Must have: Resource Hacker, the resource editor

If you want to add or modify shortcuts and menus in your programs or favorite apps to make them more consistent or easier to use, there is a free tool to do it easily.

Resource Hacker^TM is a handy utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems.

Key Features:

Viewing Resources:

• Images: Cursor, Icon, Bitmap, GIF, AVI, and JPG
• Audio: WAV and MIDI
• Decompiled script: Menus, Dialogs, MessageTables, StringTables, Accelerators, Delphi Forms, and VersionInfo.
• WYSIWYG: Menus and Dialogs can also be viewed as they would appear in a running application.

Saving Resources:

• Resources can be saved as:
• Image files (*.ico, *.bmp etc)
• Script files (*.rc)
• Binary resource files (*.res) or
• Untyped binary files (*.bin)

Modifying Resources:

• Resources can be modified by replacing the resource with:
• A resource located in another file (*.ico, *.bmp, *.res etc)
• Internal resource script compiler (for menus, dialogs etc).
• Dialog controls can also be visually moved and/or resized by clicking and dragging the respective dialog controls prior to recompiling with the internal compiler.

Adding Resources:

• Resources can be added to an application by copying them from external resource files (*.res).

Deleting Resources:

• Most compilers add resources into applications which are never used by the application.
• Removing unused resources can reduce an application's size.

This Resource HackerTM software is released as freeware by Angus Johnson, © Copyright 1999-2004.

Download Resource Hacker 3.4
Resource Hacker tutorial

VB6 Anti Decompiler

VB 6 AntiDecompiler is a software tool that disables the decompilation of VB 6 native code programs. Today the decompilation can be performed by services like the VB Decompiler Service and tools like VB ReFormer or VB Decompiler. AntiDecompiler will stops the decompilation completely. After a program was processed by this software the decompilers will produce no output at all.

This software is not an EXE encryptor/packer since these are weak protections against the decompilation. You should use such tools as an additional security layer only. VB 6 Anti Decompiler prevents the decompilation. It was written in MS VB 6 and protected by itself. We know that VB 6 AntiDecompiler will protect itself against decompilation. The protected EXE must be shipped with the msvbvm60.dll from your windows system folder. Your software installation program should put the DLL in to the EXE installation folder. Version 2 has total protection agains the decompilers, protection agains changes to the project, forms and controls.

Download VB6 AntiDecompiler 2