Lazy File Checksums

Calculating a file checksum is a routine activity I need to perform occasionally.

If you are a Powershell fan, and you have Powershell 4.0 or above, you can use the Get-FileHash cmdlet. I quite like Powershell but for some reason I can’t quite explain I instictively reach for cmd.exe for these kind of tasks.

It turns out that CertUtil.exe can hash files too, so I hacked together this:

@echo off
set x=.sha512
set hfn=%1%x%
@certutil -hashfile %1 SHA512 | sort /r | more +2 > %hfn%

To use:

1. Save it to a file called hash-file.cmd somewhere on your path.
2. Type hash-file <your-file-here.file> at a command prompt.
3. A handy <your-file-here.file.sha512> will be created alongside the original.