Tech Guide: Eradicate duplicate files

By Jason Parker, Special to ZDNet
27 April 2004 05:40 PM

Ever find that you have multiple copies of the same file when you only need one? Here's some utilities that scan drives, find duplicate file, and let you get rid of them.

Last week I got an e-mail from a reader looking for a good program to find duplicate files. He had important files on two different drives and knew that there was significant duplication between them but didn't know how to fix the problem. Moreover, he wanted to transfer all of his files to a new hard drive he had just bought.

I did a little research and found several programs that quickly scan drives and let you compare files to know which ones you can delete. Not only do these apps offer a solution to the problem above, they let you free up a significant amount of drive space by getting rid of duplicates.

Here are the three I found most useful for syncing up drives and finding duplicates.

NoClone finds duplicates by performing a byte-to-byte comparison of files. This program worked great for tracking down and deleting duplicate digital photos on my hard drive. You can also use this one to de-dupe files over a network. (Shareware/Windows)

Directory Report 19 quickly catalogs large drives and lets you sort by several different criteria to find which files you need and which are duplicates. This one is my favourite because you can also easily print directories for hands-on comparisons and export to Excel to view in a spreadsheet format. (Shareware/Windows)

FolderMatch lets you compare the contents of two folders on any drive, even CDs. Use this one to sync between hard drives, computers, or your laptop. It also offers a helpful wizard to guide you through the process. (Shareware/Windows)

What do you think? How do you manage duplicate files on your system? TalkBack to me below!