Inventory Repeated Archive Fingerprints Without Deleting a Single File — Free
Repeated filenames are weak evidence of duplication. Group an existing archive manifest by full fingerprints and byte counts, then count the copies beyond a stated retention scenario without touching the files.
The proof surface
Digitization estimates labor; this groups reader-supplied SHA-256 fingerprints and byte counts to inventory redundant copies without inspecting or deleting files.
InputFile code | SHA-256 hex fingerprint | byte count; copies retained per fingerprint group
Rare deviceDigitization estimates labor; this groups reader-supplied SHA-256 fingerprints and byte counts to inventory redundant copies without inspecting or deleting files.
Output artifactSurplus-copy byte inventory plus complete labeled working
Cost$0 local core · no account, card, paid key or subscription · filing proposal has no checkout
Sample, not your facts: Invented records: Cedar scan | 0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a | 1048576; Willow duplicate scan | 0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a | 1048576; Pine portrait | ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff | 524288. Copies retained per fingerprint group = 1; expected Surplus-copy byte inventory: 1048576 bytes in surplus copies. These are not quotations, verified observations or personal evidence.
Before using the checksum-copy register
Make a manifest using a trusted local hashing workflow before entering anything here. This register does not read files, compute fingerprints, check media, upload photos or delete data. Every example digest is invented, not a real file hash. Use file codes rather than private paths or family names. A SHA-256 digest is a long identifier, not encryption; the manifest can disclose archive structure. The copy setting is an inventory scenario, not a recommended number of backups. Two copies on one failing drive do not provide two independent recovery paths, and a digest match does not tell you which physical copy has sound storage.
Why the flat version breaks
Same filename is called the same file
Names can repeat while contents differ, and identical content can have entirely different names. Grouping on names alone manufactures both false positives and false negatives. Full digests are a better supplied grouping key, but this page does not independently verify them. The result therefore says surplus-copy inventory, not safe deletion list or recovered storage.
A repeated digest has inconsistent lengths
If a copied manifest shows one digest with two byte counts, at least the metadata is inconsistent for this inventory. The app refuses the set and preserves the last successful reading. It does not average the lengths, take the larger number or assume the smaller file is corrupt. Return to the source manifest and hash/size workflow, then correct the discrepancy before interpreting the group.
A retention setting becomes a backup guarantee
The number of duplicate-content rows cannot establish restoration coverage. Copies may share a drive, deletion account, damaged source or location. This register measures metadata redundancy only, and its first-copy convention has no safety authority. Ask a trusted data-recovery or archiving professional before risky cleanup, especially when family records are irreplaceable or ownership of a copy is uncertain.
How to work the checksum-copy register
Obtain metadata without changing the archive
Use a read-only local tool you trust to record a full 64-character SHA-256 digest and exact byte count for each file. Do not infer content from a filename or paste a truncated digest because it is easier to read. Keep the original manifest privately and transcribe non-sensitive file codes. This calculator accepts a fingerprint as supplied; it cannot certify that your hashing utility read the complete file or that your manifest still describes the file currently on disk.
Set the inventory retention scenario
Enter a whole retained-copy count from one to 1,000. Within a group, the first that-many rows remain retained and later rows count as surplus, purely for transparent bookkeeping. Input order is not a recommendation about which actual files to keep. If a group contains fewer copies than the setting, it contributes zero surplus rather than a negative deficit. Missing-file and backup-gap questions need a different source inventory and are not silently merged into this byte total.
Group exact fingerprints and reconcile sizes
Normalize hexadecimal case and group by the entire fingerprint. Require matching byte counts within every matching-digest group; a conflict stops the calculation as inconsistent metadata instead of picking a preferred size. For each row beyond the retained count, add its byte count once. Safe-integer bounds keep the summed byte inventory exact. Row workings show group membership, copy position, retained count and supplied size so the headline can be checked against the manifest.
Review before any separate file-management action
Compare the candidate group with actual file contents, ownership and tested independent backups using appropriate local tools. Do not delete from this register: it intentionally has no file-system action. A family member may need a named copy even when its content is identical. Copy or export only non-sensitive metadata with the boundary attached. If you change the manifest or retention scenario, rerun the unlimited article demo and keep that change distinct from a verified disk-space recovery.
What the checksum-copy register keeps distinct
Question
Before
Check this working
Same filename is called the same file
Names can repeat while contents differ, and identical content can have entirely different names. Grouping on names alone manufactures both false positives and false negatives. Full digests are a better supplied grouping key, but this page does not independently verify them. The result therefore says surplus-copy inventory, not safe deletion list or recovered storage.
Set the inventory retention scenario
A repeated digest has inconsistent lengths
If a copied manifest shows one digest with two byte counts, at least the metadata is inconsistent for this inventory. The app refuses the set and preserves the last successful reading. It does not average the lengths, take the larger number or assume the smaller file is corrupt. Return to the source manifest and hash/size workflow, then correct the discrepancy before interpreting the group.
Group exact fingerprints and reconcile sizes
A retention setting becomes a backup guarantee
The number of duplicate-content rows cannot establish restoration coverage. Copies may share a drive, deletion account, damaged source or location. This register measures metadata redundancy only, and its first-copy convention has no safety authority. Ask a trusted data-recovery or archiving professional before risky cleanup, especially when family records are irreplaceable or ownership of a copy is uncertain.
Review before any separate file-management action
The checksum-copy register replaces this named manual reconciliation, not source verification or the responsible human's decision.
