Use separate DB and INI for every respective external HDD?

[EveryThinger]

I use several external USB-HDDs, mapped in Windows 10 with several different drive letters.

Now I would like to have a separate

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everything.db

and

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everything.ini

for every HDD in a directory called "\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64" on every external USB-HDD.
The respective db should include all indexed files from the respective HDD only.

I read the page about multiple instances. But I would like to separate the databases too (to get a "portable" version of Everything on every HDD running without connection to the original device where the HDD's has been connected).

How can I achieve that?

[void]

Everything is not really designed to do this.



Copy the portable Everything.exe to the Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64 folder on each drive.

Launch Everything.exe with -instance "unique drive name"
where "unique drive name" is a unique name for the drive.

If prompted with "Everything requires admin privileges to index NTFS volumes", choose do no index NTFS volumes.
(indexing external drives doesn't require admin privileges)

Setup indexes:

• In Everything, from the Tools menu, click Options
• Click the NTFS tab on the left.
• Uncheck Automatically index fixed volumes.
• Uncheck Automatically index removable volumes.
• Uncheck Automatically remove offline volumes.
• For each NTFS volume:
  • Uncheck Include in database.
  (keep the external drive included)
• Click the ReFS tab on the left.
• Uncheck Automatically index fixed volumes.
• Uncheck Automatically index removable volumes.
• Uncheck Automatically remove offline volumes.
• Click OK.

Exit Everything.
Copy the Everything-unique drive name.ini to other drives with your Everything.exe.
Rename the unique drive name part so it is unique for each drive and matches the instance name.
Setup the external drive under Tools -> Options -> NTFS for each instance.



Alternative options:
File lists

instance_name ini setting in Everything 1.5

-path-instance in Everything 1.5

[EveryThinger]

Unfortunately, this doesn't seems to work (or I can't see, what I'm doing wrong).

After setting up as you say for drive letter V:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64 and copying the DriveV.ini to - let's say - the drive letter H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64 as DriveH.ini, any change I do in Everything started from H: will be saved to the original V: location.

There will be no separate DriveH.db created in H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64

I start the instances like this
V:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything.exe -instance "DriveV"
H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything.exe -instance "DriveH"

I can't get where in the INI or registry this connection to V: is saved.
Any ideas?

[void]

If you call Everything as:

H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything.exe -instance "DriveH"

You settings for this instance are stored in H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything-DriveH.ini



Please make sure Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything is disabled for each instance:

• In Everything, from the Tools menu, click Options.
• Click the General tab on the left.
• Uncheck Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything.
• Click OK.

The Everything-DriveH.db is only created on disk when you exit Everything. (File -> Exit)



Please check the instance name shown in the Everything Search window title bar.

[EveryThinger]

Thanks for your patience.

I double-checked the %APPDATA%\Everything setting. It is deactivated.
But there is some unexpected behaviour:
For unknown reasons the Everything.exe seems to remain active after closing the Everything-GUI.

After closing it with the commandline
taskkill /IM everything.exe /F
the behaviour for the single separate external drives and separate instances seems to be as expected.

You can check it if you call Everything.exe from a batch file like this:

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CALL H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything.exe -instance "DriveH"

It seems not to return after closing the Everything GUI, the batch windows remains open.

[EveryThinger]

The Everything-DriveH.db is only created on disk when you exit Everything. (File -> Exit)

Could it be that closing the GUI with the white X on red background in the upper right GUI window corner doesn't behave the same?

[void]

Pressing the X button will only close the Everything search window.

Everything will keep running in the background.

To exit Everything when all search windows are closed, please try disabling Tools -> Options -> UI -> Run in background.
-or-
From the File menu, click Exit.

Your settings are saved to disk when you close a search window or exit Everything.

CALL H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything.exe -instance "DriveH"

CALL will block until Everything.exe returns.

Instead of CALL, please try START:

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START "" H:\Everything-1.4.1.1022.x64\Everything.exe -instance "DriveH"

[EveryThinger]

Thank you very much for your clarification. I was not aware of that difference.

I was using CALL because I needed to terminate Everything with a TASKKILL command after "closing it with white X on red background" (which isn't closing Everything - only the search window - as I learned).