HashTool

Calculating file hashes is certainly a task that is suited for a more experienced audience, but with tools becoming more accessible each day, any type of user can have a go at tools they had previously thought were out of reach. Checking a file's integrity, especially if you're interested in cryptography, can help one differentiate between files and identify their data patterns.

A file's hash values also have security connotations. HashTool will retrieve all of the hash values of a given file at your request, allowing you to freely compare them to ensure that you don't run the risk of working with infected or corrupted data.

Perhaps some of you are already somewhat familiar with MD5 and SHA1 hashes, but this software's support extends far beyond that. Users will thus be able to check a multitude of hashes of a given file, folder, or text passage: CRC32, MD4, eD2k, QuickXor are just a few of the available options.

To scan those hashes, you'll simply have to check them upon locating the file or folder you wish to work with. Clicking "Create" will begin the scanning process, which should be handled within seconds. It may be a bit of a drawback that you can only scan one file, folder, or text sequence at a time, but at least there's little to no delay when it comes to the scanning itself.

Anything that has been scanned will be displayed in the Results menu, which can be accessed via the Tasks interface. Click the relevant task, and the program will take you to see all of the revealed hashes for your query, which you're free to copy to your clipboard for later use.

It should also be noted that you can compare two files' hashes, but the process can be a little cumbersome. First, you'll have to scan the first file, copy its hash, and then do the same with the second one. Those hashes can then be pasted onto the program's interface, which will compare them and tell you if they're the same.

If you've got a few files or text passages you wish to know the hashes of, consider giving HashTool a spin. It's quite intuitive to use, and if you're into cryptography, then all the better.