Step 4

Step 4: Start scanning

Start the scan

To start the scan, simply click the Run button which is always visible, no matter which page you are viewing.

The application will switch to the DoubleKiller page so you are able to view the results and start checking files while the scan is still running.

What is happening?

The scan is executed in two steps: First, all files in the selected directories are put into a list, if they are not excluded from the scan due to the criteria you defined. As DoubleKiller does not know how many files and subdirectories it will find, the progress bar only visualizes how many of the directory lists' folders have already been processed. The next step is to find out which files are duplicates. Each file is compared with the other files depending on the criteria you selected. The content comparison is only done if it's unavoidable, to make the program work as fast as possible.

Observing the scan

To the right of the Run button you can find a status line displaying which stage DoubleKiller is in and, if the less detailed status checkbox (Common Options page) isn't checked, even which file or folder DoubleKiller is occupied with. At the very bottom there is a progress bar showing the current stage's progress.

Controlling the scan

During the scan you may click the Cancel... button at any time to pause the scan. You will then be asked if you want to abort the scan - answer Yes to abort it, click No to continue scanning.

See also
Main window