I don’t think that’s true for .exe or .dll files, but it’s definitely true for .docx files and other Office files ending with x. Some .exe’s are self-extracting archives or have other files embedded in them, so maybe that’s what you’ve been seeing.
It’s a zip file that includes a bunch of things, including embedded images and a bunch of other junk, but yes - the most important and central files in the zip are XML-based.
You are actually correct. They can contain archived files or resources that can be unpacked with an archive program (including on Linux btw), but they aren’t just a zip file. That’s why my Linux archive manager (ark I think) offer to open one, but won’t execute it. They can see the extra content even if they can’t execute the file as intended.
Well, I did get my hands on an exe file (some game on Steam) and opened it with Archive Manager. It does show some files, but the file properties say Type: application/x-ms-dos-executable (as opposed to application/zip). So it’s not an actual archive file, the archive manager is just displaying it as such to be helpful.
I tried to create a zip file and rename it to .exe, but Archive Manager failed to open it at all which I found strange. You’d think it would look at the actual file contents to figure out what type of archive it is, and not rely on the extension.
Okay that’s actually slightly different from what I was expecting. Does the .text file contain machine code or assembly language by any chance? It seems the archive program can pull out the executable code as well, similar to the binary analysis tools I have worked with.
.reloc is probably the relocation table used by the OS to load the program into an address space.
Yup, the .text “file” is binary, and I assume it’s exactly that - the executable machine code - but I did not try opening it with any hex editor or disassembler. I tried with a text editor, knowing in advance that it’s going to fail, and it did - there were a bunch of null or error characters shown and the editor crashed soon after.
I honestly didn’t look any further into it, because I just don’t care. Archive Manager apparently just splits up the sections of the .exe and exposes them as if they were files in an archive. Seems as useful an approach as any.
I don’t think that’s true for .exe or .dll files, but it’s definitely true for .docx files and other Office files ending with x. Some .exe’s are self-extracting archives or have other files embedded in them, so maybe that’s what you’ve been seeing.
Aren’t the x-suffixed files just an xml format?
It’s a zip file that includes a bunch of things, including embedded images and a bunch of other junk, but yes - the most important and central files in the zip are XML-based.
You are actually correct. They can contain archived files or resources that can be unpacked with an archive program (including on Linux btw), but they aren’t just a zip file. That’s why my Linux archive manager (ark I think) offer to open one, but won’t execute it. They can see the extra content even if they can’t execute the file as intended.
Thanks for the backup :)
Why don’t you just try it and see for yourself?
Remind me in about 5 hours and I’ll upload a screenshot as proof when I get home.
I’m not on Windows.
Let me know when you have the screenshot!
You could always download a random exe even in Linux, you know. But I’ll handle it. Commuting home now.
Well, I did get my hands on an exe file (some game on Steam) and opened it with Archive Manager. It does show some files, but the file properties say Type: application/x-ms-dos-executable (as opposed to application/zip). So it’s not an actual archive file, the archive manager is just displaying it as such to be helpful.
The “files” I can see are:
/.text
/.reloc
/.rsrc/version.txt
/.rsrc/ICON/2.ico
/.rsrc/ICON/3.ico
/.rsrc/ICON/4.ico
/.rsrc/GROUP_ICON/32512.ico
I tried to create a zip file and rename it to .exe, but Archive Manager failed to open it at all which I found strange. You’d think it would look at the actual file contents to figure out what type of archive it is, and not rely on the extension.
Well fair enough. You clearly have more knowledge on the subject than I do.
FWIW, by “zip file”, I meant that the file is a compressed archive. Apologies for implying a specific file format. That wasn’t my intention.
Okay that’s actually slightly different from what I was expecting. Does the .text file contain machine code or assembly language by any chance? It seems the archive program can pull out the executable code as well, similar to the binary analysis tools I have worked with.
.reloc is probably the relocation table used by the OS to load the program into an address space.
Yup, the .text “file” is binary, and I assume it’s exactly that - the executable machine code - but I did not try opening it with any hex editor or disassembler. I tried with a text editor, knowing in advance that it’s going to fail, and it did - there were a bunch of null or error characters shown and the editor crashed soon after.
I honestly didn’t look any further into it, because I just don’t care. Archive Manager apparently just splits up the sections of the .exe and exposes them as if they were files in an archive. Seems as useful an approach as any.