Comparer

Windows Explorer will tell you a lot about the properties of files if you choose to display all the columns--but who wants to browse a hard drive with all that usually unnecessary information cluttering things up? An easier solution for the occasional need to compare two similar files would be Comparer. You drag a pair of tiles to this simple, free utility, which then displays all the pertinent information.

By itself, Comparer is only moderately useful--it shows you only a file's name, path, size, and attributes as well as when it was created, last accessed, and modified. The only bit of info there that you can't normally see with Windows Explorer is the last accessed date. However, you can greatly expand the program's capabilities by downloading some of the file info WDX and WLX plugins written for the Total Commander file manager. Tip: Use the "Scan for plugins button" on the General tab of the settings dialog--it's much easier than adding them from the WDX/WLX tabs.

Once you've set it up, Comparer is very informative. Now if it could only be invoked via the Windows context menu (right-click or shift+F10) when you select two files, you'd really have something.

Note: This program is donationware. It is free to try, but the author accepts and encourages donations towards further development.

--Jon L. Jacobi