Why aren't EXE's in binary?

Question

Why is it that if you open up an EXE in a hex editor, you will see all sorts of things. If computers only understand binary then shouldn\'t there only be 2 possible symbols

Answer 1

Don't forget that about operating system and disk file sytem. They are may only use files in their formats. For example executable files in win32 must begin with PE header. Operation system loads exutable in memory and transfer control, assort api-instructions in the exutables and so on...The low level instructions executes by CPU, for that level instructions already may be a sets of byte.