Duplicate Files In JumpDrive

JumpDrives are plug and play removable storage devices similar to that of USB flash drives. They are usually lightweight and possess the size of a human thumb. You can plug them into your computer’s USB port and use them as a flash memory. They are available in a variety of storage capacities from 8 MB to 256 GB. They are a convenient medium to transfer your files across computers and notebooks. Some of the JumpDrives offer encryption software to their users. Users can protect their data using the commonly used 256-bit AES encryption standard. You can use a JumpDrive on both Windows and Mac with a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 support.

Although JumpDrives and USB flash drives have many common features, they differ on one aspect- storage type. Unlike USB flash drives that have non-volatile storage, JumpDrives have a volatile memory. The flash memory is also used in other external removable storage devices such as your mobile’s SD memory card, your computer’s SSDs, etc.

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Finding & Fixing Duplicate Files On JumpDrives

Aside from occupying your precious storage, duplicate files can make the file transfer slower. Think about wasting half an hour copying the same files that already exist. Not just that, duplicate files can make it significantly difficult to find the right version of your file. If you’re looking to edit a specific version of your document, you could end up working on something else.

Although it is not possible to prevent duplication altogether, you can eliminate them from time to time. A duplicate scan is recommended at least once in a month or two to free-up a significant portion of your storage and improve the JumpDrive transfer speed.

  • Deleting duplicates on regular basis will make room for newer files
  • You’ll spend less time finding and organizing your files. The search will generate relevant results with only those files you need.

Method 1: Manually Find Duplicate Files

The first method to identify and clean duplicates is to manually compare your files. Beware that it can be a very long tedious process. Blindly deleting any files will cause loss of your precious data.

  1. Connect the JumpDrive to your PC.
  2. As soon as your drive is connected, Windows will prompt you to select an action.
  3. Select “Open folder to view files”.
  4. Click on the Expand Ribbon icon on the top right corner of your screen.
  5. In the Ribbon interface, switch to the View tab.
  6. Select the Sort by option, followed by Name.
  7. Windows will sort your files by their name in ascending order.
  8. It is now easier to find duplicate copies of your files. Duplicate files will have a base name in addition to a numeric parentheses.
  9. Review and compare the contents of suspected duplicate files. DO NOT delete any files blindly. Consider moving duplicate files to a separate folder.

Drawbacks:

  • It is not possible to identify duplicates that are located in different sub-folders
  • Blindly deleting duplicates can cause accidental data loss. As multiple files with the same name can actually have different content, this method has a probability of higher false positives.
  • It is imperative on the user’s part to open, review and compare each file carefully. It can take a tremendous amount of time especially if the data is very large in size.
  • There may be some picture files that are visually similar and not exactly the same in nature. Such images may have very little variations in terms of colors, sizes or pixels. If you’ve a very large collection of files, it is possible that you may ignore those variations and consider the files as duplicates. Therefore, there is a chance of mistakenly deleting wrong files and it can take forever to go through a large collection.

Method 2: Automatically Find Duplicate Files (Recommended)

Another better way to find duplicate files is to use an automated algorithm-based software. Clone Files Checker is a duplicate finder that uses algorithms to compare files within seconds. Lightning scan speed, 100% accuracy, automated selection patterns, are some of its prominent features. Using CFC, you don’t have to manually review any files. 

  1. Download, install Clone Files Checker.
  2. Connect your JumpDrive to the PC.
  3. Right-click the JumpDrive drive icon in the Explorer window.
  4. Select Scan with CloneFilesChecker option.
  5. CFC will open and automatically add the selected folder to scan.
  6. Set one of the scan options:
    • All Files: Use this option to select all file types to find duplicates.
    • Custom: Use this option to select individual file types of your choice. It includes documents, music, images, videos, archives, etc.
  7. If you want, you can set optional file size filters. The file size filters are a useful tool to specify an upper and lower size limit for your scan. For instance: Ignore all files that are larger than 20 MB in size. It is an optional feature.
  8. Click on Start Search and wait for a while.
  9. Once the scan is finished, you will be asked to select one of the following options:
    • Quick-Fix: Use this option to automatically select all files in single click. CFC will ask you to take a uniform action for all selected duplicates.
    • Review & Fix: Use this option to manually select, deselect files of your choice. You can preview file contents, use automatic selection patterns, export results to a CSV file, and do much more.
  10. Finally, click on Select Action and then choose one of the following options:
    • Move to folder: Use this option to move all the selected files to another folder.
    • Delete permanently: Use this option to permanently delete all selected files.

Benefits

CFC has a previewing feature to help you review file content without needing to open them. You’ve an option to check/ uncheck files of your choice, or use predefined selection patterns. Predefined selection includes various patterns that help you select newest or oldest files in each group. The use of automated algorithms guarantees there are no false positives.

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Vikas is a technology enthusiast who loves writing articles on computers and technology. He writes on various topics related to software, software reviews, troubleshooting and tips & tricks to make people's digital lives better.