HJ-Split

File joiners and splitters break apart large files into smaller segments that can be joined together easily. They make it possible to share, upload, and download files and data much too large for the typical PC to handle. If you share files online, over private networks, or via devices like thumb drives, you probably know how useful file joiners and splitters can be. HJ-Split is an easy-to-use application that bundles several versatile splitter and joiner tools from Freebyte. This portable freeware runs without being installed, making it a useful addition to portable devices. HJ-Split handles files up to 100 GB in size, so it can also split backup archives.

HJ-Split’s ultrasimple interface has six buttons, four of which access tools: Split, Join, Checksum, and Compare; and About and Exit buttons, with Web links on the About button and the interface that access an online Help file. This program is ultrasimple to use, too. Clicking Split or Join calls up simple dialogs that involve browsing for source and destination files, setting the split file size, and pressing Start. The tool automatically splits and numbers the files and saves them to the destination folder. We successfully split several large files, including multigigabyte files, using HJ-Split, and then turned around and joined them again, all in a few minutes. HJ-Split simplifies the joining process by identifying the .001 file in the folder for selecting. Once you’ve selected the first file, the program automatically fills in the sequence, so you never start with the wrong file (and finish with a corrupted mess). Whether joining or splitting, HJ-Split worked quickly, with a green progress bar tracking the job. The Compare tool quickly compared the size of two specified files, which is handy for making sure they’re the same size before you start to combine them. To use the Checksum generator, we simply browsed to a file and clicked Start. When the checksum was ready, we clicked Copy to copy it to the clipboard for further use.

The splitter tool’s progress bar pop-up was a bit sticky, hanging around after the job was done, but that’s the limit of our issues with HJ-Split. It’s fast, free, ultrasimple to use, and completely portable. It’s also recommended.