Prohash Quickly Calculates File and String Hashes in Multiple Formats

File Hash carries the signature of each file and so to properly identify a particular file it is very useful to know its hash. Now there are a number algorithms to calculate file hash and of course no one is perfect. Previously I wrote about NoVirusThanks MD5 Checksum Tool and Compute Hash which does the job of computing file hash but none covered a wide range of file hash types as Prohash, a software distributed as free under GNU General Public License by Machinescript, Inc. According to the developer

The main use of Prohash is to compute hash values of files (or strings) and compare them against known good values to make sure that your data has not been changed or corrupted. The program's GUI is designed as simple as possible, it is extremely fast (computes 32 different hash values (including some 512-bit algorithms!!!) of a 1 GB file in something less than 5 minutes). It is a must-have utility for those to need a trustworthy tool to authenticate sensitive data.

Features & Specifications

System requirements

Microsoft® Windows® XP/2003/Vista/7 32-bit
512MB of RAM
550KB of available hard-disk space for installation
It features a very clean interface and provides minimal options.
Supports a large number of hash calculations.
Supported Hash Algorithms

CRC16, CRC32, ADLER32, HAVAL128_3, HAVAL128_4, HAVAL128_5, HAVAL160_3, HAVAL160_4, HAVAL160_5, HAVAL192_3, HAVAL192_4, HAVAL192_5, HAVAL224_3, HAVAL224_4, HAVAL224_5, HAVAL256_3, HAVAL256_4, HAVAL256_5, MD2, MD4, MD5, ED2K, PANAMA, RIPEMD128, RIPEMD160, RIPEMD256, RIPEMD320, SHA0, SHA1, SHA224, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512, TIGER2, TIGER, WHIRLPOOL0, WHIRLPOOL1, WHIRLPOOL, GOST

Prohash comes as a tiny installer of 548 Kb, which offers quick and clean installation through the formation of a Desktop icon.
To calculate String Hash, paste the string in appropriate place and click on calculate.

Calculation of String Hash

To copy particular hash, select it and click on copy selected. and to export all results go to File Menu > Export and you will be prompted to enter output file name to save the hash values.
To calculate File Hash, browse for the file and click on calculate.

Calculation of File Hash

Similar as the previous case, to copy particular hash, select it and click on copy selected. and to export all results go to File Menu > Export and you will be prompted to enter output file name to save the hash values.
Without even calculating all file hashes, you can tell Prohash to calculate quickly file hashes using MD5, SHA-1, RIPEMD160 or HAVAL160_5.

Quick Calculation of File Hash

Hash Calculation is fast compared to the two software I have reviewed already.
Prohash uses little resources at idle time but during hash calculation uses moderately low resources.

Resource Usage at Idle Time

Resource Usage during Scanning

My Verdict

I liked the versatility and fast calculation of the software but it has some shortcomings.

GUI can't be maximized or resized.
Cannot keep the results of string hash after file hash has been calculated although separate tab has been used for both calculations.
Cannot remember the last saved location of export.
No Drag and Drop Feature.

I would prefer to have a few more features like