Software for eliminating duplicate files?

[legocitytruck]

Currently, I keep most of my work stored on an external hard drive. I do edit old documents and create new ones while using my laptop. Is there any software available that will allow me to send the new documents to my backup hard drive, and should there be an older version of a particular file on the hard drive it will overwrite it with the newer file? More broadly, is there any software that will look for duplicate software on either hard drive and bring it to the user's attention?

 

[Underclocked]

http://www.clonespy.com/ perhaps

 

[Sam25]

+1 for Clonespy. You can also take a look here.

 

[tcsenter]

I recently cleaned roughly 1300 duplicate files worth 2GB+ using this: http://www.easyduplicatefinder.com/

Pretty straight-forward though limited features. You can define the file types that you want to include but not the types that you want to exclude (except for predefined system files).

Since I download and store a lot of applications, utilities, and drivers, there were like a thousand different duplicates of things that I wanted to exclude like:

setup.exe
Instmsia.exe
Instmsiw.exe
various DLL's
MS QFE and hotfixes

And other files that are common in most installer packages for applications or drivers. I created the problem, though, because I often extract the installer files from executable package (where possible). This app won't search inside of archives (zip, rar, exe, etc.), so had I not extracted the files from the archives, they wouldn't have turned up in the search.

 

[legocitytruck]

If you have multiple files with the same name but some are more updated than others, is there a utilities which will move the older file into a preset folder, so that when you need to change the file again you only see the newer one, and the older one is available in another folder should you need it?

 

[legocitytruck]

Would writing something that does this be a simple task?

 

[AllanIsKing]

Hi legocitytruck

Try Directory Report http://www.file-utilities.com
It can find duplicate files plus it can compare/synchronize two folders