Delete Duplicates from Western Digital NAS Drive
How do you share your data between multiple PCs at home/ workplace? You connect an external hard disk to the computer, transfer the data and then unplug the device. Next, you connect it to the other PC and then copy all the files. This drill takes a big amount of time, effort and requires physical contact with the external hard disk. Don’t forget, there are added risks of water spilling, natural wear and tear and physical damage as you constantly unplug and re-plug your external HDD multiple times in a day.
Sync NAS Drive and De-duplicate All Data Safely. Use Clone Files Checker for duplicate deletion!
What if you could transfer your data magically without the hassle of connecting and disconnecting an external device? Thankfully, it is very much possible today. With a NAS Drive, you can not only store your data “outside of your PC”, but also transfer it to other computers, mobile phones, tablets connected to the same Internet connection at your home/ workplace. It is a good alternative to the traditional medium of storage and offers many benefits to the users.
What is a NAS Drive?
Network Attached Storage (or simply, NAS Drive) is an ideal device if you’re looking to store your data and access it from other devices wirelessly.
A NAS drive is a storage drive that acts as a central location for all your files. It is your home cloud network where your files are stored without connecting to an external cloud storage service. It allows all authorized users to connect to a single local storage platform that not only stores your files but also helps transfer data, stream music and other content.
Thanks to its flexibility, usability, affordability and durability, NAS devices are becoming increasingly popular. They’re becoming a standard storage and transfer platform for many organizations these days.
Set Up a NAS Drive
In contrast to other storage devices, you don’t have to plug any device to your computer’s USB port. Instead, you can connect your NAS Drive to your home/ office Wi-Fi router once during the initial setup. An Ethernet cable is used to connect the NAS drive to your router’s Ethernet port.
Once your NAS drive is successfully plugged in and configured to work with your router, it’ll allow you to store files, and facilitate smooth transmission of your data between multiple devices connected to the same router.
Benefits
The immense benefits of the NAS technology over the traditional medium of storage cannot be ignored. Here are some of the benefits it offers:
Easy & Durable
With NAS, you just have to set up the device at once and you can store and access your data anytime from any device.
Wireless Stream & Transfer Data
NAS offers wireless transmission of your data. You can stream your music files and movies on bigger screens. You can also share documents, perform periodic file backups, and do much more.
Flexibility & Availability
The need of a home user differs from that of a business entity. Same is the case with small, medium and large scale organizations.
NAS drives are available for different user segments with different storage capacities. For instance: if you’re a home user with very limited storage needs, you might want to consider a lower capacity NAS drive.
NAS drives can have 1, 2, 4 or even more enclosed hard drives. Similarly, a hard drive’s capacity might differ from 4 TB up to 24 TB. It’s up to you which one you need.
What is a NAS Drive is Composed of?
NAS is not a single-hardware device. Just like a computer, a NAS drive consists of a different set of hardware devices including hard disk, Random Access Memory (RAM), processor and an enclosure. The operating system installed in your NAS drive manages its functioning and configurations with your router set up. You’ll get access to My Cloud Home software to interact with your NAS Drive.
How to Find & Delete Duplicate Files?
NAS comes with its own operating system. Therefore, there is no direct way of scanning duplicate files. The most easiest one is given below:
Step 1: Move Files from NAS Drive to your Local Hard Disk
- Connect your Western Digital NAS Drive to your home/ workplace router and set it up.
- Download and install the My Cloud Home application on your Windows PC.
- My Cloud Home screen will display an Explore-styled list containing all drives and folders on your computer. It is called Local Files List.
- There is yet another list of all the folders and files stored on to your NAS Drive. It is your Cloud Files List.
- Simply drag over the files you want to search for duplicates from the NAS Drive into a specific folder of your Local Files List.
Step 2: Scan your Files for Duplicates
- Once the files are successfully moved, download and install Clone Files Checker.
- Launch the software and click on the Add button under the Include to Scan sub-tab.
- Select the folder on your hard disk that contains the files you want to search for duplicates.
- Select a scan type: All Files or Custom.
- Start the scan and wait for its completion.
- Once the results are accumulated, review your files. Use the automated file selection methods to choose which type of files you want to retain and which ones to delete.
- Finally, click on Select Action and choose an action of your preference.
Step 3: Move Files to NAS Drive again
Follow the steps in the Step (1) except the initial setup. Move your files in the reverse order from your Local Files List to the Cloud Files List.
That’s it, you’ve successfully scanned your Western Digital NAS drive for duplicate files.
Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms.