Uncompiling .EXE Files 1

[Guest_imported]

Years ago 1987-1991 I hired a programmer to write a custom construction estimating program. It has served me well but I now need to modify the program modules. The programs were compiled using qbasic 3.0

I have about 75% of the source .bas files but have lost the remaning 25%. Is there any such thing as an uncompiler? Can anyone help me with this problem.

 

[Alt255]

You could decompile the program but you might not be happy with the results... unless you are skilled in assembly language. You might actually save time (and unnecessary grief) by rewriting the program.

There are about a billion and one ways to perform any given programming task. Decompilers translate the raw machine code into a sort of least-common-denominator (assembly) since they usually can't tell what programming language was used to create the original source code. And these translations aren't without error: decompiling and then recompiling doesn't always recreate the original program... especially if you have changed anything. Be prepared for some heavy-duty debugging and hair-pulling.

You might find a program to generate BASIC source code from an assembly listing but I wouldn't think it could be too trustworthy. Some assembly instructions don't translate into Qbasic statements (huge understatement here).

Unless there is something truly unique about your estimating app, the easiest way to recreate it would be to start coding. Observe the program's behavior and then try to duplicate it by writing your own code. (There are several side-benefits associated with this approach.)