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The Portable Executable (PE) format is a file format for executables, object code, dynamic-link-libraries (DLLs), and binary files used on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems, as well as in UEFI environments. [2]
In addition to the binary application code, the executables may contain headers and tables with relocation and fixup information as well as various kinds of meta data. Among those formats listed, the ones in most common use are PE (on Microsoft Windows), ELF (on Linux and most other versions of Unix), Mach-O (on macOS and iOS) and MZ (on DOS).
64-bit Portable Executable (PE32+) Introduced by 64-bit versions of Windows, this is a PE file with wider fields. In most cases, code can be written to simply work as either a 32 or 64-bit PE file. [8] This file also includes a DOS stub. [6]
Several object files are linked to create the executable. Object files -- executable or not -- are typically stored in a container format, such as Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) or Portable Executable (PE) which is operating system-specific. [5]
The Common Object File Format (COFF) is a format for executable, object code, and shared library computer files used on Unix systems. It was introduced in Unix System V, replaced the previously used a.out format, and formed the basis for extended specifications such as XCOFF and ECOFF, before being largely replaced by ELF, introduced with SVR4.
"An In-Depth Look into the Win32 Portable Executable File Format," Part1, Part2 — Pietrek's 2002 MSJ articles describing Win32 Portable Executable file format Peering Inside the PE: A Tour of the Win32 Portable Executable File Format — Pietrek's 1994 MSJ article, the first publicly available material on the subject.
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The file format of a DLL is the same as for an executable (a.k.a. EXE), but different versions of Windows use different formats. 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions use Portable Executable (PE), and 16-bit Windows versions use New Executable (NE).