Checking the integrity and authenticity of files using the HashTab program
When downloading files from many sources, you have probably seen that hash sums are sometimes specified for files, with which you can check the integrity and authenticity of files immediately after downloading. However, there are no built-in tools for this in Windows OS. And here the HashTab utility comes to the rescue, which allows you to expand the standard file properties window.
The utility is being developed by Implbits, which focuses on developing easy-to-use applications such as HashTab, Varpanel (a Windows environment variable editor), and AD Helpdesk (an Active Directory setup assistant on the iPhone).
HashTab will allow you to find out and compare hash values ​​calculated by different algorithms. The number of supported algorithms is impressive: Adler32, BLAKE2sp, BTIH, CRC32, ED2K, GOST, MD2, MD4, MD5, RIPEMD-128, RIPEMD-256, RIPEMD-320, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-256 Base64, SHA- 384, SHA-512, SHA3-224, SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512, TTH, Tiger and Whirlpool. In addition, the utility allows you to compare two arbitrary files.
By the way, HashTab has been translated into 27 languages, including Russian.
Download HashTab You can from the official page here. There are two licenses to choose from: personal and commercial. The personal license allows you to use HashTab for free and is intended for private use, for students and for any non-commercial use. The commercial license costs $9.99 and is for those who use the HashTab utility at work.
The HashTab utility installs quickly and easily, so I will not describe this process. Windows Vista and above are supported. If you are still using Windows XP, then you can install HashTab version 5.2.
Now let’s see how to use the hashtab utility after installation. The utility is built into a standard Windows OS window that displays file properties. Therefore, in order to use it, you need to right-click on the file you are interested in in Explorer and select the “Properties” context menu item. In the window that opens, switch to the “Hash sums of files” tab. This is the bookmark created by the HashTab utility.
As you can see, by default, hash sums calculated using only three popular algorithms are displayed here. But you can click on the “Settings” link and the settings window select, what are the algorithms for calculating hash sums in HashTab you are interested.
It is difficult to compare hash sums with your eyes, because you can easily make a mistake. But the developers of the utility have provided for this. You can copy the hash sum into the “Hash Comparison” field and HashTab will immediately check for a match. The figure below shows that I entered the wrong hash and a red X appeared to the left of it, which means that there are no matches.
But I entered a matching hash calculated using the MD5 algorithm. As you can see, a green check mark has appeared on the left, and the second line has been highlighted in the list of hash sums, i.e. the one with which the hash I entered matches.
In addition, you have the option to compare two files. To do this, there is a button “Compare file …”. Everything is simple here, specify the second file with which you want to compare, HashTab calculates the hash sum for this second file (according to the algorithm that is selected in the list) and compares the hash sums for these two files. The comparison result looks the same as in the two pictures above.
And if you have created a file and want to transfer one or all of its hash sums to another person, then the ability to copy hash sums will come in handy. To do this, right-click on the list and select “Copy” or “Copy all” from the context menu.
The context menu items “Copy Magnet Link -> urn:sha1:” and “Copy Magnet Link -> urn:md5:” copy the Magnet link to the clipboard. A magnet link allows you to find a file in peer-to-peer networks, of course, if it is there. Read the details here.
So, as you can see, the HashTab utility evokes the feeling of a high-quality and concise product. It does not consume a lot of resources, and there are no ads here. The utility can be recommended to anyone who downloads large files from the Internet or exchanges them with other people. After all, only by checking the hash sum of the file you can be 100% sure that you received the file without changes exactly in the form in which it was created by the author.