File iso how to open So what's this. This question may arise for every computer user. In this article I will tell you what the iso format is and how you need to handle it: how to create an iso image and what program to open it with.
The iso file extension is an archived image of a CD or DVD disk that is used by programs to create an exact copy of disks and then burn them. Very often used to store backup exact copies of disks on media. Essentially, this file is simply an archive container in which the file system of the ISO 9660 standard, which describes the standard for CD-ROM disks, is collected. The purpose of creating this format was to provide full compatibility storage media on different operating systems (such as Unix, Windows, Mac OS).
How to open an iso file using the free 7-zip archiver.
If you have an ISO image and need to burn it to a disc, you can use the free CD BurnerXP disc burning program. You can read how to record.
If you do not need to burn the image to disk and you just want to open the iso file to, for example, view a list of files or open some, you can use the free 7-zip archiver. I will show how this is done using the example of one of the files, and at the end of the article I recorded a video with step by step instructions. You must have the 7-zip archiver installed on your computer.
So, open the folder with the disk image file (iso) and right-click on the file. In the menu list we find 7-zip, click and in the menu that opens select “Open archive”. This operation will open our file to work with the files that are inside. In this case, we will be able, for example, to select only some of all the files present and unzip them to a computer for reading or viewing. If you select the “Unpack” menu, a window will open with a choice of where to unpack the entire iso file. When you select the “Unpack here” menu, the program will unzip the entire contents of the archive into the folder in which the iso archive itself is located. And when you select “Extract to...”, the program will expand all the files contained in the archive into a folder that will have the same name as the name of the iso file. In our case, we select “Open archive” because this is the most universal method of working with it.
After this, the archiver will start with a list of files that the iso image contains. Just like in a regular Explorer, you can select files and open folders. To unzip the necessary files, we select a file, folder or several files and folders and click the “Extract” button. A window will open where you need to specify the folder into which the file will be extracted. In my case, I selected 1 file and extracted it to the same folder where the image itself was located. Click Ok.
As a result, the files that we extracted should appear in the selected folder. There is nothing super complicated in the iso file and you can work with it in the same way as with a regular archive.
How to open an iso file using winrar archiver
In principle, you can open an iso with any decompressor program that allows you to work with this iso format. As for the most common winrar program, I will show you how to work with it.
If you already have winrar installed, you can extract all files from the iso image directly from the context menu. But as you can see in the image below, you cannot open the file by right-clicking. You will need to first launch winrar and select the required file in the program itself to open and then extract the necessary files. If you often need to open these types of files, it will be more convenient to add the ability to open with an archiver using the context menu.
To do this, launch winrar and open the options menu and then settings. Go to the Integration tab, check the ISO checkbox and click OK.
After this, the right-click context menu on the ISO file will look like this. Also pay attention to the file icon. It took the form of a winrar archive, i.e. When you run such a file, the archiver will automatically start with the contents of the file.
Now you can select the files or folders you need, view the contents, or extract them to your computer. All operations are the same as in the case of the 7-zip archiver.
How to open an iso file with a disk mount program
In previous examples, we looked at options for how to open and extract the contents of a file. However, in most cases you will be faced with the task of watching a video or installing some program or game on your computer. And in this case, you will need a special program that creates a virtual disk drive on your computer and mounts the iso file, which allows you to use it as an ordinary CD or DVD disk. This is necessary if the installer program, to install programs, needs to work not with files in a folder, but with a full-fledged drive.
The most common and also free program for mounting images is DAEMON Tools Lite. You can download it from the website daemon-tools.cc. Please note that to download you must click on the following link:
After downloading, run the installation file and install the program on your computer. Once the installation is complete, all ISO files will change their icon to daemon tools and, when opened or double-clicked with the left button, will be automatically mounted as a virtual disk and opened as a disk. To do this, the program will create an additional virtual drive during mounting and when unmounting the image, this drive will be deleted as unnecessary.
After opening an iso file in this way, you can perform all operations with it just like those available for files on a regular disk. To unmount the image and hide the virtual drive, right-click on the virtual drive and select "eject" from the context menu.
