>I have a dozen or more copies of versions of a VFP project across multiple local and network HDs and directories, none of which are under source control.
>
>I want to install source control, but (how) will it help me identify or create the best/most recent/most accurate single code base from so many variations?
>but how can I best generate one code base from so many variations?

You can try to copy the latest of everything into a new folder tree, but that may help with text files only (.prg and the like). With tablelike files (scx, vcx...) any recompile pollutes the file dates, so the meaning of the date is not "edited on that date" but "edited or perhaps compiled on that date".

I think your only way out is to manually pick the best pieces - unless you can code your definition of "best" into a routine which would copy the files into \my\files\TheBestOf. ScctextX.prg and a good diff tool may help speed the manual process.