MediaChecker

Performing multiple read and write operations might corrupt files of any kind. Needless to say that there are various applications you can use to scan specific locations to detect potentially damaged files. It’s also the case with Media Checker, which aims to perform thorough verification of multimedia files and let you know whether they’re safe to read.

One of the main advantages is portability, since you don’t need to go through a setup process to make the application work. This means it can be carried around on a thumb drive to always have it at hand and use on other computers besides your own. Stability of the target PC remains intact, because registry entries are not modified in the scan process.

The main window is pretty intuitive, holding all elements you need to successfully reach a conclusion. A location needs to be specified, but this is only done through the browse dialog, because there’s no context menu integration, or possibility to drop folders over the main window.

The only effort required on your behalf is to select a folder to scan. This can be any directory, as well as fixed or removable drives. The larger the target directory, the more time it takes to finish the scan process. Results are shown in real time in the status window. Moreover, there’s a details field which shows number of files and folders processed, and the amount of data read.

When done, a prompt shows up to let you know whether or not all files can be successfully read. Errors are only visible in the status panel, with the possibility to copy lines to clipboard. Sadly, there’s no option to generate a report, or jump to the location of troublesome files.

All things considered, we can state that Media Checker comes with good intentions, and wants to help you detect broken files on your computer so they can be fixed or removed. The only downside of the whole operation is the time it takes to scan files, with no options to set file filters.