Video “How to open an iso file”
Daemon Tools Lite is a tool for emulating CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives, a free program for reading and creating virtual images of laser optical discs. Using Daemon Tools Lite, you can create up to 4 virtual CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives in the system and you can use them like regular optical drives, with the only difference that you need to insert electronic impressions, images of optical storage media into them. The Daemon Tools Lite utility is an excellent solution for a computer that does not have a laser drive. Install Daemon Tools Lite and you will be able to create *.iso, *.mdx and *.mds disk images, as well as mount images of *.iso, *.nrg, *.cue, *.vhd, *.ccd, formats into a virtual drive. *.bwt, *.b5t, *.b6t, *.cdi, *.isz, *.dmg.
Reading images
Using a virtual disk image allows you to store information more reliably, because the disk image file cannot be scratched, and the reading speed from a virtual drive is many times higher than the reading speed of a conventional drive; moreover, when accessing a virtual drive, there is absolutely no noise that occurs when a laser disk rotates. Storing information in the form of image files on disk is also convenient, because it does not take up space on shelves. Mounting disks is possible directly from the Explorer window; the program is built into its context menu during installation. Daemon Tools Lite implements algorithms to bypass copy protection Laserlock, CDCOPS, Protect CD, SafeDisc, Securom, StarForce and others, thanks to this, you can emulate both regular and protected disks.
Screenshots of Daemon Tools Lite
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ISO disk images are used in a variety of situations. Operating systems, applications, games and much more are distributed in ISO images. Therefore, many users are interested in how to open an ISO file with a program.
In this article we will talk about which program to open an ISO file. But, before we move directly to the programs, it should be noted that there are two ways. You can simply open the ISO file and see what files are inside it, or open the ISO file by mounting it as a virtual disk, in which case you can use the ISO file as a real CD.
7-Zip
DAEMON Tools Lite is a free version of DAEMON Tools Pro and one of the most popular disk mounting programs. This program allows you to mount disk images in formats such as mdx, mds/mdf, b5t, b6t, bwt, ccd, cdi, bin/cue, ape/cue, flac/cue, nrg, isz, as well as ISO. With DAEMON Tools Lite you can quickly mount an ISO file into a virtual drive and work with the disk image as if it were a real CD in your drive. You can download the DAEMON Tools Lite program from the official website.
is a professional program for working with ISO images. This program allows you not only to open ISO files, but also to mount them in a virtual drive, as well as edit them by adding or deleting files. Moreover, with UltraISO you can burn the contents of an ISO file to a USB flash drive to install the operating system. If you work a lot with ISO files, then you definitely need to choose UltraISO. The only drawback of this program is that it is not free. As of this writing, UltraISO costs just under $30. You can download a trial version or buy this program on the official website
Hi all!
Technological progress is moving forward by leaps and bounds – it’s hard to disagree with this.
Ten years ago, small floppy disks or optical discs were used to install a program or game on a computer.
Now all this can be done remotely and quickly using files with the iso extension. In this case, the installation process takes a very long time short term. Let's look at this in more detail.
I noticed that flash drives are rarely used these days. Basically, a torrent or other similar file hosting service is used to exchange the necessary information in large quantities.
I am sure that almost all of my readers know how to download the necessary material in this way. Typically, the resulting files have an iso extension.
And here the question arises: what is it? Not every user knows about this.
What is ISO?
There's really nothing to be afraid of. It's not, but virtual image disk containing a complete copy of the structure of the entire file system: directories, folders and individual files. Copying takes place a short time, and this is a big advantage over the standard method of data exchange.
How to work with this format?
So, what to do after you have downloaded the virtual disk to your computer. It is very important to know how to open a file with this extension in order to access it.
This format is quite popular, so many programs have been developed for comfortable work with it. One of them must be installed on your computer. If you don’t know whether you have it or not, you can conduct an experiment. Try to open the copied file by clicking on it with the mouse. The disk image will open correctly if the program is already installed.
There are two most popular options for running the resulting file:
- Use a standard one, for example winrar or winzip.
- Install special program, such as Daemon Tools or UltraIso.
Working with archivers
This method can be used when you need to unpack an archive of files and transfer the necessary information to local disk computer or run the installer file directly from the archive.
Operating procedure:
Using this method, you can install downloaded programs, games, and educational material without using a physical storage medium.
Working with special programs
This method is most applicable for creating a virtual disk and working with it remotely. The Daemon Tools program is quite popular and is distributed in a paid version and for free. For home use, the free functionality is sufficient.
