HexDump

HexDump

HexDump is a small, free command-line utility from Mahoning Valley Software that prints the contents of any file to the console window as hexadecimal values. The developers wrote it because they often needed to examine files on a character level, and they used it extensively to validate the data output of their own projects. Unlike a full hex editor, HexDump does not open a graphical window and cannot change a file: it only shows the bytes, so the original file is never modified.

HexDump lets developers quickly check the raw bytes of any file from the command prompt without any risk of modifying it.

Features:

• Hexadecimal view of any file: HexDump reads files of any type, such as executables, images, archives or data files, and displays their bytes as hexadecimal values.

• Simple syntax: the program is started from the command prompt with the name of the file to inspect, for example HexDump filename.ext.

• Read-only operation: there are no options for editing the hexadecimal code, so the file cannot be damaged by mistake.

• Clipboard copy: text selected in the console window can be copied to the Clipboard by pressing Enter and pasted into another program.

• Free of charge: the utility is free, and no registration is required.

• Two download packages: the publisher distributed HexDump as a ZIP archive and as an MSI installer, together with a manual in PDF format.

• .NET based: the tool is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, which must be installed for it to run.

• No printing or export: the output is shown only in the console, which keeps the program simple but limits it to quick checks.

• Status: HexDump has not been updated for many years, and the Mahoning Valley Software website is no longer online.

• Useful for validation: developers can compare the dumped values with the bytes they expect when checking the data files written by their own programs.

• Company background: Mahoning Valley Software offered its utilities either free of charge or as try-before-you-buy programs with a thirty-day evaluation period, and HexDump was one of the free ones.

• Related tools: the same publisher also made DataProbe, a graphical viewer that shows the contents of files and disk areas as hexadecimal values in tabbed windows, and security utilities such as SecureFile, WipeDrive and SecureDelete.