AlternateStreamView

AlternateStreamView is a small-sized and simple-to-use piece of software that scans NTFS drives and shows all alternate streams stored on the PC. It comes packed with a basic set of options that can be handled by all user categories.

Since installation is not a prerequisite, you can drop the program files in any part of the hard disk and just click the executable to run.

There is also the possibility to save AlternateStreamView to a USB flash disk or similar storage unit, in order to run it on any PC with minimum effort and no previous installers.

It does not change any settings to the Windows registry or create extra files on the computer without your consent, thus leaving the disk clean after removal.

In terms of looks, AlternateStreamView is not impressive but, given its technical nature, simplicity works best. The main app window is clean and organized.

Users are asked to select a drive or directory to scan, optionally include subfolders and set their depth level, and establish file name wildcards. Depending on the size of the selected location, scanning may take a while.

Results show the stream and file names, full stream name, stream size, allocated size and extension for each identified item. You can export selected entries or the entire list to TXT, CSV, HTM, HTML or XML for closer inspection, use a search function when having large data at hand, hide zero-length stream from the list, and customize some basic viewing options like the columns display mode.

The tool is low-demanding when it comes to CPU and memory, so it does not affect the overall performance of the PC. We have not faced any unpleasant surprises throughout our evaluation, since AlternateStreamView did not hang, crash or pop up error messages. Thanks to its overall simplicity, the app can be easily used.