Portable Executable File Format (PE)

Portable Executable Files

• A file’s format can reveal a lot about the program’s functionality.

• The Portable Executable (PE) file format is used by Windows executable files, object code, and DLLs

• A data structure that contains the information necessary for Windows to load the file

• Almost every file executed on Windows is in PE format

PE Header • Information about the code

• Type of application

• Required library functions

• Space requirements