Summary: Iso files are a common disk image distribution format. We'll look at the best ways to open iso files as well as a couple of ways to create them.
I have a disc which contains some information. I want to open it but I apparently don't have the right program installed on my computer. The file type is ".iso". How can I open it?
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An "iso" file is just a disk image.
There are two ways to deal with a disk image: put it on a disk, or make it look like you put it on a disk.
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The easiest way to think of an iso file is more like a "zip" or "cab" file, only without the compression.
An iso file contains the image of a disk. That means it contains all the files and folders that were on that disk, much like a zip or cab file contains a collection of files and folders. The real difference is that an iso is a byte-for-byte copy of the low-level data actually stored on a disk.
There's nothing about the iso format that actually knows about files, folders or formats. It's just the raw data from the disk. Now, naturally that raw data, if interpreted correctly, may know about files, folders and format. But, like a disk, the operating system has to look, see what format was used (things like FAT32, NTFS and the like), and interpret the contents of the iso file as if it were reading the raw data from an actual disk.
There are a few ways to deal with iso files.
Burn the iso file to a disk.
Iso files are frequently used to distribute CD or DVD images. For example if you download a popular Linux distribution what you'll most likely download is actually an iso file. Using a CD or DVD burning program like ImgBurn you can then write that iso disk image to an actual disk. When you examine the completed disk you'll see all the files and folders that were contained in the image. In the case of the Linux distribution, you'll probably even be able to boot from the CD you just created.
Mount the iso file as if it were a disk.
There are several utilities out there that will mount an iso file as if it were a disk drive, though often only for reading. I've not used any enough to recommend, or even mention names, so perhaps readers will chime in with utilities that they've used.
Treat the iso file as if it were an archive.
Recall how I indicated that iso files are much like zip or cab files? As it turns out, some of the popular archiving utilities, including WinRAR and my personal favorite 7 Zip can also read and extract the contents of iso files.
All you need to do is use those tools' view or extraction functions on the iso file to examine its contents or extract some or all of the files you need.
Creating iso files
Creating iso files of CDs or other disks you own is a convenient way to backup, archive or (if legal) share them. And it's actually quite easy to do.
Most CD/DVD burning software includes the ability to rip or create an iso image. ImgBurn, in particular, is perhaps one of the easiest tools to use for this purpose. Just insert your CD, tell ImgBurn where to place and what to name the iso file, and push a button.
ImgBurn can also be used to create an iso image from files you specify, much as if you were actually burning files to CD or DVD. After collecting the files that you want to place in the image, you can instruct ImgBurn to create an iso file instead of burning to disk.
Article C3228 - December 5, 2007
Ha! I've been dealing with ISO's for several months now. I thought that I'd had the most ingenious method until now. I'd downloaded the free trial of Alcohol 52% (I didn't want to pay for 120%, and the trial for this was timed). Once I had the ISO mounted on a virtual drive, I'd copy them to my hard drive. I had to clutter up my drive and go through some hell before I finally got Alcohol 52% to work right. Then, I read this article and found out that you can just use 7-Zip. Thanks so much!
By the way, if anyone wants to burn ISO's or similar images, I recommend getting the free program Imgburn. Don't bother with any other programs.
Posted by: Joshua at December 21, 2009 3:07 PMMount the ISO with Daemon Tools lite ;)
Posted by: marco at December 23, 2009 3:56 AMit works great and easy .. :P
Thanks for the great tips Leo but I still have a problem with 2 ISO files (others I've tried work fine). I've tried 7-Zip, ImgBurn, Roxio, Magic disc with similar failure symptoms from all. I have followed your instructions for burning ISO back to a disc. Most of the time the disc seems to burn OK, even verifies OK, but when I try to see the files on it, I get a msg: "Windows cannot read from this disc...". If I try to extract the ISO file using 7-Zip it says "Cannot open file... as archive". I don't know what the source of the original files were - could the problem be that they were from a Mac or are ISO files only from Windows? An interesting symptom is that it is a DVD (I tried both DVD-R and DVD+RW) as the ISO files are both around 1.4 Gb, yet when I re-insert the disc after burning it, the description changes from "DVD-RAM drive" to "CD Drive".
05-Jan-2010
Posted by: MFC at January 4, 2010 12:47 PM
Awesome. Thank you! I was able to extract from a .r00 sequence using 7zip. I was then able to view and extract the contents of the .iso file. Files ready to use.
Posted by: craig sheppe at February 3, 2010 3:27 AMLeo, I'm having a problem with a series of iso files that were created while backing up one CD. I want to reinstall the application that was backed up, but the files contained in the iso files all have the same name. How do I restore the original CD? When I opened the first file it launched Roxio and began burning a CD, but ignored the remaining archive files. I'm lost, but need to restore my hard drive this week. I guess my question is how do I combine 7 iso files back into one workable file? Thanks!
12-Mar-2010
Posted by: Renee at March 11, 2010 8:50 PM