What is disk imaging. ISO disk image: download, burn or open a disk image. Imaging programs

On the Internet, most games, software collections, operating systems, music, tutorials and other information we need are in the so-called Disk Images (virtual disks). The most common disk image file format is the ISO format.

Before a user who first encountered such a file format, a reasonable question arises, but how to work with such a file?

Most popular programs to work with ISO format files (in my opinion) these are: UltraISO, DAEMON Tools Lite, Alcohol 120%, which create a virtual drive in the operating system and mount disk images into it. So, let's mount the disk image using the DAEMON Tools Lite program, which is also free and performs all the basic functions we need (mount, unmount, create, create virtual drives, etc.).

DAEMON TOOLS

Downloading from the official site:

https://www.disk-tools.com/download/daemon

program installer.

We are looking for the folder where (or another download manager) downloaded the program installer and run it for execution. We press the “Next” button.

Press the "Accept" button.

Select "Free license" and click the "Next" button.

Expand the “File Association” list and make sure that the “ISO” list item is checked and click on “Next”.

At your choice, mark whether or not to allow the use of statistics and click on the “Next” button.

Specify the installation path of the program and click "Install".

Optionally, install or not install the Gadget on the Desktop (for me this is superfluous).

We remove or leave marks in the items “Install and configure Yandex.Browser” and then click the “Close” button.

Run the DAEMON Tools Lite program, click the "Add image" button.

In Explorer Windows files select the image file of the disk we need in .ISO format and click the “Mount” button.

The disk image we have chosen has been mounted into a virtual drive, now we can work with it like a real DVD in the drive (open, autorun, etc.).

The program includes other functions for work (removing from the image catalog, adding a virtual drive, removing a virtual drive, creating an image disk, burning it to a disc). What if we need to create a disk image using a program? Click the "Create Disk Image" button on the toolbar.

Choose a path to save.

Choose a format and its name.

Press the "Start" button.

After the end of the program, we get the disk image we created. There is another way to mount it in a virtual drive. With help context menu Windows Explorer:

Open the disk image folder.
Right-click on it.
Select the "Open with" menu item.
Select DAEMON Tools Lite from the menu and click on it.

That's all! Thank you for your attention.

The term describes any such file, regardless of whether the image was obtained from a real physical disk or not. Thus, the disk image contains all the information necessary to duplicate the structure, location and data content of any storage device. Usually, a disk image simply repeats the set of sectors of the media, ignoring the file system built on top of it.

Initially, disk images were used for Reserve copy and copying discs, in which the exact preservation of the original structure was necessary and/or expedient. With the advent of optical media (CDs, DVDs), CD/DVD images have become a more common type of image, often in the form of an .ISO file containing the ISO 9660 file system commonly used on such discs. The ISO format has become the most commonly used format for disc images, but it does not support multi-session data and audio CDs.

In addition to .ISO, there are a number of other disk image formats, such as .IMG and .DMG, as well as proprietary ones: .NRG (Nero Burning ROM), .MDS/.MDF (DAEMON Tools, Alcohol 120%), .DAA (CloneCD).

Usage

Backup regular program backup saves only files to which you have access; bootloader and files locked by the operating system may not be saved. A disk image contains all the data on the disk. Software distribution Disk images are often used to distribute large software packages (for example, distributions of the GNU/Linux operating system or the Internet. Virtual Disks Disk images can be used as a storage device for emulators and virtual machines. Replication of the same type of systems Disk images are also used for mass installation of software on computers with the same configuration. To do this, all drivers and the necessary software and a disk image is taken, which is subsequently installed on the remaining computers

What is ISO?

An ISO file is a virtual copy of a disc or any other optical (or non-optical) media. It was created special program, which can make exact copies from media. Such programs include UltraISO, Alcohol 120% and some others. Most often, images of games (which refuse to run without a disk) and operating systems (for their subsequent rewriting to a disk or flash drive) are saved in this format. How to open ISO? There are a number of programs for this. All of them are third-party, since Microsoft's Windows operating system does not know how to work with such files by default. So, consider the most popular programs.

