Random file is used as a hardlink source

[AlttiRi]

Describe the bug When dupeguru creates hardlinks for duplicate files dupeguru chooses a random file as a source to replace other duplicates with a hardlink of it.

To Reproduce

• Create a folder with the duplicate files, but each file must have different btime and mtime.
• Create multiple copies of the folder with Robocopy (to perverse mtime and btime of each file)
• Deduplicate each copied folder with dupeguru.

Expected behavior dupeguru should choose the file with the older (lower) btime/mtime and use it as a hardlink source for other duplicates.

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• Windows 10
• 4.3.1

Additional context

Here is the online file explorer snapshot: https://alttiri.github.io/keep-lister/?filepath=https://alttiri.github.io/trash-files/dupe-guru-scan-1.json.gz

The original folder's files (look at the file times):

The deduplicate result for the first folder: (3.0.txt was used as a source for hardlinks)

The deduplicate result for the second folder: (1.txt was used as a source for hardlinks)

The deduplicate result for the third folder: (2.txt was used as a source for hardlinks)

It should always use 1.txt as a hardlink source, since it has the older btime/mtime.

[AlttiRi]

The another example.

All files have the same mtime as it's in filenames, but dupeguru suggests 3 files with the recent mtime as origin files:

I sure it should choose as an origin file a file with the less recent mtime/btime.

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If there are:

• a file a.mp4 with mtime 2022.12.25,
• a file b.mp4 with mtime 2023.06.02,
• a file c.mp4 with mtime 2018.06.11,

then it should use the file c.mp4 as the origin file because it have the older mtime.