How to Use MD5 Checksums

Security Geeks Love Things Like This

(And if they do, the rest of us should pay attention to it.)

To make certain that no one has modified the software between the time we created it and the time you wish to install it, you can calculate the MD5 (Message-Digest algorithm 5) checksum and compare your result to the MD5 checksum published on our web site.  If the program has not been modified by some sinister malware person, the checksums will match.  You'll know the program has not been altered or tampered with and you can trust it is as it was when we created it.  (That sounds complicated, but it's not.)

An MD5 checksum is the result of a one-way calculation that turns a bunch of data (our software programs in this case) into a shorter fixed-length value.  Because it's almost mathematically impossible that two bunches of data will produce the same MD5 values, you can know for sure whether the software you downloaded to your computer has been altered between the time it was released by TedCo Software and the time you received it.

Why would the checksum NOT match? If you download software from a warez or crack site, chances are good you'll wind up with a little something extra (malware) attached or embedded in the software.  If you download it from the Wheatworks.com server, you're good.  As long as you're comparing the same version of the software, the checksum should match.

How To Calculate a Checksum

First, you need a tool designed to make it easy.  We recommend you download digestIT by Colony West Software and install it on your computer.  It's a free, Windows-based utility that allows you to quickly and easily calculate and verify checksums.

After you've downloaded digestIT and installed it, you're ready to compare the checksum of the file you've downloaded with the file's published checksum you can obtain from our web site.

1.  Find the file you downloaded to your computer.  Right click on the file's icon and select digestIT from the menu.  From the submenu that pops up choose Verify MD5 Hash.

2.  Copy the MD5 Hash for the program you have downloaded and paste it into the "Message Digest to Verify" window that appeared after step 1.  You can find the checksums for all of TedCo Software's downloadable files from the TedCo Software Checksum Values page.

3.  After you paste the appropriate checksum into the digestIT window, click the OK button.  If the checksums match, you will see:  "Digest matches.  Verification succeeded."

To learn more about MD5, visit Wikipedia.org.

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