[phileysmiley]

How To: Locate All Duplicate Files

To locate all duplicate files present in the system you can use dupfinder.exe [Duplicate File Finder], which is part of Windows Support Tools.

Windows Support Tools is on the XP CD.
Drive:\SUPPORT\TOOLS
Double click on setup.exe and all the tools will be installed under your Program Files folder.

After that do the following:

Start>Run>type in dupfinder>OK

You will now get a GUI. Select the drive on Search in folder(s) tab. You may include your search in subfolders too. Now finally click on Start Search tab. It will scan the hard disk for duplicate files. But for safety don't delete them immediately, rather rename them.

[augie]

Nice find Philey, would this work for IE favourites also?

[phileysmiley]

Nice find Philey, would this work for IE favourites also?

I'd say yes, because favorites are html files. They would have to have the exact same name, though, to be tagged as duplicates.

[RRCinci]

And if you are like me and are too lazy to go over to the other side of the basement and get my XP CD...you can always download it(and the rest of the set of tools) from Microsoft !(Validation Required) Lots of good tools included with the package!

Great find Larry! Thanks!

Paul

[phileysmiley]

Here is another one. It is in that same Tools set (RRCinci linked to the download from MS):

WinDiff compares the contents of two files or sets of files with a graphical interface.

To invoke windiff so that you can the use menus to define the comparison, just enter

Start>Run>Windiff>OK

Windiff can be invoked with one or two paths. The second path, defaults to the current directory.

To compare a file in another directory with a file of the same name in this directory enter
Windiff path_to_other_file

To compare another whole directory with the current directory enter
Windiff path_to_other_directory

To compare two directories (including subdirectories) enter
Windiff path_to_first_directory path_to_second_directory

To compare two files
Windiff path_to_first_file path_to_second_file

To get help:-open Command Prompt window and type in windiff/?

It can be installed from XP CD in the \Support\Tools directory.

[ginogsm]

Nice find guys. Thanks for them

[tWeaKmoD]

Will this work if I have like MP3 files that are the same but may have a slight different name?

ex. "Band - Song" and "Band - Song_2"

[phileysmiley]

Will this work if I have like MP3 files that are the same but may have a slight different name?

ex. "Band - Song" and "Band - Song_2"

No, I don't think so. I actually have a 3rd party app which finds duplicate files (System Mechanic) and as I recall it did not match those up.