NERDPAD: Fix for Microsoft Wordpad (1.0)
 
Normally Windows's Wordpad program will not allow you to take a peek inside a 
program; if you try you will be greeted with the warm, friendly message, 
"Can not load executable files.".  If you want to change the text of your 
favorite program or just see what's in it and you're sick of seeing this message, 
this patch is the answer.

Directions: 
 1. Unzip into the same directory as Wordpad (normally c:\windows).
 2. Double click on wrdpatch.exe to turn Wordpad into Nerdpad. No visible changes will be 
    made to the file, but it will open and save executables without complaint.


Note to users with virus-protection software running:
This program makes changes to the Wordpad executable, which may be interpreted by some 
real-time virus protection utilities as a virus-like activity. If so, you may need to 
disable your antivirus software before running this patch. (Just don't forget to turn it 
back on when you're done!)
 
 
OVERVIEW: Text viewing
 
Your 'fixed' version of Wordpad will allow you to load executable files (EXE, DLL, etc.) 
and display their contents in the Wordpad window. You can then examine the program for 
cheat codes (common in games) and 'easter eggs' (hidden features or secrets in a program). 
You can also try to find out what an unknown installer program will install if you run it. 
You can even use Wordpad's Find feature to search for specific words or phrases.
 
OVERVIEW: Text editing
 
You can also change the text of many programs. This is useful for correcting typos or just 
having fun. (Seeing 'Breaking Windows 95...' when the computer boots can be good for a few 
chuckles, especially if you experience a lot of Windows stability problems :)

(Caution: Make a backup copy of the file before attempting to make any changes to it!)

FOR PROGRAMMERS: If you have just finished a lengthy compile of a large program, and then 
notice a typo, you may be able to fix it in Nerdpad instead of recompiling.
FOR EVERYONE ELSE: You can use the Find feature (Ctrl-F) to search for the text you wish to 
modify, or just look around. Before making any changes, there are a few important things 
you must know about executable programs. First, you will notice a lot of strange characters. 
The 'garbage' characters you see are actually the 'guts' of the program, the instructions 
that tell the machine what to do. Do not mess with them; if you do, the program may operate 
strangely or not at all (i.e. it will crash.) Second, do not change the file size or the 
location of any of the 'guts'. Programs depend on byte positions in the file to determine 
which portions are meant for humans to read and which are meant for the computer to read. 
(Likewise, you wouldn't be too happy if your guts were rearranged, either.) 
This means you should keep strings of text the same length as they were before--Press the 
INSERT key to switch to over-type mode, and then type over them. Finally, there may be some 
programs that just plain don't take well to editing. Some programs, especially 
self-extracting ZIP or ARJ compressed files, check their integrity when run to insure they 
have not been tampered with or corrupted. For files downloaded from the Internet, this 
insures that the file downloaded correctly. Seeing "PKSFX- Fast!" or "Self-extracting 
Archive" in there anywhere is a dead giveaway that you are dealing with compressed files, 
and it may just be best not to bother editing them.
 

Obligatory cautions and disclaimers:
 
!!!WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!
When opening programs in Wordpad (Nerdpad), 
be sure to make a backup copy
of an executable file before 
attempting to make any changes 
to it. We cannot be held responsible 
for any changes you make that cause 
a program to become unusable. 
 
Disclaimer: This program is provided AS IS, with no warranties either express or implied. 
The author disclaims all liability arising from the use of this program (or any other, for 
that matter).
This program is not licensed or endorsed by Microsoft Corporation, and the author is in no 
way affiliated with Microsoft. (Aww, shucks.)
This program is distributed as FREEWARE, which means you can use it, give it to your 
friends, etc. without having to pay anyone. In keeping with the spirit of freeware, this 
program is not to be distributed for profit, and aside from reasonable copying and media 
costs, it should be distributed free of charge. If distributing, please distribute this 
software in its original, unmodified form.
 
Thanks, and have fun :)
 
Bill
bgip@ix.netcom.com
 
Note: To 'undo' the patch at any time, re-run it using the /undo parameter. Ex: WRDPATCH /undo