.TotalSize / (1024^3)
freeGB = drive.FreeSpace / (1024^3)
usedGB = totalGB - freeGB

WScript.Echo "Total Space: " & FormatNumber(totalGB, 2) & " GB"
WScript.Echo "Free Space: " & FormatNumber(freeGB, 2) & " GB"
WScript.Echo "Used Space: " & FormatNumber(usedGB, 2) & " GB"

Set drive = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing

The script calculates drive space in gigabytes by dividing bytes by 1024^3. It shows total capacity, free space, and calculated used space. The FormatNumber function formats the output to two decimal places.

Determining Drive Type

This example demonstrates identifying a drive's type using the Drive object. It shows how to interpret the DriveType property value. The script checks if a drive is fixed, removable, or a network drive.

drive_type.vbs

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set drive = fso.GetDrive("D:")

Select Case drive.DriveType
    Case 0: typeDesc = "Unknown"
    Case 1: typeDesc = "Removable"
    Case 2: typeDesc = "Fixed"
    Case 3: typeDesc = "Network"
    Case 4: typeDesc = "CD-ROM"
    Case 5: typeDesc = "RAM Disk"
    Case Else: typeDesc = "Undefined"
End Select

WScript.Echo "Drive Type: " & typeDesc

Set drive = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing

The script uses a Select Case statement to match drive type codes with descriptions. Each numeric value corresponds to a specific drive type. This helps identify whether a drive is a hard disk, USB stick, or other media type.

Checking Drive Availability

This example shows how to check if a drive is ready for access. It demonstrates using the IsReady property to avoid errors. The script safely checks drive status before attempting to read properties.

drive_ready.vbs

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set drive = fso.GetDrive("E:")

If drive.IsReady Then
    WScript.Echo "Drive is ready"
    WScript.Echo "Free space: " & drive.FreeSpace & " bytes"
Else
    WScript.Echo "Drive is not ready (might be empty CD/DVD drive)"
End If

Set drive = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing

The script checks the IsReady property before accessing drive information. This prevents errors when querying drives like empty CD-ROMs. The property returns False for unavailable drives and True for accessible ones.

Listing All Drives

This example demonstrates enumerating all available drives on a system. It shows how to use the Drives collection with the Drive property. The script displays information about each detected drive.

list_drives.vbs

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set drives = fso.Drives

For Each drive In drives
    WScript.Echo "Drive: " & drive.DriveLetter
    If drive.IsReady Then
        WScript.Echo "  Type: " & drive.DriveType
        WScript.Echo "  File System: " & drive.FileSystem
        WScript.Echo "  Total Size: " & drive.TotalSize & " bytes"
    Else
        WScript.Echo "  Drive not ready"
    End If
Next

Set drives = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing

The script loops through the Drives collection to access each drive. For each drive, it displays the letter and checks if it's ready. Ready drives show additional details while unavailable drives show a simple status.

Source

FileSystemObject Documentation

In this article, we have explored the Drive property in VBScript, covering its usage and practical applications. From basic drive information to system-wide drive enumeration, these examples demonstrate comprehensive drive management. With this knowledge, you can enhance your scripts with robust drive handling capabilities.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar and I am a passionate programmer with many years of programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. So far, I have written over 1400 articles and 8 e-books. I have over eight years of experience in teaching programming.

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