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Since I often compare full drives and this requires a lot of time, I find annoying that each time EDP stops halfway to tell me that usrclass.dat, usrclass.dat.log, ntuser.dat, ntuser.dat.log etc. can not be opened.
Of course I can click "ignore all" at the first message box, but I must be present to click; I can not start the process and go away for a while.

Futhermore, I'm not interested in comparing some kind of temporary or "instance specific" files (and/or directories).

So I decided to put the relevant files in the ignore list and activate the filters.

The ignore list is as follows:

pagefile.sys,usrclass.dat,usrclass.dat.log,ntuser.dat,ntuser.dat.log,sam,sam.log,security,security.log,software,software.log,system,system.log,:*\WINDOWS\Prefetch,:*\WINDOWS\system32\config\default,:*\WINDOWS\system32\config\default.log,:*\temporary internet files\*,edb.log,datastore.edb,*\chronology\*,*\datacoll\*,:*\System Volume Information\*

Now: it almost works, but each time I get the message box "C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\default: Permission denied."
I can't get rid of it.

Then the list includes also C:\Documents and Settings\Flurmy\Impostazioni locali\Chronology that's supposedly excluded.

N.B. The problem is not connected with case sensitivity, or at least so it seems.

Now: it almost works, but each time I get the message box "C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\default: Permission denied."
I can't get rid of it.

Can't reproduce this. Well, before applying name/path filters ExamDiff Pro has to enumerate files, basically doing "dir" on each included folder. Try doing this on the "C:\WINDOWS\system32\config" folder via the command line and see if get the same error.

Then the list includes also C:\Documents and Settings\Flurmy\Impostazioni locali\Chronology that's supposedly excluded.

Then you probably (I don't know if it's a file of a folder) want to have "*\chronology\*" as a path filter: ":*\chronology\*".

want to have "*\chronology\*" as a path filter: ":*\chronology\*".

"*\chronology\*" is a path, exactly like "*\datacoll\*", and indeed there is a stupid here that forgot the ":"!
And I looked at it many times!
Sorry.

Try doing this on the "C:\WINDOWS\system32\config" folder via the command line and see if get the same error.

No errors:

Il volume nell'unità C è Windows XP
Numero di serie del volume: 7CBD-A2D9

Directory di C:\WINDOWS\system32\config

01/10/2009 19.21 <DIR> .
01/10/2009 19.21 <DIR> ..
16/02/2010 22.55 524.288 AppEvent.Evt
16/02/2010 22.55 524.288 default
01/10/2009 21.06 94.208 default.sav
16/02/2010 22.55 262.144 SAM
01/10/2009 21.07 65.536 SecEvent.Evt
16/02/2010 22.55 262.144 SECURITY
16/02/2010 22.55 19.660.800 software
01/10/2009 21.06 1.093.632 software.sav
16/02/2010 22.55 524.288 SysEvent.Evt
17/02/2010 13.28 4.194.304 system
01/10/2009 21.06 479.232 system.sav
01/10/2009 19.21 <DIR> systemprofile
01/10/2009 21.06 262.144 userdiff
12 File 27.947.008 byte
3 Directory 108.763.308.032 byte disponibili

N.B. *.log files are hidden so they are not listed here.

Please note that sam, sam.log, security, security.log, software, software.log, system, system.log and default.log are effectively ignored, i.e. they don't cause a message box to appear anymore.

I specified the full path for "default" because I can have other files with that name somewhere in the disk.

I'm still not sure what exactly is going on. Please try the latest build of 5.0 Beta - it has more verbose error messages in this area that will help us to diagnose the problem.

5.0.0.6: nothing new.

If I replace ":*\WINDOWS\system32\config\default" with "default" there is no problem except, of course, the filtering of some other interesting files.

If I exclude the whole directory (":*\WINDOWS\system32\config\*") everything is ok except, of course, that the exclusion is an overkill.

If I add a period (":*\WINDOWS\system32\config\default.") everything is perfect.
Sic!

I'm surprised you can't reproduce the effect.
I'm using Windows 5.1 (XP) Build 2600 SP3

N.B. Editing long filters directly in EDP is very tedious because ctrl-right and ctrl-left only accept blanks as word separators, so you have to scan the filter string char by char.
Of course I copied the whole string in an editor, modified it and then pasted back in EDP.

5.0.0.6: nothing new.

I understand. However, the message should be different. What was it?

N.B. Editing long filters directly in EDP is very tedious because ctrl-right and ctrl-left only accept blanks as word separators, so you have to scan the filter string char by char.
Of course I copied the whole string in an editor, modified it and then pasted back in EDP.

You can click on the arrow button next to the Manage drop-down and select Edit, and you'll be presented with the Filter Editor. It should be easier to manage your filter(s) there.

However, the message should be different. What was it?

The very same as before.
Please note: that is a system message, not an EDP message... unless you wrote a message in Italian.

You can click on the arrow button next to the Manage drop-down and select Edit, and you'll be presented with the Filter Editor. It should be easier to manage your filter(s) there.

I completely missed it.
EDP is great!

Assuming that you are using the latest build, what is the exact message you are getting?

Memory failure!
(Mine, not my computer's...)

The message is not a system message and is not in italian...
But it's the very same as before.
So much for my memory.

The message is (verbatim): Did you note that I solved the problem by appending a period to the filename?
This implies an empty extension, but it should be the same as no extension at all (i.e. no period), otherwise it's better if the thing is clearly documented.

The message is (verbatim):

Code: Select all

ExamDiff Pro Message
C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\default: Permission denied.

Are you sure you are using the latest build?

Did you note that I solved the problem by appending a period to the filename?
This implies an empty extension, but it should be the same as no extension at all (i.e. no period), otherwise it's better if the thing is clearly documented.

Yes, I did. However, it still makes little sense to me hence my attempts to determine what's going on here.

Are you sure you are using the latest build?

Well, now I'm sure I'm not using the latest build.
As I wrote, I'm using the 5.0.0.6 that I supposed was the latest.
I didn't note that you published other versions, sorry.
"The latest" is a moving target...

I'm just downloading the 5.0.0.9.
I'll update my findings ASAP.

N.B. Win2000 does not complain about that file even without filters.

5.0.0.9 - Removing the ending period:

ExamDiff Pro Message
Could not open file 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\default' to read.: Permission denied.

With the period the file is correctly ignored.

Speaking of periods, did you note the pleonastic one before the colon in many messages (like the one above)?

N.B. The message in Italian was the one I get when a file to copy is no more present. This message is system generated so it is localized. I see it often so I confused it with the one relevant for this topic. Sorry again.

5.0.0.9 - Removing the ending period:


ExamDiff Pro Message
Could not open file 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\default' to read.: Permission denied.


With the period the file is correctly ignored.

I still can't make any sense of your problem. I think we'll leave it at this; use the period in the filter. If more information become available, please let me know.

Speaking of periods, did you note the pleonastic one before the colon in many messages (like the one above)?

We'll remove the extra periods.