DOS MZ executable

The DOS MZ executable format is the <a href="/facts/Executable/VSst9eLA">executable</a> <a href="/facts/File_format/qrXbwJaH">file format</a> used for .<a href="/facts/EXE/xgRXf4rt">EXE</a> files in <a href="/facts/DOS/sWwDXNmX">DOS</a>.
The file can be identified by the <a href="/facts/ASCII/vGUI33Qu">ASCII</a> string "MZ" (<a href="/facts/Hexadecimal/02ohQW22">hexadecimal</a>: 4D 5A) at the beginning of the file (the "<a href="/facts/Magic_number_(programming)/Xg7mVI7V">magic number</a>"). "MZ" are the initials of <a href="/facts/Mark_Zbikowski/kbKlWg5o">Mark Zbikowski</a>, one of the leading developers of <a href="/facts/MS-DOS/fVrrz1uN">MS-DOS</a>.
The MZ DOS executable file is newer than the <a href="/facts/COM_file/3SXSyIxa">COM executable format</a> and differs from it. The DOS executable <a href="/facts/Header_(computing)/DSbn3tM1">header</a> contains <a href="/facts/Relocation_(computing)/yKQLrrPE">relocation</a> information, which allows multiple segments to be loaded at arbitrary memory addresses, and it supports executables larger than 64k; however, the format still requires relatively low memory limits. These limits were later bypassed using <a href="/facts/DOS_extender/fhzoAhzm">DOS extenders</a>.

DOS MZ executable open-in-new

DOS MZ executable