Almost all newcomers to the "computer" world ask the same popular question: how to open an ISO file? After all, it is in this format that images of games and operating systems are stored. Regular Windows tools do not allow you to open a file with the .iso extension, so you have to resort to third-party programs, including many free utilities.
What is an ISO file?
Basically, an ISO file is an image of a disc (CD or DVD) made by a program. This is a kind of archive that stores all information about the contents of the disk, as well as the files themselves. In fact, you can create any disc image, whether it's a game/movie DVD or a music CD. But in most cases, games and distributions of operating systems are stored in images.
Imagine the situation: they brought you a disc with a game. There was no blank disk at hand, and you burned the image to an ISO file. After you purchase a blank disc, the image can be written to it using the appropriate programs, and you will receive a complete copy of the original disc.
Ways to open ISO files
In fact, all methods of opening disk images can be classified into two groups:
- opening files with archivers,
- use of special programs for disk virtualization/emulation.
In the first case, the file will actually open. The disk structure will appear before the user. In this way, it is recommended to open images when you need to pull a file from the disk. For example, you need to “pull” drivers from a Windows distribution.
In the second case, the disk image will be emulated in such a way as if you have an analogue of the disk in the drive.
Using archivers
You can open ISO files with two popular archivers - 7Zip and WinRar. It is better to download distributions of archivers from offsites:
Install the archiver, find the ISO file we need on the screw and right-click on it. Select "Open with Winrar / 7Zip" and that's it - the image is open. You can open any file from the image and save it to your PC.
We select the Russian version (next to the Russian flag) and download the utility.
When installing the program, do not uncheck the box "Install ISO emulator".
Having opened "Ultra ICO", you will see the following window:
There is a "File" button in the top corner. Click it and then select "Open".
Specify the path to the image and in the program window we see an open ISO file.
If you need to virtualize the disk, then open "My Computer". You will see a new virtual drive This is the ISO emulator. Right-click on it and select "Ultra ISO >> Mount". Specify the path to the file - and that's it. The disk will be mounted successfully.
Working with Daemon Tools Lite
As in the case of Ultra ISO, open the official Daemon website http://www.daemon-tools.cc/rus/downloads and download the utility.
We install the software and at one of the steps we indicate the item "Free license".
After installing the utility, in the lower right corner (in the tray next to the clock) the program icon will be displayed - a blue circle with a lightning bolt.
Right-click on it and select "Virtual Drives >> Add Virtual SCSI Drive". After a couple of minutes, you will have a new virtual drive, just like in Ultra ISO.
After the drive appears, click on the icon again and select the items: “Virtual drives >> Drive 0 >> Mount image”. Specify the path to the ISO file, and that's it.
Detailed and interesting about mounting images is described in this video:
Definitely better to use Daemon Tools Lite, since this program is free and does not have a trial period. If you need to quickly extract the file from the image, then WinRar will help you.
How to run ISO file? Create this file, mount to virtual disk personal computer or you can extract all the information from it by various methods
ISO is a special file containing an absolute copy or image of the information found on an optical disc. This type of format is often used for backup duplication of optical discs or for delegating large sets of files written to CD or DVD.
How to run an ISO image file?
There is only one way to launch an ISO image file - use 2 types of utilities to unpack images - archivers and emulators.
Archivers- this is the view software A that interacts with archive components. Their main task is to compress information or combine a huge number of different files into one so that it is easier to transfer them, while reducing the amount of information without losing data. These are "7Zip", "WinRar" and others.
Emulators (drives) are needed not to interact with files inside images, but to generate virtual disks and attaching ISO files to them instead of standard storage media. With their help, you cannot edit the information inside them.
Daiemon Tooles- professional, by personal functions, software for generating disk images and emulating virtual drives using various methods protection. Allows you to generate various popular images from all types of discs with the ability to protect the code and compression.
