Find and remove duplicate files
Duplicate files and drives continue to be one of the most common computer problems for software and hardware companies today.
Duplicate files can appear on your system for a number of reasons, and can have a number of detrimental results aside from wasting hard drive space. Various applications may install the same driver files, dll's, ocx's (activeX controls), and more in numerous different locations on your system, or you may copy or download the same files into different folders on your system without knowing it. Sometimes the only result of this is wasted hard drive space, but many times, if there are a number of different copies of the same driver or other vital system file, your system can become confused as to which file to use and may even crash or lock up sporadically, resulting in loss of data and other disastrous results.
System Mechanic can easily find and remove duplicates of the same file before they cause system instability.
You will be absolutely amazed at the sheer number of duplicate files that you'll find on your system with this tool. Most people accumulate dozens, if not even hundreds of megabytes of exact duplicate files over time. Some similar programs such as word processors, web browsers, graphics programs, and others install the same files in various locations of your system. Normally, you only need - and should only have - one copy of these files resident on your computer.
Wipe-out duplicate files with System Mechanic!
You have total control!
Its easy to find proper duplicates using System Mechanic because we take the guesswork out of searching for them. The duplicate file search and remove tool in System Mechanic is the best of its kind, with the most intuitive interface and flexible options on the market. Take a look at the screenshots to see just how much power this tool bestows upon you! Beginners and experts alike will find the options easy to understand, even without reading our documentation.
You choose what to files look for!
The duplicate file search and removal tool gives you complete flexibility. You can choose to look at all files on your system, or elect to only look for a certain file type or group of file types. You can even tell it which folders to look in. It's all built into its easy and intuitive interface.
Have legitimate duplicates or backups? No problem!
Some people have special areas on their system where they keep backup copies of certain important files. Some applications store duplicates of some of your vital system files for safety. Using the Duplicate File tool in System Mechanic you can add these special folders and files to a list of "excluded" items. That way you'll help ensure that the files you find are duplicates that you'll want to deal with. There's also a quick one-click option that allows you to exclude a certain folder from being scanned by simply selecting an item from the list of found dupes.
Use advanced criteria to find true duplicates.
You might think that the only way to find a duplicate file would be using its filename. This is one way, however it can lead to erroneous result as there are thousands and applications for Windows, and some are bound to be legitimately using the same names for their files (readme.txt, Install.exe, etc). We don't stop with the just the filename - you can use any combination of the following criteria:
- Same date and time: Two files with the same date and time would have been created exactly simultaneously. This is an excellent item of insight as to whether two files are duplicates. 99% of all files that have the same date and time are the same file altogether.
- Same Name: Two or more files with the same name is a good indicator of duplicates. This option alone provides very loose matching, and is very useful used alone to search for multiple versions of the same drivers or system files - which can be very dangerous to have on your system.
- Same Size: For true duplicate matching, same size is a must. This option compares file sizes down to the byte level for extra accuracy. It is very probable that two or more files that are exactly the same size are duplicates of each other.
- Skip "SYSBCKUP" folders: The "SYSBCKUP" folder is a folder kept by Windows which contains backup copies of some vital Windows files and information. This folder will most likely contain legitimate duplicates of files found elsewhere in your system, and thus can be safely excluded from a duplicate scan if desired.
- Skip Windows "Virtual Folders": Windows' virtual folders are "non-physical" folders that contain indexing information to other data. Such folders are the Windows "My Briefcase" folder, the "Recycle Bin" folder, etc. Since files are not handled in a standard way in these folders, they will never yield valid results and can therefore be safely excluded from a duplicate scan.
- Skip Zero Length Files: If zero length files are not skipped by default and only the "Same Size" criteria for duplicates is used, all files with zero lengths will appear to be duplicates. You can exclude zero-length files from the scan altogether using this option. You can also clean your system of zero-length files using System Mechanic's Junk and Obsolete File Removal tool!
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