JHS Hash Checker

Developed in Java, JHS Hash Checker is a lightweight application that gives you the possibility to calculate and compare the MD5, SHA1 and SHA256 checksums of files to verify content integrity. For example, you can use it to find out if a file downloaded from the Internet is corrupt or incomplete.

If you already have Java installed on your machine, you don't have to set up anything else. The downloaded package consists of a single executable file that can be copied to a preferred directory on the disk or pen drives to effortlessly launch JHS Hash Checker on any computer with the Java Runtime Environment. It doesn't generate files on the disk without your permission or update the Windows registry with new entries.

As far as the interface is concerned, the utility has a single panel that lists all options, giving you an overview of everything. A file can be located and opened using the built-in file browser, an action which triggers JHS Hash Checker to identify and show its size, in addition to the alphanumerical values shown in MD5, SHA1 and SHA256 form.

On the bottom side of the window, you can type or paste another hash and click a button to match it against one of the three signatures displayed. The application lets you know whether the files are identical or not, according to this computation. Unfortunately, it doesn't have options for copying the entire information to the Clipboard, exporting it to file, or printing it. It's possible to select and copy individual hashes.

It worked smoothly during our evaluation, without hanging, crashing or prompting errors. Checksums were rapidly identified while CPU and RAM usage remained minimal. JHS Hash Checker hasn't been updated for a while but we haven't come across any compatibility issues with later Windows models or Java versions. Thanks to its intuitive interface and options, it can be easily handled.