Create, Open, Modify and Mount

Mar 25, 2006 18:26 GMT  ·  By

File sharing and increasing hard disk storage space made disk images very accessible and useful. A disk image is a file containing the complete contents and structure of a CD or DVD. It is a perfect replica saved on the HDD with a special file extension: ISO, BIN, IMG, CIF, FCD, NRG, GCD, PO1, C2D, CUE, CIF, CD etc. The difference between these extensions comes from the software programs used to create the image.

A CD/DVD image is a track by track, sector by sector exact copy of a CD/DVD. The image contains everything on the CD/DVD. This file does not contain only the files you can see and can copy anywhere using copy/paste method but also the File Allocation Table. Choosing a file format for the image is very important because some file formats are not suitable for mixed (audio + data + video) CD?s.

Moreover, it is important to choose a file format that is common. Common file formats (listed below) are read by most utilities that work with disk images.

Common File Formats used for disk images:

.ISO

ISO is a term that represents a disk image of an ISO 9660 file system. It is one of the most used file formats for disk images, being recognized by most of the utilities that deal with disk images.

.IMG

IMG is the filename extension used for the image of a floppy disk or, sometimes, hard disk. This file is in fact just a raw dump of the content of the disk.

.CUE/.BIN

The .cue / .bin format has been developed by Jeff Arnold. The BIN file is a binary copy of a whole CD/DVD disc. It contains all the data stored on the original disc, not only its files and folders but also its system-specific information such as boot loaders, volume attributes and any other data. The difference between Bin and ISO files is represented by the size. ISO files are smaller than .BIN ones because they use ?bit for bit? copy standard. It means they use up on HDD the exact size of the CD/DVD. Bin files are bigger because each sector of a CD/DVD is converted in digital data and more stuff is transferred in the file.

The .cue file is a ?sheet? that describes the data stored in the .bin file. The .cue file is in fact a plain text file. Copying everything makes BIN file format useful for uncommon discs like Audio + Data or non PC disks: PSX, VCD, and MAC.

.CIF

Corel developed CIF, which is still in use by Roxio's Easy CD Creator. It is not suitable at all for mixed CD?s.

.NRG

It is a standard developed by the Ahead Software, the creators of the most notorious CD/DVD burner on the market, Nero.

Why use disk images? Let?s see why people should or shouldn?t choose disk images.

Pros:

- Users can create disk images of their favorite compact discs and then save them on HDD. Saving multiple CD image files on a DVD will save you HDD space and money spent on blank CD?s. - Mounting an image from HDD will give you superior access time and speed. Let?s say you have an image of a game. Playing the game using your backup disk image will be easier and loading times will drop. - No physical space is required. CD?s and DVD?s use a lot of room space when they are in large quantities. Therefore, you can convert your collection and store it on HDD. - Immediately burn your images back on CD/DVD. It is easier to burn a disk image on a CD/DVD than making a CD/DVD copy. You can quick share CD/DVD to your friends by burning disk images in just minutes. - Easily mount an image from HDD instead of searching everywhere for the CD/DVD.

Cons:

-Not suitable for people that have old HDDs with low storage capacity. Saving 700 MB CD or 4.7GB/8.5GB DVD images on such HDDs could be inappropriate. -Susceptible to corruption -You may prefer CD/DVD media because they are portable

Working with disk images

1.Creating an image file from a DVD/CD

As I mentioned above, you should first think about the purpose of the image, because you have to choose the suitable file format. There are a lot of software programs that can transform your CD/DVD to an image file.

The easiest way to create an image file (in this case .ISO file) is using ISO Recorder, which is free. Just install it and insert the CD/DVD in the unit. Right click on the disk drive and a menu will appear where you choose ?Create image from CD.? That?s it?. Just select the target path and you are done.

Another simple way is to use Nero. Nero is the most popular CD/DVD burner on the market and, as I mentioned in the first part of the article, its creators developed their own disk image standard called .NRG. Although is it not used as much as ISO, it could be useful in case you don?t have an ISO creator available but you have Nero installed on your system. Creating an image is like burning a CD/DVD but instead using your writer, choose Image Recorder.

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2.Open/Edit images

You have the possibility to edit an image after it was created. Let?s say you want to add some data on the image before you write it on CD/DVD, or you want to copy some files from the image, like copying from the CD/DVD. This is possible and can be done with many programs, such as WinIso, ExtractNow or even WinRAR.

See the screenshots below to make an idea how to deal with these programs.

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3.Mount and use your disk images
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Mounting an image is like inserting a CD/DVD into the unit. Windows will believe you have inserted a real CD/DVD and the image?s contents will be available through a virtual disc drive. The difference comes from the superior speed. An image is accessed faster from the HDD than a CD/DVD is read by the CD / DVD ROM unit.

To mount an image, you need virtual CD/DVD ROM software. Such software will create an extra drive in the explorer and when you mount the image it will act like a normal unit. The most powerful software is Daemon Tools. It lets you mount ISO, NRG, CUE/Bin, BWT, Cdi, B5t, CCD, Mds and pdi.

After you install it, an icon will be placed in system tray. Right click that icon and choose Virtual CD/DVD ROM -> Device 0: Mount Image. Now browse for the image file you want to mount. In a moment, Windows will believe that you have inserted a new CD/DVD. (autorun may launch). From this moment, you can use the image as a normal CD/DVD but with better performance regarding speed and access time.

4.Burn disk images back on CD/DVD

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Most of the burning software provides an option to directly burn images. With Nero, for example, go to Recorder->Burn Image and choose from the File Browser the image you want to burn. Nero lets you burn ISO, NRG and CUE/BIN images. Select the speed for writing and you?re done.