Overview
Overview  Overview

Why was CloneSpy written?

Do you often download files from the Internet? Is your hard drive crowded with these files? Have you ever asked yourself which files you have downloaded more than once? Perhaps you have burned files to a CD and retrieved them again? Do you want to find these files and eliminate the duplicates? Maybe you want to find duplicate files without checking your entire collection of backup CDs every time? Then CloneSpy is the right tool for you!

What can CloneSpy do?

CloneSpy can help you free up hard drive space by detecting and removing duplicate files. Duplicate files have exactly the same contents regardless of their name, date, time and location.  Also, CloneSpy is able to find files that are not exactly identical, but have the same filename. Perhaps you have different versions of a file and you want to find all of them and remove the older versions. CloneSpy can also find zero length files. These are files that have no content.

With CloneSpy you can process files which

•	are duplicates

•	have the same filename

•	are duplicates and have the same filename

•	are zero bytes long

CloneSpy offers you a complete mechanism to determine which duplicate or same-name files should be deleted. It is also possible to leave this decision up to the user.  With CloneSpy you can build checksum files from files on CDs (or even on hard drives, etc.) and use them to check if you have these files already on your system. The checksum files will prevent you from playing DJ every time you search for duplicates.

If you are using CloneSpy for the first time, please read the Important Note and the Quick Start section.


Important Note
Important Note  Important Note

CloneSpy builds a list of all files in the selected  drives and folders. For this reason, it is important that you do not run any applications which alter the files being searched for duplicates. This includes such operations as saving or deleting files, deleting whole directories or folders, and defragmenting drives.  Doing this is not dangerous, but CloneSpy may display files which were duplicates at the time they were analyzed, but which have changed since. Use CloneSpy in the same way that you would use any defragmenting program. It is also recommended that you disable any virus scanner before running the program.


Quick Start
Quick Start  Quick Start

Make sure that you read the Important Note before using CloneSpy.

If you just want to find identical files in some of your drives or folders, follow these instructions:

1.	Press the -Add folder- button in the -Pool1- frame and insert the drive or folder you want to recursively search for duplicates. Repeat this until all folders you want to scan are inserted in the pool.

2.	Leave the mode in The -mode- frame on -Pool 1 only-.

3.	Make sure, that only the check box -Duplicate- is checked in The -delete- frame.

4.	Check if the option -Ask which to delete- is activated in The -delete selection- frame.

5.	Finally, press the button -Start scanning-. CloneSpy will start scanning all the drives and folders which were added to Pool 1. If CloneSpy finds two duplicate files,  these files will be displayed. Then you  can decide which file (if any) should be deleted. Deletion takes place immediately.

Warning!

•	If you do not choose -Ask which to delete- CloneSpy will delete files automatically.

•	Run the scanning process only on drives or folders where you are both aware of the contents and confident that it is safe to allow files to be deleted.

•	Be especially careful about scanning system folders! Over-zealous use could have very damaging effects.

•	Never use CloneSpy to scan the Windows folder or the whole drive where Windows is installed with automatic deletion. This will kill your system because there exist certain files with the same content which are not to be considered as redundant duplicates.

For more details consult the Description of the main window elements and the Description of the options menu elements.


System Requirements
System Requirements  System Requirements

The 32-bit version of CloneSpy will run under Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0, 2000 and XP.

CloneSpy requires a minimal screen resolution of 800 x 600 when using normal font size. If you use a larger print, you may need a higher resolution.

How much memory CloneSpy will use will depend on how many files are scanned. If you scan 100,000 files CloneSpy will require ~15 MB of memory.


Warranty
Warranty  Warranty

Disclaimer of Warranty

If you do not agree to all of the terms of this agreement, you are not allowed to use the program CloneSpy.

1.	You agree not to reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, alter, distribute for profit, or rent the software.

2.	The software is provided on an "AS IS" basis without warranties as to performance of merchantability or any other warranties whether expressed or implied.  In particular, there is no warranty for the optional undelete feature provided by the Windows recycle bin. Because some software disables this feature, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. You expressly agree that the use of the software is at your own risk.

