In this article, you will learn to use LinkFixer Advanced to scan selected files. You need to locate and scan your files before you Inoculate or Cure. 


File scanning only reads the files and does not make any changes to the files.


The Scan process creates a complete set of reports about your files and links. You can access these reports by going to the "LinkFixer Advanced" folder on your desktop and selecting the "Reports" sub-folder.


Trial Version Limitations:

If you are using the trial version of LinkFixer Advanced, please note that the trial version has the following limitations:

(i) It scans and reports, in PDF format, the details of a maximum of 10,000 files at a time.


(ii) The trial will continue to scan additional files and links up to 100 gigabytes of data or 100,000 files, whichever occurs first. Data about the additional files and links (in excess of the first 10,000 files) will be included in: 

1) the summary section at the top of the PDF report, 

2) the parent file/child file grid at the bottom of the PDF report and 

3) in the “Processed” CSV data file.

(iii) The Inoculate, Cure, Move/Rename and Modify Links features function fully, but are limited to processing up to a maximum of 500 links for each feature per day, for most file types, and 100 links per day for AutoCAD and MicroStation file types.

(iv) The Inoculate, Cure, Move/Rename and Modify Links features are limited to processing a total of 5,000 links each during the entire trial period, for most file types, and 1,000 links during the entire trial for AutoCAD and MicroStation file types.


New UI: 

1. Click "Scan Only".

The “Select Folders” section appears as shown below. 

During the installation of LinkFixer Advanced, a folder was created on your desktop called “LinkFixer Advanced”. Find the “LinkFixer Advanced” folder on the “Select Folders” screen in LinkFixer Advanced. Expand the folder structure by clicking the small arrows next to the “LinkFixer Advanced”, “Sample Files” and “Excel Sample Files” folders.


Note: If you have other files selected from a previous run, use the {Clear Folder Selection} button located on the top-right to clean-up and reset your folder selection tree.


2. Locate the “Excel Sample Files” folder and select the checkbox next to the “XLSX 2010” sub-folder.


Save the Current Selection of Folders: If you wish, you can save this file selection for future reference. Click the {Next} arrow button. The “Select Files” section appears as shown below.


3. Select “Process all files in selected folders” option.

4. Click "Preview" in the navigation pane above to preview the folders and files that will be scanned.

5. Click "Process Files".



6. The LinkFixer Advanced “Scan Process Dashboard” window is displayed which shows the following “Status” pane.

7. When the scan is complete, click the "View Summary" button below the progress bar to review the Scan report for the files you have just scanned.


When done viewing the report, click the “x” in the upper right corner, to close the report.

Classic UI: 

  1. Click the "Scan" button in the ribbon of LinkFixer Advanced as shown below.
  2. In the “Navigation” pane, the various steps involved when performing the scan process are displayed. Clicking on “Scan Options”, you will see a brief description of the file scanning process.
  3. On the “Scan Options” screen, the “Clear database” checkbox is checked by default. This checkbox option clears all file and link data from the database before scanning the selected files.Turn off this setting if you specifically need or want to accumulate file and link data in the database across several different data sets. Also turn off this setting if you need or want to scan for changes in a previously scanned set of files and links. 

                Important Note: It is usually best to “start fresh” by clearing the database. For this lesson, leave the “Clear                                                           database” checkbox checked.

  1. Click the "Next" arrow button.
  2. The “Select Folders” section appears as shown below. During the installation of LinkFixer Advanced, a folder was created on the desktop called “LinkFixer Advanced”. Find the “LinkFixer Advanced” folder on the “Select Folders” screen in LinkFixer Advanced.
  3. Expand the folder structure by clicking the small triangles next to the “LinkFixer Advanced”, “Sample Files” and “Excel Sample Files” folders.
  4. Locate the “Excel Sample Files” folder and select the checkbox next to the “XLS 97-2003” sub-folder.
  5. Click the "Next" arrow button. The “Filter Files” section appears as shown below.
  6. Select “Process all files in selected folders” option.
  7. Click the "Next" arrow, or select “Preview Files” in the navigation pane to preview the folders and files that will be scanned.
  8. Click the "Next" arrow button again.
  9. The “Perform Scan” screen appears as shown below.
  10. Click the "Run" button to start the scanning of selected files.
  11. By default, the following warning dialog is shown when the “Clear database” checkbox is checked on the first “Scan Options” navigation screen. Clicking the "Clear" button will clear all file and link data from the database before scanning selected files. Clicking the "Don’t clear" button will close the dialog and allow you to go back and uncheck the “Clear database” option on the “Scan Options” screen. For this lesson, click the "Clear" button.
  12. The LinkFixer Advanced “Scan Process Dashboard” window is displayed which shows the following “Status” pane.
  13. When the scan is complete, click the "View Process Summary" button on the top ribbon menu to review the Scan report for the files you have just scanned.
  14. When done viewing the report, click the "Close Print Preview" button, or the red “x” in the upper right corner, to close the report.
  15. Other more-detailed reports are accessible by clicking "Processed", "Skipped" and "Exceptions" on LinkFixer Advanced ribbon.


We recommend that you read and apply the article "How do I inoculate (protect) my links using LinkFixer Advanced" as your next action.