Even though Microsoft made Windows 7 Beta and then Windows 7 RC (Release Candidate) available for public download free of charge, the simple truth of the matter is that a large number of users did not turn to downloading the operating system from official sources and instead turned towards other download locations, like torrent sites. The simple truth of the matter is that getting software from torrent sites for example can prove to be a risky business, security-wise and proof of that is the report from May about how pirated Windows 7 RC versions came bundled with a Trojan that attempted to build a botnet (details here).

But it is not all doom and gloom; most times the software, even leaked Windows 7 versions, that you find on torrent sites is genuine. All you need is a tool that you can employ to validate the authenticity of the Windows 7 version you downloaded – and this is where Windows 7 ISO Verifier comes in.

Windows 7 ISO Verifier is a free piece of software developed by blogger and developer Long Zheng and Sven Groot that you can use to perform one simple task: verify the integrity of the files you downloaded and ensure that nobody tampered with the files, or ensure that they were not harmed in the download process.

“At the request of Long Zheng I created a small application that makes this process easier. Simply drag and drop your ISO file onto the application (or start the application and browse to the ISO file) and it will verify the EXE and tell you which build you have from a list of known builds. It downloads this list from the web automatically, so you don't need to re-download the application after Windows 7 RTM is released,” explained Sven Groot.

The only downside is that Windows 7 ISO Verifier only works with English versions of Windows 7 ISOs, at least for the time being.

If you would like to get Windows 7 Iso Verifier, a download location is available here.