3.	In no event will the author be liable to any party:

a)	For any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of programs or information, and the like), or any other damages arising in any way out of the use of, reliance on, or inability to use the program even if the author shall have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

b)	For any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in, or destructive properties of any information. The author reserves the right not to be responsible for the correctness, completeness or quality of the software provided. Liability claims regarding damage caused by the use of CloneSpy will therefore be rejected.

4.	All copyrights of the software stay with the author.


Support
Support  Support

I wrote CloneSpy for myself, because I couldn’t find any software to perform this task.  I think CloneSpy is a great tool if you have to maintain a large number of files on your system, and so I decided to offer the program to other people. CloneSpy is Freeware. If you have any questions about CloneSpy,  write to:

technical@clonespy.com

Any bug reports, suggestions or other hints for improvement are welcome. Likewise any typos or bad English in this help file. If you want to support further development of CloneSpy, please contact me,

Marcus Kleinehagenbrock, the author.


History
History  History

Version 1.51  (30.03.2002)

Fixed: While using the "Enhance logging" option a window showing "sdfgsdg" was displayed every time a file was deleted.

Fixed: CloneSpy crashed on some systems (e.g. Windows 98) when the duplicate display window was closed for the first time ("Ask which to delete" mode).

Version 1.5  (24.03.2002)

Added: CSC-files can now be viewed by opening them from the File menu.

Added: a new option concerning the data written to the log file.  It is now possible to log not only the deleted files, but also the corresponding retained files (see The enhance logging frame).

Added: a new option that allows CloneSpy to replace a duplicate file by a shortcut to a corresponding retained file (see The create shortcuts frame).

Fixed: the "creeping window" effect of the duplicate window which appeared when the Windows taskbar was at the top or on the left of the screen.

Fixed: when scanning for duplicates with same name while using both pools all duplicates will now be found.

Fixed: when scanning for duplicates and using the "Override delete selection" option, the program sometimes crashed.

Fixed: pressing return in the main window will not close the program any more.

Fixed: the "ignore folders" option did not function properly if a folder added to a pool already contained a folder name to ignore.

Version 1.41  (28.12.2001)

Added: a new button in the duplicate display window to skip all displayed files (see the Description of the duplicate display  window).

Fixed: pressing the return key in duplicate display window will not mess up the displayed duplicates any more.

Fixed: chicken delete did not function properly under Windows ME. It now also works under Windows XP.

Version 1.4  (16.12.2001)

Added: a new option concerning chicken delete (see The -chicken delete options- frame):

•	Choose to move files and also retain the folder structure in the chicken folder

•	Choose to move only the files to the specified chicken folder

Added: a new entry to the settings menu named Automation (see Description of the settings menu item):

•	Choose to load a specified settings file on program start

•	Choose to save all settings to a specified settings file on program end

Added: if files are compared to files from a CSC-file, deletion on user selection is now possible. Therefore the structure of the CSC-files changes.

Added: duplicates displayed for user selection can now be executed and explored (see Description of the duplicate display  window).

Added: checksum files are now viewable by double clicking on them in the CSC-frame (see Description of the CSC view  window).

Modified: much of the code has been rewritten in order to represent duplicates in lists (see Description of the duplicate display window). This has also resulted in considerable speed improvements.

Modified: hidden files and system files are now no longer scanned by default (see The -file attributes- frame).

Modified: an empty chicken folder will now be deleted after a scan.

Modified: bigger files are now checked first in order to free disc space faster.

Modified: the option "Ignore folders" now accepts masks for specifying folder names to ignore (see The -ignore folders- frame).

Modified: folder restrictions are now also applied to files imported from CSC-files. The restrictions concern the original location of the files.

Fixed: zero byte files are now scanned correctly.

Fixed: when the user selects files to delete,  the "override delete selection" is now deactivated (see The -override delete selection- frame).

Fixed: the option "Deletion of read-only files" now works correctly (see The -deletion of read-only files- frame).

Fixed: when doing chicken delete the read-only flags of moved files are now no longer removed.

