File Hash Problem....probably me!

When I look at the hash given on a torrent by the uploader, I am never able to get the same hash from my hash checker (Robin Keirs Hash Checker) once I have downloaded the file. It is always totally different. Am I supposed to be checking the complete archive, or just the .exe or something else? Also not sure if the hash that they provide is an MD5 or SHA1 or another but it never matches.
Excuse my ignorance and if someone could explain where I am going wrong please.
Thanks for any help.

Try digestIT: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/digestit.html

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Originally Posted by Virtualbody1234

Try digestIT: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/digestit.html

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Thanks for that. Installed it and it comes up with the same result as the Robin Keir one. Nothing at all like the hash given by the uploaders.

Then the file isn't the same as the uploaders.

OK. Lets put this another way.
When I have finished downloading the torrent, I have a folder containing for instance:- an .exe, a crack, an info file, and a Readme file. If I use the hash progs on the folder, I get nothing! They do not give any results. In fact they dont do anything. If I open the folder, and use the hash progs on each individual file, I get hashes given. None of these are correct because I asume the hash given by the uploader is for the full package.
Therefore, how do I get the hash from the downloaded folder.
Many Thanks for your time.