Edit DLL Files
If you are looking at some of the more complex parts of your desktop computer environment, you may be wanting to find, open and even edit something called a dynamic link library, or DLL file. DLL files are essentially smaller components of a larger piece of software. As library files, they provide some smaller code modules for specific tasks. This can make the overall software architecture of a program much more efficient. When you need to edit DLL files for any reason, open the DLL file with decompiler software, make the necessary changes, then recompile the DLL file using the same software.
Steps
- Locate the DLL files. Dynamic link library files are often loaded in directories that correlate to the placement of a main program in operating system. That said, the DLLs are not necessarily in the same folder as the EXE, or executable file. In order to find them and open them for editing, you may need to search a variety of local directories.
- Understand the utility of DLL files. These files contain coding elements that are used by other programs. In order to successfully edit DLL files, you'll need to know specifically what programs go with what files. Experts advise beginners that some DLL files can be used by more than one program, which makes editing them difficult. For the most successful results, you'll need to make sure that opening a specific DLL for editing doesn't affect any of the programs currently on your computer.
- Get a de-compiler tool. In order to open a DLL file and edit it, you'll need to have a decompiler software program at your disposal. This is because, much like other larger programs, DLL files rely on the changing of top-level, readable code into machine code, which is in binary or a similar format. That means that in order to read the DLL content, you'll need to de-compile it back into the human code that the developers used to craft it.
- Open the DLL file with the decompiler.
- Make changes as necessary. Various kinds of DLL editing tasks call for different methods and approaches.
- Use icon extractors for getting icons out of DLL files. One of the most popular reasons to edit a DLL file is simply to change the icons or visual symbols portrayed on your desktop, or in the contexts of specific programs. For these kinds of uses, experts recommend getting a specific kind of software called an icon extractor. This automates much of the editing process for working with icons in a DLL environment.
- Make additional changes to an interface by manipulating the human-readable code that you find after de-compiling the DLL file.
- Recompile the DLL file to make it work properly in its software environment.
Warnings
- Keep an eye out for various file errors. When you attempt to edit a DLL file, you may get error messages related to using the wrong file extension. If the file is somehow damaged, or if it has been compressed for efficiency, you may also run into error messages. Be willing to analyze these and work through them with a trial and error process in order to be successful with DLL editing.
