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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.

Also note that another important source of information is the extensive Help system that has been provided with Resource Tuner. The Help system is well-organized and very easy to use. Moreover, by taking a few moments to review the help, you will better familiarize yourself with the program and learn more about all the features available.

Q: 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.

See also: Reviews and User testimonials.

Q: 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 basic features in Resource Tuner to confirm that they work to your satisfaction.

Let us know if you have any questions

See also: How to Order     Download A 30 Day Trial Version

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

Yes. It was our intent.

Q: 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.

Q: 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?

The term "image file" is usually used instead of "executable file", because the latter sometimes is taken to mean only an .EXE file. An image file can be thought of as a "memory image" or "mirror image".

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

Q: What are packers?

Packers are utilities that compress Windows portable executables (EXE, DLL, etc) significantly while leaving them 100% functional. They alter executables to include a decryptor routine that is first executed. The result is a smaller executable overall with one extra section inside, and that section is executed on startup to decompress, and the executable runs as normal. Most of packers encrypt data and resources and protect exe files from reverse engineering.

Q: 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.

Not all executable files on your computer are PE files! Other notable executable types that run on MS platforms are "MZ" (DOS), "NE" and "LE" - but those 16-bit formats are obsolete (but they will still run).

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

No. The NE format is obsolete.

Q: 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.

Q: Resource Tuner doesn't work with .Net files, why?

Resource Tuner does not support for .Net assemblies. It is designed to work with pure win32 unmanaged PE files.

Q: 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. Resource Tuner does not re-pack the previously packed files. 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.

Q: How can I get started editing PE file resources?

This page: Resource Tuner How-To's covers some of the most popular features of the Resource Editor. Find out how Resource Tuner can help you have a personal touch on your favorite applications.

Q: How do I export all resources, edit them and import them back?

The current version of the Resource Editor has no import feature. We recognize the potential value of this feature, but this will be available only in version 2.

Q: It seems to only handle regular Win32 resources. Do you have a version that handles .NET resources in managed assemblies?

No. Or not yet.

Q: 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.

Q: Resource Tuner displays all the text as "??????" Am I overlooking something?

Ensure that your global Windows locale is set to a locale that supports the language you need. Otherwise, if you save the file while running as the locale English (US), all the foreign characters will be converted to ????

Q: How can I edit resources from the command line?

Resource Tuner Console, a command line batch processing version of the resource editor is available for download.    More on RT Console...

Q: I need a command-line tool to change the Icon in an exe file. Do you have that?

Yes, we have Resource Tuner Console. Since there may be more than one icon in an exe file, the tool supports Icon resource files (files with a .ICO extension) that contain one or more images which may be at different pixel sizes and/or color depths. If an .ico file contains more than one image, the whole icon set will be added or changed (depending on the EditMode and ChangeMode settings) at once. RTC accepts input from a script file. Sample scripts can be found within the Resource Tuner Console package.

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

See the Resource Tuner help for the plug-in API.   More on plug-ins...

Buy Resource Tuner now and start tuning, customizing and translating all your software. If you use Resource Tuner only for personal purposes, then you qualify for the discounted Personal License at US$ 39.95.

Personal License ... $39.95
Business License ... $79.00

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