For your convenience, a list of frequently asked questions is provided below. Please be sure to review this list, as it is very possible that your question has already been answered here. If the solution you seek is not here, please feel free to contact our technical support.

General

• Resource Tuner fails if I use it to examine itself. Is this intentional?
• Is this a developer tool, or is this something a general computer user would use?
• What is the difference between the trial version and the full version?

File Open

• I got an immediate error of something like "This file is likely damaged, packed or compressed". What can I do?
• When I try to put my DLL back I get the following error: Can't create new image file, the original file has been probably packed. Any hints?
• What are packers?
• I got an immediate error of something like "Incompatible" and "of type NE". What is a "NE" type file?
• What is a PE file... I heard of them but thought my OS couldn't run them?
• Will the Resource Tuner work with NE and other 16-bit files?
• If Resource Tuner doesn't work on NE type files, do you have a product that does?

File Save

• Why the original file size is increased after a simple "Save as..." operation?

Resource Editor

• I can't copy and paste icons from any file, including .exe and .dll files. Any ideas?

Command Line

• What about a command line version?

Plug-ins

• How can I write my own custom plug-in for Resource Tuner?
  

Resource Tuner fails if I use it to examine itself. Is this intentional?

Yes. It was our intent.

Is this a developer tool, or is this something a general computer user would use?

Both. Anyone can play with the file resources and learn a lot from it. Training for the initial use is almost not required at all. No programming skills required.

What is the difference between the trial version and the full version?

Your evaluation copy of Resource Tuner is a full-featured release. This means that the same capabilities available in the registered software are present in the non-registered software. This allows you to try out all the features in Resource Tuner to confirm that they work to your satisfaction.

I got an immediate error of something like "This file is likely damaged, packed or compressed". What can I do?

Nothing. This is not viewed as a bug. We are not going to defeat the security attempts of other software authors. Resource Tuner unpacks only files compressed with UPX using the Plug-In subsystem.

When I try to put my DLL back I get the following error: Can't create new image file, the original file has been probably packed. Any hints?

Please be advised that your dll might be really packed! Our software unpacks only files compressed with UPX. So if your dll was packed by any other third party packer, you have to unpack it before modifying. Otherwise the chances are you can't create a new image file.

What are packers?

Packers are utilities that compress Windows portable executables (EXE, DLL, etc) significantly while leaving them 100% functional. Most of them encrypt data and resources and protect exe files from reverse engineering.

I got an immediate error of something like "Incompatible" and "of type NE". What is a "NE" type file?

Resource Tuner works with PE files only. A NE (or "New Executable") file is a 16-bit application intended to run on Windows® 3.xx.

What is a PE file... I heard of them but thought my OS couldn't run them?

"PE" stands for "Portable Executable". The term "Portable Executable" was chosen because the intent was to have a common file format for all flavors of Windows, on all supported CPUs. A PE file is a 32 bit executable developed by Microsoft for NT (and W9x). The other notable executable types that run on MS platforms are "MZ" (DOS), "NE" and "LE" - but those formats are obsolete (but they will still run). Open an exe file in a hex editor or binary viewer and the first two values in the file will be 'MZ' - yes the DOS header is still there. Scan down 128 bytes and you should find the values 'PE' - this is where the PE format takes over. (For greater detail download PE Explorer, our flagship product, and consult the help file.)

Not all PE files have the 'exe' extension. Other notable PE files have the extensions "dll", "scr", "sys", "cpl" and "ocx", and even "msstyles" featured in Windows XP. Also note that not all PE files will run on their own - dll's for example. PE files that run on their own include exe, scr and cpl.

Will the Resource Tuner work with NE and other 16-bit files?

No. The NE format is obsolete.

If Resource Tuner doesn't work on NE type files, do you have a product that does?

No. At any rate, knowledge of 16-bit format makes less sense especially since the 64 bit processors have hit the market.

If I open an executable with Resource Tuner and then go to SaveAs and save the executable under a different name WITHOUT making ANY changes to it, and then I compare the two files with a hex editor, there are MANY changes to the file. Why are there changes even though I didn't make any?

Resource Tuner provides two functions that are automatically performed when opening a file: unpacking files compressed with UPX using the Plug-In subsystem, and error checking.

If your target file was packed with UPX, it was unpacked automatically and saved unpacked. That is why the original file size is increased. Check out the logfile for details.

The next thing Resource Tuner does is re-compiling the file resources according to the MS PE file specification. That may also be the reason why the original file size is changed after a simple "Save as..." operation.

If you don't want any changes to be made, just do not save.

I can't copy and paste icons from any file, including .exe and .dll files. Any ideas?

The clipboard does not support copying/pasting .ico files. They look like graphic images but have their own format. To extact icons, use Save to disk. To replace icons, use Open the source file from disk instead Paste from the clipboard.

What about a command line version?

It is in the ToDo List. We are currently working on new features for Resource Tuner version 2.0.

How can I write my own custom plug-in for Resource Tuner?

See the Resource Tuner Help for the plug-in API.