How does an executable work

Therefore, if you come across an unknown file and are unsure if it contains executable code, it is best not to open it. Below is a list of common file extensions used for executable files on Windows and Macintosh systems. Windows file extensions:. EXE ,. COM ,. BAT ,. VBS ,. WSF ,. PIF Macintosh file extensions:. APP ,. SCPT ,. Think about it: it has to draw the box, and style it however your computer styles it, and hook up an even handler so that something happens when the user clicks the button, tells Windows or whatever operating system to add it to the taskbar or dock, etc , and so many other things.

Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Collectives on Stack Overflow. Learn more. How exactly do executables work? Ask Question. Asked 12 years ago. Active 6 years, 7 months ago. Viewed 12k times. Improve this question. JRL Alon Gubkin Alon Gubkin Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. A function call to MessageBox , would be a sequence of instructions which will 1 have the address of the function which is in a DLL.

This address is put in by the compiler 2 instructions to "push" the parameters onto a stack 3 The actual function call 4 some sort of cleanup depends on the calling convention. Improve this answer. Andrew Keith Andrew Keith 7, 1 1 gold badge 23 23 silver badges 39 39 bronze badges. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.

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Click the button below to subscribe! Microsoft Windows. Parallels Desktop for Mac with Microsoft Windows installed. VMware Fusion with Microsoft Windows installed. CodeWeavers CrossOver. Kronenberg WineBottler. Xamarin Mono. Portable apps use the compound file extension.