Resolved Find Duplicate Files

I have a number of duplicate data and photo files I would like to purge from my hard drive. CNET has a host of free downloads of "duplicate file finders ". But before I simply downloaded one at random, thought I would check here for any suggestions. Or perhaps there is a feature already imbedded in XP Home that would do the trick.

 

Ditto to the nth degree! My biggest puter disaster early on, was, when I used an app to delete dup files.....giddily highlighting & deleting, finally 10 at a time. And I had the filters set to the max in the app in question.

That was before I started installing internal backup in my desktops. I shall never forget it. Or that nanosecond awareness that that last mouseclick was the coup de gras and I could not take that mouseclick back.

Virginia.....it was worse than PMS. Please be careful!!!!!!

 

I used this excellent free program to delete countless duplicate mp3's, but you can do it with any folder. You can view the suggested duplicates before you perform the cleansing.

http://download.cnet.com/Duplicate-Cleaner/3000-2248_4-10584403.html

 

You can find programs on http://www.techrepublic.com that will do detailed searches.

Once you use any duplicate file finder program - BE CAREFUL - as Jilly and Steve have mentioned. REMOVING THE WRONG FILE CAN AND WILL CAUSE DISASTER TO YOUR PC.

 

Hi,

IF I may follow up, cause seeing all this has, after all this time, mitigated my hard earned "Never again" re my catastrophe while deleting dup files and maybe we should determine the importance and efficacy of addressing dup files here.

If I, or anyone else not say MS certifie, someone who who knows stuff...& find the either insanity or courage to try this again with less recklessness, seriously, would it make a significant difference in our systems? All my systems are clean, free of junkfiles, always defragged, the registries clean and also defragged, and all my volumes are occupied to such a low percentage nobody can believe it.

While i have tons of MP3 files, I have no dups. Same with pic files. I mean all the other apparent dup files these apps find.

So, given that, would there be an upside to someone gettipast self induced burn scars and trying again?

Do really savvy PS users choose do this?

 

Jilly,

I did not meant to tick you off which it seems I have. I use TechRepublic quite alot which has won numerous awards. I know from 1st hand what it can cause by removing duplicate files. I to have had to reformat and reload my system - only happend once.



That is why I mentioned you and Steve.

I have worked on computers sience they came about. I do not have the money to become MS Certified. I would like to be.

Once again ,If I have ticked you off in any way - I do appoligize.

 

OMG Noooo! Not only did you not tick me off, I felt complimented you included my post in your warning reiteration!

I am asking a very serious question.....cause this thread, for the first time since my disaster, opened the dupe files door again! If it really does serve a viable purpose and I am just being a WUS.....I should know that and get past my wounds, maybe.

I just now, do not know if this is something people with expertise far above mine....do! Nor, before seeing the thread, have I even thought about it.But if savvy people go there, it must be a good thing.

Hand to heaven!!!!

 

Jilly it does depend on the circumstances. I erase duplicates every few months because of a combination of factors.

1) My memory (in my head that is) is rubbish.
2) My filing is about as tidy as my home and believe me you don't want to see my home.
3) I'm forever downloading large SP's/Upgrades for friends with slow connections.

Due to 1 and 2 I often have duplicates of 3 which can often take up gigabytes of space.

As others (and yourself) have posted though, it's not to be taken lightly. One tip to make it easier is to limit the duplicate search to files larger than say 200Mb, this will limit (but not eliminate) the risk of deleting essential files and with the size of HD's nowadays sifting through the debris of smaller files isn't really worth the bother.

 

Thanks for all the active responses. What I have learned here is to be very careful - which is my usual method of operation. My plan right now is to download a program and use it simply to help me locate the duplicate files - and then delete them myself, manually. Could take some time but I will report back on my success or lack thereof.

 

Outstanding.

Virginia guy...I just looked at yr puter. Did you ever consider doing internal backup---given that appears an option---and install a second HDD in the empty bay?

If you did---that is what I do in my desktops---you could clone yr original drive to the backup drive, and if you used XXClone free, they would be identical and both bootable, and then you might feel fewer trepidations about your new adventure and messing up.

Now that you have inspired me to get past my wounds-generated WUSiness, that will be my plan when I try this again.

 

I downloaded the Duplicate Cleaner that Lugwalker suggested and it looks pretty good. I have a bit of learning about how to scan with it - first scan came up with 17,000 duplicate groups. Should work much better when I learn how to limit the areas to scan - mainly photos. The company includes many cautionary messages such as:

I will provide an update as soon as I have had a chance to do some real work with it.

Jilly, thanks for your suggestion. Due to a power supply failure about a year ago - and a scare that I had lost everything without a backup - I got a 1TB Maxtor external hard drive that I use to image my hard drive once a week and back up files every couple of days. That was after the good folks here at WindowsBBS got me through the crisis.

 

Wow. And on top of the former catastrophe younow have serious snow! And we are getting it (luv snow.)

It appears, Arie, the Administrator here, has chosen same method of backup. i am sorry you went thru that enervating mess but happy and not surprised the pundits here got you through it.

I hope you are using a surge protector strip!

Bet none of this ever happened to Thomas Jefferson down there.

 

Perhaps obvious but for others reading. Don't do a duplicate files scan if you have a backup/clone drive connected, obviously you will have many hits.

 

Excellent point! Tho in my case, moot, given I unearthed this little German freeware called REVOSLEEP. Have pasted the link before here, will now again:

http://revosleep.realspooky.de/

When you choose, and I always do after I boot into my go-to drive, it puts the backup drive to sleep. It doesn't spin, use PSU energy or produce heat. It gives balloon messages from the systray. If you want to wake the backup drive up, you can do this at will employing the icon in the systray.

I adore this little app.

If you have internal backup in any system, you will have big fun getting it and testing it. A rar file opener, there are several free ones available, will be necessary to open the downloaded file.

There is also a strange little music tack on their site. Sometimes it plays in my head. Definitely not Alica Keys but sweet.

Thanks for your post, it was an important one.

 

Followup post. I have been using the Duplicate Cleaner and have gotten rid of a lot of duplicate photos. Thanks for all the input. I will mark this one as "Resolved ".

 

I've found this cleaner to be even better:

http://www.digitalvolcano.co.uk/content/latest-news/75-duplicate-cleaner-14-released

 

Lugwalker - The link you just posted about appears to be the same one you linked to in Post #4. Both posts take me to Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.3 which is the one I am using. Did I miss something?

 

Sorry about that, Virginia. I thought that I had recommended Easy Duplicate Finder which I found to be not quite as user-friendly as Duplicate Cleaner.

http://www.easyduplicatefinder.com/

 

Again, thanks for your input. The Duplicate Cleaner is doing the job.