×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

decompiling .exe files

decompiling .exe files

decompiling .exe files

(OP)
Hi guys,

If I convert a QBASIC program into an .EXE file how easy is it for someone to decompile it and recover the original code?
Thanks for your help.

RE: decompiling .exe files

It is nearly impossible to obtain the original code. You may be able to get the equations and steps, but I have not seen one that will return the code as it was written. If you have the code, back it up before making your exe.

DimensionalSolutions@Core.com
While I welcome e-mail messages, please post all thread activity in these forums for the benefit of all members.

RE: decompiling .exe files

(OP)
Thanks dsi. That's very helpful.
JWB46

RE: decompiling .exe files

(OP)
dsi,guys
Just a final question on this - I actually want to stop other people recovering the source code from the .exe file. Is there anything more I could do using facilities available in QBasic ?
Thanks
JWB46

RE: decompiling .exe files

No one is likely to want to decompile your QBasic code.  In any case...  if they do,  what they get back from a decompilation will still be extremely difficult to work with.

However...  if you want them to be confused more...  just  "messy" up your code some.  Messy code is much harder to read and figure out even in it's original form.  Once compiled...  it's even harder to figure out.

One last thought...  Convert your code to VB and recompile it.   Get on the internet and buy yourself a copy of the ASPACK program ( which packs executibles for Windows so they don't take up so much disk space ).  Use ASPACK to repackage your code.

ASPACK wasn't developed to be protection against pirates... however...  it does obfuscate the compiled code so that only a very hard core cracker will ever be able to get into it and figure out which end is up.

Dan  

RE: decompiling .exe files

(OP)
Thanks Dan. Good tips. I specialize in 'messy' code anyway. And you're probably right, who in their right mind is going to try it anyway.
JWB46

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources