April 02, 2001 Price Increase.
We've increased the Price for Unique Filer from $14.95 to $19.95 <Still cheap at twice the price>.
Any Registrations from now on get you a Free Upgrade to v2 when it comes out in the next month or 2.
March 23, 2001 V 2.1b Beta is released.
Fixed up a few bugs, and did some enhancements to the Database Screen.
March 08, 2001 V 2.0b Beta is released.
This is the initial Beta Release for V2, our first Major Upgrade, and man is it SWEET!
With a brand new interface, smarter image comparison routines, and a host of requested features, this is a Must See!
Visit the Beta Page for more details.
Anyone that registers the current version of Unique Filer for $14.95 from March 01, 2001 will get a FREE upgrade to v2 when it goes final.
We are also increasing the price for Unique Filer to $19.95 on April 01, 2001. Register now and get v2.0 when it comes out, and save 25%.
March 25, 2000 V 1.4 Optimization and interface tweaks.
Still no major problems in the program. I have done a little optimization, and have tweaked some interface issues.
- Faster Add to Database - The last revision's update for the "Case Sensitive Database" Introduced a real slowdown when adding files to an existing database. This has been optimized, and should be back to the speed it was originally, while still taking case sensitivity into account.
- Deleted List OFF by Default - The deleted list is an extremely powerful feature. But only a small portion of our customer base uses it. Its purpose is to automatically delete files for you. Certain steps that you take can cause the deleted list to delete your real files. Because of this, it is turned OFF by default, and you have to get past a warning dialog to turn it on. Great feature, but be certain you understand what it does before turning it on.
- File Pane OFF by Default - One of my most frequent "Bug" submissions is that the program is so slow when displaying results. In fact, the program is extremely FAST at displaying results… But the file pane at the bottom is slow. If one of the results is in a folder with a LOT of other files, it takes a LONG time to populate the list at the bottom with all of the file names. From this revision on, the state of the file pane will be "OFF" upon initial run. This change will NOT affect your existing installation if you simply upgraded the program. If you find viewing your results is too slow, try turning off the file panes (from the buttonbar), and see if that fixes things for you.
Oct 29, 1999 V 1.3 Bug Fixes and User Feedback.
Still no major problems in the program. I have fixed a few small buglets, and added in some user suggestions.
- Main Form Auto Minimizes - When you use the Wizard, Select Folders to Scan, or Database Management, the main window now minimizes itself. This was highly requested, because if the application was maximized when you went to create a database, it was less than easy to use your computer J
- Case Sensitive Database - It was discovered that if you had a filename in your database, then changed the case (uppercase / lowercase) of the file on your drive, then added that file to your database again, that there would be 2 instances of the file in the database. This could cause screwy results when doing a scan. This problem has been fixed, but if the situation is already in a database, that will NOT be repaired. If you think that this may have happened to you, I'd strongly recommend rebuilding your database from scratch.
- Deleted List Deleting - The deleted list now deletes to the recycle bin if that is your global option on where to delete to. Originally it was doing a real delete, and this had the potential for causing some problems.
- Smart Save Dialog - The Save Dialog box (when copying / renaming files) will now remember the last directory saved to, instead of defaulting to "My Documents".
- Drag / Drop in File Panes - When dragging files from one file pane to the other, it would not do anything if the same filename existed in the destination folder. Now it will give you a replace warning, and indeed move / copy the files.
- Easy Replace Base Image - More than once, I have found a new file that was a better quality image than the original "Base" file that I had. It was less than easy to replace the current Base with the Compare Image. I have added a new menu choice to the Right Click Popup in the Dupe List allowing you to Move or Copy the Compare image over the Base image (Keeping the filename that you prefer). NOTE: Once the base has been replaced, all comparisons based on that image are moot L I am looking at options to update all scans based on the image.
Aug 12, 1999 v 1.2 Small Revision.
Overall the Final release went out without a hitch. Did find a few small problems, which are addressed in this release.
- Save Results Fixed - It was found that on rare occasions, the saved results lists could become corrupted. This has been fixed. It is suggested that you delete or no longer use any existing results lists that you have.
