There's a Mess in My Computer Environment

Not sure about a program that will copy and sort for you (windows explorer is fairly basic), but hard drive capacity is extremely cheap now days. I would suggest getting a new large hard drive or two and just copying everything over to it and performing a manual sort using directory, name, file type and 'modified date' search.

Yes I know it is tedious, but it isn't as bad or time consuming as it sounds (and it sounds like you need to do a bit of data 'spring cleaning' anyway).

Hi Jack.

Doing as you suggest would risk older files overwriting later ones with disastrous losses of designs that are complex machine assemblies.

I need something that works below the level of simple files names. I know they are out there as I had one once called "Dupe".

It not only looked at the disk name but displayed the contents of both on a split screen for optical comparison.

The system needs a lot more than Spring cleaning!

Thanks for the support.

L.J.

You could write a shell script fairly easily around the "cmp" command that could sort the files in the background, identifying those with identical content, and sort by creation date- but, of course, there may not be any consistency over the years on how the date on a file is set (first created, last modified, last accessed, etc.). Exact dupes you discard rather than archive.

Images, music files, CAD files- all those are a whole lot harder- I would start with an extension sort, although, once again, those extensions have probably changed their meaning over the years. So, extension/date source...

Or you could take my approach. Anything that hasn't been accessed in the last ten years belongs in the trash. Even if you can still access it.

Except for photos of the kids....

Here is nice free utility which will provide the help you need identifying duplicate files and general cleanup too, give it a whirl

http://download.cnet.com/Advanced-SystemCare-Free/3000-2086_4-10407614.html

I downloaded the utility Bwire. Thanks. I also downloaded Registry Mechanic.

P911 suggested networking the computers prior to running the executable. I had considered that and was pleased to see him suggest it. Thanks Phoenix. If the cleanup utility will handle so large an environment that would be fantastic. Writing the critical files to one dedicated server also makes sense.

However, coming up with a method for categorizing different types of information continues to be perplexing however. A dewey Decimal system of sorts but at the digital level. Solidworks has a great PDM package that tracks all project related files, regardless of type, including design revisions. It is discipline specific however and not suited to this broad an issue. I need something more generic.

Thanks for support, everyone!

L.J.

The utility has a specific module of identifying duplicate files.

I prefer entering sfc /scannow in the cmd promp to registry mechanic, the integral will do no harm and windows aught to know it's own.

morning, L.J.

I take this is for work.

This is my opinion

The first place to start is develop a protocol for back-up and operations.

This may/should lead you to putting up a small wireless network system with a main server, they are rather cheap now and easy to put together you self. This way you keep every thing on your server and back up your server.

The hardest, is organizing your files on all your computers, and eliminated or isolating your duplicates. This is the hardest. Portable hard drive may help, may even incorporate it, but it has draw backs.

When I did this for a company. (I had no choice) I archived everything, 5 years with crap until needed. at a certain date. and started fresh from that date on with the new system.

And when as I needed an old file, I dove and when into the archive and brought the files needed into the new system. worked great, but a headache making sure it was the latest.

But was a time saver to be able to manage the database.

good luck, your work is cut out for you.

p911

Looks like a job for... find. You'll "find" it on *nix and cygwin. You could read up on it, do a tiny bit of shell scripting, and make one very big very well-organized library from a command line.

If you want to stick with Windows, just create a hiearchy by hand and use Explorer's search.