W32DASM

W32DASM is fully-featured code management and executable disassembler tool that can help users with moderate to experienced programming knowledge to reverse engineer compiled code, take complicated files apart and discover the inner secrets of original programming that enabled the target app to work.



Note: This product is not developed actively anymore.

This tool relies on the use of a low-level programming language called assembly language (asm) to discover all the connections between compiled code and machine code instructions that are powering the computation ability of modern CPUs that power our home and business PCs.

By observing the way the target application is talking with the CPU, it can detect all of their interactions and translate machine language queries back into the assembly language. These observations can help programmers to learn the inner functions of unknown software, reverse-engineer its source code, and find out how it all works.



It has a built-in support for disassembling code of wide variety of files, including formats such as .exe, .386, .com, .cpl, .dll, .drv, .fon, .mpd, .ocx, .vbx and .vxd.  During and after the disassembly procedure, users are encouraged to save their findings and create projects that can be resumed at a later time. The app can easily handle 32-bit disassembled executable files of all sizes.

• Disassembles Both 16 and 32 Bit Windows Programs
• Displays for Exports, Imports, Menu, Dialog, and Text References
• Integrated Debugger for 32 Bit Programs (16 Bit Debug Not Available)
• Includes Text Search and Navigation Functions

The user interface of the app is intuitive, but it is crowded with a large amount of machine language monitoring and disassembled code tools. To streamline the process of the disassembly, developers of W32DASM from the software house URsoftware have included helpful tools such as Search function, smart implementation of instruction pointers, break/load DLLs, thread creation/exit monitoring, execution of jumps and calls, examining of data objects and segments in a hexadecimal display, and even searching of function lists that can be imported/exported.

The app is not directly configurable (even keyboard shortcuts are fixed), but it at least supports the ability to change its main font.

W32DASM is an old application that is not actively upgraded anymore, but it still provides extensive toolset needed to accurately and reliably disassemble and reverse-engineer compiled code. It is 100% FREE and can be used on all versions of Windows OS (due to its age it is not optimized for newer versions of Windows, but the app works fine even on Windows 10 and Windows 11).



Alternatives

If you are looking for an excellent alternative to this product, we recommend OllyDbg.

PROS

• User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate, suitable for beginners.
• Comprehensive Disassembly: Provides detailed disassembly of 16-bit and 32-bit Windows executables.
• Integrated Debugger: Includes basic debugging tools for step-by-step code analysis.
• Search Functionality: Allows searching for strings and functions within the disassembled code.
• Free to Use: No cost for downloading and using the tool.

CONS

• Outdated: Not updated for modern operating systems or executables (e.g., 64-bit support is lacking).
• Limited Features: Lacks advanced features found in more modern disassemblers.
• Basic Debugger: The integrated debugger is quite rudimentary compared to standalone debuggers.
• Performance Issues: May run slowly or crash when handling large files.
• Compatibility: May not work well with newer versions of Windows or more complex executables.