- Root of Drive Fixed - It was also found that the program would not create a database or do a scan if you selected the root of a drive that did not have any subdirectories on it. This has been fixed.
- Scan Wizard fixed - In the original release, if the Scan Wizard was used, the main form would not appear until the scan was complete. This meant no status, and no ability to work while the scan was in progress. This has been corrected so that the main form will come up behind the wizard when the program first starts.
May 06, 1999 v1.1 released.
This is the "Final" release. There will still be additions made to the program, but it has gone through enough public testing for me to be certain that the program is stable and reliable on a number of different systems.
We've also added a number of new features to this release.
- Deleted List Added - This new feature is HUGE. Without this feature Unique Filer is exceptional at finding duplicate files on your system, and allowing you to delete them. With the new Deleted List, Unique Filer now REMEMBERS the files that you delete (By recording the filesize and a CRC). The next time you do a scan, and it locates a file in your Compare List that you have deleted in the past, it will automatically delete it for you. Saving you scan time, and comparison time.
This is exceptional for those of us that use automated download software, and you end up with the same SPAM ads every few days. Delete them once, and hey will be cleaned for you automatically from then on.
Note: This feature can be turned on / off from the button bar and Configure screen.
Note: The deleted list will NOT do any automatic deletions in a Compare only scan. It will only do automatic deletions when you are comparing new files against an existing database. This was implemented to insure that no mistakes occur that could nuke part of your real collection.
- Additional Scan Methods Added - I finally got around to implementing the alternate scan methods. When you do a scan, you can do "Compare Images" which actually looks at images. "Compare Filenames" which looks for files with identical filenames. "Filename and Size" will look for files that are the same size, and have the same filename. "File Size and Contents" which will look for files with identical sizes and contents.
The first is designed for Images Only. The other methods can be used for any type of files.
- All Dupes / Marked Tabs - At the bottom of the Base Files List there is now a set of tabs that will allow you to View "All Dupes", or just the dupes that have a file that has been Automatically marked for deletion.
- Check A/B Drives - By popular request, a lot of people felt that it wasn't necessary to poll their A and B drives before doing a scan. I agreed. Now on the configure screen you have the option to turn On or Off polling of you’re a and B drives when doing a scan. If you don't store your images on you’re A or B drives, then there is no need to have this option turned on.
- Optimized the DB Explorer - The database Explorer that was added in the last revision has been optimized. It will load a database MUCH faster now. There will be a number of enhancements made to this feature in the future.
- Scan Wizard Added - In order to make Unique Filer a bit easier to figure out, I have added the Scan Wizard. This gives all the options available to you in the classic mode, but in an easy to use (I hope) Wizard Interface that will walk you through the steps to do your first and subsequent scans.
Febuary 10, 1999 v1.06b released
Febuary 01, 1999 v1.05b released
This revision is primarily a maintenance release... Fixing the problems with the last release (most of which were purely cosmetic).
- Tutorial added to help file - The new interface is a bit confusing to new users, so I have added a tutorial to help get you started managing your files.
- FAQ added to the help file - Some of the more common questions I have received have been added to the help file.
- Save / Load results fixed - If you had a large results list, UF would barf when trying to save it. This has been fixed.
- Check Marked added - When you did a scan, any images that were found to be true dupes would be "Marked for Delete". Unfortunately, only that instance of the file was marked. Now, upon scan completion, UF goes through the dupe list, and checks to make sure that all instances of a marked file are marked.
- Screen settings saving - When you restart UF, the sizes of the different panels will be restored, the state of the buttons (up or down) will be restored, and the view options.
- Alphabetical sorting of Base List - You can sort the base list alphabetically from it's popup menu. Note: if you sort the list, it can NOT be unsorted again.
- Explore to added to the file list - Right clicking on a file in the file list will allow you to either execute the file, or "explore to" it's folder.
January 23, 1999 v1.04b released
This revision has been a long time in coming, but it is WELL worth it.
The user interface and most of the core functionality has been completely rewritten to accommodate a number of user requests.
Some of the new features include...
- Database capabilities - Greatly speeds up doing multiple scans.
