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From: Hans-Bernhard Broeker <broeker AT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: make a .exe an object file
Date: 12 Dec 2003 13:38:40 GMT
Organization: Aachen University of Technology (RWTH)
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To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
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Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com

Bill Cunningham <nospam AT nspam DOT net> wrote:

> Just what is in an executable? 

Depends on the executable, obviously.

> I know there's a resource compiler for Windows and I think it's
> ouput goes into the executable. 

Yes. Into a special section of it.

> I really don't care what BFD the executable has. 

But Windows does.

> But COFF seems to be what djgpp uses. Can any symbol tables be
> trimmed off an executable, or added to make it COFF compatable for
> the exec2coff command?

The difference of COFF vs. PE is quite a bit more significant than
just presence or absence of symbol tables.

In principle, you could use "objcopy" from binutils to take a Win32/PE
executable and convert it to raw COFF, provided both targets were
enabled when building that instance of the binutils.  I don't think
the default distributions are.

You shouldn't expect to be able to do anything useful with the result
of such a conversion, though.

Maybe you go back to square and begin by explaining what it is you're
trying to achieve here, in the first place?  And why you think DJGPP's
exe2coff or its successor unstubify has anything to do with it?  So
far, you've spoken in riddles.

-- 
Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker AT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de)
Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.