I noticed that .exe files seem to be filled with random characters when I try to open them, unlike other file types like scripts or batch files which are in plain text. I understand that .exe is a common Microsoft file extension, but why aren't they easily readable like those other scripts?
2 Answers
What you see in a .exe file isn't designed to be human-readable. Unlike scripts, which are interpreted on the fly, .exe files are compiled from source code into machine code. This compilation process condenses the code into something that the CPU can execute directly. It's not random; those characters represent machine instructions. Although it can seem gibberish, there are tools that can disassemble this code into a more readable format if you really need to look into it!
It's not that .exe files are filled with random characters; they're actually made up of machine code, which is a low-level set of instructions that your CPU understands. The so-called random characters can be thought of as numbers that represent specific actions the processor can take. At the start of an .exe file, there's some human-readable text that indicates it’s in Portable Executable format, along with resources like icons. If you're curious, tools like Hexinator or Resource Hacker can help you view the human-readable parts.
How exactly do you create an .exe file? Is there a special program or extension for that?