EXE

Overview

The EXE format has its root in MS-DOS and is still widely used today. The first versions were pure 16 bit MS-DOS executables, identified by either "MZ" or "ZM" as the first two bytes. Later on, lots of additional formats were added, like Windows' NE (New Executable) extension, OS/2's LE and LX (Linear Executable), and later Win32's PE executable (a variant of COFF), as well as some DOS extenders adding overlays, resources and other information into it.

Resources

• Ralf Brown's Interrupt List, INT 21h, Function 4Bh, describes lots of the "older" style EXE formats
• Microsoft has a document on the PE specification
• article on the PE format as used by Windows NT 3 by Johannes Plachy