What is pfSFV?

pfSFV is a utility for verifying the integrity of downloads. Specifically it can be used to monitor or scan directories that contain multiple releases and will check each directory for the integrity of files contained within.

How does pfSFV work?

pfSFV uses file and CRC information contained within a .SFV file which is usually packaged with a download. The .SFV file contains information about which files should be in the directory and also an eight digit hexadecimal number called the 'checksum'. By reading the .SFV and recalculating the checksum for each file it is possible to determine that a) all the files are there b) each file is error-free.

What else can it do?

pfSFV can be used to actively monitor a directory for new downloads. When a new directory is detected pfSFV will automatically begin checking the files contained within. Multiple directories can be added to the list of locations to be monitored. The interval at which a new scan is executed is also configurable.

As well as checking file-count and file-integrity it is also possible to use pfSFV to 'stamp' directories with summary information. Users can configure the 'stamp' depending on whether the download is a) complete b) incomplete c) contains no .SFV file. For folders containing .MP3 files the summary can contain information about the music itself such as genre or original release date. This is obtained by reading the ID3 tags of the .MP3 files. A 'stamp' can be created as an empty directory or as a 0KB file.

Directories can also be stamped with the free space of the logical drive on which the directory resides.

Most users of pfSFV will use it to scan MP3 downloads. A recently added feature allows users to create a directory of shortcuts to the MP3 directories which is organised by genre. This is useful for users who store all their MP3 releases in one large folder and do not wish to move away from that scheme. Using the genre shortcut catalogue it is possible to leave the actual directories where they are but also take advantage of the ease of navigation of a genre-organised collection.

Updated July 01 2006 23:37:07.

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