Version 1.3  (02.09.2001)

Added: a new tab (Misc) to the Options (see Description of the options menu item):

•	Choose if a file access problem that can be ignored should not be displayed to the user. The file will be skipped automatically

Added: a new tab (Folders) to the Options (see Description of the options menu item):

•	Specify by name folders that should not be scanned

Added: a new tab (Time + Size) to the Options (see Description of the options menu item):

•	Choose which time and date a file must have to be scanned

•	Choose which size a file must be to be scanned

Modified: merged counting files and generating compare list. CloneSpy acquires files faster now, especially when used on a LAN.

Fixed: not all filename comparisons were case insensitive. When files with same names are searched now,  all pairs of them should be found.

Fixed: file access errors should now be displayed fully in English.

Fixed: when scanning for duplicates with same name and using a single pool, some duplicates were not found.

Fixed: when doing a chicken delete and using the recycle bin an additional copy of every moved file was placed in the recycle bin.

Fixed: after the "scanning read-only files" check box in the options was clicked,  the cancel button did not function properly.

Fixed: when scanning for duplicates and using both pools,  the cancel button had no effect while generating checksums.

Fixed: when scanning for duplicates and using a CSC-file, the program sometimes crashed while generating checksums.

Version 1.2  (28.07.2001)

Added: just one more option: CloneSpy will now be able to delete a folder if  the last file in this folder was deleted by it.

Modified: the options window now has a tab control to present the options (see Description of the options menu item).

Modified: rearranged the menu bar. It should now look more like a menu bar rather than a row of push buttons.

Fixed: a bug in CloneSpy when used under Windows 95/98 leading to an incomplete scan.  This resulted in whole drives not being scanned at all.

Version 1.11  (09.07.2001)

Fixed: files imported from a CSC-file will now be correctly filtered by attributes chosen in the options menu.

Version 1.1  (08.07.2001)

Added: options menu in main window (see Description of the main window elements):

•	Choose if recycle bin should be used

•	Choose if files with special attributes should be scanned

•	Choose how to handle duplicate read-only files

Added: settings menu in main window (see Description of the settings menu elements):

•	Load all settings from the options menu and the main window

•	Save all settings from the options menu and the main window

•	Restore default settings

Added: 3 new buttons in the The -override delete selection- frame and in the The -restrict to files or file patterns- frame:

•	Clear file mask list

•	Import file masks from save file

•	Save file mask list

Added: buttons in the main window now have small icons.

Added: delete selection dialog will now show file attributes.

Added: a sound is played when CloneSpy has finished scanning or generating a CSC-file.

Fixed: pressing the return key in the main window will not close CloneSpy any more.

Version 1.0  (24.06.2001)

First release of CloneSpy.


Description of the main window elements
Description of the main window elements  Description of the main window elements

This section explains the following items in the main window:

•	The pool frames

•	The -checksum file- frame

•	The -mode- frame

•	The -delete- frame

•	The -delete selection- frame

•	The -zero file length- frame

•	The -override delete selection- frame

•	The -restrict to files or file patterns- frame

•	The -logging- frame

•	The -chicken delete- frame


The pool frames
The pool frames  The pool frames

There are two pool frames: Pool 1 and Pool 2. Here you specify the drives or folders to be recursively searched for files that are identical or have the same name.

For an explanation of why there are two pools,  see The -mode- frame.

The button -Clear list- removes all drives and folders from the list box.  When you select -Add folder- a dialog box appears to let you add drives and folders to the list box. You have the option of either scanning the specified drives and folders right away by starting the scanning process, or creating a CloneSpy checksum file.

If you select -Make CSC-, a dialog box opens to specify the filename for the output checksum file. This checksum file will contain all necessary data for all files found in the corresponding pool, allowing you to compare these to other files on your hard drive at a later point in time. This is quite useful if you want to compare files on your hard drive to files you have stored on a backup CD. This way you don’t need to keep scanning your backup CDs again and again - you just store the corresponding checksum files once on your hard drive. The size of a checksum file depends on the number of files you load in the pool. If you let CloneSpy compare a checksum file to files on your hard drive, you will only be able to delete files on your hard drive.

Caution!

Be careful what you enter in the pools. Add only drives and folders which contain data which you understand and would be happy to delete. Because all folders are scanned recursively, it is most important that you do not enter the entire drive where your Windows system is installed.


