Useful Tools

  • source2html - Lore's Source Converter
    The program converts source code to HTML. Actually it converts C/C++, Java and Delphi. For Windows 9x/NT/2000, written in C++ (Borland C++ Builder 5.0), Free software under the terms of the GNU General Public Licence (GPL).

Program & Resources Utilities

  • Microsoft Portable Executable and Common Object File Format Specification
    By Microsoft, 2008-03-27, Windows Firmware and Boot Environment. This document specifies the structure of executable (image) files and object files under the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. These files are referred to as Portable Executable (PE) and Common Object File Format (COFF) files respectively. The name "Portable Executable" refers to the fact that the format is not architecture-specific.
    Revision 8.1 of the Microsoft PE and COFF Specification specifies the structure of object and executable files supported by Visual Studio 2008 (Version 9.0) and current Microsoft Windows family of operating systems, including Windows Server 2008.
    Inside Windows: An In-Depth Look into the Win32 Portable Executable File Format; by Matt Pietrek, MSDN Magazine, February 2002.
  • XN Resource Editor
    XN Resource Editor is a free, powerful, fully featured resource editor and Windows Portable Executable (PE) module explorer for Windows 98/2000/XP, written in Delphi 7. PEResourceExplorer works with all resource files (.RES) and PE modules (.EXE, .DLL, etc.) but it has special knowledge of modules written in Delphi. It is brought up to date with XP theme support, plus many new features and bug fixes. By Colin Wilson.
  • PE Explorer
    By Heaventools. Shareware. Sometimes you need to look inside of a program to figure out what's going on. PE Explorer is a program for doing just such looking on Windows Portable Executable (PE) files. PE Header Viewer, Resource Viewer/Editor, Exports/Imports Viewer, Dependency Scanner, Disassembler.
  • Dependency Walker
    Dependency Walker is a free utility that scans any 32-bit, 64-bit or CE Windows module (exe, dll, ocx, sys, etc.) and builds a hierarchical tree diagram of all dependent modules. For each module, it lists all the functions exported, and which are actually being called by other modules. It also displays the minimum set of required files, detailed information about each file, and more.
    Dependency Walker is also very useful for troubleshooting system errors related to loading and executing modules (programs and libraries), while it detects many common application problems such as missing modules, invalid modules, import/export mismatches, circular dependency errors, mismatched machine types of modules, and module initialization failures.
    Dependency Walker runs on any Windows 32-bit. It can process any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows module, including ones designed for Windows CE. It can be run as graphical application or as a console application. Dependency Walker is completely free to use. By Steve P. Miller.
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Support Tools
    Windows 2000 Installation CD: \SUPPORT\TOOLS\SUPPORT.CAB.
    • Help: Windows 2000 Support Tools Help (W2rksupp.chm), Windows 2000 Error and Event Messages Help (W2000msgs.chm).
    • Graphical: Process Viewer (Pviewer.exe). WinDiff File and Directory Comparison (Windiff.exe, windiff.hlp, gutils.dll).
    • Console: Process Resource Monitor (Pmon.exe). Registry Console Tool (Reg.exe). Dump Check (Dumpchk.exe, kdextx86.dll, msdis110.dll). Task List Viewer (Tlist.exe), Task Killing Utility (Kill.exe). Remote Command Line (Remote.exe).
  • Resource Hacker
    Resource Hacker is a freeware 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. By Angus Johnson.
  • The Immortal Descendants Archive
    The members of Immortal Descendants have graciously allowed to keep their archive available for those who seek their knowledge. Although this seems to be a hacker/cracker mirror page, there are useful programming tools for download, at The Database - Releases:
  • A Library Symbol Dump tool
    LibDump is a Win32 and COM utility tool. It lets you display the content of library files [Common Object File Format (COFF)-formats] and COM type libraries. The tool also lets you scan for a particular symbol across multiple .LIB files or COM type libraries (.tlb;.olb;.dll;.ocx;.exe). Similar to Microsoft's DumpBin utility. By George Poulose. Freeware.
    LibDump Tool at CodeGuru, internet.com.
  • Asmex - A .NET Assembly Viewer
    An application to examine .NET assemblies both directly and with reflection. By Ben Peterson. Windows Freeware with source code.
    For PE/.NET file format information: read sections 21-24 of ECMA-335 Partition II: Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) Partition II: Metadata Definition and Semantics.
  • dumpbinGUI
    dumpbinGUI is a GUI version of Microsoft's dumpbin command-line tool. Like its command-line cousin, dumpbinGUI invokes Microsoft Visual-C link.exe with the /DUMP option, and various other options specified at runtime.
  • DLL Toys - International Edition
    Suite to find unused DLLs to delete, view dependencies of executables, and view running processes and modules. Shareware for Windows.

