Hexplorer 2.6

Overview

When analyzing hex files, you need a tool that you can completely rely on. It needs to be flexible and configurable, in order for the user to enjoy using it, as well as have many (advanced) features and functions that are easy to find and use. There are many tools with these properties, and one of them is Hexplorer. It can open several file types (Motorola S-Record, Intel Hex, etc.) and has the ability to find repeated patterns in files, count checksums, record macros, export data to a C or C++ disassembler, and do many other stuff.

Installation

Hexplorer is open source, meaning that you apart from the setup package you can also download the binaries that make up the software as well. If you’re not interested in examining the source code of the program then you can just download the installer.

The installation procedure is very easy and straightforward; once you launch the installer you will be asked to choose whether you want to create Desktop and Start Menu icons (shortcuts), and select an installation directory. The main installation process will begin right afterwards and finish in only a few seconds.

The program is clean from all kinds of malware (viruses, Trojans, etc.) and doesn’t include any 3rd-party advertised software.

Supported operating systems are all versions of Windows (32/64-bit).

Interface

Hexplorer’s interface is very simple, but has a few graphics here and there in order to make it more user-friendly.

The main window has the menu bar at the top, which has 8 items (File, Disk, Edit, View, Structures, Crypto, Macro and Help), and below is the toolbar with 11 buttons for quick-access of various functions (open, cut, copy, paste, etc.).

In the middle of the window is the main area, which has a black background and displays the hex data of the open file. There’s also a status bar located at the bottom of the window that has some useful indicators (pos, size, etc.).

Pros

Hexplorer has many useful features kept in a compact interface. For instance, it has 6 color schemes that can be used to interpret bytes visually, in order to make the analysis easier. In addition, you can import/export data from/to many binary file formats, such as Motorola S-Record, Intel Hex, Atmel Standard, and others.

From a more technical aspect, the program has the ability to find repeated patterns in the data, either by calculating the entropy of a selected portion of the data. It can also calculate the Fourier Transform of the selected data. Another algorithm which has been implemented in the program is the Boyer-Moore string search algorithm for fast search of strings in the text.

Other functions of Hexplorer include a pseudo-random number generator, a big endian to little endian converter, a disassembler, a pixel viewer for showing binaries as bitmaps, recording macro scripts, encrypting data (but unfortunately we don’t know what kind of encryption is used), counting checksums (e.g. CRC, SHA, MD5, RIPEMD) and converting decimal numbers to binary. The program has many other features included as well.

Cons

There are no cons in this program.

Alternatives

Some popular Hex editors are HxD (free), PE Explorer (paid), wxHexEditor (free), WinHex (paid) and Hex Workshop (paid). Out of those, HxD and PE Explorer are the best ones.

Conclusion

Hexplorer is unarguably a great hex editor that has tons of features. It can be used for many purposes, and will certainly satisfy even the most demanding users.