The -checksum file- frame
 The -checksum file- frame  The -checksum file- frame

The -checksum file- frame is used to import a previously generated CloneSpy checksum file. The data of a checksum file can be compared to files on your hard drive(s).

See The pool frames on how to generate a checksum file.

The button -Clear list- will remove all checksum files added to the list box. If you select the -Add CSC-file- button, a dialog box appears to allow you to choose one or more checksum files. The selected files will be added to the list box.

If you want to view a CSC-file,  double click on it after inserting it in the list box. How the contents of the selected CloneSpy checksum file are displayed is explained in the Description of the CSC view  window.

If you want to compare checksum files to files on your hard drive, you have to choose one of the last two options in The -mode- frame. Drives and folders you want to scan have to be added to the corresponding pool (see The pool frames). Deletion of files will only be possible in the corresponding pool.


The -mode- frame
The -mode- frame  The -mode- frame

This frame offers five options:

1.	Only Pool 1:  CloneSpy will process only those files that belong to a drive or folder added to Pool 1.  All of these files will be checked against each other.

2.	Only Pool 2:  Same as above, but with Pool 2.

3.	Both Pools:  CloneSpy will compare the files that belong to a drive or folder in Pool 1 to the files that belong to a drive or folder in Pool 2. The files in Pool 1 will not be checked against each other,  just as the files in Pool 2 will not be checked against each other. This option is handy if you have already checked your system for duplicates, but subsequently add a folder of new files. You can insert the new folder in Pool 1, and all the other folders you want to check in Pool 2.

4.	Pool 1 + CSC:  CloneSpy will compare the files in drives and folders contained in Pool 1 to the file data stored in the checksum file(s) selected in The -checksum file- frame.

5.	Pool 2 + CSC: Same as above, but with Pool 2.


The -delete- frame
The -delete- frame  The -delete- frame

The -delete- frame allows you to select one of three modes:

1.	Same name:  CloneSpy will search for files that have the same name. The comparison of filenames is always case insensitive. The files will not necessarily have the same content, size, date or time.

2.	Duplicate:  CloneSpy will search for files that have exactly the same content. In this case the files will be the same size but will not necessarily have the same date or time.

3.	Same name and Duplicate:  CloneSpy will search for files that have the same name and the same content, but not necessarily the same date or time.


The -delete selection- frame
The -delete selection- frame  The -delete selection- frame

The -delete selection- frame offers you up to seven possible selections:

Depending on the selections made in The -mode- frame or in The -delete- frame, some selections may be unavailable. The term "equal files" in the following list refers to the selection you made in The -delete- frame.

1.	Delete only in Pool 1:  This option will only be available if you chose the -both pools- option or the -Pool 1 + CSC- option in The -delete- frame. If CloneSpy finds equal files there will be at least one file in Pool 1 and at least one file in Pool 2 or in the CSC-file respectively. CloneSpy will delete the file located on a drive or in a folder in Pool 1.

2.	Delete only in Pool 2:  Same as above, but with Pool 2.

3.	Delete older files:  If CloneSpy finds equal files, only the newest one will be kept. The term "older" refers to the last modification date and time.

4.	Delete newer files:  Same as above, but CloneSpy will keep the oldest file.

5.	Delete smaller files:  If at least two matching files are found, CloneSpy will keep the largest file. This means that only the file with the highest number of bytes will be kept. This option is not available while searching for duplicates, since identical files will always be the same size.

6.	Delete larger files:  Same as above, but CloneSpy will keep the smallest file.

7.	Ask which to delete:  If CloneSpy detects equal files, a dialog is displayed and you are asked which file(s) you want to delete. See the Description of the duplicate display window for more information.


The -zero length files- frame
The -zero length files- frame  The -zero length files- frame

Zero length files are files that have a size of zero bytes. They exist, but don’t have any content.

The -zero length files- frame offers three options:

1.	Ignore:  If this button is selected, CloneSpy will not process zero length files.

2.	Examine:  If you select this option, CloneSpy will treat zero length files like all other files.

3.	Delete:  Press this button if you want CloneSpy to delete all scanned zero length files. Use this option with care,  as it is occasionally possible that a program has need to write data to a zero length file, and may behave improperly if you remove it.


