It is important to monitor for file changes on a directory where you place all your important files even if you have backup. There will be times when you try running your files and found that it has been corrupted. Corrupted files are computer files that suddenly become inoperable or unusable. There are several reasons why a file may become corrupted.
A corrupted file may occur due to a defect or bug in the software used to create and manipulate the file in question. At other times, the bug may be the result of an infiltration by a virus or other foreign software that disrupts the function of the program. When the user attempts to open the corrupted file, the system may lock up or provide a message identifying a problem with the file. And finally when you have a bad sector in your hard drive where so coincidentally your file is located at that location, you file will be corrupted.
Even if you have backup, it doesn’t mean that you’re totally safe unless you have multiple versions of backup. If you didn’t know that your latest file is corrupted, you will most probably backup the file by overwriting the old one. There goes your important file and you can never get it back… To prevent this from happening, you can monitor for changes on your important folders.
I’ve tried a few free file monitoring software such as the popular PC Inspector FSGuard, Folder Monitor, but in the end I still prefer to use FingerPrint.
FingerPrint is utility to see if any files in a directory have been created, deleted, or changed since the last scan. It’s useful for checking if a program, e.g. viruses and trojans, has changed your system files (this is similar to such security software as Tripwire). The use of MD5 checksums guarantee detection of file changes. With it’s integration with the Windows Task Scheduler, you can automate your scans, e.g. scan your Windows directory every night. FingerPrint can also be used to calculate MD5 values for files and directories, and compare the results, search for files having a particular MD5 value, and find duplicate files.
There are two FingerPrint programs: the normal Windows program and a console program (FingerPrintCL) that can be used from the command prompt to calculate MD5 and CRC32 values for files.
You can create a profile of which folder you want to scan for chances. Once you’ve done that, all you need to do is to select the profile by clicking on it once, and click the Run button to scan for changes. If you prefer automated mode, just click the Schedule button and it will create a schedule to scan for changes everyday at 9AM. Of course the scheduled tasks can be configured according to your needs. Some folder monitoring software installs service and add an auto startup to the program whenever Windows is booted up but FingerPrint doesn’t. It is designed not to affect your computer performance at all by running only when needed.
You can also create a shortcut which will automatically run the profile and scan the configured folder for changes. All you need to do is to add the profile name at after the FingerPrint.exe. Here is an example. Let’s say I have a profile name called My Important Files.
Now I go to C:\Program Files\MJLSoftware\FingerPrint, right click at FingerPrint.exe and select Create Shortcut. A new file called Shortcut to FingerPrint.exe will appear. Right click on the shortcut, select Properties and add the profile name at the end of Target. Make sure you include the quotes as well.
When you run a profile, if any files have been created, modified, or deleted then the Differences window will appear. The Save button saves the scan results (to be used as the comparison base for the next scan) and closes the window. Press the Cancel button to not save the results. If you do not save the results then the scan results from the previous scan are kept. It will also show you the log file that is in HTML file.
FingerPrint is a simple yet powerful folder monitor freeware that works very well.
[ Download FingerPrint v2.1.3 ]
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