Resource Hacker 5.2.8 Build 448

Overview

Resource Hacker is a handy free application that gives you complete control over the usage of your computer's resources by letting you view, rename, modify, extract, and add/delete system resources that are allocated to .exe files.

Installation

With a file size of less than 1 MB this utility is extremely compact, especially considering what is capable of. Installing the program is as simple as running the setup file and letting it guide you through the process. Compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems, from Windows 95 all the way to Windows 7.

Interface

The user interface is startlingly old-fashioned, and is kind of reminiscent of the old programs seen in the pre-Windows 2000 days. However, this un-futuristic interface is a small price to pay for the diverse compatibility that this application provides (being compatible with both old and new operating systems). There are five menus at the top of the main window – File, Edit, View, Action, and Help. The action menu is where you can access most of the important features.

Pros

• View System Resources – Lets you view images of resource allocation in a variety of formats, including TIF, Bitmap, Icon, AVI, JPG, and Cursor. You can also play MIDI and WAV audio resources. Dialogs, String Tables, Message Tables, Menus, Delphi Forms, Version Info, and Accelerators can all be viewed in the form of decompiled scripts. Alternatively, dialogs and menus can be viewed in their conventional state, as they would appear within a normal program

• Modify System Resources – you can change resources by replacing them with another resource file, or if you're trying to change a menu or dialog you can use an internal resource script compiler. Alternatively, you can simply utilize the sliders within the resource dialog controls to make adjustments before using the internal compiler to recompile

• Save Resources – you can save images of system resource statistics in a variety of formats, including .ico, .bmp. You can also save resources as a script (.rc) in the form of a resource binary (.res) or a conventional binary (.bin)

• Delete Resources – lets you remove unnecessary resources from an application in order to reduce its size and the workload of places on the operating system.

• Add Resources – quickly add resources to applications by copying them from previously created .res resource files

Cons

• It is not possible to view or modify system resources that are being allocated to certain types of compressed .exe files

• This software is not currently in ongoing development, so updates are not gauranteed

Alternatives

There are a number of other resource editors that let you control how much system resources are devoted to specific applications, including ResEdit, PE Explorer, Anolis Reresourcer, and Restorator. Resource Hacker provides functionality that is equal to the aforementioned competitors, however the user interface is a bit more retro-looking.

Conclusion

If you're looking for an easy way to view and manage system resources, and how they are allocated to applications within your operating system, Resource Hacker provides an ideal interface in which to do so.