The -override delete selection- frame
The -override delete selection- frame  The -override delete selection- frame

The -override delete selection- frame is for revising a selection made in The -delete selection- frame. This option will only be available if you are searching for duplicates that do not need to have the same name. This means you have checked only the bottommost check box in The -delete- frame. Of course this option will not be available if deletion is done by user selection.

If you enable the check box on the upper left, you will be able to enter file masks in the list box on the right. A mask is an exception to a rule which you have already created and overrides a previous instruction you have set.

The three small buttons below are to clear the list box, to import file masks from a CloneSpy override file, and to save the list box to a CloneSpy override file. The list can be loaded and saved, because you may want to use various overrides for different scannings. To enter a new file mask, click the -New mask- button on the bottom of the frame. The following dialog box appears:

As indicated in the dialog box, you may enter the wildcard characters * and ? to the file mask you want to create. Click Insert to add the entered file mask to the list box of the -override delete selection- frame.

Double-clicking on a file mask already added to the list box allows you to modify the selected file mask.

If you start the CloneSpy scanning process with the activated -override delete selection- frame, and CloneSpy detects duplicate files with different filenames, the files that should be deleted according to the selection made in The -delete selection- frame are checked against all file masks in the list box. If one of these files matches a file mask, it will not be deleted. Instead all other duplicates including the file that normally would be kept will be deleted.

For example: Let’s say in The -delete- frame you decide that you only want to search for duplicates. Then you choose the -Both Pools- option in The -mode- frame; enter some drives or folders to both The pool frames,  and specify in The -delete selection- frame only to delete in Pool 2. Now you enter two file masks to the -override delete selection- frame:  *gold*  and  project*. Then you start the scanning process with the -Start scanning- button. CloneSpy finds the following duplicates:

Test.txt in Pool 1, and

ProjectDocumentation.txt in Pool 2.

Because the second filename matches a file mask in the -override delete selection- frame (project*), the first file will be deleted, although the selection in The -delete selection- frame is set to the contrary.

If the file in Pool 2 would also be overridden because a corresponding mask exists,  the override option would be ignored and therefore the file in the second Pool would be deleted.


The -restrict to files or file patterns- frame
The -restrict to files or file patterns- frame  The -restrict to files or file patterns- frame

The -restrict to files or file patterns- frame is for defining filters to identify the files that should be processed by CloneSpy. This frame is similar to the The -override delete selection- frame.

If you enable the check box on the upper left,  you will be able to enter file masks in the list box on the right. The three small buttons below are to clear the list box, to import file masks from a CloneSpy restriction file, and to save the list box to a CloneSpy restriction file. The list can be loaded and saved, because you might want to use various restrictions for different scannings. To enter a new file mask, click the -New mask- button on the bottom of the frame. The following dialog box appears:

For example, if you only want to search your photos for duplicates,  you may insert the file masks  *.bmp,  *.gif  and  *.jpg  to the -restrict to files or file patterns- frame.

Double-clicking on a file mask already inserted to the list box, allows you to modify the selected file mask.


The -logging- frame
The -logging- frame  The -logging- frame

This frame allows you to keep a record (log) of the files you have deleted in case you want to recover a deleted file from the Recycle Bin.

The check box in the upper left-hand corner of this frame causes CloneSpy to log the deletion of every file. This data will be written into the log file indicated in the edit box. If you want CloneSpy to use a different file to store the data, modify the path in the edit box, or specify another file by clicking the -Browse- button.

If the specified log file doesn’t exist, it will be created when the scan is started. If the log file already exists, the two radio buttons in the upper right allow for two options. If you choose -Append data- the information about the deleted files will be added at the end of the existing log file. If you select -Replace file- the existing file will be deleted and a new one created. Remember that over a period of time quite large files may be generated,  if you select the -Append data- option.


The -chicken delete- frame
The -chicken delete- frame  The -chicken delete- frame

The -chicken delete- frame gives you the option to move files instead of deleting  them outright.

