Comparing folder contents in XP

[GONNAFISTYA]

I'm making backups of my data before my mobo swap and it seems my backup folder is one file short of the original folder.

Is there a program I can use that would compare the differences of the two folders and highlight them so I don't have to do too much hunting for one file out of 95,000?

[bork[e]]

Never needed to use this, but found a pretty decent one here. Ran it once and it does what you are needing.

http://www.comparesuite.com/features/fo ... arison.htm

[GONNAFISTYA]

Cool. It found it. Thanks.

[obsidian]

I've been using Beyond Compare for a number of years since I got it from work ($30 for a license).

But from what I've heard, WinMerge is an excellent comparable product that is Open Source and free.

BC will do a few things WinMerge won't, like you can create scripts to routinely check and update certain directories on a computer or network but depending on your uses, you can probably get away with WinMerge.

[MKJ]

you also couldve done a dirtree dump in dos and use something like editpad to do a diff

[GONNAFISTYA]

you also couldve done a dirtree dump in dos and use something like editpad to do a diff

Fuckin nerd.

[MKJ]

i knew you were going to say that.

[R00k]

Much easier to open a command prompt, and run an XCOPY to copy all files where the source file is newer than the target.

[+JuggerNaut+]

COMMAND PROMPT!!?!?! THIS ISN'T *NIX BLASPHEMY

[R00k]

Pffft, as if *NIX invented command line operations. Windows cmd rocks!

In fact, I can run a full software inventory on every PC in my network (around 900 machines) using nothing but cmd scripts.

@echo %computername%,%date:~10%_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%,%username%>>logfile.txt

[+JuggerNaut+]

lol, i'd do the same, i love the cmd line, but a lot of people give distributions shit because you MAY have to use the command line once in a while, but you have to do the same in windows.

[R00k]

Yea, don't get me wrong, I enjoy having the option to do things through a UI, but even then I wind up using keyboard shortcuts most of the time.

It wasn't until I had to do a lot of scripting and coding that I started really using the command line heavily. Now I use it for everything I can. Most people don't realize the extra level of control it gives you in a lot of areas.

Even having a preference for that kind of thing, it still wasn't until the last couple of years that I realized how useful and flexible the Windows command line interpreter really is.

If you have command extensions enabled, and have PSTools and the Resource Kit, you can do virtually anything on a Windows machine.

[+JuggerNaut+]

exactly. nothing more powerful than the command line and of course the nerdity of it all.

[R00k]

of course!

not to mention the boss has no idea what you're doing, making your job look so much more complex. lol

[+JuggerNaut+]

rofl, very true. nothing to install.

[^misantropia^]

If you have a linux desktop around, do `(while true; do head -c96 /dev/urandom; sleep 0.25; done) | hexdump -C` to make it look like you are doing something really, really interesting. Run on multiple screens for extra effect. Someday, I'm going to write a Perl script that adds Matrix-like colors.

[^misantropia^]

Code: Select all

(while true; do head -c96 /dev/urandom; sleep 0.1; done) | hexdump -C | perl -MTerm::ANSIColor -ne '($a,$b,$c) = /([0-9a-f]{8})(.+?)(\|.+)/; print color("bold white"), $a, (rand > .50 ? color("bold green") : color("bold red")), $b, (rand > 0.75 ? color("bold blue") : color("bold yellow")), $c, "\n";'

Nerdism stopped me from going to bed until I wrote it. :/

[R00k]

I don't have a *nix box lying around, so I have no idea what that does. =(

[creep]

If you're using ubuntu 7, it blacks out the terminal with a cursor that blinks brown/blue.

[^misantropia^]

Some day, I'll get to the program exit / cleanup part. :$

[+JuggerNaut+]

lol n1 mis