The more you download and install, the higher the chance of duplicate files. In many cases, they needlessly take up disk space and you better get rid of it. However, locating duplicate files manually is time consuming. Fortunately, CloneSpy takes most of this investigation off your hands.
CloneSpy
Language:
English
OS:
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Winodws 8
Website:
www.clonespy.com
8 Score 80- Pros
- Very powerful
- Flexible (Polish)
- Fast
- Negatives
- Takes some getting used to
CloneSpy (which works without installation by the way) advises you to go through the help files at the very first start to avoid deleting the wrong files. Rightly so, because not all duplicate files are redundant and can therefore be deleted with impunity. For that reason, it is best to set the tool in such a way that it does not decide for itself which duplicates can be removed.
Search criteria & filters
To get started with CloneSpy, you logically first indicate in which folder(s) the tool should search for duplicate files. By default, CloneSpy only considers files that are identical at the 'bit level' as duplicates. To do this, the tool creates checksums (check numbers), a process that takes time. However, you can also set other criteria and, for example, indicate that an identical file name is sufficient. You can also set all kinds of filters and limit the search process to, for example, files of a certain size, time and/or extension.
You can activate various filters.
Polish
It may of course happen that you have already checked a large disk for duplicate files and now you want to check whether an additional (external?) disk contains files that already exist on that first disk. In such a case you can make handy use of so-called 'pools' (groups). You then place that additional disk in a second pool and you make it clear to CloneSpy that it should only search for duplicates between the two pools and not within each pool separately. That way you can speed up the search process.
Result
At the end of each search process, you will receive an overview of the duplicate files found. For safety's sake, it's a good idea to go through this list and decide for yourself whether you want to delete a duplicate and if so, which of the two files can be deleted. You can automate this process, for example by having the oldest files or the files with the longest name deleted. But as said: it is not entirely without risk.
Add folder(s) and start the scan round. It can be that simple (sometimes).