The check box on the left activates the chicken delete mode. When activated, CloneSpy will not actually delete a targeted file according to the selection made in The -delete selection- frame.  Instead,  the targeted file will be moved to a folder that will be created on the drive or in the folder specified in the edit box. When the scanning process is started, CloneSpy will create a folder adding the current date and time to its name at the specified location. This folder may look like:

CS-2001.05.20-16.03

If you start the scanning process with the settings shown in the frame above, CloneSpy will move all targeted files to the following location:

e:\Programs\CloneSpy\CS-2001.05.20-16.03\

You may enter a different path for the -move to- folder in the edit box,  or click on the -Browse- button to browse for a different drive or folder.

Notes:

•	Check that the drive where the specified folder is located has enough free space for the files to be moved.

•	If the -move to- folder already contains a file with the same filename, CloneSpy will rename the file being moved according to the Windows rename functionality. This results in the addition of a preceding "Copy of" to the filename in the English version.

•	If a confirmation window appears when chicken delete is activated, the confirmation relates to the moving rather than the full deletion of the file.


Description of the menu items
Description of the menu items  Description of the menu items

In the following only the most important menu items will be described. These are:

•	Description of the options menu item

•	Description of the settings menu item


Description of the options menu item
Description of the options menu item  Description of the options menu item

If you click on the -options- menu item in the file menu, a new  window  will be opened. This window will present you with some additional options in a tab control. The tab control items are:

•	Attributes. This page contains two frames:

-	The -file attributes- frame

-	The -deletion of read-only files- frame

•	Deletion. This page has three frames:

-	The -recycle bin- frame

-	The -deletion of folders- frame

-	The -chicken delete options- frame

•	Time + Size. This page contains two frames:

-	The -time of files- frame

-	The -size of files- frame

•	Folders. This page has only one frame:

-	The -ignore folders- frame

•	Misc. This page contains three frames:

-	The -file access errors- frame


The -file attributes- frame
The -file attributes- frame   The -file attributes- frame

The -file attributes- frame allows you to restrict the scanned files to specific file attributes.

The check boxes in this frame are tri-state. This means that you have three options for each check box:

•	Left blank:  A file will only be scanned if the corresponding attribute is not set for the file.

•	Checked black:  A file will only be scanned if the corresponding attribute is set for the file.

•	Checked gray:  The corresponding attribute will be ignored for all files.

If you leave the settings as in the window above, all files in the specified folders (see The pool frames) will be scanned. For example,  if you want to scan all files that have the system attribute set, but the read-only attribute not set, you have to select the following settings:


The -deletion of read-only files- frame
The -deletion of read-only files- frame  The -deletion of read-only files- frame

In this frame you can decide how read-only files should be handled, if CloneSpy selects them for deletion.

The first option will allow you to select whether or not a read-only file is to be deleted. If you set the second option, CloneSpy will ignore the read-only attribute and delete the selected file automatically. The last option prevents CloneSpy from deleting read-only files. Note that with this option, if you also selected one of the first six options in The -delete selection- frame,  duplicates may remain on your system. If you allow CloneSpy to ask you which files should be deleted (the last option in The -delete selection- frame), a confirmation window  will be displayed.


The -recycle bin- frame
The -recycle bin- frame  The -recycle bin- frame

In this frame you can select whether CloneSpy will delete files completely or if the files to be deleted will be moved to the recycle bin.

If you choose the first option, make sure that the recycle bin on your system is enabled. Otherwise the files will be deleted immediately. Note that if you are working on a Windows 2000 system, (de)activation of the recycle bin may be a matter for the System Administrator rather than individual users.


The -deletion of folders- frame
The -deletion of folders- frame  The -deletion of folders- frame

Here you can select if an empty folder is to be deleted immediately after CloneSpy has removed the last file in the folder.

This option ensures that folders which were not empty  before CloneSpy was started are not removed: it is possible that  you may wish or need to retain even empty temporary folders.


The -chicken delete options- frame
The -chicken delete options- frame  The -chicken delete options- frame

This frame allows you to specify how files moved by chicken delete are stored in the chicken delete folder.