Run it on the samples, right here
FIRST-LOAD
HYPOTHESIS / PROTOTYPE — checkout unavailable. Calculation is local. A draft is saved automatically in this browser profile when storage is available; Reset to sample clears it. Optional Pro history stores only five summaries and has its own deletion control. State links encode your inputs and can remain in browser history, clipboard or recipients’ records; share only non-sensitive rows. Optional external AI formatting leaves this device. The required site analytics beacon reports page activity; shared URLs contain encoded inputs. Do not treat an encoded URL as private. The calculator has no input-collection endpoint.
Manifest inventory only: no file inspection, fingerprint verification, deletion action or backup guarantee. Keep tested independent backups and inspect actual files with trusted local tools or an archiving professional before any separate cleanup.
Data note: This checksum-copy register calculates in the tab from File code | SHA-256 hex fingerprint | byte count. No input-collection endpoint, AI request or file upload is built into it. Drafts may be saved locally; explicit input-state links and optional external formatting can disclose the records. Use non-sensitive codes and clear the draft when finished.
Go deeper: the companion app files the same reading as a bound register page
The article demo above runs without limits. The companion app keeps a local history, exports the rows as CSV, prints the checksum-copy register reading, and holds your drafts on this device — one complete free app run; the proposed $4 one-time filing layer is not for sale.
Keep the complete checksum-copy register answer free; optional filing proposes its boundary-preserving print, row-and-summary CSV and five local reading summaries. The $4 one-time prototype is not for sale; another calculation remains free in the article demo.
Manifest inventory only: no file inspection, fingerprint verification, deletion action or backup guarantee. Keep tested independent backups and inspect actual files with trusted local tools or an archiving professional before any separate cleanup.
What this is built on
Declared local method: Normalize hexadecimal case and group by the entire fingerprint. Require matching byte counts within every matching-digest group; a conflict stops the calculation as inconsistent metadata instead of picking a preferred size. For each row beyond the retained count, add its byte count once. Safe-integer bounds keep the summed byte inventory exact. Row workings show group membership, copy position, retained count and supplied size so the headline can be checked against the manifest.
Every sample code, measurement, date, price, fingerprint and scenario is invented. Artifact checks do not verify reader data, policies, actual files, tickets, votes or health/accessibility outcomes.
Google’s official Gemini pricing page, fetched 2026-10-01, lists AI Studio access in its Free section, limited model access and free input/output tokens. Free-tier content may be used to improve products. Optional external formatting may require an account; limits/access can change. Manual local entry needs none. Do not send sensitive records.
Before: repeated filenames seemed like removable clutter. After: full supplied fingerprints, consistent sizes and an explicit retention scenario define an auditable copy inventory.
Three worked readings, with different inputs
Sample A — typical inputs
Cedar scan | 0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a | 1048576
Willow duplicate scan | 0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a0a | 1048576
Pine portrait | ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff | 524288
Setting: Copies retained per fingerprint group = 1. Expected summary: 1048576 bytes in surplus copies.
The two one-megabyte scan records share an invented fingerprint and byte count. With one retained copy per group, one scan record contributes 1,048,576 surplus-copy bytes. The portrait is a separate group and contributes zero. This is an inventory of supplied metadata, not a verified content comparison or a deletion recommendation. Different labels do not establish different content, and a matching hash supplied incorrectly is not proof that either file can be removed.
Sample B — changed plan
Harbor album copy | 1212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212 | 1370000
Orchard album copy | 1212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212 | 1370000
Birch album copy | 1212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212121212 | 1370000
Setting: Copies retained per fingerprint group = 1. Expected summary: 2740000 bytes in surplus copies.
Three metadata rows share the same invented digest and size. The first is treated as retained under the input-order inventory convention; two others contribute 1,370,000 bytes apiece, totaling 2,740,000. Change the retained-copy setting to two and only one would be surplus in this model. Retaining one is not a backup policy: independent devices, locations, restoration tests and family ownership questions remain outside this count.
Sample C — boundary convention
East unique scan | 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 | 256789
West unique scan | 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 | 99999
Setting: Copies retained per fingerprint group = 1. Expected summary: 0 bytes in surplus copies.
The fingerprints differ, so neither row exceeds one retained copy within its group. Zero surplus bytes does not mean a healthy archive. Some files may be damaged, mislabeled, missing or represented by incorrect hashes. The tool has not opened either file. Its output only answers the narrow question posed by this supplied list, without hiding unique rows to make the savings look larger.
Optional AI formatting, never the calculation
Manual entry completes this checksum-copy register for free without signup. If available to you, the free AI Studio interface linked in the sources may format fictional or non-sensitive notes; external access may require an account. No API key or AI call is built into this tool. Free-tier content may be used to improve products. Review each cell and transcribe it to the labeled row schema; do not paste the JSON object into the row box.
Format only these fictional or non-sensitive notes for a checksum-copy register. Return strict JSON shaped as {"rows": [{"label": "string", "cells": ["string", "string"]}], "setting": "string"}. The columns are File code | SHA-256 hex fingerprint | byte count; the setting is Copies retained per fingerprint group. Keep all supplied strings and quantities exactly; do not calculate, infer missing entries, invent dates or add advice. If any required value is missing, return an empty rows array and ask me for it separately. I will verify every cell against my source and manually transcribe rows using vertical bars before running the local calculator.
An AI response is not executed, fetched or trusted as a result. Missing values remain questions; the strict local parser checks the rows you actually enter.