Availability and description of the File Checksum Integrity Verifier utility

Features

• Supports MD5 or SHA1 hash algorithms (The default is MD5.)
• Can output hash values to the console or store the hash value and file name in an XML file
• Can recursively generate hash values for all files in a directory and in all subdirectories (for example, fciv.exe c:\ -r)
• Supplies an exception list to specify files or directories to hash
• Can store hash values for a file with or without the full path of the file

Installation

1. In Windows Explorer, create a new folder that is named FCIV.
2. The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
   
   
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   Download the File Checksum Integrity Verifier utility package now.
   (http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/f/4/cf454ae0-a4bb-4123-8333-a1b6737712f7/Windows-KB841290-x86-ENU.exe)
   
   Release Date: May 17, 2004
   
   For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   119591

   (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/ )

   How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
   Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
3. In the File Download dialog box, click Save, and then save the file to the FCIV folder that you created in step 1.
4. When the download is completed, click Close.
5. In the FCIV folder, double-click Windows-KB841290-x86-ENU.exe.
6. Click Yes to accept the license agreement.
7. Click Browse, click the FCIV folder, and then click OK.
8. Click OK to extract the files.
9. When the file extraction is completed, click OK.
10. Add the FCIV folder to the system path.
11. To start a command prompt, click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
12. Type fciv.exe /?, and then press ENTER.

Usage

Syntax

fciv.exe [Commands] <Options>

Commands

• -add file | dir: Compute the hash and send it to an output device (default screen). The dir parameter has the following options:
  • -r: Recursive.
  • -type: Specify file type. For example, -type *.exe.
  • -exc file: Do not compute these directories.
  • -wp: Do not store the full path name. (By default, FCIV stores the full path name.)
  • -bp: Remove the base path from the path name of each entry.
• -list: List entries in the database.
• -v: Verify hashes. The -v option has the following option:
  • -bp: Remove the base path from the path name of each entry.
• -?, -h, or -help: Open extended help.

Options

• -md5, -sha1, or -both: Specify hash type. (By default, MCIV uses -md5.)
• -xml db: Specify database format and name.
  
  Note When you use the -v option to verify a hash, FCIV also sends a return error code to indicate whether a hash is verified. A zero (0) indicates success, and a 1 indicates failure. With the return error code, you can use FCIV in automated scripts to verify hashes.

Example usage

• To display the MD5 hash of a file, type the following command at a command prompt:
  fciv.exe filename
  Note filename is the name of the file.
• To compute a hash of a file, type a command line that is similar to any one of the following command lines:
  fciv.exe c:\mydir\myfile.dll
  
  fciv.exe c:\ -r -exc exceptions.txt -sha1 -xml dbsha.xml
  
  fciv.exe c:\mydir -type *.exe
  
  fciv.exe c:\mydir -wp -both -xml db.xml
• To list the hashes that are stored in a database, type a command line that is similar to the following command line:
  fciv.exe -list -sha1 -xml db.xml
• To verify a hash in a file, type a command line that is similar to any one of the following command lines:
  fciv.exe -v -sha1 -xml db.xml
  
  fciv.exe -v -bp c:\mydir -sha1 -xml db.xml

Database storage format

C:\WINDOWS\system32>fciv -add ntdll.dll
//
// File Checksum Integrity Verifier version 2.05.
//
6cbfd919baa7c9e03c8471ae4d8f8bb0 ntdll.dll

<?XML version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FCIV>
	<FILE_ENTRY><name>ntdll.dll</name><MD5>bL/ZGbqnyeA8hHGuTY+LsA==</MD5></FILE_ENTRY></FCIV>

C:\WINDOWS\system32>fciv -list -XML c:\temp\ntdll.XML
//
// File Checksum Integrity Verifier version 2.05.
//
Listing entries in database:
----------------------------

                MD5                             Filename
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6cbfd919baa7c9e03c8471ae4d8f8bb0 ntdll.dll

Number of entries found: 1

Verification

How to generate and verify hash values for a Microsoft Download

• Download the file to a temporary directory (such as C:\Temp).
• To extract the contents of the file, use the /x switch. Specify an output directory for the extracted files when you are prompted (such as C:\Temp\Files).
  
  You can also use the /extract switch to extract the files without starting Setup.
  
  For additional information about the /extract switch, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  262841

  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/262841/ )

  Command-Line switches for Windows software update packages
  The security update may be an IExpress package. If it is, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base about how to extract an IExpress package:
  
  
  197147

  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197147/ )

  Command-line switches for IExpress software update packages
• To create a database for a single file and to save it to the C:\Temp directory, type the following command:
  fciv.exe -add c:\temp\files\filename.dll -wp c:\temp\files -XML c:\temp\filename.XML
• To verify the contents of the XML database against an installed file, type the following command:
  fciv.exe -v -bp c:\installeddirectory -XML c:\temp\filename.XML
  Note installeddirectory is the location of the installed file.
  
  Note When you use the -v option to verify a hash, FCIV also provides a return error code to indicate success (0) or failure (1) to verify a hash. Because of the return error code, you can use FCIV in automated scripts to verify hashes.
• FCIV will confirm at the console if the hash values for the file matches the values that are stored in the XML database.

How to verify the hash values for the files in the Windows directory and in all sub-directories

• To create the database and to save it to the C:\Temp directory, type the following command:
  fciv.exe -add %systemroot% -r -XML c:\temp\windows-hashes.XML
• To list the contents of the database to the console, type the following command:
  fciv.exe -list -XML c:\temp\windows-hashes.XML
• To verify the contents of the XML database against the current file system files, type the following command:
  fciv -v -XML c:\temp\windows-hashes.XML

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