Extract image from vb.exe

[Sanko]

Hi there

I have and old card games i make in Vb6, i lost the source but i wnat to make a new version. I search for the images from the game and also i cant find them so i dont want to re-scan the images and cards.

¿there is a way to extract the images from the old game exe (picture boxes and image boxes)?

i look for programs bu they only extract the icons.

Thanks

[RhinoBull]

Give a shot to this sample:

'This project needs a PictureBox, called 'Picture1'
 
'In general section
Private Declare Function DrawIcon Lib "user32" Alias "DrawIcon" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, ByVal hIcon As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function ExtractIcon Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ExtractIconA" (ByVal hInst As Long, ByVal lpszExeFileName As String, ByVal nIconIndex As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowsDirectory Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetWindowsDirectoryA" (ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal nSize As Long) As Long
 
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'KPD-Team 1998
    'URL: [url]http://www.allapi.net/[/url]
    'E-Mail: [email][email protected][/email]
 
    Dim Path as String, strSave as string
    'Create a buffer string
    strSave = String(200, Chr$(0))
    'Get the windows directory and append '\REGEdit.exe' to it
    Path = Left$(strSave, GetWindowsDirectory(strSave, Len(strSave))) + "\REGEdit.exe"
    'No pictures
    Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture()
    'Set graphicmode to 'persistent
    Picture1.AutoRedraw = True
    'Extract the icon from REGEdit
    return1& = ExtractIcon(Me.hWnd, Path, 2)
    'Draw the icon on the form
    return2& = DrawIcon(Picture1.hdc, 0, 0, return1&)
End Sub

[Wokawidget]

I am not quite sure that is what they are looking for.
It sounds like he wrote the app, and had 52 pictures in an array of pic boxes, or something similar.
He compiled the exe, but lost the source.

How on earth could you extract the pictures from the raw bytes of an EXE???

I am really not sure this is possible using code.

WOka

[RhinoBull]

It sure is possible ...
From MSDN:

The ExtractIcon function retrieves a handle to an icon from the specified executable file, dynamic-link library (DLL), or icon file.

To retrieve an array of handles to large or small icons, use the ExtractIconEx function.

[szlamany]

Those image bits are sitting in the .EXE perfectly the same as the original image - that's my guess anyway. The easiest way to prove this is to make a new exe - put an image into it - and see if you can find that "string of bits" in the .EXE - compared to the image file. If so you will have your first clue as to where in the .EXE the image is stored. It most likely will have some obvious stuff in front of and behind it.

The next challege is to extract those bits and get them into an image file - such as a .JPG (if that's what you use). I'm sure those files have header info that's only pertinent to the storage of the file on the disk.

Seems like a daunting task.

Can you screen capture the images somehow??

[RhinoBull]

here is a sampe for the extended function:

