File Removal

Here is displayed the number of files currently marked (ticked) for removal in the Duplicate files list.  The total filesize is also displayed.

Shows the progress with processing the files.

Here you can delete the files marked in the duplicate files list. The files can be deleted to the recycle bin (check the Delete to Recycle Bin option) or permanently (careful with this one).

 

Note: Deleting to the recycle bin is a lot slower than deleting permanently - something to consider if you have a lot of files to remove.

Here you can move or copy the files marked in the main duplicate files list. You need to specify a folder to move/copy them to.

You have the option of keeping the folder structure in the destination. This is recommended and will preserve the folder structure and is particularly useful if you have same-named files.  Moving same-named files into one folder may result in data loss, so be careful.

 

Here you can rename all marked files in the duplicate files list. You can add a prefix, suffix, or both. These renamed files could then be picked up in a windows search later on to do with as you wish.

 

A hard link is a directory entry for a file. Every file can be considered to have at least one hard link. On NTFS volumes, each file can have multiple hard links, and thus a single file can appear in many directories (or even in the same directory with different names). Because all of the links reference the same file, programs can open any of the links and modify the file. A file is deleted from the file system only after all links to it have been deleted. After you create a hard link, programs can use it like any other file name.

 

You can only create hard links on NTFS volumes. You cannot create hard links between volumes (different hard drives or network shares). Duplicate Cleaner will only let you hard link same content files.

 

When creating Hard Links there needs to be at least one file in each duplicate group left unticked. This will be the 'original' file to which the other ticked files in the group are linked. Once linked there will appear to be no difference between the linked file and the original in Windows Explorer.  In addition, hard linked files will appear again as duplicates if you re-scan, unless you have the 'Exclude hard linked files from duplicate list' menu option checked.

 

Hard links are only recommended for advanced users.

 

When this option is checked, any of the above operations which involve moving/deleting files will have their empty folder structures removed after the operation.

After a file removal operation, removed files are dropped from the main duplicate files list. When this option is checked, groups consisting of 1 file will also be dropped from the list (i.e. The remaining file is no longer a duplicate).