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When it comes to managing the files you store on your computer, you have two choices. You can ignore the task and spend increasing amounts of time trying to find what you know you have. Or you can acquire tools and a system that help you avoid duplication, make files easy to find, and restore some sanity to your digital life.
If the second option sounds more appealing, read on.
Q: My collection of MP3 files now consumes more than 1 terabyte of disk space. I know I have lots of duplicate files. What’s the best way to find them?
A: You need to enlist the help of a duplicate file finder. There are many on the market. A few well regarded ones are Duplicate Cleaner (Duplicate Cleaner - Reviews and free Duplicate Cleaner downloads at Download.com), Auslogics Duplicate File Finder (Find duplicate files with Auslogics Duplicate File Finder), and DoubleKiller (DoubleKiller - find and remove duplicate files (Big Bang enterprises)).
While you’ll find many duplicate file finders on the internet, be careful when installing them: most include some type of add-on bar from a sponsor that you may or may not want. Uncheck any options during installation that will just annoy you.
Duplicate file finders are generally easy to use. Just start them, point them to a folder or drive that you know contains duplicates, and have them search for files with the same name or content. Then instruct the programs to remove (or move) the duplicates.
Q: In a large folder full of files, is there any way to force one or two important files always to appear at the top?
A: Sure. You can place an exclamation mark (!) at the beginning of the file names. Doing so causes Windows to move those files to the top, even above those with names beginning with “a.” You can perform this trick on folders as well, forcing some folders always to appear above others. Placing two exclamation marks before a file name causes that file to take precedence over files or folders with one exclamation mark.
If you do this with a lot of files or folders, though, you end up with a bunch of files at the top of the list, and you’ll start to run into the same problem with finding what you want quickly. So use this trick sparingly.
Q: My wife stores every conceivable type of file in one place, and now it’s almost impossible to find a specific file efficiently. Do you have any suggestions for how to quickly bring order to this chaos?
A: You could start by sorting that huge folder full of files by file type. Windows Explorer makes that easy. Just open Windows Explorer (Windows key+E), navigate to the folder full of files, and then click the Type column header in the file list pane.
In the blink of an eye, all of those files will be sorted by the application that created them.
Select all files of a particular type and move them into a new folder structure that makes sense to you. For instance, you might want to start by having folders called Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentation, Photos, Videos, and so forth.
Beneath each of those folders, you might create subfolders by year, project, occasion, or purpose -- whatever makes the most sense.
When you’re finished, just remember to open all of the applications your wife uses and change the default file location to match your new file storage system. That way, when she saves files, they’ll go in the proper place.
Q: To share files with several others in my house, should I use the Windows 7 HomeGroup feature or a network attached storage device?
A: HomeGroup makes sharing files and printers less painful than it used to be, but there’s a catch: all of the computers sharing files have to be turned on. It doesn’t hurt to try HomeGroup, though. To get started, just open the Start menu, type “homegroup,” and follow the instructions.
A network attached storage (NAS) drive or device is designed to be always on, connected to your wireless router. Its sole purpose is to store data and allow several people or machines to access it.
You’ll find NAS devices online at any major electronics retailer.
A Windows Home Server machine (such as an HP MediaSmart) is perhaps a preferable option, though.
As with a NAS, you connect it to your router and can use it as centralized storage, but it offers the advantage of also backing up every connected computer every night, and you can even use it to access your home computers when you’re on the road.