This program generates up to four different virtual drives in total, which function like physical counterparts, only much faster. A great thing for devices that do not have an optical drive.
alcohol
- a serious utility for recording all kinds of disc formats and generating virtual drives on a PC, as well as emulating information from an optical disc. This development is capable of writing a disk image with information, sound and video information to a hard drive, and then opening access to it to other applications, as if the desired optical disk was actually inserted into the drive. This is very important for games and programs that can only be run from a disc.
This is a high-quality utility for generating, correcting and transforming various types of disk images. Interacts with more than 35 different extensions. Also, the software can emulate an optical drive, which allows you to run images even on devices without drives. And if it is available, the information can be saved to empty disks.
With regards to the possibilities, in addition to performing images of optical discs, UltraISO can also generate images of external media and even HDD. Comfortable, because inside the resulting archive, if necessary, there is a function to add, change and delete various components without having to open them. Still images can be used as additional virtual disks.
7zip
An excellent archiver for Windows, the advantages include speed, support for all available formats and an excellent compression ratio. The application is embedded in the system explorer. There is a version for the console line and the FAR Manager extension, which allows you to work with archives without third-party archivers.
Without this well-known, comfortable and easy-to-use archiver, it is impossible to imagine everyday work with various archives. Interacts with many archive extensions, including: BZ2, ZIP, 7Z, ACE and others.
Among the colossal list of program features, it is worth noting the ability to restore corrupted and damaged archives, generate multi-volume and self-extracting archives, work with encrypted and encoded archives, as well as the ability to compress an almost unlimited number of files.
Windows Explorer (Windows 8.1 and 10 only)
Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft introduced the ability to open ISO files directly through File Explorer. Windows 10 also has given function. Can easily run and burn ISO files without installation additional programs, which is very convenient and simplifies the task.
It is enough to find and select the desired file with this extension in the system explorer and open it. If there are third-party emulators and archivers, then you can open through them - the explorer will not interfere.
The user's computer must have at least 2 emulators or archivers, since some of them may not be able to cope with various types files and volumes of internal data and consumption.
How to open an ISO file? Software overview, the best quick and free solutions to view and run ISO images.
When downloading movies and games on the Internet, it is common to encounter .avi, .exe formats. Sometimes there are similar ones. For example, by downloading the right materials, you may stumble upon an .iso file. How to open a similar one, and what significance this format has, can be found in this article.
What is the ISO format for?
This type of material is very common. Its popularity is due to its practicality and ease of use. Answering the question “what is .ISO for”, it’s worth starting with the fact that this format is an image (an archive with full content disc) CD, DVD, and BR (abbreviation for Blue Ray format).ISO files are intended to be opened in so-called virtual drives. There are special programs for this. The difference between virtual drives and classic drives is that the former do not physically exist, but if you connect a file with .ISO resolution to such, the PC will perceive it as a standard CD, BR or DVD.
Important! The ISO format allows you to create backup copies of discs, as well as access them without the need to use a standard disc from the box. This ensures ease of use and extends the life of standard media, which can wear out over time.Despite all the convenience of working with this format, there is one essential feature- you can open it with the help of special programs for the so-called burning discs. Let's talk about how to do this and with what tools.
Overview of programs for opening ISO files
So, if an .ISO file gets into the PC, a program that writes data to a disk or cleans it will help open it. Suitable ones include the following:- Alcohol 120%
- DAEMON Tools
- Ultra ISO
Important! Even the standard WinRAR archiver will help you open .ISO materials. Other versions of programs of a similar purpose will do, for example, 7z.
Alcohol 120%
A very popular program for working with this kind of materials. She has two important features that need to be taken into account:- licensed version is paid
- for beginners, Alcohol 120% may seem somewhat difficult
- Download and install the software on your PC
- At the moment when the installation takes place, you will be prompted to create a virtual drive. It needs to be accepted
- After installation is complete, restart your PC. Upon completion of this operation, in the general list of available drives, you can see a new, virtual
- Select the desired .ISO file and right-click on it. A context menu will appear in which you must specify the option “Mount image”
- Next, a dialog box will open. It requires you to specify the required file.
