So here is a little trick I use constantly to see what strings are in a sample I'm working with. I find that sometimes it's easier to see the strings in this context rather then doing just a "strings" command.
Step 1: Open you sample in Notepad++
Step 2: Use TextFX -> TextFX Characters -> Zap all non printable characters to #
Step 3: Once all the non-printable characters are # (hash) you can remove them by doing a replace