Hello all!


When I use the duplicate filefinder (DFF) is doesn´t always find duplicates. Could it be that it doesn´t find them when they are on separate drives? For example, I use an external HD which is drive E. When downloading some files from the internet they are stored on drive C somewhere. Then DDF doesn´t find them. If I copy these files from the C-drive to somewhere on the E-drive then it will do the job!...... :(

Does somebody else saw this behaviour too?


Kind regards,


ngc94227


jvTools2008 (not only in the last version.....)

Under "Options" is "Disable cross-drive checking to improve speed" ticked?


After unticking that option normally DFF should find the duplicate files through different drives, but you can bet it will take (very) much time.

I will try it out!

Thankx so far.


ngc94227


Dank voor de snelle respons

Regretly, it doesn´t worked.... :


I copied one file from the external drive (E:) back to C: and did what you proposed. But it didn´t find it!

And BTW, the speed is not much less though!

Kind regards,


ngc94227

How can you know these files are in fact duplicates?

jv16 wrote
How can you know these files are in fact duplicates?

Copy usually assures they are duplicates.


In any case, as long as the "Files to find" argument is correct and "Search in" points to both locations, DFF should detect duplicates. Also, none of the "Options" should be checked.


It does on my Desk system for duplicate files on C:\ and L:\ (a USB-connected external hard drive).

tullik wrote
In any case, as long as the "Files to find" argument is correct and "Search in" points to both locations, DFF should detect the duplicates.

As Tullik wrote:

  • 1) Is the "Files to find" argument correct, i.e. have you correctly indicated the file(s) to find?

    2) Have you correctly pointed to both locations, i.e. to both drives C: and E:, in the "Search in" tab?

    3) No options must be ticked, especially "Skip deep directory structures...", "Skip files longer than 100 MB...", Disable cross-drive checking..." and "Skip system directories..."

Both of your answers (Tullik and Redseujac) solves my problem. Thanks for that!


I checked and unchecked some of the options and in most cases it found these duplicates.

The only one where it did go wrong was the option for the system-directories. Although the files (on which I tried it) are NOT in any systemdirectory, DDF didn´t find them...... (And that puzzles me....)


Kind regards,


ngc94227

I believe Windows (and therefore PowerTools) considers the folders in "Documents and Settings" (or "Users") to be system directories.


Perhaps that would account for it.

Yes Tullik, you´re right. After reading the manual about the DDF, NT and newer Windows-versions are seeming to treat the Users-directory as a systemdirectory. I do find this rather illogical, but knowing it, I will uncheck this option.


Thanks again!


ngc94227

It's not totally illogical. Each USER folder contains a registry hive. Namely, ntuser.dat. This is probably the HKEY_CURRENT_USER part of the registry in most situations.