Const PS_DOT = 2
Const PS_SOLID = 0
Const RGN_AND = 1
Const RGN_COPY = 5
Const RGN_OR = 2
Const RGN_XOR = 3
Const RGN_DIFF = 4
Const HS_DIAGCROSS = 5
Private Type POINTAPI
    x As Long
    y As Long
End Type
Private Type RECT
    Left As Long
    Top As Long
    Right As Long
    Bottom As Long
End Type
Private Type LOGPEN
    lopnStyle As Long
    lopnWidth As POINTAPI
    lopnColor As Long
End Type
Private Declare Function CreateHatchBrush Lib "gdi32" (ByVal nIndex As Long, ByVal crColor As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function CreatePen Lib "gdi32" (ByVal nPenStyle As Long, ByVal nWidth As Long, ByVal crColor As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function CreatePenIndirect Lib "gdi32" (lpLogPen As LOGPEN) As Long
Private Declare Function CreateRectRgnIndirect Lib "gdi32" (lpRect As RECT) As Long
Private Declare Function CreateRoundRectRgn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal X1 As Long, ByVal Y1 As Long, ByVal X2 As Long, ByVal Y2 As Long, ByVal X3 As Long, ByVal Y3 As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function ExtractIconEx Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ExtractIconExA" (ByVal lpszFile As String, ByVal nIconIndex As Long, phiconLarge As Long, phiconSmall As Long, ByVal nIcons As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function FloodFill Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, ByVal crColor As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function FrameRect Lib "user32" (ByVal hdc As Long, lpRect As RECT, ByVal hBrush As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function FrameRgn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal hRgn As Long, ByVal hBrush As Long, ByVal nWidth As Long, ByVal nHeight As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function InvertRgn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal hRgn As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function OffsetRgn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hRgn As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function Pie Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal X1 As Long, ByVal Y1 As Long, ByVal X2 As Long, ByVal Y2 As Long, ByVal X3 As Long, ByVal Y3 As Long, ByVal X4 As Long, ByVal Y4 As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function Rectangle Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal X1 As Long, ByVal Y1 As Long, ByVal X2 As Long, ByVal Y2 As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function RoundRect Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal X1 As Long, ByVal Y1 As Long, ByVal X2 As Long, ByVal Y2 As Long, ByVal X3 As Long, ByVal Y3 As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function DeleteObject Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function SetRect Lib "user32" (lpRect As RECT, ByVal X1 As Long, ByVal Y1 As Long, ByVal X2 As Long, ByVal Y2 As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function CombineRgn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hDestRgn As Long, ByVal hSrcRgn1 As Long, ByVal hSrcRgn2 As Long, ByVal nCombineMode As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function SelectObject Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal hObject As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function CreateSolidBrush Lib "gdi32" (ByVal crColor As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function DrawIcon Lib "user32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, ByVal hIcon As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function DestroyIcon Lib "user32" (ByVal hIcon As Long) As Long
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'KPD-Team 1998
    'URL: [url]http://www.allapi.net/[/url]
    'E-Mail: [email][email protected][/email]
    Me.ScaleMode = vbPixels
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Paint()
    Dim hHBr As Long, R As RECT, hFRgn As Long, hRRgn As Long, hRPen As Long, LP As LOGPEN
    Dim hFFBrush As Long, mIcon As Long, Cnt As Long
    'Clear the form
    Me.Cls
    'Set the rectangle's values
    SetRect R, 0, 0, Me.ScaleWidth, Me.ScaleHeight
    'Create a new brush
    hHBr = CreateHatchBrush(HS_DIAGCROSS, vbRed)
    'Draw a frame
    FrameRect Me.hdc, R, hHBr
    'Draw a rounded rectangle
    hFRgn = CreateRoundRectRgn(0, 0, Me.ScaleWidth, Me.ScaleHeight, (Me.ScaleWidth / 3) * 2, (Me.ScaleHeight / 3) * 5)
    'Draw a frame
    FrameRgn Me.hdc, hFRgn, hHBr, Me.ScaleWidth, Me.ScaleHeight
    'Invert a region
    InvertRgn Me.hdc, hFRgn
    'Move our region
    OffsetRgn hFRgn, 10, 10
    'Create a new region
    hRRgn = CreateRectRgnIndirect(R)
    'Combine our two regions
    CombineRgn hRRgn, hFRgn, hRRgn, RGN_XOR
    'Draw a frame
    FrameRgn Me.hdc, hRRgn, hHBr, Me.ScaleWidth, Me.ScaleHeight
    'Crete a new pen
    hRPen = CreatePen(PS_SOLID, 5, vbBlue)
    'Select our pen into the form's device context and delete the old pen
    DeleteObject SelectObject(Me.hdc, hRPen)
    'Draw a rectangle
    Rectangle Me.hdc, Me.ScaleWidth / 2 - 25, Me.ScaleHeight / 2 - 25, Me.ScaleWidth / 2 + 25, Me.ScaleHeight / 2 + 25
    'Delete our pen
    DeleteObject hRPen
    LP.lopnStyle = PS_DOT
    LP.lopnColor = vbGreen
    'Create a new pen
    hRPen = CreatePenIndirect(LP)
    'Select our pen into the form's device context
    SelectObject Me.hdc, hRPen
    'Draw a rounded rectangle
    RoundRect Me.hdc, Me.ScaleWidth / 2 - 25, Me.ScaleHeight / 2 - 25, Me.ScaleWidth / 2 + 25, Me.ScaleHeight / 2 + 25, 50, 50
    'Create a new solid brush
    hFFBrush = CreateSolidBrush(vbYellow)
    'Select this brush into our form's device context
    SelectObject Me.hdc, hFFBrush
    'Floodfill our form
    FloodFill Me.hdc, Me.ScaleWidth / 2, Me.ScaleHeight / 2, vbBlue
    'Delete our brush
    DeleteObject hFFBrush
    'Create a new solid brush
    hFFBrush = CreateSolidBrush(vbMagenta)
    'Select our solid brush into our form's device context
    SelectObject Me.hdc, hFFBrush
    'Draw a Pie
    Pie Me.hdc, Me.ScaleWidth / 2 - 15, Me.ScaleHeight / 2 - 15, Me.ScaleWidth / 2 + 15, Me.ScaleHeight / 2 + 15, 20, 20, 20, 20
    'Extract icons from 'shell32.dll' and draw them on the form
    For Cnt = 0 To Me.ScaleWidth / 32
        ExtractIconEx "shell32.dll", Cnt, mIcon, ByVal 0&, 1
        DrawIcon Me.hdc, 32 * Cnt, 0, mIcon
        DestroyIcon mIcon
    Next Cnt
    'Clean up
    DeleteObject hFFBrush
    DeleteObject hRPen
    DeleteObject hRRgn
    DeleteObject hFRgn
    DeleteObject hHBr
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Resize()
    Form_Paint
End Sub

