CardGames.dll Demystified

Recently I discovered that a lot of people are searching for answers on the mysterious CardGames.dll file, found in the system32 folder of any Windows Vista installation.

As I already suspected, this file acts as a resource container and does not contain or expose functionality to the outside world.

I downloaded a tool called XN Resource Editor to take an extensive look at the contents of CardGames.dll.

First thing I noticed is the root of the resources: It consists of Version information and a folder called DATA. Under DATA the following structure can be found:

• DATA
  various XML files.
  
  
  
  • Animations
    various XML files describing the animations available.
    
  • Audio
    XML file describing the various sound files.
    
    
    
    • Sfx
      various WMA sound files.
      
    
    
  • Backgrounds
    XML, JPG and PNG files, combined to backgrounds of the different card games.
    
  • Decks
    XML and PNG files describing the different decks available.
    
  • DialogMce
    XML and PNG files for User Interface building.
    
  • Layouts
    XML files for User Interface layout of different card games.
    
  • Sheets
    CAB and JPG files with the different decks available.
    
  • Tips
    XML files with tooltip information and game help.
    
    
    
    • Styles
      
      
      
      • Green
        
      • Red
        
      • White
        
      
      
    • Freecell
      
    • Hearts
      
    • Solitaire
      
    • SpiderSolitaire