Need sane organization for 20,000+ Pictures - HELP

[thatsright]

I have about 20,000 images I need to manage and put into a sane structure.

I originally had all my pics on my PC. Then I got an external HD and backed up the pics on the PC. Then I got a laptop and now have about 40GB of pics there. Of course everything mignles a bit, and driving me nuts. I want to backup all the pics on my laptop, moving them to the external HD. But, on the external HD there is overlap with the laptop and PC.

How can I organize all of this in lucid, structure. I have all my pics in folders by date, and then a sub folder for whatever I really like and will work on. I need a tool that will search my laptop and external HD and show me were duplicates exist-hopefully in visually representation....not just some 28 page text file showing me paths of duplicate images.

I'd love to be able:
-synchronize files, so the external HD always has the latest image.
-change colors of folders in XP. Its easier to identify a folder in Windows Explorer I will need to work with/compare if I can change the folder color.
-If possible, scan all files and tell me where duplicates exist.

Thanks!

 

[thatsright]

anyone?

 

[letdown427]

As for changing colours (I'm English, sorry) of folders, you could create shortcuts to them and change the icons for them. I don't think you'd be able to do it any other way.

I'm sure there's simpler free programs that will show you about duplicate files, I know for a fact that a program called EasyCleaner has this facility in. The rest of the software isn't great and can apparently kill lots of important things if you just blindly let it loose, but it may get you started?

Also, try a program called gpuviewer. It scans whatever directory you point it at and creates a fairly useful calendar of all your pictures, and you can configure a key press to open the file in an editing suite I believe.

Quite nice to look at if nothing else.