If you choose the first option, the full path of the file to be moved will be stored in the chicken delete folder.  For example, if your chicken delete folder (see The -chicken delete- frame) is located at:

e:\Programs\CloneSpy\CS-2001.05.20-16.03\

and you chicken delete a file located at:

e:\Store\Images\RestrictDialog.bmp

it will be moved to:

e:\Programs\CloneSpy\CS-2001.05.20-16.03\e\Store\Images\RestrictDialog.bmp

If you choose the second option, all deleted files will just be moved directly to the chicken delete folder without preserving the previous folder structure.


The -time of files- frame
The -time of files- frame  The -time of files- frame

In this frame you can decide which date and time a file must have to be scanned.

The date and time refer to the last modification of the corresponding file.

If you select both check boxes,  files are only scanned if they are newer than the upper date and time and older than the date and time at the bottom.


The -size of files- frame
The -size of files- frame  The -size of files- frame

Here you can select the size a file must be to be scanned.

If you check both check boxes, files must be larger than the upper selected size and smaller than the size below.

In this frame 1 kbyte are 1024 bytes, 1 Mbyte are 1024 kbytes and so on.


The -ignore folders- frame
The -ignore folders- frame  The -ignore folders- frame

In this frame you can specify by mask, any  folders that should not be scanned.

If the check box on the upper left is enabled,  folders won’t be scanned if their name matches a folder mask in the list box below. The list can be cleared if you click the -Clear list- button. You can add new folder masks to the list box by selecting -Add folder mask-. The following dialog box appears:

You can insert a folder mask directly to the edit box. If you click the -Browse- button, you can select a folder name from a directory tree.

As indicated in the dialog box, you may enter the wildcard characters * and ? to the folder mask you  want to create. Click -Insert- to enter the chosen folder mask to the list box of the -ignore folders- frame.

Double-clicking on a folder mask already added to the list box allows you to modify the selected folder mask.

Note:

Subfolders of folders ignored by name can be scanned by explicitly adding the subfolders to a pool in the main window.


The -file access errors- frame
The -file access errors- frame  The -file access errors- frame

In this frame you can disable some file access error windows that might be displayed while scanning.

Windows locks some files for exclusive access. When CloneSpy tries to read such a file,  a file access error will be displayed. If the corresponding display window has an Ignore button, it can be answered with "ignore" automatically. You just have to check the check box in this frame.

This option makes unattended operation of CloneSpy possible until duplicate files are displayed to the user.  Windows may present several files which it won’t let you open, because they are used constantly by the system.


The enhance logging frame
The -enhance logging- frame  The -enhance logging- frame

Here you can enable CloneSpy to write additional information to the log file. Of course,  logging must be activated (see The -logging- frame in the main window).

If you enable this option, the log file may get a bit complex. The explain the structure, assume that there are seven duplicte files which are all the same. Also, assume that three of them are deleted and the other four are retained.

Then, in the log file there will be a block of information about the duplicate files (in our example three) that were deleted, possibly mixed up with some lines containing names of deleted folders. After this, there will be a block of the corresponding duplicate files (in our case four) that were retained.

Enable this option in combination with automatic deletion to understand after scanning, why certan files were deleted.

Note:

Not all scanned non duplicte files are listed in the log file. A file is only listed as a retained file,  if there was at least one corresponding duplicate file that actually was deleted.


The create shortcuts frame
The -create shortcuts- frame  The -create shortcuts- frame

In this frame you can select to replace a duplicate file by a shortcut to a corresponding retained file.

If you check this option, all files to be deleted are replaced by a shortcut. The shortcut will point to a corresponding retained duplicate file. The name of the shortcut will be the same like the name of the deleted file including the extention plus the new extention ".lnk".  The new extention is added to the the filename instead of replacing the old extention in order to decrease  the probability of creating duplicate shortcut names.

This option is helpful if you want to free up disc space without loosing information about the original content of the folders you scanned.

Notes:

•	If you use this option, you should restrict the scanning process to files larger than 4 kbytes (see The -size of files- frame). Otherwise replacing files will not result in saving disc space due to internal fragmentation and you could possibly replace shortcuts by shortcuts.

•	This option will not generate shortcuts when checking files against CSC-files. It simply makes no sense to create a shortcut pointing to a file which is described in a CSC-file and whose location may not be valid any more (because it is on a CD, for example).