- After these manipulations automatic mode Alcohol 120% ISO file will open to view and run content
DAEMON Tools
This utility is no less popular than the previous one. In addition, it is free, and the algorithm for using it is somewhat simpler.
- We open the program. In its main menu, select the option “Add Image”
- Select the file we need and click on the button with the name “Open”
- By label open file you need to right-click, thereby calling the context menu. In it, select the option “Mount Drive” (Mount image)
-
UltraISO
The utility is designed specifically for working with materials of this type. UltraISO - the program is simple and easy to use.
- After installing the utility, run it and in the section called “File” select the option “Open”
- Specify the location of the required file and open it in UltraISO
- The material will appear on the right side of the window. All files contained in the image can be extracted to a PC and run
WinRAR
This utility is built into standard set Windows programs. Winrar unpacks ISO files in the same way as other archives. It is enough to right-click on the image of interest, click the “Extract” option in the context menu, and in the dialog box that appears, specify the location to store the unzipped materials. All that remains to be done after that is to wait for the end of the process.
Nero
Previously, the familiar utility package from Nero had a special project that supported ISO image(Nero Image Drive). It is currently inactive. Therefore, this program, unfortunately, is not suitable for running virtual drive files.
Important! All described utilities have Russian-language versions. This, combined with a simple and intuitive interface, makes using such programs extremely easy.The presented list of solutions is quite suitable in order to choose one of the most acceptable options for opening ISO images. Working with each of them is simple and does not require special skills. You can clearly see the process of using the utilities in the video review.
How to open an ISO image: video
Downloaded a DVD with a movie, a long-awaited game or a set of automatically installed programs, but don't know how to open it? Probably, a program for working with files of this format is not installed on your computer. This article is intended to help beginners solve the problem. We will understand what a data type is with ISO extension, and take a brief look at popular applications for working with such files.
What is hidden in a file with the iso extension?
ISO is a standard storage format for image files. An image file refers to an exact (cluster-to-cluster) copy of an optical disc stored in digital form. The iso format preserves the exact structure of the optical media's file system, all file and directory attributes, and boot code, which is very useful for duplicating autostart and boot disks. The content of an iso file can be absolutely any content stored on optical and physical media.
Disk images are created for many reasons, including:
- distribution of data in the network;
- disk emulation to work with it - this way you can run a game that requires physical media in the drive;
- storing a copy of important data, such as a personal photo or video archive, on a computer, etc.
How to open an ISO image file?
To work with disk images, there is a lot of software, because they are used by a huge number of users around the planet. Starting to choose the product that best suits and satisfies all needs, the user faces numerous difficulties. Now we will consider not only popular, but also the most functional, as simple as possible to use, programs translated into Russian, including free ones. And also find out how to open an iso format image file in each of them.
7-zip archiver
The free 7z archiver, which is gaining more and more popularity among users, works great on all versions of the Windows family of any bit depth.
To open an image using 7-zip, you need to call the context menu of the file. In it, select "7-zip" ® "Open archive" and view its contents.
The program can extract the necessary data from iso files to the specified location and unpack image files. To unpack, you need to call the context menu of the image and click "Unpack" in the "7-zip" submenu. Next, specify the target directory and confirm the extraction of the contents of the image file.
Ultra ISO
The utility is best product for creating, processing, converting, extracting and editing image files. If the program is installed on the system and is associated with iso format files, then double-clicking the left mouse button will automatically open the image in this application.
When it is not an iso opener or its portable edition is used, a number of the following steps must be performed:
- We launch the application.
- We call the dialog for opening files - "File" ® "Open".
3.In the dialog box, set the path to the image we need and press the "Enter" button on the keyboard or "OK".
Alcohol 120%
Another program for working with the iso format. She, like UltraISO, has wide opportunities beyond the scope of familiarization with the contents of the images. Alcohol 120% is distributed on a paid basis, but has huge advantage- disk emulation. This means that the utility is able to create a virtual disk and place an image file into it, thus simulating the presence of a physical disk in a real drive. This technique is widely used by gamers and system administrators.
