SNRemove

SNRemove is a handy tool that helps you deal with signed .NET files. When a dll or exe file is signed with strong name keys, .NET won’t let you modify it. If you try to tweak a signed assembly using a Hex editor or another tool, you’ll bump into an error. You might see something like: An unhandled exception of type 'System.IO.FileLoadException' occurred in system.windows.forms.dll. Additional information: Strong name validation failed for assembly 'MyAssembly.Test'.

Common Errors with Signed Files

If you attempt to run a signed executable after making changes, the error message will tell you that Strong name validation failed for assembly.... This means the file might have been tampered with or isn’t fully signed with the correct private key.

How SNRemove Works

This is where SNRemove comes in! It removes the strong name signature reference from .NET exe and dll files. Once you've removed this reference, you can edit the dll or exe file without running into exceptions or error messages. Just keep in mind that assemblies without strong name references can't be added to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC).

Using SNRemove is Simple!

Getting started with SNRemove is easy as pie! Just extract the snremove.exe to any folder of your choice and run it from Command Prompt using your desired command-line options.

Command-Line Options for SNRemove

The basic command structure looks like this:

SNRemove [options]

You can use these options:

• -r: Remove the reference to Strong Name signature from the specified file.


• -d: Display the Strong Name signature of the specified file.

Examples of Using SNRemove

You can even use wildcards in your commands! Here are some examples:

SNRemove -r c:myfilesdll1.dll
SNRemove -d "c:my files*.dll"

If you're looking for more info on how to download and use this tool, check out this link!