Who this is for
An office manager or small-business owner whose shared drive or archive holds thousands of business files named scan0001, final_v2_REAL or after whoever saved them.
Nobody can find anything, someone who knew the system is leaving, or a move to new storage is planned and the files should be tidy first.
The result
A copy of the folder tree holds every file that can be named safely under the agreed rule and folder structure. Files that cannot be named safely, such as collisions and invalid or over-long names, are held back, listed with a reason and left out of the copy until you decide. A manifest has one row for every source file, renamed or held, with its old path, new path, size and checksum, so the counts and the contents can be shown to match the original.
What is included
- One folder tree of up to 5,000 files, handed over by an agreed secure route and handled as a copy, with the originals left in place
- A naming rule and folder structure agreed in writing, built from the file's own name, folder, dates and metadata, or from a mapping spreadsheet you provide that holds no personal data
- A dry-run manifest that you approve before anything is applied to the copy, with every file that cannot be named safely marked held
- Verification that file counts and checksums match, that every source file has exactly one manifest row, that no name breaks agreed length and character rules, and that the rename can be reversed from the manifest
You receive
- The reorganised copy of the folder tree
- A manifest with one row for every source file: old path, new path or 'held', status, size and checksum
- An exceptions list of the held files (collisions, over-long paths, invalid characters) and a reversal list that restores the original names
What is not included
- Moving, deleting or changing your originals
- Removing duplicate files by comparing their content, which is a separate job
- Deciding what to keep under a retention rule or a legal hold; that is legal advice
- Choosing names by reading document contents, unless added to the quote
- Files with personal data in them or in their file and folder names, and files we cannot be given a copy of through an agreed secure route
- Writing, supplying or running a program on your own computers or storage
What we need from you first
- The file count, the approximate total size, the folder depth and the kinds of file
- Five or six invented examples of current names and the names you would like instead
- Whether the files can be copied to a contractor at all, and whether any file or folder name contains a person's name; no files in the first enquiry
Never send passwords, keys, customer records or confidential code in the first enquiry. Secure handover is agreed after scoping.
How we check it is done
- Every file in the source folder tree has exactly one row in the manifest, with a status of renamed or held and a stated reason for each held file, and the number of source files equals the number of renamed files in the reorganised copy plus the number of held files.
- For every renamed row, the checksum of the source file equals the checksum of the file at its new path.
- No new name contains a character the target system disallows, ends in a space or a period, or is a reserved device name, no path exceeds the agreed length, and no two names collide when letter case is ignored. Any violation is held and on the exceptions list.
- A named person approved the dry-run manifest before it was applied, and restoring a sample of 50 renamed files (all of them if there are fewer) from the reversal list returns their original names.
You browse the reorganised copy, check some files against the manifest and sign off in writing. Payment follows sign-off.
When we would stop or decline
- The files cannot be copied and handed over by a secure route agreed first
- No naming rule can be written down
- Many files would collide under any workable rule and nobody can decide how they should be named
- File or folder names, or the files themselves, hold personal data
Questions
Can the files stay on our own computers?
Not for this fixed job. The checks compare the contents of every file, so we need a copy handed over by a secure route that we agree first. We do not supply a ready-made program for you to run. If the files cannot be copied to a contractor, this job does not fit.
Will you delete duplicates?
No. Finding duplicates by content is a separate job, and deleting is always your decision.
What if two files would get the same name?
The dry run holds them back and lists the collisions, and you decide how each is named. Nothing is overwritten.
Price and terms
From £245 · untested offer price. The fixed price is confirmed in writing and paid after the agreed checks pass and you sign off. No payment before sign-off.
This is a new service with no published client results. The price is a starting point we have not yet tested with buyers. Nothing is ordered or charged by the enquiry. The full specification is on the Synthetic Industry catalogue.