Windows 10: Meld is an excellent file and folder comparison tool for Windows and Linux

Ever had two sets of the same files and folders and couldn't decide which one to retain? It may take a long time to actually open each to verify the one that's recent or the one you need; while dates associated with the files may help, they won't all the time as they don't tell you anything about the actual content.

This is where file comparison tools can be time-savers. Meld is an open source file comparison tool for Windows and Linux for exactly that purpose.

Tip: check out our overview of file comparison tools for Windows here.

Meld file comparison review




Meld's interface isn't complex in the slightest. It has a menu bar, a toolbar, a tab bar and a selector to load plain text files.

Menu bar


It is your standard menu bar for the most part. You find a link to the preferences there, may start a new comparison or save an existing one, and use other standard options such as find or copy & replace.

Tab bar




One thing I like about Meld is the ability to open multiple comparisons. The comparison pairs are displayed in their own tab which you can access from the tab bar.

To start a new comparison just hit the icon with the + on it. The up arrow jumps to the next change while the down arrow jumps to the previous. The red button stops the current action.

Comparison options


The program has two comparison options: File comparison and Directory comparison.

You can compare up to three files at a time. Text files are displayed using Meld's built-in viewer. If the files are identical, the program will display a message to indicate that directly.

If however, they are different, the program highlights the differences. You have a few options on this comparison screen. Right-clicking at a specific line allows you to mark synchronization points which can be used for merging data. Arrow icons can be clicked upon and will move the content towards the direction thy are pointing at. The Changes menu has a lot more options including jumping to the next or previous change or conflict. You can also use the push, pull, copy and merge options from this menu.

Don't worry, there is an undo option in case you make a mistake. You can use the built-in editor to make changes to your document or code and save it quickly.

Tip: The encoding drop-down menu can be useful if you want to view text that is saved in different formats like Unicode UTF, Western ISO, etc.

Folder comparison is another area where Meld excels in and my favorite feature in the program.



If you compare two folders, the program will display two lists of files similarly to how TreeCompare does it but with more options. The ones which were found in the other folder will be indicated with their file-names crossed out. You can quickly find out which files are missing or edited in that folder.

Right-click on a file to copy it to the other folder, or to open it using an external program. The toolbar has similar options and some other useful ones like displaying same or new files only.

To compare two files or folders, select the drop-down menus which appear. To select a folder you need to choose "other" which opens a pop-up Explorer window that you can use to navigate to the folder. The comparison window will display the file names, size and modified time which you can use to manage the data.

Comparisons can be saved, so you can resume where you left off instead of starting from scratch. There are file filters and text filters for regular expressions, that you can use to optimize the comparison process. Meld has a handful of dependencies on Linux including Python.

Closing Words


The visual difference indicators that Meld displays can be very helpful for developers, writers, bloggers, etc. I found it to be an excellent tool when comparing multiple folders that I was organizing on my storage drives. WinMerge , kdiff3 are good alternatives for Meld.

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excel file causes instability in "windows explorer"

When I open an excel file by double clicking on the name in windows explorer, the file opens OK but at the same

time, the explorer file list jumps up and down as it lists and de-lists the

excel temp file. It is very distracting. I can close the explorer window or

simply change to another folder. It occurs only on one of my computers and only on some excel files

It happens only with excel files and not with word or acrobat

Any suggestions where to look for the problem. We've reinstalled Office 10 and reset my windows profile. nothing helped so far.

 

?? How do I PW protect Folders in windows

hmmm?
Sharing files and folders overview You can share the files and folders stored on your computer, on a network, and on the Web. The method you choose depends on whom you want to share files with, and what computer they will use to access the files.

When you share files or folders, they are not as protected as they are when you do not share them. People with access to your computer or your network might be able to read, copy, or change files that are in a shared folder. You should always be aware that the files and folders that you share are available to other people and be sure to monitor your shared files and folders on a regular basis.

Important

If your computer is not joined to a domain, you can use the Network Setup Wizard to automatically turn file and printer sharing on or off. To start the Network Setup Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Setup Wizard.
If you both use the same computer

You can put the files you want to share in the Shared Documents folder. Files stored in the Shared Documents folder or its subfolders are always available to other users on your computer.

Step-by-step procedure
Note

If you are connected to a network domain, the Shared Documents, Shared Pictures, and Shared Music folders are not available.
If both computers are on the same network

You can share a folder or drive on your computer with others on the network. You can also control whether the files in the shared folder can be modified by other users.

If your computer is connected to a network domain, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure
If your computer is connected to a workgroup, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure
Note

If you are connected to a network domain, you will need to set the Access control for the folder or drive after sharing it. For more information, go to To set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions.
If you want to share your files online

You can publish pictures and documents on the Web using the Web Publishing Wizard. The files will be stored in a private, online folder that you manage.

Step-by-step procedure

If you don't want others to access your files

You can prevent other users from accessing your folders and the files they contain. When your computer is connected to a domain, this is called setting permissions for your file or folder. When your computer is connected to a workgroup, this is called making your folders private.

If your computer is connected to a network domain, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure
If your computer is connected to a workgroup, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure

'HELP' it can be your friend *Smile

 

I need to convert Quattro pro files to windows Office 2007

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/ha010448731033.aspx

Install the Quattro Pro 5.0 converter
To install the converter for Quattro Pro versions 1.0 through 5.0 for Windows, do the following:

Click Start on the Windows taskbar, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
Click the name of the Microsoft Office 2000 or Microsoft Excel 2000 program that you have, and then click Add/Remove.
Click Add or Remove Features, and locate the Quattro Pro 5.0 Converter under Microsoft Excel for Windows.
Click Run From My Computer to install the converter to your hard disk.
Click Update Now.
Open a Quattro Pro file
To open a Quattro Pro file in Excel, follow these steps:

Click Open on the File menu.
In the Look in list, click the drive or folder that contains the file you want to open, and then locate the folder that contains the file.
In the Files of type list, click Quattro Pro 1.0/5.0 (Win) (*.wb1) if your files are from Quattro Pro for Windows versions 1.0 through 5.0, or click Quattro Pro/DOS Files (*.wq1). The former requires installation of the converter, as outlined above, before it appears in the list.
Double-click the file you want to open.
Notes

You cannot save files in the Quattro Pro 1.0/5.0 (Win) (*.wb1) format. If you open one of these files and make changes to it, you can save changes by saving as a Microsoft Excel Workbook (*.xls) or in another spreadsheet format.
You can save changes in the Quattro Pro/DOS format, but changes made using features that are unique to Excel may be lost.


or


http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP052538431033.aspx

You can open a file created in another program, such as Lotus 1-2-3 or Quattro Pro, in Microsoft Excel the same way you would open an Excel file. You can then save the file in its original file format or as an Excel workbook using the standard Excel save commands. Files saved as Excel workbooks might not retain all of their original formatting, and features and formatting of an Excel workbook might not be available in other programs.