Daemon Tools

This is probably the most popular and widespread program for working with virtual copies of disks. The utility is able to create a fair amount of virtual drives to run copies of disks. It uses the SPTD driver for this. To open a disk image using this utility, you must first launch the program, click the "Add Image" button and find the desired ISO file. Then you need to select this file in the program manager with the right mouse button and select "Mount". If there is an autorun file on the disk, then the desired window will open by itself. If not, then you need to open a virtual drive with this disk in the "Explorer" and then proceed to other actions. This is one of the answers to the question of how to open an ISO image.

This method of opening ISO files is very popular among gamers. The fact is that many games categorically refuse to run without the original disc in the drive. And disks, as you know, are not eternal. Therefore, instead of it, an image is often substituted. It's easier. And the speed of reading a virtual disk is much higher than an optical one. And sometimes speed is everything. However, let's move on to other programs.

WinRAR

As strange as it may sound, even this archiver is capable of opening ISO files. True, the archiver cannot fully emulate a virtual drive. Therefore, you will not be able to get autorun. Opening images of this format using an archiving program is worth it only if you just need to copy the contents of the image to a separate folder on your hard drive. This requires you to install WinRAR first. After installation, the program associates itself with files of this type. Just double click on desired file and the utility will open it in its own window. Now it can be unpacked by simple drag and drop to any directory. If "not picked up", then you need to right-click on the ISO file and select "Open with WinRAR". And then start unpacking. Here is another answer to the question of how to open an ISO file.

But WinRAR is not very popular among ordinary users. Only older users remember him. Most young people do not even imagine that such a program even exists. Therefore, it is better to use other programs. For example, the one that comes next in our review.

Total Commander

If you do not have WinRAR, but have this wonderful file manager, then we can assume that it's in the bag. This manager has in its arsenal all possible archivers. Therefore, any archive in "Total" opens in the same way as a regular directory. But there is one feature: if you open it in this way, you can only copy the archive files to a separate directory. And yet, Total Commander- another answer to the question of how to open ISO. You just need to run the program, find the directory with the ISO file and double-click on it with the left mouse button. A list of files contained in the image will immediately open. Now you can do whatever you want with them.

Total Commander is much faster than WinRAR. That is why many users prefer to work with this particular file manager. In addition, it has a two-panel structure, which is quite convenient. There is only one minus: the program is not free. Just like WinRAR. But this does not affect functionality in any way.

Conclusion

So, we have sorted out what ISO disks are, how to open them and what they are for. Everything is simple here. ISO is virtual image disk. To open it, you can use programs such as Daemon Tools, WinRAR and Total Commander. If you need a full-featured disc with menus, animations and all the "pretty things", then you will have to use only Daemon Tools to open the image. If you just need to copy the contents of the image to a directory, then a well-known archiver or an equally well-known file manager will do. As you can see, opening an ISO file is quite easy. It all depends on specific goals and objectives.

One of the most handy tools in the IT world, it's a disk image. If you are still unfamiliar with this concept, then be sure to read the article. The first time I came across images was due to my passion for games, oddly enough. I remember times when many computer games could only be launched if there was a game disc in the drive. That's when this wonderful technology came to our aid. It was enough to create a disk image file, and then, when necessary, emulate it into a virtual drive. In this way, it was possible to cheat the protection of the game, but gradually game developers began to introduce more complex algorithms protection. If to speak plain language The image allows us to simulate the presence of a disc in a drive. But, of course, the usefulness of a disk image is not only in emulating disks. With the help of images you can, without any special knowledge, write down boot disks , which serve as an excellent assistant in diagnosing and repairing a computer. Boot disks help us with:

component testing;
computer repair;
treatment of viruses;
transferring and restoring files.

What is a disk image?

