Question

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Load an EXE file and run it from memory using C#

I am using the WebClient class to download a .exe from a web server. Is there a way that I can run the .exe without saving it to disk first?

For the purpose of completeness let me show you what I have so far.

Here is the code I use to start the download:

WebClient webClient = new WebClient();
webClient.DownloadDataCompleted += new DownloadDataCompletedEventHandler(webClient_DownloadDataCompleted);
webClient.DownloadDataAsync(new Uri("http://www.somewebsite.com/calc.exe"));

And in the (webClient_DownloadDataCompleted) method I simply grab the bytes from the parameter e:

private void webClient_DownloadDataCompleted(object sender, DownloadDataCompletedEventArgs e)
{
    Byte[] downloadedData = e.Result;
    // how to run this like a .exe?
}

Thank you.

Answer 1

If your .exe is a .NET program, you can load an assembly and run its entry point.

Otherwise, while there are ways to do it, I can’t see the problem with saving a file in temporary directory and running it from there which is so much less painful.