Midy5 - MD5 SHA-256 CheckSum Finder

Midy5 - Show a file's MD5 or SHA-256 checksum

An MD5 or SHA-256 are calculated values of a file's checksum and can show if a file has been modified.  Use this free keyliner utility to display the file's internal checksums, showing both the MD5 and the SHA-256.  The program is affectionately named "Midy5".

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(MD5 is an older style; SHA-256 keys are more cryptographically secure.  This program shows both.)

No registration, no login, no required email.
No advertisements, no nags, no spying. Does not call the mothership.
Free for personal and commercial use.

The Need:
Often vendors publish the checksum for their files.  When you download the file, say from Source Forge, or other distribution sites, compare the original vendor's published MD5 with your copy.  If different, you know the file was changed and the download should be viewed with suspicion.  

For example, a picture's MD5 checksum might be
File:    SomeFile.png
MD5:     f2-4b-ae-fc-37-e8-85-a5-0e-41-3a-3e-9a-60-3a-d0

Changing one-pixel from a ghostly-light-gray to white results in a wildly-different MD5-hash:
MD5:     33-94-8b-b0-82-bc-a2-f4-e2-51-35-43-8f-ae-dd-a9

Files copied to a different drive, will get a different date-stamp, and the file can be renamed, but both copies retain the same MD5 / SHA-256.  By looking at the hash, you would know they were identical files.

Checksums can also show if a file was corrupted or changed by other legitimate processes since it was last checked.  A file re-copied (with new date-stamp) may be the identical file, or may be changed.  The checksum is able to tell.

Midy5 Features

• Retrieves any file's MD5 or SHA-256 checksum
  
• Results can be copied to the clipboard
• Drag-and-drop files from File Explorer, or browse to the file
  
• Pass filename from the command-line
• At a glance compare two files checksums, Date-time, file size
• A small executable, fast, easy-to-use

This program was written as a personal project and became Chapter 4 in keyliner's Student and Instructor workbook, "War and Peace - Programming in C# Volume 6".  Learn how you can write this program yourself!

Installation Steps:

No registration, no login, no required email.
No advertisements, no nags, no spying. Does not call home.
Free for personal and commercial use.
keyliner does not (and cannot) track who downloads or runs this program.

Installation is easy: Download the .exe and place in any folder on your hard disk.  Double-click the .exe to run - no installation required. 

Since keyliner cannot afford a signing certificate, you will be prompted that the file is not safe (being downloaded from the internet).  Click "more information" and allow the program to run.

Follow these steps for a more professional installation:

Using the .exe from a download folder, or copying to (my Documents) folder is a quick workaround for various Windows 10 and 11 security concerns.  Some vendors recommend this, but these folders are inappropriate for executable software.  Instead, the program should be copied to Program Files so it gains the protection of other Windows security features. Total time: about a minute.

A.  Download the .exe to a Download or Temp folder:

From Keyliner's public GDrive, click this link and download to a local temp or download directory.  Do not download directly into ProgramFiles. 

Download Link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QGeawJH9v0HrbsFqwg1z-WNd8kxeNcuA/view?usp=sharing

Ironically, I used this program to publish the download's own MD5:
Midy5.exe, Version 1.04
MD5:c3-19-68-a8-9b-5e-c0-c2-81-74-f7-5e-3d-8a-74-55

SHA256:   0f7f278d8f90aa8616eeb1bd0c392a065bd4c63338ee423c306f5a504a1d9427

When downloading, different browsers behave differently.
You will be prompted 'file cannot be scanned.'  Click "Download anyway". 
For, example:

Microsoft Edge Downloads:
Prompts "Midy5.exe was blocked because it could harm your device."

Click "See More" and allow the download. 

With Edge, the file appears in your Downloads directory with a random name, "Unconfirmed 780359.crdownloaded" (name varies). 

Use File Explorer to rename the file to "Midy5.exe".

B.  Mark the program as safe-to-run:

(This step may not be needed if downloaded by Edge and you clicked "More / Download Anyway")

Using File Explorer, right-mouse-click the downloaded (and re-named) Midy5.exe
Select "Properties"
Check [x] Unblock.  (This removes the "mark of the web.")

                 Click for larger view

* Only do this if you trust keyliner *and* only if downloaded from keyliner's public GDrive. 

If "Unblock" is not visible, it has already been unlocked (by Microsoft Edge).
Once [x] Unblocked is clicked, this security menu disappears.

C.  Create a Program folder to hold the program:

Using File Explorer, open folder C:\Program Files,

Create a folder  C:\Program Files\Util

 
D.  Copy the .exe to ProgramFiles\Util:

Using File Explorer,
Copy/paste the downloaded .exe from the temporary/download folder to
C:\Program Files\Util  (or directory of your choosing)

Do this copy as a two-step, copying from the download folder into Program Files.  Windows security will not let you download directly into Program Files (technically, you will not be able to remove the "mark of the web" if downloaded directly into Program Files).

E.  Create a Start Menu Tile:

Using File Explorer, in C:\Program Files\util
Right-mouse-click the executable and "Pin to Start"

The program is ready to run.  See icon on Start Menu.

Try it out:

1.  Download and launch Midy5.exe
2.  Open File-Explorer.  Locate any file and click and drag it on top of Midy5
3.  In all its glory, review the MD5 checksum

Version 1.04 - Added ctrl-N to launch Notepad.  Added an Icon .ico file.
Version 1.03 - Added support for SHA-256
Version 1.02 - Tiny change to internal variable name.  Small cosmetic change on panel.
Version 1.01 - Initial Release



Write this program yourself!
"War and Peace - Programming in C# Volume 6"

(Student/Instructor workbook, Project 4.  Search Amazon.com for "War and Peace Programming")



Related links

keyliner wrote a command-line version of this same idea, except this version can view and inventory entire directories, showing which files have changed, which are new, or deleted.  This utility was meant for volatile folders, usually in a corporate environment.

Link: File MD5 Checksum Inventory (batch MD5)

Link:  keyliner file backup software


Leave a comment and tell me how you like the program.