File Compare Utility

[holycow]

I'm looking for a program that will look at two folders and compare
the files stored within them, then tell me where the mismatches are,
and allow me to make both folders identical (or make one to contain
all the files of both folders)

Eg. I have a large collection of .mp3s on network computer #1, and
another large collection of .mp3s on network computer #2. I want to
know how these collections differ and make the collection on computer
#2 contain all the ones on computer #1 plus its own.

I cannot use copy/move & overwrite because the 2 collections have tens
of thousands of files.

Thanks.

 

[Wayne D]

I'm looking for a program that will look at two folders and compare
the files stored within them, then tell me where the mismatches are,
and allow me to make both folders identical (or make one to contain
all the files of both folders)

Eg. I have a large collection of .mp3s on network computer #1, and
another large collection of .mp3s on network computer #2. I want to
know how these collections differ and make the collection on computer
#2 contain all the ones on computer #1 plus its own.

I cannot use copy/move & overwrite because the 2 collections have tens
of thousands of files.

Thanks.

TreeComp:

"Introduction:

TreeComp is an interactive utility to keep 2 directory trees and the
files within the directories in sync. The combined tree is displayed
using a treeview control with icons indicating the status per directory.
Programs to view the differences (I.e. Microsoft's WinDiff or WinMerge)
between files with the same name can be launched by double-clicking, as
well as editors for a file residing in one of the 2 trees. After
inspection files can be copied/deleted interactively as desired. In our
organization we view this program as an indispensable tool that is far
beyond xcopy /s /e."

http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

Regards

Wayne D

 

[BlueRinse]

I'm looking for a program that will look at two folders and compare
the files stored within them, then tell me where the mismatches are,
and allow me to make both folders identical (or make one to contain
all the files of both folders)

I use a program called Folder Match which is not freeware at all. However,
they have a competitors page on their site with a list of links to a lot of
other programs. Maybe one or more is freeware?

http://www.foldermatch.com/fmcompetitors.htm

 

[Fred \(Remove The Invalid\)]

Check out TestPath:
http://home.parks.lv/ojarsk/DL.htm
Fred

 

[omega]

BlueRinse <[email protected]>:

[nobody wrote:]

Hi, I'm looking for a synchronize folders utility. First, while I know
that this is a freeware group, can you tell me what payware one you use?

And, by the way, I don't want any specific freeware suggestions. What
I'd like would be a long list of blind links, without descriptions. You
see, I have 300 hours of my life which I need to burn up.

So I thought that maybe you could give me a list just like that, and I
can chase down all the links. Then I can spend a whole lot of time at
every site, trying to get to the hidden information about whether it is
freeware or shareware.

Sometimes that can be hard to figure out, so I might unintentionally
download some shareware. But that's good! Because my computer has been
running too smoothly lately, how boring. If I install the sharewares,
that can change! Let them write in a lot of garbage registry keys, sneak
in hidden files that pose as system files, and, hopefully maybe some of
them will have Armadillo protection scheme, so that when I run them, my
computer crashes.

Make the list as blind and long as you can please. PS. Maybe it can include
spyware too, then I'll get to find out what happens when I run that, it'll
give me more to do...

TIA

I use a program called Folder Match which is not freeware at all. However,
they have a competitors page on their site with a list of links to a lot of
other programs. Maybe one or more is freeware?

http://www.foldermatch.com/fmcompetitors.htm

Thank you!!

 

[omega]

I'm looking for a program that will look at two folders and compare
the files stored within them, then tell me where the mismatches are,
and allow me to make both folders identical (or make one to contain
all the files of both folders)

Eg. I have a large collection of .mp3s on network computer #1, and
another large collection of .mp3s on network computer #2. I want to
know how these collections differ and make the collection on computer
#2 contain all the ones on computer #1 plus its own.

I've used these....

Comparator
http://www.softbytelabs.com/Comparator/index.html
CompFold
http://home.freeuk.com/mpescod/
CSDiff
http://www.componentsoftware.com/products/csdiff/intro.htm
Merge Directories
http://www.lexacorp.com.pg/miscsoft.html
UnDup
http://www.armory.com/~charlie/undup/
Tree Comp (mentioned in another followup)
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

Also notice also this recommendation in a followup:
TestPath
http://home.parks.lv/ojarsk/DL.htm

I'm not sure if you have any special criteria. I have assumed, by the way,
that you are wanting to compare folders at just a single level, not compare
directory trees. (For the latter, TreeComp is designed for that, but I'd
have to review which of the others might be...)

