File Hamster version control

File Hamster version tracking software (Windows)

File Hamster provides real-time version tracking for files and folders as well as backup and archiving. File Hamster is a memory-resident program that monitors the folders and files that you ask it to and keeps a copy whenever you change a file, so that you can roll back to the old version(s) if you ever need to. It also gives you the ability to create "sticky" notes whenever you make a change to a file or folder.

Once you install File Hamster you must choose which individual files and/or folders to monitor. For folders, you can tell it which file types you want monitored or excluded, and it can also watch sub-folders. Once you set up File Hamster it will then monitor files in real time. Any attempt to change or overwrite a monitored file will prompt File Hamster to instantly make a copy of the file before allowing the change. This will result in continuous real-time backups copies of your files being created that are done in the background.

When File Hamster detects a change it will flash a small window near the system tray which you can use to quickly leave a comment or note that can be referred to later if you need to remember why you made the change. All historic file versions can then be accessed from the File Hamster menu. The name of the file being monitored has to remain unchanged for File Hamster to keep taking snapshots of it. If you want to use different version names for your file then configure File Hamster to monitor the folder that you keep the file in and it will then monitor each successive file that it finds in that folder.

If you become concerned about file backups taking up too much disk space, there are a number of options: (1)set the maximum number of revisions File Hamster will keep of any single file; (2)set a time period beyond-which a revision will be discarded; (3)require a user-defined delay period between revisions; or (4)have File Hamster do compressed backups using the zip plugin, enabling file backups to be made to zip archive files.

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, Vista; requires .NET Framework 2.0