Windows Monitoring and Setting Utilities

  • Microsoft TechNet - Windows SysInternals
    The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell to host their free advanced system utilities and technical information. Microsoft acquired Sysinternals in July, 2006. The utilities continue to be actively maintained and freely available at Microsoft TechNet.
    Sysinternals Site Discussion blog.
    • File and Disk Utilities: CacheSet, Contig, DiskExt, Diskmon, DiskView, Du, EFSDump, Filemon, Junction, LDMDump, MoveFile, NTFSInfo, PageDefrag, PendMoves, (PsTools), (SDelete), ShareEnum, Streams, Sync, VolumeId.
    • Networking Utilities: ADExplorer, ADRestore, PsTools Suite [PsExec, PsFile, PsGetSid, PsInfo, PsKill, PsList, PsLoggedOn, PsLogList, PsPasswd, PsService, PsShutdown, PsSuspend], ShareEnum, TCPView for Windows, Whois.
    • Process Utilities: Handle, ListDLLs, Portmon, Process Explorer, Process Monitor, (PsTools).
    • Security Utilities: AccessChk, AccessEnum, Autologon, (Autoruns), LogonSessions, NewSID, (PsTools), RootkitRevealer, SDelete, (ShareEnum), Sigcheck.
    • System Information: Autoruns, ClockRes, LiveKd, LoadOrder, ProcFeatures, PsInfo, (PsTools), Regmon, Winobj.
    • Miscellaneous Utilities: BgInfo, BlueScreen, Ctrl2cap, DebugView, Hex2dec, PsLogList, RegDelNull, Regjump, Strings, ZoomIt.
    • Autoruns for Windows. Lists all entries of auto-run programs on Windows, in initialization files, registry global and per user, logon, shell, and task scheduling. It displays each entry by category, including description and path of executable file. It also allows you to disable or delete entries.
  • NirSoft - Freeware Utilities for Windows
    Password Recovery Utilities, Network Monitoring Tools, Web Browser Tools, Internet Related Utilities, Command-Line Utilities (NirCmd), Video/Audio Related Utilities, Desktop Utilities, MS-Outlook/Office Tools, Programmer Tools, Disk Utilities, System Utilities, Forensics.
  • Winspector - Ultimate Programmers Window Spy Utility (freeware)
    By GipsySoft. Have you ever used Spy++ that comes with MSVC? If you have then you know what Winspector is - but take out all of the annoyances of Spy++ and add in a big bag of handy tweaks and features. Winspector is a Windows application that allows you to look at the messages being sent in the system. When developing your own applications you can see the messages and you can inspect them, but you can't do the same with other running applications. With Winspector you can. Winspector takes the fabulous Spy++ to the next level.
  • PrcView - Process Viewer for Windows
    By Igor Nys, Team CTI. Detalhado visualizador de processos em execução no Windows. Freeware.
  • TreeSize Free
    By Joachim Marder - JAM Software, Germany. Easy and graphically know where are the precious megabytes of your discs going, among the directory tree. Freeware.
  • XPIPcfg
    XPIPcfg is very similar to Win9x's winipcfg, but it is for XP, 2000, NT since they do not come equipped with such a utility from Microsoft (there's only the ipconfig console comand). New features for XPIPcfg 3.0 include DNS cache view, Purge and configuration print. XPIPcfg do NOT run on Win9x. Freeware.