 

[omega]

"TreeComp is an interactive utility to keep 2 directory trees and the
files within the directories in sync. [...]
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

Credit to the developer for providing a no-install choice.

o Download TreeComp.zip (1,373KB, with install)
o Or download TreeCompNoInstall.zip (699KB)


.. . .

Wayne, I assume you use this? I have a mystery circumstance. Treecomp
freezes whenever I try to do any file operations with it (copy, move).
Freezes entirely, so that I have to kill it, and does not succeed in
those operations.

I'd used a great number of times for one project, earlier this year. I
don't remember having that problem. But don't recall absolutely whether
I used it for file operations at that time, or only in order to get the
information I wanted, in order to then do my copy/move/delete operations
in explorer. I also don't remember whether I was running this current
version or one that was earlier.

I've done the one thing that I could think of. Redownloaded and replaced
its files. I haven't had this problem occur with any similar programs. I'd
like to know, are other people able to succeed in the file operations using
Treecomp, not getting the freezes and failures that I do?

(W98, FAT32)

 

[omega]

I'm not sure if you have any special criteria. I have assumed, by the way,
that you are wanting to compare folders at just a single level, not compare
directory trees. (For the latter, TreeComp is designed for that, but I'd
have to review which of the others might be...)

I checked that over, just in case. Comparator, CompFold, and MergeDir - all
support subfolders. TreeComp and Comparator both give hierarchical view, btw.

I've used these....

I'm going to shorten your list. These three stay in:

Comparator
http://www.softbytelabs.com/Comparator/index.html
CompFold
http://home.freeuk.com/mpescod/
Merge Directories
http://www.lexacorp.com.pg/miscsoft.html

I'm having a problem with the one below, TreeComp, and don't know why.
When it did work for me, I liked it a lot. So you should still try it
out, and see if it is functional on your system.

Tree Comp (mentioned in another followup)
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

The following, UnDup, should probably be eliminated. It is not a directory
synch program. It instead represents a longer way to go about things. Where
you use it first to eliminate duplicates from your two folders; then merge
them as a separate, external step. Most likely you'll want the more direct
approach of using one of the directory synchronizers, as above, instead of
a dupe eliminator.

UnDup
http://www.armory.com/~charlie/undup/

Eliminating the following two, CSDiff and TestPath. Neither do the merge
for you. They only provide a report.

CSDiff
http://www.componentsoftware.com/products/csdiff/intro.htm

Also this recommendation in a followup:
TestPath
http://home.parks.lv/ojarsk/DL.htm

I just now tried our TestPath. It doesn't fit the OP's request. But my
first 60-second impression was that it could serve as fast & lightweight
utility just to answer, "Are these two folders the same or not?"

.. . .

There is one other directory synchronizer on my drive. SynchronX. It has
this most awful dancing flashing scrolling gif type thing going on, in
its main window interface, that I cannot imagine how anyone can endure
using that one.

 

[holycow]

Thanks for some of the suggestions.

Foldermatch is WAY TOO expensive for such a utility. Think I'll go
with one of the freeware ones or just keep searching til I find the
right one.

 

[Wayne D]

"TreeComp is an interactive utility to keep 2 directory trees and the
files within the directories in sync. [...]
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

Credit to the developer for providing a no-install choice.

o Download TreeComp.zip (1,373KB, with install)
o Or download TreeCompNoInstall.zip (699KB)


. . .

Wayne, I assume you use this? I have a mystery circumstance. Treecomp
freezes whenever I try to do any file operations with it (copy, move).
Freezes entirely, so that I have to kill it, and does not succeed in
those operations.

I'd used a great number of times for one project, earlier this year. I
don't remember having that problem. But don't recall absolutely whether
I used it for file operations at that time, or only in order to get the
information I wanted, in order to then do my copy/move/delete operations
in explorer. I also don't remember whether I was running this current
version or one that was earlier.

I've done the one thing that I could think of. Redownloaded and replaced
its files. I haven't had this problem occur with any similar programs. I'd
like to know, are other people able to succeed in the file operations using
Treecomp, not getting the freezes and failures that I do?