Daemon Tools must be installed only from the official website to avoid infecting your personal computer with viruses. After successfully installing Daemon Tools, be sure to restart your computer. The program will automatically be added to the startup list, and a small icon will appear on the desktop. Now, when you start the computer, it starts working in the background.
After this, you need to configure the program for optimal performance. To do this, left-click and select emulation from the drop-down context menu. The next step is to click on the line “all functions are enabled”.
By default, after installing Daemon Tools, one virtual drive is created. You can connect a virtual disk image to it for further work. To do this, you need to left-click on the Daemon Tools icon in the taskbar. In the menu that appears, select “virtual drive”, and select the file on the virtual disk required for work from the standard Explorer menu that opens. This allows you to continue working with the disc as with a regular CD.
Sincerely! Abdullin Ruslan
An ISO image is often used to create a copy of installation programs such as Windows.
An ISO file is an optical image of a CD or DVD disc, containing the ISO 9660 file system.
The image is a simple file. With the help of specialized programs it can be used instead of a standard CD.
Such a file has less information than the disk itself from which it was copied. The disk may contain information that can protect it from being copied.
Only programs that have this capability can save such information.
You can view ISO file information using archiving programs that can support this format.
Often such a file is used to “pack” as many files and folders as possible into one archive.
This format involves storing and distributing boot files and other large files at a faster rate than through removable or other physical media.
Now the ISO format is being used more and more often.
The main difficulty with such files is that Windows Vista and XP cannot initially recognize their format, which is why some inexperienced PC users experience difficulties.
When you try to open without a pre-installed, third-party, software, older operating systems do not know what to do with this file.
How to open an ISO file?
Read also: 5 easy ways to create a Windows 10 OS image
Rice. 2. Creating a disk image
This format is most often used to transfer information from a CD or DVD via the Internet or media.
All necessary data is saved in the archive, which is then transferred and unpacked on another computer.
IN Lately, this format has begun to be used frequently, therefore, every PC user should know how to open it, because not every computer will be able to immediately select the appropriate program.
This format is used for archiving games and operating system data.
This is done so that it can be launched without having a physical disk, but with only its image. In this case, you can do without unpacking.
You can simply launch the file by double-clicking the mouse. But if you need to extract information from a virtual disk, you will need a special program.
On this moment, there are several more famous ones, free programs, which are easy to use and accessible to any user. So, how do you open an ISO file?
1 Alcohol
4 WinRAR
5 7-zip
5 Windows 8-10 (System Explorer)
Read also: TOP 15 programs for cleaning your computer from junk
Daemon Tools is a program for creating CD/DVD images.
The drive is created programmatically and then treated by the computer as if it contains a disk. This allows you to use images as if they were physical disks located on a CD-ROM.
It is possible to create images in various formats for subsequent use in this and other similar programs.
A virtual disk drive is created to increase the speed of information transfer and reduce wear on media.
One of the most popular utilities for creating images and unpacking them.
Rice. 3. Utility download page
On the official website of the developer you can find free version, but after the update you will have to buy it. Go to the developer's website and click the "Download" button.
In order to open the files you need, the Lite version will be enough. This version is suitable if you do not need to perform any complex manipulations. It is in second place on the developer's website.
After downloading the program, install it and run it. To create an image, click on the button shown in Fig. 4.
Rice. 4. Creating an image in Daemon Tools
After clicking on this button, you need to select the file you want to convert.
But it will not start in the program, however, it can be found in “My Computer”, like a disk located in the drive.
You can also open it through “My Computer,” but before that you need to launch it in the program. To do this, press the corresponding button shown in Fig. 5.
Fig.5 Putting the image into operation.
After launching the image, it will be visible in “My Computer”, where it can already be opened.
Fig.6 Added disk image.
Through Daemon Tools the work is quite simple.
Considering the fact that recently ISO files have become quite popular and widespread, you need to have this program on your PC.
Its system requirements are small and the amount of memory it takes is minimal. Additionally, it can be noted that this utility is often installed along with the game, as a required application, if this is done from a disk through a drive.
From reviews:
“An excellent program for virtualizing optical disks, and it’s also free.”
