Although I've had Everything installed for some time, I just learned that there are features that make it far more powerful than I've used it for up to now.
I'm looking for a good 'how-to' that will introduce those features in a manner I can absorb (I'm past 80). My first need is to find and identify duplicate files so that I can delete all but one of them. I realize there is other software that will do this, however I see it as a means to learn more about Everything.
Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.
Noob Here
Re: Noob Here
First, you will want to install the experimental version; Everything 1.5 Alpha. As this contains better features surrounding duplicates and file contents hashing.
However, beyond this, there are numerous approaches and headaches involved in identifying duplicates and then removing the unwanted duplicates in a cogent manner, sufficient to your particular folder structures and needs. As of right now, Everything is not built around duplicate finding/deleting as a core feature, so a lot of the workload of identifying your needs, what constitutes a duplicate, where and which copy should be removed... is still bit of a sticky wicket that you have to solve. The tools are there, if you're clever enough to identify how to use them, and develop an orderly process without bungling it.
First I recommend playing with the new Properties features of Everything 1.5 and add an MD5 or SHA-1 column so you can see what hashing files looks like within Everything. You can right-click any of the column headers to find duplicates within that column, ie, all the duplicate file hashes that reveals duplicated file contents. From there, you can hunt and peck which files you want to delete in the manual fashion. For big jobs, this is going to be annoying and slow. I do not recommend hashing too many files all at once, as millions of files can take thousands of minutes -- it does involve opening and reading the contents of each file. And hashing files from within Everything is currently an ephemeral endeavor -- once you close the window, all that hashing work is now lost and forgotten.
I would honestly try other tools out there, first, or wait for Everything to evolve a wizard tool that walks you through the process of finding and deleting duplicates.
Read all of the dozens of other forums threads on here regarding duplicate files. You can learn more about what capabilities exist and have recently been added to Everything.
However, beyond this, there are numerous approaches and headaches involved in identifying duplicates and then removing the unwanted duplicates in a cogent manner, sufficient to your particular folder structures and needs. As of right now, Everything is not built around duplicate finding/deleting as a core feature, so a lot of the workload of identifying your needs, what constitutes a duplicate, where and which copy should be removed... is still bit of a sticky wicket that you have to solve. The tools are there, if you're clever enough to identify how to use them, and develop an orderly process without bungling it.
First I recommend playing with the new Properties features of Everything 1.5 and add an MD5 or SHA-1 column so you can see what hashing files looks like within Everything. You can right-click any of the column headers to find duplicates within that column, ie, all the duplicate file hashes that reveals duplicated file contents. From there, you can hunt and peck which files you want to delete in the manual fashion. For big jobs, this is going to be annoying and slow. I do not recommend hashing too many files all at once, as millions of files can take thousands of minutes -- it does involve opening and reading the contents of each file. And hashing files from within Everything is currently an ephemeral endeavor -- once you close the window, all that hashing work is now lost and forgotten.
I would honestly try other tools out there, first, or wait for Everything to evolve a wizard tool that walks you through the process of finding and deleting duplicates.
Read all of the dozens of other forums threads on here regarding duplicate files. You can learn more about what capabilities exist and have recently been added to Everything.
Re: Noob Here
A good place to start is here:
Searching in Everything
Searching in Everything