DiskCat

Keeping your files neatly organized is the best way to make sure you can find them whenever you need them.
DiskCat is one of the applications that can help you create catalogs from all the data stored on CDs, DVDs, local folders or directories found on removable drives.

Minimalistic, yet intuitive GUI

The design of this application is meant to be as straightforward as it gets, thus making it possible even for beginners to create catalogs and organize them in databases.
You only need to select the folder you are interested in, no matter if it is stored on an optical drive, a removable device or your HDD. The resulting catalog retains the name of the source directory, but you can modify it later on.

Create searchable catalogs

Next, DiskCat automatically generates a catalog by creating zero-bytes files corresponding to the real documents, while preserving the original structure.
Once this step is completed, you can effortlessly search these catalogs by specifying a keyword and all the files matching this criterion are displayed. When using the ‘Filter’ function, you get to narrow down the list by removing any files whose filename includes the specified text string.
It needs to be mentioned that initiating a new search analyzes all available catalogs and databases, yet you can right click the result list and set it to show only the data from a certain catalog.

Export data to TXT files

Due to DiskCat, you can export the contents of a chosen database to a file (only TXT is supported), thus making it possible for you to get a clear overview of the total number of catalogs you store in each database. It also includes the creation date and time, along with the catalog names.
Additionally, you can view a text version of a catalog by accessing the context menu from the result list.
All in all, DiskCat might take some time getting used to, yet its detailed documentation can help you make the most of its functions within minutes.