A disk image is a complete copy of the data found on a CD, floppy disk, or even section of the hard disk. This also preserves the entire structure of the disk file system. The most common disk images are in the format .iso, .nrg, .mdf.

Let's not get carried away with theory, but consider everything in practice? Disk image is the exact sequence of 1s and 0s from the surface of the disk. Thus, if exactly the same sequence of ones and zeros is copied/written to another disk, then we will get an exact copy of the original disk. Many people may ask: Why create some kind of .iso image if you can just open the disk and copy all the files from it to another?» That's right, but if you copy the data from the boot disk in this way (for example, the operating system installation disk), and write it to a new one, then you will not be able to install the system from this disk later. Such a disk will simply be an archive with files and folders and will not be bootable. ISO files are very convenient for storing information that needs to be written to disk frequently.

So, how do you create a disk image file on your computer?

For this we need free program ImgBurn, which you can download by clicking on the link. Also, don't forget to download ImgBurn crack on the same page. ImgBurn allows you to both create image files and burn finished files to disk. After installing the program, a window with an extremely simple interface will open in front of us. All menu items of the program are in Russian, and it will not be difficult for even a novice user to deal with it. Of course, to create an image, we need to insert the disc into the drive and click on the "Create Disc Image" button. You will see a window in which you can make a number of settings. Personally, I did not change anything and left everything by default. Pay attention to the “Destination” item, where the file is stored on the hard drive.
Next, we press the "create image" button and wait for the file to finish reading.
After the process is completed, the program will display a message in which you just need to click the "OK" button.

How to burn an image to disk?

Burning an image to disk is as easy as creating it. The first step is to decide on the image file that you want to burn. I will record the image Hiren's Boot CD, which you previously downloaded to your computer . What is Hirens Boot CD read in my article, and in order not to miss anything important, subscribe to my articles. Also don't forget to insert a blank disc into the drive. If everything is done, then proceed to the recording. To do this, press the button "Burn image to disk"?
In the next window, select the image file. In my case, this is the HBCD.iso file, which is on my E drive:
We press the "record" button.
We are waiting for the completion of the recording.
On this, the entire recording process can be considered completed. We can only check the recorded disk and try to boot from it. Once again I will repeat that boot disks are Very good helper when repairing a computer. Especially in cases where the problem cannot be solved by means of the operating system or in cases where the system does not boot due to a crash or viruses. ? Read about the tools with which you can diagnose your computer in the following articles. If after reading the article you still have questions, I will answer them in the comments. Are you using an iPad? Read on ShkolaPK.ru - How to transfer photos to iPad. - useful article for novice users.

Today, progress covers all areas of technological development, technologies are constantly changing and improving. As a result, optical media are practically no longer used. But files with the ISO extension, called images, are becoming more and more popular.

The secret is that they contain a complete copy of the file system structure. And this, in turn, gives great advantages in the transfer and duplication of information, and is also used to obtain an exact copy.

What it is

Unlike conventional copying, which is not capable of transferring system data, an image completely duplicates the structure of the file system from physical media, repeating exactly the data structure and information about them.

The main goals of creating the iso format and ways to use it in everyday life are:

Creation backup CD - that was the original idea of creating the image;
backup. The ability to complete duplication made it possible to recover lost data or system partitions in an instant;
often used to store virtual machines and disks (mainly for installing multiple operating systems on a PC). Such images are also called virtual;
everyone who took a friend's operating room Windows system for reinstallation, I could notice that the recording was made on a simple DVD, despite the fact that it is an installation and multi-boot. Most often, the iso format is used for such purposes: software distribution, as well as for copying games and movies;
those who have been involved in company maintenance and equipment technical support know that most user computers are assembled according to one configuration, down to monitors and mice. In this area, an exact copy of the system with pre-installed drivers and a basic set of programs is indispensable for work.

Working with the format

As a rule, the image of a disk or partition is in the iso format, although others may occasionally occur. The remaining file extensions are most often specialized and are used to open or write only through one of the programs that they were created with.

