14 DAY TRIAL // Split and join files as you like. File Tools offers an easy way to chop files into pieces and reunite them whenever you want. Checksum is used for verification of data integrity.
Despite increased connection speed these days, there are still some limits imposed to uploading data online to a storage service; or even when trying to send a file via email. Pick an item that does not fit the email service’s upload pipe and you may find yourself into a predicament.
Luckily, there are instruments on the Internet that can help you with the issue by slimming the file down through compression. If the item does not lose as much weight as you want through this procedure, then it is time to take out bigger guns.
Splitting it into multiple pieces and uploading them one by one (or all at once if the feature is supported) is the key to the problem. There are plenty of tools that can do this for you, but Giorgio Tani’s File Tools is free of charge and easy to use. The application does not require any installation, either.
The application provides only four functions for you to use: file splitting, file joining, calculate file checksum and file comparison. These are all available in a nifty looking interface which does come with any frills.
All menus roll down in the left hand side of the application window, while the right part of the screen covers the options. There are no general settings in the program, only customization choices, mainly for splitting data into volumes.
Breaking files in multiple pieces is an easy task and requires no preparation of any sort. All you have to do is pick the file you want chopped into pieces and set an output path for the all resulting items to be stored. Next you can start the operation.
These are the essential steps that need to be taken, but intermediary steps allow you to set the size of each part either from the custom presets or type a value yourself. Predefined sizes let you set a piece size to fit a floppy disk (1.4Mb), a 650MB CD or a 700MB one.
Another option available in this screen of the program is to instruct it to calculate checksum as well. If enabled, File Tools automatically provides Adler-32 and Fletcher-32 checksums after the operation reaches an end.
The progress of the entire operation can be observed in the Command Prompt window popping up (yes command line support is included in the program). Unfortunately you have no detail on the amount of time required to complete the job (during our test a 1.2GB file was processed into 50MB pieces in about one minute).
Joining previously split items is a much easier job as you are only required to provide the first chunk in the input file field and set an output path (if this is not defined the data will be deposited in the same location as the chunks).
The same Command Prompt window pops and shows the progress. In this case the entire deal took less than 30 seconds. File Tools also calculated the checksum and made the comparison in order to make sure that nothing went wrong.
Adler-32 and Fletcher-32 checksums can be calculated independently, without having to subject a file to splitting. Simply drop the item into the application (just a figure of speech, drag and drop is not supported) set the storage path for the resulting information (if you want the checksums saved, that is) and let the app process the data.
The last option in the menu of File Tools is file comparison. The same algorithms are used for the job (Adler-32 and Fletcher-32). And the results are displayed in the same Command Prompt window as in the previous cases. The details expressed show you in a clear manner if the two files are the same or not.
File Tools is portable and can be used from Command Prompt as well as handled via its GUI. It does not take too long to get familiar with its options and how it functions. It does its job as it is supposed to and during our tests it never failed. It does come with its share of shortcomings, though these are unlikely to be corrected as the development of the program has been announced to be interrupted.
Learning curve is gentle as one look at the interface is all you need to realize how the application actually works. The application does exactly what it is supposed to, no questions asked, and can also be used straight from Command Prompt by more advanced users. This article is also available in Spanish: Divide, une y compara archivos Follow me on Twitter @Ionut_Ilascu
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