- A -> B Scan - You are able to compare new files against your base collection
- Support for Removable Media - CDs and Zip Disks can now be scanned into databases, and these multiple databases can be used in a comparison scan. When a dupe occurs, you can simply insert the appropriate CD or disk to view the image.
- Mark duplicates for Deletion - You can go through the entire dupe list, and mark files to be deleted. Once you have completed your evaluation of the scan, you can delete all marked files.
- Auto Mark for Delete - While scanning, any files that meet certain configurable criteria can be automatically marked for deletion.
- Side By Side Image Comparison - Easily see the Base image, and all of its duplicates side by side. You can even scroll the two images in unison for detailed examination.
- File View - When viewing a duplicate, the File Panel will display all of the files in the directory containing the duplicate. This makes it easy to combine image sets.
- Save / Load Results - Completed a large scan, and need to do something else… UF can now save your results and load them at a later time.
- Increased Speed - Over and above the significant performance increases that databases provide, scan times have been improved by 200 - 300 %.
- Increased Accuracy - UF now has Image Border detection. Most bordered images will be detected, and only the inside of the border will be scanned.
Known Bugs...
- When saving a LARGE results list, you can get an error. This is being worked on.
- The new interface (databases) is a bit confusing to new users. I will be working on simplifying things, and writing a tutorial.
November 18, 1998 v1.03b released.
This is primarily a maintenance release. A few fixes and enhancements, but no new features.
- I think I was able to track down a GDI leak that was causing problems on large scans on NT boxes.
- I think I got the Delete to Recycle bin problem fixed.
- You can now launch a file in the default application from the right click menu.
- You can now Drag / Drop to an icon on the desktop to launch that application.
- The Delete / Show buttons are now "Speed Buttons", and will not take the focus from the list when clicked.
October 01, 1998 v1.02b released.
I've been getting a lot of positive feedback from users about UniqueFiler. I've been working on enhancing the user interface, and have made a number of improvements...
- Added the Error count to the Tree View Listing. This is the number between the filename, and the filesize, and it indicates how different the image is from the first in the group. This number will help you to fine tun your "Fuzz Factor".
- When Moving or Copying a File, I added an overwrite confirmation, and set the default file extension to the original file extension (so no need to include the extension when renaming a file).
- If there are more than 2 Thumbnails to be displayed, it will refresh the display for each thumb. If there are more than 10 thumbs, it will confirm that you want to display them. I'm not planning on really optomizing the thumbnail display routines, because I want to keep this as a Scan utility, and not a thumbnailer / viewer. I may work on this functionality once I get the other items on the todo list complete.
- Fixed a small problem if you are doing a scan and start before midnight, and end after midnight. It used to report the scan time as 23 + hours (duh...) It should report the correct scan time now :)
- The settings on the Configure Screen are now saved to the inifile, and they will remain the next time the program is loaded.
- Move / Copy and Delete Only work on the selected file in the Duplicate list. If you Right Clicked on a thumbnail, and selected move/copy/delete, and the duplicate group was selected as opposed to the item, nothing would happen in the case of copy / move, and delete would remove the duplicate entry from the list. This wouldn't touch any files, but was confusing. Now when you right Click on a thumb, that item is selected in the list before the popup menu comes up, so everything will work as expected.
- The folder list was previously saved in the main .ini file. This caused problems when you had a LOT of folders, as windows .ini files have a 32Kb limit. The entries in the folder list are now stored in their own file without this limitation. You may want to clear out the section in the ini file that was storing this information, but isn't necessary.
- I have also implimented the "Delete to Recycle Bin" ability. Note: This works fine 90% of the time, but sometimes Windows doesn't want to move the file to the recycle bin, and returns an error 1026. I can't find this documented anywhere, and am scratching my head. It doesn't do anything bad, just doesn't move the file. If you see this error message, don't worry, turn off delete to recycle bin, and delete the file as usual. Thanks Bill :)
- Oh... I also added in a Help file for the program.
September 20, 1998 original release.
What's new? You're looking at it. This weekend is the initial public release of Unique filer, and the initial response has been exceptional.
We've added a Reviews page to the website to share what other people are saying about the program.
Unique Filer Copyright© 1998 :