•	A shortcut will only be generated if at least one of the duplicate files is retained.

•	If a created shortcut already exists,  the existing shortcut is replaced by the new one.


Description of the settings menu item
Description of the settings menu item  Description of the settings menu item

The -settings- menu item includes a submenu with three components:

•	Load settings:  All settings on the main window and on the options window can be loaded from a CloneSpy settings file (*cst). See below on how to create a CloneSpy settings file.

•	Save settings:  All settings entered in the main window and in the options window will be saved to a specified file. When you click on this menu item, a dialog box appears that allows you to specify the name of the CloneSpy settings file (*.cst). Your selected settings will be saved in this file. You can create different setting profiles for CloneSpy.

•	Automation:  If you click on this menu item the following window is displayed:

Here you can specify if a settings file should be loaded on program start. You can also specify if all settings should be saved on program exit. In both cases you can enter filenames directly to the edit boxes or search for a settings file by clicking on the -browse- button.

•	Set to default:  This resets all settings entered in the main window  and in the options window to the default settings. These are the settings that were in effect when the program started.


Description of the CSC view  window
Description of the CSC view  window  Description of the CSC view  window

This window displays the contents of a selected CloneSpy checksum file. To view the CSC-file,  double click on it after inserting it in The -checksum file- frame.

In the topmost frame, the -CSC file data- frame, information about the selected CSC-file is presented. This includes the filename of the CSC-file and the time and date of its last modification. Normally the time and date refer to the creation of the checksum file.

The tree view on the left side of the window displays the folders together with the included files that were stored to the selected CSC-file. It is important to note that the displayed locations refer to the original locations of the files when the checksum file was recorded. Remember, when viewing a CSC-file,  that the original files have been subsequently moved or removed.

The tree view has to be built from the selected CSC-file. This process can take some time. The -Status- frame on the right displays the building process.  When finished,  the number of files stored in the CSC-file is displayed.

You may select a file in the tree view by clicking on it. Then  the data of this file which are stored in the CSC-file will be presented in the -Selected file data- frame on the right.

Press the -OK- button to close this window and return to the main window.


Description of the duplicate display  window
Description of the duplicate display  window  Description of the duplicate display  window

In this window duplicates that were found during the scanning process are displayed. This window will only appear if you choose the option -Ask which to delete- in The -delete selection- frame.

For example, if you let CloneSpy scan for duplicate files,  the following dialog might be displayed:

In the first line on the left the number and the type of equal files are displayed. On the right side of this line a legend is presented in some cases.

The second line shows data that is equal for all files displayed in the listbox below. Depending on the selection made in The -delete- frame in the main window,  this will show  the file size, the filename or both.

In the middle of the window the list of the duplicates is presented. Again, depending on the selection made in The -delete- frame in the main window the number of columns is three or four. At the start of each line the status of the displayed file is shown.  A file can be marked or not.  If files from a CSC-file are presented, there is a prohibition sign in front of the corresponding lines. Of course, these files cannot be marked because they are not removable.

In the lower left corner of the window you can select which files in the list box above should be marked. The options available depend on the selections made in The -mode- frame or in The -delete- frame in the main window. If you delete the marked files and the window appears again to present new duplicates,  files will already be marked according to the previously selected option.

The six buttons in the lower right corner are explained in the following:

•	Invert file selection:  If you click this button, all marked files will change to not marked and vice versa.

•	Execute selected file:  This button allows you to execute the selected file with the program that is associated  with this file type in Windows.

•	Explore folder of file:  Click this button to explore the folder where the selected file is located.

•	Stop scanning:  To cancel the scanning process, click this button and CloneSpy will return to the main window.

•	Skip all displayed files:  Press this button to ignore all files (even if marked with X) and to move on to the next comparison. This option has the same effect as selecting -Mark none- and pressing -Delete all marked files-.  It is included to facilitate the process of comparing a large number of files, by saving the need to switch between one of the other "mark" options and -Mark none-.

•	Delete all marked files:  If you press this button, CloneSpy deletes all files marked in the list box above and then continues with the scanning process.