Any programmers in the forum? question pls.

[Bovon]

Personally, I know nothing about programming. I would like to get an application that will read an exe file in text if such is available, and be able to edit it as well, and someone would be able to read it in any manner that would make some sence of the text and sysbols as seen in wordpad or other text reader.

I tried to copy/paste here an example, but the forum cannot reproduce these sysbols.

Maybe a programmer will understand what i am trying to describe, and can tell me if I am searching for something that dosn't exist.

There are square Os, upper and lower case letters with dots or ^ over them, upside down question marks, $ signs, ect.

If anybody knows of some software that will read this stuff, I'm interested. I have an app called Quick View Plus that will read something like this below, but I cannot edit it from this app. Also, when I bring the exe up in word pad, there seems to be a huge amount more than I see with Quick View.

Any ideas?...tnx


WINDOWS EXECUTABLE
32bit for Windows 95 and Windows NT

Technical File Information:

Image File Header

Signature: 00004550
Machine: Intel 386
Number of Sections: 0004
Time Date Stamp: 370bd5c0
Symbols Pointer: 00000000
Number of Symbols: 00000000
Size of Optional Header 00e0
Characteristics: Relocation info stripped from file.
File is executable (i.e. no unresolved external references).
Line numbers stripped from file.
Local symbols stripped from file.
32 bit word machine.

Image Optional Header

Magic: 010b
Linker Version: 6.00
Size of Code: 00099000
Size of Initialized Data: 000db000
Size of Uninitialized Data: 00000000
Address of Entry Point: 000927c8
Base of Code: 00001000
Base of Data: 0009a000
Image Base: 00400000
Section Alignment: 00001000
File Alignment: 00001000
Operating System Version: 4.00
Image Version: 0.00
Subsystem Version: 4.00
Reserved1: 00000000
Size of Image: 00175000
Size of Headers: 00001000
Checksum: 00000000
Subsystem: Image runs in the Windows GUI subsystem.
DLL Characteristics: 0000
Size of Stack Reserve: 00100000
Size of Stack Commit: 00001000
Size of Heap Reserve: 00100000
Size of Heap Commit: 00001000
Loader Flags: 00000000
Size of Data Directory: 00000010
Import Directory Virtual Address: d620
Import Directory Size: 0140
Resource Directory
Virtual Address: a000
Resource Directory Size: ad98

[daverme]

Bovon, tell us what you want to accomplish with this project. There may be some other way to get what you want.

The type of program you are describing is a "dis-assembler", a program that takes executable code and converts it back into a machine's assembler language. People generally use this kind of tool to reverse-engineer someone elses product, or programs for which the orignal source code has been lost.

[mr adam]

you can use debug.com at the dos propmt
you simply go to the directory the program
is located and go debug whateverprogram.exe
and then you will get a - thing then hit u
there you go i hope you know ASM

[This message has been edited by mr adam (edited 05-17-2001).]

[Bovon]

Hello, daverme

Well, thanks for the input. I don't know for sure what I want, but I do like to learn. And this is a long shot in the dark anyway.

Here is the story, and I realize what I am about to admit to, is probably illigal...but from a strictly learning point of view, perhaps it isn't that bad.

A little over two years ago, I bought an application which I like. It is now obsolete by having been upgraded twice that I know of. This application also came with a plugin, which I also like, and use frequently. Last night, I attempted to execute this plugin, and got a notice my 30 day evaluation period had expired. Really?..after two years?..

I looked into the executable properties, and sure enough, it says 'evaluation version'. I suppose that was done by the company that produced the software, however, at no time in the past two years did I ever get a notice that this plugin was an evaluation version...until it apparently expired last night after 760 something days of use.

What I would like to do is, play with the code a bit to see if I can 1) learn, and 2) hack the time limit out. In the plugin properties, under value, has the statement like this:

xx EVALUATION VERSION
xx

In the main application executable, in its properties, under value, is the following:

$

Simply, I would like to hack out the xx EVAL VER xx, and replace that with $, to see if that would work..mostly for fun you understand.

The plugin is now about 2 or 3 versions later, and probably would not work with the original application without upgrading the original as well...which I really don't want or need to do.

mr adam, thanks for your input as well.. I know very little about dos, but can manuver my way around some. I know enought to find my way into the program from dos, and could possibly do something with the executable, but as far as ASM, I don't know what you are talking about. The plugin is useless to me now, but before I would attempt a hack of some nature, I would save a copy on a zipdisk.

Thanks guys, what I want to do, besides learning, may be unachievable.

Probably I could find the plugin already hacked at some warez site, but sence I would like to learn, this isn't an option at present.

[SoopaStar]

A hex Editor may work for you as well.

Paul

[Bovon]

Thanks daverme for the run down on the term ASM = "assembler language". Where on the web, can I look at some general tutorials concerning machine language. I realize that I would need text books to actually learn the subject, but perhaps a look at some basic tutorial would help, or at the very least, make me decide to go further, or forget it.

SoopaStar

Is there such a thing as free Hex Editors?.. I have found a few freebies to use for some other basic stuff, like html editors, ect. Sence I will not get into this very deep, I wouldn't go purchase software just for one small project.

Thanks...

[daverme]

Bovon, using Netscape and "Ask Jeeves", I searched on "assembler tutorial" and got quite a few interesting looking hits. One in particular looks promising for you, it's called "The Art of Assembler Language Programming" of something very similar. It starts out describing machine organization, which is where you need to start.

Good luck!

Sorry I can't be more specific but I just don't know any sites for PC assembler. I'm a mainframe dinosaur assembler coder myself. (And I LOVE my job !!!)



[This message has been edited by daverme (edited 05-17-2001).]

[Bovon]

Thanks friend. I found it, and it looks good so far, so..I'll spend a day or two reading and see if I can understand any of the basics. Html came along without too much difficulity, so..maybe I'll get lucky again..

preciate it..

[daverme]

ASM is short for "assembler language". Assembler language is a symbolic form of the hexadecimal machine code that the PC can actually execute. Every piece of hardware has its own assembler language. You would have to learn the PC's assembler language before you could understand the output of the DEBUG program, or any other reverse engineering tool.

I took a VERY quick look at the DEBUG program thru the DOS prompt under Windoze and it might actually work for you if you can learn assembler.

Good Luck!

[daverme]

No sweat, man.

[narayan]

I'm reading "The Art of Assembly Language" as we speak. I'm on Chapter 3 and find the tutorial very informative and interesting as well. http://webster.cs.ucr.edu/Page_asm/ArtofAssembly/ArtofAsm.html