So -- before I begin -- I like the idea of not just posting files to the site, but also their MD5 hash. I want someone to be able to quickly download both my file and its checksum and then quickly run something to verify the file downloaded correctly. This probably isn't a big issue for most users, but I still have downloads getting corrupted, probably due to various bad wireless networks I use. There should be an easy, standardized way to figure this out rather than "oh it doesn't work". If you downloaded the file, you should know right away.
To this point, BitTorrent is obviously superior here, but for Web downloads Free Download Manager has come closest: it has a blank where you can fill in an MD5 hash that it will automatically check. However, I also want this whole process to be as easy and seamless as possible. Drag and drop save, drag and drop verify. Anything more and I'll just try redownloading the file.
MD5Checker gets very close to solving this (and other verification needs), and here's how it stacks up:
- Works with multiple files, but not recursively (no subdirectories).
- Can save individual hash files, as well all files listed.
- The program itself is a single file. There are only two other files it uses: a checksum of itself and the settings it saves to Md5Checker.ini.
- The program can actually do a "self check" which I thought was cool.
So I wanted to see what the hashes looked like so I threw in some files (can drag and drop files, not folders). Here's what the file looks like when you select "save":
CHECKSUM.MD5
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A39E990FAD6E0861395E00CB1A8CFA4D *file listing.csv
F7873B604355798B3DBB5ADE18DDE680 *nv001.txt
65079696D1CA3D3A327233DF933E72C9 *nv002.txt
885493409D1AFACF05A16F755231809F *nv006.txt
7C94E0B0317662B2E8B8AC8B9E3D90DF *nv012.txt
Unfortunately, IgorWare Hasher couldn't use this file to verify anything, so I'm guessing other MD5 checkers would also have a problem. However, when you select select "save each" this is the file that's created:
NV002.TXT.MD5
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65079696D1CA3D33627233DF93BE72C9 *nv002.txt
IgorWare Hasher could read that fine. (Oddly IgorWare couldn't automatically see the [same file name].md5, but that's not MD5Checker's fault.)
Wishlist (roughly in order of want/need):
- If you drag and drop either the file or the MD5, there should be an option to automatically check against the other if present (of course with a cancel button in case you drop in a really big file).
- Of course recursive capabilities along with relative pathways for the regular Save function as well as recursively create checksum files for the Save Each feature.
- Despite the name, wish it would do SHA-1 (for better security) as well as CRC checksums (for routine system checking)