"One of best programs when working with disk images"
“Excellently and efficiently creates a virtual disk and stores data on it”
Alcohol
Read also: Error “Windows cannot complete formatting”: causes of the error and 5 ways to fix it
Paid application for creating disk images.
With its help, you can create up to 31 drives, as well as burn information to a CD.
There is a version of Alcohol 52%, which is distinguished by the absence of the ability to record information on media, and is also absolutely free and intended for non-commercial use.
You can download this program on the official website of the developer.
But it is provided free of charge only for 30 days. Next, the utility asks you to buy a license.
The full version can, of course, be downloaded from pirated sites, but this is not recommended, as you can download virus software, thereby harming your PC.
By going to the developer's website, you will be taken to home page. On it you need to click “Download trial”.
After this, you will automatically be redirected to the download page, where you need to click the “Download” button, after which the installation file will begin downloading.
Once the download is complete, install the program and run it. The main window will open, in which we select the “File” submenu, and then click “Open”.
Fig.9. The main window of the utility.
Further work with ready-made is no different from working in Daemon Tools - Launch “My Computer”, find the desired disk and launch it.
From reviews:
“This program is much better than Daemon Tools, much! It’s very easy to create images, and it’s easy to remove (unlike Daemon Tools again)”;
“Cool program for images”;
“A must-have program for any computer. No comments needed.”;
“Cool program is very necessary for gamers!!!”;
“Damn, the program is absolutely a bomb, and even if you know how to use it, download it without fail!!!”
Read also:Create a bootable USB flash drive with utilities for Windows yourself
The program is designed for Windows OS, the main functions of which are creating, editing and converting CD/DVD images.
Has the ability to emulate and create CD burning.
There are paid and free versions. The difference is that in the free version it is impossible to work with images whose size is more than 300 MB. Multilingual interface. Can use native ISZ format.
UltraISO is not only popular, but also easy to use. Its simplicity is what accounts for its popularity. You can download the program for free on any website where it is available. One of the best is SoftPortal. How to download the program:
1 Go to the above site and look for UltraISO in the search bar. Click on the “Download” button.
Fig. 12. Downloading the utility.
The site will automatically redirect you to another page, where you will need to select the download source - the developer’s site or an alternative to it.
Fig. 14. Open the installation file.
When the installation is complete, open the program. After launching the application, proceed to opening the disk image using the “Open” button, as shown in Fig. 15.
Fig. 15. Opening a file to create an image.
In the window that opens, select the desired ISO file to create an image. The content will open as shown in Figure 16.
Fig. 16. Contents of the image.
Everything that is in the image is displayed in this window. Here you can already select what you need and work with the file.
The program is easy to use, so even the most inexperienced beginner can handle it.
From reviews:
“The program is just super, I recommend it to everyone”;
“The program can be useful in a variety of cases, from creating an image from a physical disk to converting formats. There is a function to burn images to disk. Working with the program is quite easy, it is Russified, which facilitates the rapid development of all functions. The internal file browser allows you to conveniently browse folders and select files for new projects. I recommend it for use!”;
Developed in 1999, it is still popular among users and is open source, which is freely distributed under a license.
The main platform is Windows OS. GUI and command line versions are available.
It is surprising that an ISO file can be opened by a regular 7-zip archiver.
You can download the full free version on the developer's website. On the download page you will need to select the system version.
If your PC has an operating system Windows system 7, then most likely 64-bit will do. Having selected the version, click the “Download” button, after which the installation file will begin downloading.
Fig. 10. Utility download page.
Installation has no special features and proceeds in the same way as with any other program.
After the installation is complete, launch the program. If you click on the “Plus” (add) button in the window that opens, another window will open in which you need to select the ISO file to unpack.
The contents of the file will be opened as in a regular folder. To extract what you need, just drag the selected file from the utility onto your desktop using the mouse.
Fig. 11. Adding a file for unpacking.
From reviews:
“It’s a pleasure to work in the program, everything is smooth and hassle-free. Archives can be unpacked both into the current folder and into a folder with a name like the name of the archive itself (which is much more convenient). You can pack the folder (“Add to archive”) and send it by e-mail. You can simply open the archive and view its contents”;
“Very simple, very useful and functional, highly recommend”;
“The program is excellent, I’ve been using it for more than a year. It works well, the developers are great. And most importantly - it's free!!! Place your bet, you won’t regret it.”