(W98, FAT32)

Karen S.

Hello Karen S:

Yes, you are correct, I do use TreeComp, for a good couple of years now.


What I have done is turned off this option: under options > Monitoring
Thread. I can't remember why I turned it off [ unchecked ] but I do
remember it was causing some kind of trouble.

I use TreeComp on both my 98 and XP partitions. Works great. Highly
recommended.

Regards

Wayne D

 

[omega]

(e-mail address removed) says...

"TreeComp is an interactive utility to keep 2 directory trees and the
files within the directories in sync. [...]
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

Credit to the developer for providing a no-install choice.

o Download TreeComp.zip (1,373KB, with install)
o Or download TreeCompNoInstall.zip (699KB)


. . .

Wayne, I assume you use this? I have a mystery circumstance. Treecomp
freezes whenever I try to do any file operations with it (copy, move).
Freezes entirely, so that I have to kill it, and does not succeed in
those operations.

I'd used a great number of times for one project, earlier this year. I
don't remember having that problem. But don't recall absolutely whether
I used it for file operations at that time, or only in order to get the
information I wanted, in order to then do my copy/move/delete operations
in explorer. I also don't remember whether I was running this current
version or one that was earlier.

I've done the one thing that I could think of. Redownloaded and replaced
its files. I haven't had this problem occur with any similar programs. I'd
like to know, are other people able to succeed in the file operations using
Treecomp, not getting the freezes and failures that I do?

(W98, FAT32)

Karen S.

Hello Karen S:

Yes, you are correct, I do use TreeComp, for a good couple of years now.


What I have done is turned off this option: under options > Monitoring
Thread. I can't remember why I turned it off [ unchecked ] but I do
remember it was causing some kind of trouble.

Thank you for this reply, Wayne. I checked it out - I did have the thread
monitoring turned off. Yet this inspired a related idea. To reset everything
cleanly. By deleting all of its registry keys. I did a good deltree whack
on its reg settings, then relaunched. Now everything works well! There must
have been some something like invalid values weirdness in my user preferences
key.

I am happy to again have TreeComp run smoothly...

I use TreeComp on both my 98 and XP partitions. Works great. Highly
recommended.

And now I can highly recommend it, too.


--
Karen S.


_____________
Footnote about its regkeys

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\NKI/AvL]
This one only came from the installer, doesn't need to exist, and I killed
it a long time back (because the forward slash rubbed me wrong way).

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Quirt\TreeComp]
This one is the user preferences key, and where something in mine got whacked
out. So deleting it, to let TreeComp rebuild it, solved my probs.

 

[Wayne D]

(e-mail address removed) says...

Wayne D <[email protected]>:

"TreeComp is an interactive utility to keep 2 directory trees and the
files within the directories in sync.
[...]
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm

Credit to the developer for providing a no-install choice.

o Download TreeComp.zip (1,373KB, with install)
o Or download TreeCompNoInstall.zip (699KB)


. . .

Wayne, I assume you use this? I have a mystery circumstance. Treecomp
freezes whenever I try to do any file operations with it (copy, move).
Freezes entirely, so that I have to kill it, and does not succeed in
those operations.

I'd used a great number of times for one project, earlier this year. I
don't remember having that problem. But don't recall absolutely whether
I used it for file operations at that time, or only in order to get the
information I wanted, in order to then do my copy/move/delete operations
in explorer. I also don't remember whether I was running this current
version or one that was earlier.

I've done the one thing that I could think of. Redownloaded and replaced
its files. I haven't had this problem occur with any similar programs. I'd
like to know, are other people able to succeed in the file operations using
Treecomp, not getting the freezes and failures that I do?

(W98, FAT32)

Karen S.

Hello Karen S:

Yes, you are correct, I do use TreeComp, for a good couple of years now.


What I have done is turned off this option: under options > Monitoring
Thread. I can't remember why I turned it off [ unchecked ] but I do
remember it was causing some kind of trouble.

Thank you for this reply, Wayne. I checked it out - I did have the thread
monitoring turned off. Yet this inspired a related idea. To reset everything

Good to know you fixed the problem. Nicely Done
It's the quickest compare program I've ever come across!!!

Regards

Wayne D