Restorator is a Bome flagship product and has been used for resource editing since 1997. Continuous development based on user feedback made this application the leader in application customization software.
Look at the tutorials to see how easy your task has become.
What are Resources?
Restorator modifies resources. Resources are application-dependant data that the respective programmer includes in his program. Inside the program file they are separated from the program itself and therefore may be changed. This is the technical condition to create custom applications.
In the file, resources are organized in a tree : The first level defines the resource type (Bitmap, Icon, etc.) and the second level defines the name of the resource (”MainIcon”, “SplashScreen”, etc.).
Windows provides some standard resource types whereas other resource types may be defined by the programmer and are displayed by Restorator in upper case (e.g. resource type “AVI” – see the search tutorial ).
The .res file has been standardized, allowing you to save all resources in one file. Restorator includes full support for creating/editing/opening/saving res files.
It is possible for one resource to be stored multiple times for different languages. If this is the case, Restorator adds a level in the tree with the language. (For example, on my system the file “WinNTSystem32comctl32.dll” (NT/2000/XP) or “WindowsSystemcomctl32.dll” (95/98/ME) has Strings and Dialogs in different la
View and edit resources
Browse through your resources and edit them either in Restorator itself, or using applications you can integrate into Restorator’s tool menu.[list of supported resource types]
WYSIWYG dialog editing
You can edit dialogs with your mouse on the screen. Move the dialog elements, resize and re-label them with immediate results and full control. Essential feature for translating applications. [screenshot] [tutorial]
Add multilingual support to your applications
You can add several languages to a single application. Your application will automatically start with the correct language, i.e. the default Windows language. Multilingual support can be added by just using Restorator. You can not only translate applications, but also add languages! [screenshot][tutorial]
Release automated modifications – ResPatcher *)
Using ResPatcher you can create a small executable file that will re-do your changes, enabling you to customize any application and share it with others. You can customize applications like Internet Explorer and AOL Instant Messenger and share the modifications with your friends. [screenshot][tutorial]
Grab resources in PE files from anywhere on your hard drive *)
Grab resources on your hard drive. This tool will find resources wherever they hide (for example, look for all cursors on your drive and save a lot of manual work). [screenshot][tutorial]
Locating elements in resources
Are you looking for a specific resource in a program? No problem — the resource finder will do it! [screenshot][tutorial]
Edit and update resource files that are in use
Restorator can cause files to be replaced at system boot time, allowing you to modify resources within files used by Windows. [screenshot]
Link resource editing tools
Define your own tools to edit sounds, images, and other resources. Easily launch your favorite image editor to edit a BMP image.
Resource View Modes
View resources in different modes. In the Default Mode you can listen to audio, look at images and find all resources that need translation. In Hexdump Mode you get access to the raw data. In the RC Resource Mode you see the resource entry in standard RC format.
Adding resources
Insert resources in .exe or .res files. Added resources are particularly useful for your created .res or .dcr files, or if you want to add custom resources to your own projects. This feature also allows you to add formats/resolutions to icons and cursors. [screenshot]
Deleting resources
Does your compiler creates useless resources? Want to strip debug information from the resources? Want to shrink the size of the executable file? Now you can: remove resources with Restorator!
UPX support
Open upx-compressed files seamlessly in Restorator: upon loading, the file is automatically uncompressed.
Command line support
With the command line parameters, you can execute Restorator conveniently from a batch program, for automated execution. It is also possible to incorporate Restorator or a ResPatch into installation programs (like InstallShield) to automate resource patching during installation. [see the parameter list in the manual]
Extract all resources
You can extract all resources of an application. [tutorial]
To apply, open Restorator.exe in Restorator 2018, then drop the .res file on it.
The translation pack also works with the full version.
Thanks to Sergey Shikharev for the translation.
Limitations of the Trial Version
Expires after 30 days.
Adds texts (“Patched with Restorator” etc.) to MENU, DIALOG, and VERSION resources upon saving.
Does not include ResPatcher or the Grab Resources tool.
Limited user support.
Additional Features of the Full Version
receive full user support
release automated modifications (patches) with ResPatcher.
extract resources in all files anywhere on your hard drive with Grab Resources.
no startup reminder
all latest features and enhancements included.
turn off marking of modified resources
unlimited free updates of all future Restorator releases
Purchase
Price: € 60 (approx. US$ 67) incl. VAT, where it applies
Order process is handled on our secure server
After an online order, you will receive license key and download link by email
allow to paste arbitrary files on user-defined resources
when adding resources, the tree will be opened to show the new resource
when a delphi resource cannot be saved, the cursor is positioned
at the error line
Resource Viewer: added edit menu for copy/paste/etc.