Whereas iso can be opened by any program that works with images, or you can view the contents using one of the well-known archivers such as Winzip, Winrar. But in order to clone a disk, you need to use special software.

Burn

The process of writing any data to physical media using software or standard Windows tools called burning. In order to transfer a disk image to another user, you need to decide how to burn iso to CD or DVD.

In operating systems from Microsoft, without the use of additional software, the ability to work with formats such as iso appeared not so long ago:

Windows XP - it is possible to burn regular data;
Windows 7 - there is the possibility of recording;
Windows 8 - it is possible to mount an iso disk and work with it as with a physical one.

Despite this support in new operating systems, it is more convenient to use additional programs as a burning tool, such as UltraISO or Nero.

Video: Open disk image

Create and copy

Copying an exact copy of a disc to physical media, and then burning a copy of it is called cloning. File sharing servers and torrents are overflowing with images of all kinds of disks with programs, games and operating systems, providing the opportunity to download them for free.

But if you need to create an exact copy in order to clone some information from a physical medium, you must use one of the programs:

Let's take Daemon Tools as an example.

In order to start creating a virtual clone for an optical or physical (partition or flash drive) storage medium, you need to follow a few simple steps:

Mounting the image

Let's figure out what to do with a downloaded or created iso file. In order to see the entire disk structure, you need to mount the image using software, then your computer will read virtual disk real device.

If your operating system version is below 8, you will need to use one of the image readers. The most convenient and easy to understand will be Daemon Tools.

When you start the software, it will prompt you to mount one or more disks of your choice. Also, the program itself will try to find all the images stored on your computer. If it fails, or you are mounting from a flash drive, you can always specify the path.

If you don't know yet how many virtual disks you need, don't worry. You can always replace one image with another, or connect another one.

To do this, click on the tray icon (next to the clock) with the right mouse button and select the item called Mount image from the menu (in the Russian version - mount).

What program opens iso

This format is very popular, and a large list of software from different developers is provided to work with it. Software can be divided into three types by purpose.

let's consider best programs opening iso:

Designed for creating, mounting images, as well as editing them:

UltraIso;
Daemon Tools;
Magic Disc;
Virtual Clone Drive;
Gizmo drive.

Designed primarily for recording data on optical discs, including images:

Programs for archiving(working with files of this type does not apply to the main functions, but it is possible to view data on and get the necessary information):

winrar;
winzip;

You can also use Total Commander to view and copy content. Each of these programs is good in its own way and works with a large number of formats. But two of them I would like to highlight especially as the most convenient and practical.

UltraISO

When choosing software to work with iso files attention should be paid to simplicity and ease of use.

However, the number of useful options is also important, and there are a lot of them in UltraISO:

creation of exact copies of optical and flash drives, as well as entire hard drives and their partitions (up to 50 GB), floppy disks (up to 2 GB);
opening ISO files;
editing, adding, deleting, creating folders and files;
the ability to use different levels of ISO 9660 and Joliet;
improvement and work with the file structure;
creating all kinds of installation boot disks with any operating systems, and editing their parameters;
the ability to extract boot sectors.

Daemon tools

The DAEMON Tools program is intended more for opening and managing virtual drives within the system.

In terms of convenience, speed of mounting and dismounting disks, it can be safely put in the first place. It is possible to create up to four drives and manage the replacement with a single button.

Among the advantages of this program, in comparison with others, I would like to highlight:

automatic search for images on the computer;
connection at system boot;
you can create four discs that are indistinguishable from real ones;
the program is able to work with those formats that a regular DVD-Rom will not read, for example, PlayStation, X-BOX, GameCube.

Working with virtual copies of disks is much faster and more convenient than with physical media, and here's why:

When choosing software for working with disk images, pay attention to such programs on your computer as UltraISO and DAEMON Tools. Due to their functionality, quality of work and high speed processing data, they are the best among analogues.