Hey everyone!
I'm currently working at a helpdesk (keeping the specific location private for safety reasons), and we've been relying on a .exe file created ages ago by someone we can't identify. This file was crucial for resolving issues on clients' machines after we worked with them via Teamviewer. However, it stopped working after some changes were made to the file types we use (specifically when .sdf changed to .db).
We don't have a clear understanding of what this .exe file actually does, but it appears to interact with the services of another program. Since we don't know how to fix it, I'm hoping to figure out what it did so I (or someone else) can replicate it. The file is quite small, only 11kB, which makes me think it wasn't overly complex.
Is there a way to inspect the contents of a .exe file to see the original code? Also, is it possible to modify it? I managed to extract some files with 7-zip, but the content is quite challenging to interpret. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Bart
1 Answer
Wow, that sounds like a tricky situation! The truth is, unless you have the original source code, reverse engineering an .exe file is going to be tough. You might want to try tools like procmon from SysInternals to monitor what the executable does while it’s running. It can show you system calls and give insights into its operations, which could help you recreate the functionality you're missing.
Also, don't get your hopes too high about extracting meaningful code. You might just get assembly language or some disassembled pseudo-code. Recreating it from scratch might actually be a better approach if you have a decent understanding of what needs to be fixed with the other services.
That's a good point! Reverse engineering is definitely complex, and it might take a lot of time. Starting fresh could save you some headaches, especially if you can identify what needs fixing in the first place.