Identify Processes running on Windows

Identify File Types

  • TrID - File Identifier
    By Marco Pontello. Free for personal (non commercial) use, for Win32 and Linux/x86. TrID is an utility designed to identify file types from their binary signatures. While there are similar utilities with hard coded rules, TriID has no such rules. Instead, it is extensible and can be trained to recognize new formats in a fast and automatic way.
    TrID has many uses: identify what kind of file was sent to you via e-mail, aid in forensic analysis, support in file recovery, etc.
    TrID uses a database of definitions which describe recurring patterns for supported file types. As this is subject to very frequent update, it's made available as a separate package. Just download both TrID and this archive and unpack in the same folder.
  • PEiD
    PEiD detects most common packers, cryptors and compilers for PE files. It can currently detect more than 600 different signatures in PE files.
  • PEInfo
    DLL, EXE analyzer. PE executable info.
  • PDFiD
    PDFiD is a tool to triage PDF documents. It helps you differentiate between PDF documents that could be malicious and those that are most likely not. It have a very simple design (it's not a parser, but a string scanner) to be fast and to avoid exploitable bugs.
    PDF Tools by Didier Stevens.

Compare and Synchronize Files/Folders

  • TreeComp
    Compare two directory trees. Freeware by Lennert Ploeger.
    TreeComp is an interactive utility to keep 2 directory trees and the files within the directories in sync. The combined tree is displayed using a treeview control with icons indicating the status per directory. Programs to view the differences (i.e. Microsoft's WinDiff or WinMerge) between files with the same name can be launched by double-clicking, as well as editors for a file residing in one of the 2 trees. After inspection files can be copied/deleted interactively as desired. In our organization we view this program as an indispensable tool that is far beyond xcopy /s /e.
  • WinMerge
    File diff & merge for Windows - open source (free software). WinMerge at SourceForge.
  • CSDiff
    ComponentSoftware Visual Diff for Windows - free.
  • Microsoft WinDiff
    Windows 2000/XP Installation CD: in \SUPPORT\TOOLS\SUPPORT.CAB. windiff.exe, windiff.hlp, and gutils.dll.
  • How to Use Windiff.exe Utility
    Microsoft Suporte. MSDN Overview: WinDiff.
    Download WinDiff tool and source code.
  • KDiff3
    KDiff3 compares or merges 2 or 3 text input files or directories, shows the differences by line and character, provides an automatic merge-facility and an integrated editor. Run in any platform for which Qt-libs work: GNU/Linux with KDE3, Unix, Windows. Free, open-source GPL, by Joachim Eibl.
  • Compare It!
    By Grig Software - shareware.
  • Araxis Merge for Windows
  • Active File Compare

Real-time File View

Monitorar o conteúdo e crescimento de arquivos texto e exibir seu conteúdo em tempo real. Útil para monitoramento de arquivos de log e similares.

File Rename

  • File Renamer
    With this little program, you can rename all your files like with the DOS command, but with a lot more options. You can numerate files sequentially, batch rename, etc. Also has 'undo' function. Freeware by J. Falcao.
  • 1-4a rename
    Renomeador de múltiplos arquivos para Windows, freeware. Suporta substituições, inserções e mudança de maiúsculas/minúsculas no nome e/ou extensão de arquivos.
  • Bulk Rename Utility
    Outra ferramenta similar e igualmente boa e freeware.
  • Uma ampla lista desse tipo de utilitário pode ser encontrada em Freeware Home.

