U2022 > Find Duplicates = absolutely useless!

[Bliss-n-Joy]

So, I'm in the process to switch from U2019 to U2022.

Since I've discovered some issues in the U2019 Database, per feedback from users in this forum, I'm going through the process of "catalog files".
Now, since I'm going through this process, I decided it would be the perfect time to also "clean house" on the same time.

Besides adding keywords, tags, etc., I'm also looking to get rid of duplicates.

So, in a folder which content I've added to U2022 via "catalog files", there are two sets of the VERY EXACT SAME images.
Only difference is the file name and the "modified" date in the properties file. (EXIF metadate for date/time is identical)


I go to "Tools > Find duplicates", add the respective folder, check mark "Find duplicates within this list of files", select "Exact duplicate" as option and click on next.

And boom, ACDsee is telling me that there are NO duplicates.
This makes this feature somewhat a hoax and totally useless.


Am I missing something here...?!?


PS: Also tried in U2019 with the same result > no duplicates found.

[Regor250]

Perhaps I am mistaken , but 2 files with different names and dates aren't "exact" duplicates.

[Greyfox]

Bliss-n-Joy


Regor250

When you select "Exact Duplicate (identical) files, my understanding is that ACDSee does a byte for byte comparison of the file content.

So when I select "Exact Duplicate(identical) files", ACDSee will find duplicates even if they have different file names, and\or different (Window system) File timestamps
But if there is any difference in the bytes within the file, then it will not consider them to be duplicates.

For example:-
If I copy FRED.JPG and paste it into the same folder, it will automatically be re-named FRED - Copy.JPG, but ACDSee will still show it as a duplicate of FRED.JPG.

If I then use Batch\Adjust Timestamp to change the "File last modified date and time", and the "File Creation Date and time" and the "ACDSee database date and time" of the file FRED- Copy.JPG (I selected "Shift date and time by a specific number", to shift them forward by 48 hours and applied that to each of these timestamps) then ACDSee still finds the two files as duplicates, because the content of the files are still the same. (Confirmed by comparing the CRC32 checksum of the two file)

However, if I use Batch\Adjust Timestamp to change the EXIF date/time Digitized timestamp (again shift forward by 48 hours) then ACDSee will report "No duplicates", because the content of the file itself has now been changed. (A comparison of the checksum now shows the two files have different CRC32 checksums, and also their actual file size is now slightly different

As a further test, I took a file TIGER.JPG, and copy/pasted it as TIGER - Copy.JPG. At that stage as expected ACDSee considered them duplicates. I then used a HEX editor to change a single byte in the file (picked at random), from 20H to 21H. The two files were exactly the same number of bytes, but the single byte difference was enough for ACDSee to now consider them no longer duplicates.

Bliss-n-Joy
If ACDSee is telling you the files are not the exactly the same, then it means there is a difference in the byte content of the file. It could be in the number of bytes in the file, or it could be a difference in any one or more of the bytes.

[xtrememac]

What happens if you uncheck "exact" duplicates. is it at least able to find the duplicates?
it's been a while since I used the find duplicates. There are dedicated software for it for massive folders/duplicates that I use instead.... ACDSee for quick duplicate within 2-3 folders...

[WolfgangB]

@xtrememac
What software for Duplicate do you use? Many Thanks.

[Greyfox]

What happens if you uncheck "exact" duplicates. is it at least able to find the duplicates?

It's a radio button, not a tick box.
So you have a choice:-
,
Exact Duplicate (Identical files) which functions as I described in this thread, https://forum.acdsee.com/forum/main-...1924#post61924

Same Filename (which only finds duplicate file names).

[Bliss-n-Joy]

If ACDSee is telling you the files are not the exactly the same, then it means there is a difference in the byte content of the file. It could be in the number of bytes in the file, or it could be a difference in any one or more of the bytes.

Not sure why the files would be different as I know for sure that I didn't do any modification / editing to them...

Exact Duplicate (Identical files) which functions as I described in this thread, post Product Specific Forums

Unfortunately, the link doesn't take me to the actual post, but to the overview / start page of Product Specific Forums.

[Greyfox]

Not sure why the files would be different as I know for sure that I didn't do any modification / editing to them...

Run a checksum on them. Very simple, and quick. If the checksums are different, the files are different.
There are plenty of checksum utilities available, I use HashTab which is a Shell Extension (available from right click options in Windows File Explorer).

Unfortunately, the link doesn't take me to the actual post, but to the overview / start page of Product Specific Forums.

Sorry, my bad. I had typed in a "hash followed by the number 3", which was meant to refer to post number 3 in this thread. Unfortunately the forum has turned that into a link. so try clicking on https://forum.acdsee.com/forum/main-...1924#post61924