- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: September 05, 2009
- Total Downloads: 97,017
- Downloads last week: 1,546
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 69 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET staff on May 13, 2009
Duplicate Cleaner 1.3 is a tremendously helpful program for anyone wishing to tidy up a PC by identifying and deleting duplicate files. Though simple to use, we don't recommend this for novices, because of the potential damage from mistakenly removing needed files.
Duplicate Cleaner's interface is all business. Although fairly straightforward, some odd interface choices may throw you, such as requiring you to click Select in order to see the types of available files rather than including those types in the drop-down list already visible. The program gives you three basic options for searching: folder(s), file type(s), and filter criteria. We scanned a single drive (about 12,000 folders), looking for audio files and using the CRC Checksum method for comparison. The scan took just under 6 minutes and found 19 groups of duplicates comprising 43 individual files. You can also search for files with the same file name, size, or date--or any combination thereof--and limit the search to files within a particular size range.
Once the application returns a list of results, you then have to decide what to do with the dupes. The application allows you to tick the boxes of the items you want to modify and perform an action-- Delete/Delete the Recycle Bin, Move to Folder, or Create Hardlinks (on NTFS systems only). Duplicate Cleaner can also clean up orphaned files and empty folders if you so desire. A Selection Assistant allows you to select and deselect files en masse using various criteria, such as a file name pattern match or file size.
Here is where the user interface may trip up novices or even cautious advanced users: you must first select the files you want to modify, then click a button that says Remove Selected. Files aren't deleted at this stage, however; the program opens a new window giving you the Delete/Move/Create Hardlinks options. In the end, the application tries to be safe: whatever your choice, it will ask you to confirm. If you seem to be doing something odd--such as deleting all files within a group rather than just the ones that are duplicates--the application will again ask you to confirm.
The application offers a few safety measures directly accessible from an Options file menu. Items such as Protect C\Windows and C:\Program files, etc., are selected by default. Such files will still show up in a duplicate list, and you will not see this in action until you go through with confirming the deletion of such a file. We would have preferred that protected files didn't show up in the search results at all. Still, we found that, overall, Duplicate Cleaner is an excellent optimization tool for intermediate to advanced users.
Publisher's description
From DigitalVolcano :Duplicate Cleaner is a tool to assist in cleaning up the contents of their personal hard drive or network. You'd be surprised just how many duplicate files you could find forgotten in an obscure documents folder. Photos, music, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, videos - you name it, if it appears twice on your system then Duplicate Cleaner will find it. Features - Fast duplicate detection, music deep scan, delete/move/hard link files.
Version 1.4.3 now features duplicate content detection now uses more accurate MD5 Hashing by default. Now supports M4A and M4P audio files (Apple iTunes/iPod).
What's new in this version:
Duplicate content detection now uses more accurate MD5 Hashing by default. Now supports M4A and M4P audio files (Apple iTunes/iPod).More popular File Management downloads
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 69 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 12 user reviewsSee all 12 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.3
Pros: protect option stops you from deleting important files
Cons: none, maybe takes a few minutes to learn
Summary: best dupe files finder (if you have any)
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Version: Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.3
Pros: Simple to use
Cons: None so far
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Version: Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.3
"u don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it"
Pros: Finally a program that doesn't make me feel like an Idiot, lol :)
Cons: no dislikes as of yet !!
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Version: Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.3
"absolutely fabulous! saved the PDA"
Pros: It couldn't have been easier. Install, run it, set to run on every soft reset.
Cons: Can't find any negatives yet.
Summary: Incredibly easy to use. Saved my old Palm.
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Version: Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.3
"Easy to use, but the search is not as thorough."
Pros: Easy to use, you dont even have to read the help file. It is also easier to delete files.
Cons: The search was not as good as Clonespy. If you are an average user, go for this software, but if you are a bit on the techy side or a bit OCD, go for clonespy.
- See all 12 user reviews Write review
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