Using program

[whitewolf]

I have found your program on line but the problem is I downloaded it and do not understand anything about it. It sounds real good but I have researched many sites and videos on line trying to figure out how to use it to search my music files for duplicates and then remover them with no success. I tried your help file and that was no help either. I'm very interested in this program but only if I can figure out how to use it. It's not very simple at all. Is there a place or a video that explains how it works?

[highend]

Open the help file,
Main Topics - Info Panel - Find Files Tab
Dupes has an entry in the index on the right side there

Necessary to know if you want to search for duplicates in different folders:
In the find files tab under name & location in the "location:" field:
Multiple paths can be entered here, separated via a semicolon or a bar ("|")

A minimal set of videos is here:
https://www.xyplorer.com/product.php

[bdeshi]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

What do you want to do?

how to use it to search my music files for duplicates

Okay, keywords are search/find and duplicates. If you type "Duplicate" in the help file's index, one of the first results should be "duplicate file finder".
Anyway.

Go to the root music folder. Then select Main menu > Edit > Find Files. The Find Files tab will open at the bottom. Select the "Dupes" tab and tick the parameters to finds duplicates on.
After duplicates are found, right click on the colored Dupes column, select "select the non-first items in each group" and MAKE SURE THE PROPER DUPLICATES FILES ARE SELECTED before deleting.

That's the very basic method. XYplorer can also do complicated duplicate finding tasks. Don't hesitate to ask here for assistance or clarification.

[whitewolf]

To SammaySarKar: Ok, I was doing good until I got to the part about,"After duplicates are found, right click on the colored Dupes column, select "select the non-first items in each group" and MAKE SURE THE PROPER DUPLICATES FILES ARE SELECTED before deleting." I clicked on "select non-first items in each group" and I can't tell it did anything at all. How do I know what it selected to delete?

[highend]

By looking at the little boxes around all items in the name column?
All = All - all 1st column items

Before:

before.png

After:

after.png

Alternatively, Ctrl + P, open an editor and Ctrl + V to paste the list of all
selected items (full paths)

[whitewolf]

My screen does not look like that. Under name it shows a zip file folder and then the name of the file (song).

[highend]

Show a screenshot...

[whitewolf]

I do not know how to post a screen shot.

[bdeshi]

Find a key named like "Print Screen" on your keyboard. Press it. Open MS Paint. Press CTRL+V. Save as JPG.

Start posting a reply here. Press "attachments" below the reply textbox. Click Add Files. Add the file you just saved.

[whitewolf]

Sorry, the "PrtSc" key on my keyboard does nothing. Is there any other way to do it?

[whitewolf]

OK, the best I can do is take a picture of the screen. I hope that helps.

[bdeshi]

Under name it shows a zip file folder and then the name of the file (song).

Well, apparently those zip files are inside your music folder and they are duplicates. Maybe the songs you're trying to delete are inside these archives?

I clicked on "select non-first items in each group" and I can't tell it did anything at all. How do I know what it selected to delete?

The second item in the screenshot is selected. After clicking on "select non-first items in each group", you should see more items with that rectangular outline, meaning they got selected.

[whitewolf]

I really do not understand your answer. I think that one box was there because I clicked on that file at some point. I had to close the program due to waiting on a reply and when I opened it back up the files were all gone. I had to make it check that folder again and now it says there are no files to be found at all. This is taking way too long to figure out how to use it and now it's doing dumb things. It takes way too long to wait on these answers to my questions. At this rate it will take a month just to learn how to find the duplicate files and get rid of them. I don't have that long. I hate trying to use forums and always have. You wind up swapping questions back and fourth over several days or weeks just to get an answer to a simple question. This program just needs a tutorial to show me how to use it. It's way too complicated. I'm just going to try and find one that's simple to use or at least has a tutorial to show you how to use it. Sorry

[bdeshi]

Well, unfortunately, no software exists yet that can read the user's intention perfectly. Computers *are* dumb, you know. However, XYplorer has a most comprehensive help and user guide. You just have to put some effort into perusing it.

go to that location and redo the duplicates search again. Then do what I'd just said.

After clicking on "select non-first items in each group", you should see more items with that rectangular outline, meaning they got selected.

the duplicates will be selected.

Next, Open the help file. Look at the left sidebar. Click on "Index". Type "Dupes" (without the quotes) in the text input box at the top. Double-click the first item in the list below it. read the opened help section carefully.

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On behalf of us, I'm sorry for any long delays in answering your question, we are all volunteers and fellow users of XYplorer like you.