Shoutbox

I want to decompile a dll file from one of my games. I want to mod it. How could I get at the source code of the dll?

Its impossible to find the source code of a compiled program, but you can disassemble it, just google it

I did Google, for some reason it's really hard to find any thing good on this topic.

Disassembling isn't something you can learn in an hour. Here's a link to what I think is one of the best debuggers there is: OllyDbg. I think you'll be put off as soon as you see what it looks like dissassembled though.

So I guess before I can do any editing I have to learn ASM

Theres no easyer way?

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Originally posted by DJeX
So I guess before I can do any editing I have to learn ASM

Theres no easyer way?

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no, but it's be cool if someone created a program that decomipiled it to asm, then made it into liek C++ or C# code. now that would sell.

ahwell, it's not like Assembly is hard Djex. the calls and operators and stuff. its just the Numbers and Hex and stuff that overwhelms me.

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Originally posted by Ash_
no, but it's be cool if someone created a program that decomipiled it to asm, then made it into liek C++ or C# code. now that would sell.

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That is impossible in 99,9999999999% of all cases. The request for decompilers is as old as programming itself. Only a very small number of decompilers have ever been created.

And these are either for specific versions of specific languages, and/or can only be used in very specific situations (eg: debug code is compiled inside executable). In either case, the output of the decompiler is often not what you expect it to be and never 100%.

Also note that decompiling something is not for the faint of heart, you must be a real ASM and PC guru to pull something like this off.

There is a reason why decompilers almost don't exist (and it is not because it is illegal).

EDIT: Als note that disassembling and decompiling are two different things...

What’s the difference between disassembling and decompiling?

How do the anti-virus company’s do it then? They must have a program to take apart the viruses to see how they work?

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Originally posted by DJeX
What’s the difference between disassembling and decompiling?

How do the anti-virus company’s do it then? They must have a program to take apart the viruses to see how they work?

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They disassemble.

And Cookie's right.. it's not for the faint at heart. Just one look at it will put you off as said above. Take a look here, maybe it'll help you. :/

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Originally posted by DJeX
What’s the difference between disassembling and decompiling?

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disassembling is turning hexadecimal codes (the things you see when you open a compiled program in a hex editor*) into assembler (aka machine code**)

Decompiling goes a step further and changes the machinecode into programming language. But because many information is lost when you compile a program you are almost never able to reverse it in a decent way.

• Hexadecimal codes:
  004E33E7  E8 DC 2F 09 00 83 EC 24 53 56 8B F1 8B 8E 0C 01 00 00 57
  
  
• equivalent assembler codes:
  call SUB_L005763C8
  sub esp,00000024h
  push ebx
  push esi
  mov esi,ecx
  mov ecx,[esi+0000010Ch]
  push edi

quote:

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Originally posted by DJeX
How do the anti-virus company’s do it then? They must have a program to take apart the viruses to see how they work?

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Yes, but you don't need a decompiler for that. They don't need the actual programming code as those guys know how to read assembler...