[Wokawidget]

It sure is possible ...
From MSDN:

I am almost 99% sure that the ExtractIcon API returns icons associated with the exe or dll. ie, ie an applications icon (that you see on your desktop or the startbar)

Will have a further look into it.

Woka

[RhinoBull]

On the second thought, if images are incorporated into some imageboxes then it might not be possible ... not sure how images are compiled within exe or dll and also not sure if any of those functions are working only when exe or dll has some resource within it.

[Wokawidget]

Just doubled checked.
Created a file called woof.exe, with some images and pic boxes. Compiled, and used that code about. It still only retrieved the applications icon.

This ones really hard, if at all possible.

Woka

[RhinoBull]

Did you use ExtractIconEx ? If yes then my guess was close - it does extract from resources.

[dglienna]

are they the standard 52 cards that are in a deck? I thought that M$ included them in a .dll, maybe called CARDS.dll. I was thinking bout using them for a re-write of my DOS poker game.

[RhinoBull]

It didn't work for cards.dll, dg, so it must be more tthan afctor involved: I would guess that it must be in the resource and it must be a real icon format image in order to get extracted.

[dglienna]

I googled, and got this. Is it the images, or just the logic?

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=318815

EDIT: I was right. Here is a link to Crazy8's using them

http://www.rookscape.com/vbgaming/tutU.php

[RhinoBull]

Yea, but that is cards.dll specific function ...

[dglienna]

I meant that he could just use these instead of trying to get the ones that he scanned into his old program.

[RhinoBull]

Oh, in that case you might be right unless he has some special images he created himself.

[Sanko]

Wow

I think this is really hard, so i go for the easy solution: i will take screenshots of the game and then edit with a image editor to extract the images i need.

however i still try to find the way to extact the images from a vb exe.

Thanks to all for your help

[Keithuk]

Your best bet is to use an existing cards ocx/dll Cards.dll, Cards32.dll, Qcard32.dll, Vbcards.ocx. If you are really set on using picture cards then use Resource Hacker. It will extract all the playing cards and card backs from Cards32.dll.

http://www.users.on.net/johnson/resourcehacker/