new look of settings dialog
new option: allow multiple instances of Restorator
new option: choose from 3 different internal text editors
remember position/size of menu and dialog preview window
updated dialog editor to add XP styles
new icon and cursor viewer: show all icons/cursors at once
add link to msdn in rc help texts
remember cursor position in edit fields
do not reset resource tree when saving
save data that is appended to exe files (e.g. for Flash files)
better support for usage with keyboard (many more keyboard shortcuts)
back/forward keys/mouse buttons in file browser
added support for the context menu key
option to not mark modified resources (the small arrows) (not available in trial version)
enable editing of the code page
allow editing of the version resource also in trial version
Bug fixes in Restorator 2005:
bug fix: problem when removing caption of edit field in dialog editor
bug fix: non-quoted CLASS names
bug fix: WAVE and AIFF playback
bug fix: store width of resource tree
bug fix: orphaned res viewer when cancelling Force File at Restart when closing Restorator with opened files
bug fix: infinite “Do you want to Commit changes…” question when collapsing the Resource Tree and pressing Cancel
bug fix: status bar displays information about last opened resource even after closing file.
bug fix: Access violation in Res File|Save each resource
bug fix: correct state of “Fixed System Font” and “Shell Font” in dialog editor
bug fix: error message when saving exe files with a zero-sized pe section
bug fix: Access violation on some computers when trial version is over
bug fix: fixed parsing of corrupt .res files
bug fix: parsing of rc menu files with an additional attribute for the POP statement
bug fix: blank res viewer after deleting an item from the res viewer
bug fix: handle PE sections with uninitialized data correctly
bug fix: POPUP ID in MENUEX resources does not disappear anymore
bug fix: tool tips are not shown, even if enabled in the settings
bug fix: enforce that the name of String resources must be numeric
bug fix: overwriting w/out backup does not work
bug fix: ability to grab resources with backslash in name (like msinfo32.dll)
bug fix: accelerator editing (if ANSI accelerator <32, was not displayed correctly)
Restorator 2007
New Features and Bug Fixes in Restorator 2004
Main new functions:
new improved user interface
graphical dialog editor
add/delete/rename resources
more compatible with Delphi resources
creates more compliant files
reference manual
batch parameters for Restorator and ResPatchers
highlighting of searched text
Bug fixes in Restorator 2004:
cleaner extension type management
allow editing of dcr files
saving res or dcr files doesn’t change the name by default
rename-in-place of items in res/dcr files (F2)
“save as” is now always allowed for res _and_ dcr files
text recognition for RCData and html types
save all as a certain type
Easy adding of a file to a res file: just drop it on it.
(file type is recognized automatically). This works the same for assigning now.
When extracting Delphi forms, icons are now better detected
When extracting Delphi forms, included files are referenced with relative path
Property dialog for files: added “Target Platform” info
icon overlay for newly created resources
added parameter -assignall and -batchclose
fixed bug when sorting is handled differently in certain locales
Fixed editing big RCData resources (Message “Text exceeds memo capacity”)
fixed GPF when loading thousands of files
“save only changed resources to res file” now also includes resources
that have been changed in previous sessions.
fixed bug when �01 appeared in a string resource
fixed bug for non-separator empty menu items
fixed abort of Find In Resources Dialog with “Corrupt Resource” message
for encrypted/compressed exe files.
improved internal architecture of ResPatchers
New mode for saving resource folders: a dialog pops up and the user can
make detailed decisions how the output file(s) will be
fixed bug in Dialog rc editing
changed GUI to a 2-window layout
Resource Viewer cannot be made a toolwindow anymore
added “default view mode” button
file view mode is now one revolving button
“New->res” file and “New->.dcr” menu and tool button
changed name to Restorator 2004, version to 3.00
remove proverbs in splash screen
moved “Configure Tools” entry as last entry in menu
type description includes “raw data” if no parsed/understood format
save width of list columns in resource viewer for exe/folder display
add GIF image file format to Find dialog
GIF display of dimensions and color depth
Property Dialog remembers position
improved UNICODE searching on Windows NT/2000/XP (non case-sensitive)
activated case-sensitive searching
highlight/select the found text in text or hex display
added “Language…” menu item to change the language of a resource or resource tree
added FAQ menu item
possibility to cancel changing to another resource when edits were made in edit (ab) mode
in edit (ab) mode: F8 does not let the cursor jump to the beginning
if an error occurs with F8 in edit (ab) mode, the cursor jumps to the error line
Ctrl-A selects all
moved bookmark menu in Browser menu
moved Extract/Assign menus in context menu
Added “Save” function
remodeled help menu
modified meaning of “ab” button: it is independent of the view mode buttons now
allow overwriting version resource (still disabled in demo version)
fixed bug: in dialogs, edit text shows “y” as text
improved compatibility of dialog display. Now all dialogs are displayed.
fixed problem where the Grab Resources tool would hang
nicer display of progress in Find Resources and Grab Resources tools
Dialog Editor
Awards
Here are a few of the many awards Restorator has won.
Support
We provide multiple levels of support for Restorator:
Tutorials
The Tutorials (Usage Examples) are examples of typical usage scenarios.
Step-by-step guides with annotated screenshots make it easy to follow them by yourself.
In the online discussion forum, users can interchange know-how, tricks and their experiences. This is the recommended way to get help for specific problems.
The Bome team is active in the forums and makes sure that everybody’s request will be satisfied.
Email Support
Still can’t solve your problem? Contact us by email with the contact form!
Email support is reserved for licensed users (i.e. only if you have purchased Restorator).
Testimonials
Here are some original statements that users made about Restorator.
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