Archive Old Files

Why use it?

Manual cleanup does not scale: you miss folders, misread dates, and you cannot show your work. This script gives you a consistent, documented workflow:

• Trust, then act — Preview lists every candidate; commit only when the list matches your intent.
• Same structure in the archive — Relative paths are preserved so restores and audits stay obvious.
• Evidence — Optional HTML report and append-only run log for tickets and retention reviews.
• Server-friendly — Works on file servers; optional share picker for paths, or pure parameters for automation.
• Nothing exotic — Plain .ps1 you can read, sign, and run under normal Windows tooling.

What it does

Recursive scan from -InputPath. Every file is compared to a cutoff (now minus -Years). Choose what timestamp drives age: last modified (default), last opened (NTFS last access time), the newer of modified or last access (so a recent open keeps the file), plus created or older of created vs modified when copies have refreshed “modified” dates.

• Preview (default) — No moves; you see planned destinations and totals. Archive folder must already exist.
• -Commit — Creates archive folders as needed, moves files, optional empty-folder cleanup under the source (never the source root).

Settings can be saved to JSON next to the script for the next run; a run log records parameters and each file that met the age rule.

Features at a glance

• Age basis — LastWriteTime (default), LastAccessTime (opened / access), LatestWriteOrAccess (newer of the two), CreationTime, Earliest; shortcuts A/B/C and names like Modified, Opened, ModifiedOrOpened.
• Owner column — Orphaned SIDs and accounts that no longer resolve show as No active user.
• Hidden / system files — Included in the scan (-Force enumeration).
• Collision-safe — Duplicate names on the archive get _2, _3, … not silent overwrites.
• HTML report — Optional; saved under the archive with domain, path, and timestamp in the filename. Grouped by folder, owner column, compact rows; large folders collapse until you hover the block.
• Console table — Or choose -Output Text for a classic on-screen table.
• Totals — Counts of scanned, skipped-too-new, planned/moved/failed, and total size of planned+moved (source reclaim).
• -NoRunLog / -NoSaveConfig — Turn off log append or JSON save when you need to.
• -All — Preview every published folder share on the server; never commits (moves disabled even if JSON or prompts say otherwise). One HTML report per share under ArchivePath; shares that contain the archive path are skipped.

How it works

Safety rules

Existing files at the destination are never overwritten; a new numbered name is chosen instead.

How to run

Core parameters

• -InputPath — Root to scan (UNC or local).
• -ArchivePath — Archive root (must exist for preview; created on commit if missing).
• -Years — Threshold in years (decimals allowed, e.g. 7.5).

Often used

• -Commit — Perform moves.
• -Output Text or -Output HTML — Skip the end prompt.
• -AgeBasis LastAccessTime or LatestWriteOrAccess — Last-opened style rules (see NTFS last-access note in script output).
• -AgeBasis Earliest — When copies refreshed “modified” but content is old.
• -RemoveEmptyFolders Yes / No — After commit, prune empty dirs under source (not the root).
• -ConfigPath — Alternate JSON settings path.
• -SkipShareMenu — Disable share picker (automation / plain prompts).

Examples

Safe preview (nothing moves):

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Archive-OldFiles.ps1 `
  -InputPath 'D:\Data' -ArchivePath '\\nas\archive' -Years 7

Commit, HTML report, no empty-folder prune prompt:

.\Archive-OldFiles.ps1 -InputPath 'D:\Data' -ArchivePath '\\nas\archive' -Years 7 `
  -Commit -Output HTML -RemoveEmptyFolders No

All shares, preview only (run on the file server):

.\Archive-OldFiles.ps1 -All -ArchivePath 'D:\ArchiveReports' -Years 7

Full parameter documentation:

Get-Help .\Archive-OldFiles.ps1 -Full

File servers & shares

When you do not pass all core paths on the command line, the script can list published disk shares on the machine so you can pick the source share or type a path. The archive defaults to the local path of the share named Archive (override with -ArchiveShareName). Use -SkipShareMenu for silent / scripted runs.

Reports & logging

HTML (optional): self-contained page with a compact header (server, domain, paths, counts, reclaim size) and a table grouped by full folder path. Columns include file name, owner, the date used for the age rule (header matches -AgeBasis), and size. Failed rows are highlighted; hover file names for full paths and errors. Folders with more than twenty files start collapsed; hover the folder block to expand.

Run log (Archive-OldFiles.run.log next to the config file, unless -NoRunLog): each run appends parameters plus a tab-separated list of every file that met the age rule. -All runs add SHARE_BEGIN / SHARE_END sections per share.

Config JSON (Archive-OldFiles.config.json): saves last-used settings; includes AllShares when you last used -All.

Download

Troubleshooting (Windows)

• Blocked download: Unblock-File -Path .\Archive-OldFiles.ps1
• Execution policy: powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Archive-OldFiles.ps1 (add your parameters), or Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned
• Wrong extension: Rename if you see .ps1.txt
• Nothing listed: Confirm InputPath is the tree that actually holds the files; check permissions and the on-screen scan counts.
• -All missing argument: Use script v1.7.1+ (download again). Use -All with no value, or on an old file -All:$true.

Source on GitHub

Repository (script + README): https://github.com/hesseltined/ServerCleanUpTools