File Compression

  • Info-ZIP Home Page ( também via FTP)
    Info-ZIP's purpose is to provide free, portable, high-quality versions of the Zip and UnZip compressor-archiver utilities that are compatible with the DOS-based PKZIP by PKWARE, Inc.
    Info-ZIP supports hardware from microcomputers to supercomputers, running on almost all versions of Unix, Windows, and hundreds of other operating systems.
    MacZip - Zip for Macintosh (Info-ZIP) (MacZip URL alternativo).
  • The gzip (GNU zip) Home Page
    Um programa de compressão de dados muito popular, criado pelo francês Jean-loup Gailly.
  • GNU tar
  • bzip2
    The bzip2 and libbzip2 official home page.
    bzip2 is a freely available, patent free, high-quality data compressor. It typically compresses files to within 10% to 15% of the best available techniques (the PPM family of statistical compressors), whilst being around twice as fast at compression and six times faster at decompression. Originated in sources.redhat.com/bzip2/.
  • Open-source ARJ
    Open-source implementation of the world-famous ARJ archiver. This version has been created with the intent to preserve maximum compatibility and retain the feature set of original ARJ archiver as provided by ARJ Software, Inc.
    SourceForge Project: arj.
  • 7-Zip
    7-Zip é um ótimo gerenciador de arquivos compactados gratuito para Windows (98/ME/NT/2000/XP). Provê a maior taxa de compactação em seu formato próprio 7z. Formatos suportados: 7z, zip, cab, rar, arj, gzip, bzip2, tar, cpio, rpm, deb. Cria arquivos compactados nos formatos 7z, BZip2, GZip, Tar, Zip. Para formatos ZIP e GZIP, 7-Zip obtém taxas de compressão que são 2-10% melhores que as taxas obtidas com PKZip e WinZip.
    Recurso de auto-descompactação pra formato 7z, integração com a Shell Windows, Gerenciador de Arquivos, poderosa versão de linha de comando, traduções para 38 idiomas, incluindo Português do Brasil. Software livre por Igor Pavlov, distribuído sob a licença GNU LGPL.
    SourceForge Project: sevenzip.
  • 7-ZIP SFX Maker
    Windows GUI for creating self-extracting (*.exe) files from 7zip archives (*.7z). Requires .NET Framework 2.0.
  • ZipGenius
    ZipGenius by M.Dev Software: free zip unzip program for Windows, makes file compression and encryption easier than ever. It's really freeware.
    Supported formats:
    • ZIP, Java Deployment Archives (JAR, WAR, EAR), 7-zip (7z), XPI, PK3: all functions
    • Windows Cabinet (CAB)
    • Unix/Linux Tape Archive (TAR) & compression: TAZ (tar+Z), TGZ (tar+gz), compress (Z), gzip (GZ), BZip2 (BZ2)
    • RAR, ACE: read and decompress (compression not supported because their algorhythm is not available to third parties)
    • ARJ, ARC, LHA/LZH, ZOO: ZipGenius can read, but you must install the proper external programs to modify their contents
    • PAK
    • CD-ROM images in ISO, Ahead Nero's NRG and CMI formats
    • WinAmp skin (WAL), Windows Media Player skin (WMZ), OpenOffice.org/StarOffice 6.x documents (they are treated as ZIP files, plus they can be optimized)
    • Text-encoding: UU/XXencode (UU/UUE/XXE), MIME (MIM), Base64 (B64)
    It provides security with 4 options of encryption algorithms: CZIP (CryptoZip), Blowfish, Twofish, Rijndael AES.
  • PowerArchiver
    Uma bem-sucedida "evolução" do WinZip. PowerArchiver seguiu fielmente a interface do popular utilitário de compatação WinZip, já familiar aos usuários, e acrescentou importantes recursos, ausentes no original. Suporte nativo completo (extração, criação e atualização) aos formatos de compressão ZIP, CAB, LHA (LZH), TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2 e BH (BlakHole); e suporte nativo a leitura e extração de RAR, ARJ, ARC, ACE, ZOO, GZ, BZIP2, XXEncode, UUEncode. Visualizador interno suporta arquivos TXT, RTF, BMP, ICO, WMF, EMF, GIF, JPG. Visão Browser, para navegação por discos e archives como pastas do Windows Explorer. Cria auto-descompactáveis ZIP, RAR, ARJ, LHA e BH. Integração à interface do Windows (drag-n-drop, extensões Shell) mais ampla e configurável. Repara ZIPs corrompidos. Converte entre formatos de arquivo de compressão. Pode extrair ou criar (Batch ZIP) múltiplos archives simultaneamente. Backups automáticos. Imprime e exporta listagem de arquivos. AutoUpdate. Disponível em diversos idiomas, inclusive Português.
  • BraZip
    Um excelente software de manipulação de arquivos compactados, produzido no Brasil. Os recursos exclusivos que merecem destaque são o Explorer (permite navegar pelos discos e visualizar rapidamente vários arquivos compactados) e a Pesquisa de texto dentro de arquivos compactados.
  • WinZip
    WinZip by Corel. O mais tradicional gerenciador de arquivos compactados para Windows. Processa arquivos ZIP, UUencode, XXencode, MIME e BinHex nativamente; e ARJ, LHA (.lzh), ARC, GZip (.gz), TAR, Tar+GZip (.tar.gz, .tgz, .taz) e Compress (.Z) através dos respectivos programas externos. Gera programa auto-descompactável Windows 16/32-bit.

File Managers