User Manual
The user manual contains detailed information about the usage of Restorator.
Tutorials
- Exploring the resources of Explorer
Learn how to open files and the different types of visualization of resources - Translating MSPaint to another language
See a professional task of Restorator. - Translating with multi language supprt
See a professional task of Restorator. - Using the visual UI Recreator
Modify a dialog with your mouse. - Replacing the about graphic of WinXP Notepad
Learn how to extract and assign resources, and how to save and test your first custom application. - Creating a ResPatcher
This is a powerful feature: Distribute your modifications in a small, self-executing program. - Extracting all resources of one file
Get to know the simplicity of extracting and assigning all resources at once. - Extracting (Grabbing) resources of many files
at once
Extract images, sounds, icons, etc. from all files on your disk ! - Changing windows of Delphi programs
Change parameters, text and images in programs made with Borland Delphi. - Searching files which have built-in animations
Learn all about the Find Resources dialog and how to watch a funny animation!
Technical Specification
List of resource types that are specifically supported by Restorator.
Arbitrary resource types are supported in PE files, PE64 files, RES files, and RC files.
| resource type |
displayed formats |
display type |
extract (save to file) | assign (change) |
| EXE files | all | default | exe/res/rc | exe/res/rc |
| 64-bit EXE files | all | default | exe/res/rc | exe/res/rc |
| RES files | all | default | res/rc | res/rc |
| RC files | all | default | res/rc | res/rc |
| DLL files | all | default | dll/res/rc | dll/res/rc |
| Delphi Component Resource | all | default | dcr/res/rc | dcr/res/rc |
| BMP Images | bmp | image | bmp, jpg, gif, png | bmp, jpg, gif, png |
| JPEG Images | jpeg | image | jpg, bmp | jpg, bmp |
| PNG Images | png | image | png, bmp | png, bmp |
| GIF Images | gif | image | gif, bmp | gif, bmp |
| Icons | ico | icon | ico, bmp | ico, bmp |
| Cursors | cur | cursor | cur, bmp | cur, bmp |
| AIFF Sounds | aiff | play | aif, wav | aif, wav |
| Wave Sounds | wav | play | aif, wav | aif, wav |
| MIDI files | midi | play | mid | mid |
| Videos | avi | view | avi | avi |
| ANSI Texts | all | text | txt | txt |
| RTF | all | RTF | rtf | rtf |
| XML | all | text | xml | xml |
| Manifest | all | text | xml | xml |
| HTML | all | text | html | html |
| Delphi Forms | all | text | txt, dfm | txt,dfm |
| Delphi PackageInfo | all | text | txt | raw |
| Dialog Boxes | all | dialog box | rc | rc |
| Accelerators | all | text | txt | txt |
| Menus | all | RC text | rc | rc |
| Version info | all | custom editor | res | res |
| other resources | all | hexdump | raw | raw |
Frequently Asked Questions
Restorator doesn’t seem to open 16-bit files. Will this be supported in the future?
No. Restorator is only for 32-bit and 64-bit files.
I have created a ResPatcher. Can I send it to friends? Will there be copyright problems? Can I sell it?
Yes, you can send it to anybody, and you will not infringe any copyrights, because ResPatchers only contain your work.?If you want to sell ResPatchers, please contact Bome Software.
Restorator displays “corrupt resource”. What’s wrong?
Most likely, this EXE file is compressed and/or encrypted with an EXE packer (especially if all resources, except sometimes icons and version, are marked corrupt). You need to look for an unpacker on the Internet. Invoke the properties on the EXE file in Restorator to find out more about the sections and to maybe get a clue which EXE packer has been used.
Notes:
- Since version 2005, Restorator comes with built-in support for the widely used UPX compressor.
- By searching the Internet for something like “unpacker download EXE packer”, you’ll most likely find programs to unpack your file so that it can be opened with Restorator.
If you don’t think that the corrupt resource is due to an encrypted and/or packed file, please contact Bome Software with a detailed description how to reproduce this.
I want to edit text XYZ, but Restorator cannot find the text
Some programs may use or display texts that cannot be edited with Restorator. Restorator modifies resources only, so any text outside the resource section are out of its scope. You may have better luck with a hex editor.
Can I have the source code of Restorator ?
Please contact Bome Software for source code licensing.
I found a problem with Restorator. Where can I report this bug ?
Please report the bug in the bug report page.
What types of files can I modify?
You can view and modify files with windows resources. These are either executable files (PE files for Portable Executable), RES Files, or RC Files.
The most common PE files are: .exe, .dll, .scr and .ocx files. RES files have the extension .res, and RC files end with .rc. For details, see the help file.
Is Restorator a tool for experts only or can I use it as a non-programmer?
Restorator is a great tool for programmers and non-programmers alike. Programmers will appreciate it for post-compilation tweaking and to understand their applications better. Designers will use it to modify the look and feel with Restorator’s easy user interface, without touching any code at all. And anyone can use it to translate an application. The tutorials provide easy step-by-step instructions on how to go about it.
Does Restorator supply a command line version?
Yes, you can execute Restorator directly from the command line (e.g. conveniently from a batch program, for automated execution). You can extract resources and re-assemble applications. You can also incorporate Restorator or a ResPatch into installation programs (like InstallShield) to automate resource patching during installation (note that you can only distribute ResPatchers for free, you cannot distribute Restorator!).
Click here for more info on command line parameters.
I would like to show or distribute a modified 3rd party application.
You can create a ResPatcher that creates a small executable file that automatically modifies another application. See also Help and Tutorials.
I like the application, but a specific feature is missing – what can I do?
Please post your feature requests in the feature request discussion forum.
We will try to accommodate the request in a future version, but the list of requests is long. If it is an option for you, you can pay for the development: we will create a customized version or prioritize your request for the next release.
I’m having trouble purchasing Restorator
Please contact Bome Software for assistance.