BitConverter Class converts base data types to an array of bytes, and an array of bytes to base data types.
Module Example Public Sub Main() Dim value As Integer = -16 Dim bytes() As Byte = BitConverter.GetBytes(value) ' Convert bytes back to Int32. Dim intValue As Integer = BitConverter.ToInt32(bytes, 0) Console.WriteLine("{0} = {1}: {2}", value, intValue, If(value.Equals(intValue), "Round-trips", "Does not round-trip")) End Sub End Module