Consider the process of opening an iso file using Alcohol 120%
- We launch the utility and call the file open dialog: “File” ® “Open”.
2. In it, select the desired image and click "OK".
3. Our file will appear in the upper frame. We call its context menu and select "Mount to device". If there are several drives, you will have to specify which one to mount on.
You can add an image using the "drag & drop" function: drag the image into the program window, and then onto the virtual drive located at the bottom of the interface.
Daemon Tools
One of the best programs for emulating images, having free version. As in the case of Alcohol 120%, the utility mounts the image file on a virtual drive, thus simulating the presence of a physical media in the drive. The program is able to bypass most protection methods, which is why it is very popular.
How to work with Daemon Tools
- Run the utility and create a virtual drive. To do this, call the context menu of the "Drive" folder in the left frame of the program and select its type.
2. We call the context menu of the "Images" catalog and click on "Add images ...".
3. In the window that appears, select the desired file.
4.We double-click on the image icon with the left mouse button.
5. After a couple of seconds of mounting, the autorun menu of the selected disk will appear.
Now you know how to view the contents of an ISO file and you can choose the program that suits your needs to open image files. In addition to the programs discussed, powerful iso viewing tools that you should pay attention to are the paid Nero and the freely distributed ISO Master utility.
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An ISO image is often used to create a copy of installation programs such as Windowsds.
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 written off. The disc may contain information that may protect it from being copied.
Only programs that have this capability can save such information.
You can view the information of an ISO file 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 bootable and other large files at a faster rate than via removable or other physical media.
Now the ISO format is used more and more often.
The main difficulty with such files is that Windows Vista and XP initially cannot recognize their format, which is why some inexperienced PC users have difficulty.
When trying to open without pre-installed third-party software, older operating systems do not know what to do with this file.
How to open ISO file?
Read also: 5 easy ways to create an image of Windows 10
Rice. 2. Create a disk image
This format is most often used to transfer information from a CD or DVD over the Internet or media.
The archive saves all the necessary data, which is then transferred and unpacked on another computer.
AT recent times, this format began to be used often, therefore, every PC user should know how to open it, because not every computer will be able to immediately select the right program.
This format is used to archive 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 run the file by double-clicking it. But if you need to extract information from a virtual disk, you will need a special program.
On the this moment, there are several more well-known free programs, which are easy to use and available 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 garbage
Daemon Tools is a CD/DVD imaging software.
The drive is created by software, after which it is perceived by the computer as if there is a disk in it. This allows you to use the images as if they were physically existing discs that are in a CD-ROM.
It is possible to create images in various formats for later use in this and other similar programs.
A virtual drive is created to increase the speed of information transfer and reduce media wear.
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 a 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 site.
After downloading the program, install it and run it. To create an image, click on the button shown in Figure 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" as a disk in the drive.
You can also open it through "My Computer", but before that you need to run it in the program. To do this, press the corresponding button shown in Fig.5.
Fig.5 Launching the image into work.
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 type files have become quite popular and widespread, this program you need to have on your PC.
System requirements it is small, the amount of memory is minimal. Additionally, it can be noted that this utility is often installed along with the game, as a mandatory application, if this happens from a disk through a drive.
From the reviews:
"Great optical disk virtualization software, and it's free too"
"One of the best disc imaging software"
"Excellent and high quality creates a virtual disk and stores data on them"
alcohol
Read also: Error "Windows cannot complete formatting": causes of the error and 5 ways to fix it
A 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 lack of the ability to write information to 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 free only for 30 days. Next, the utility asks to buy a license.
The full version can, of course, be downloaded from pirate 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 that, you will automatically go to the download page, where you need to click the button "Download", after which the download of the installation file will begin.
After 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 the finished image is no different from working in Daemon Tools - Run "My Computer", find the desired disk and run it.
From the reviews:
“This program is much better than Daemon Tools, by a lot! Images are very easy to make, and it is easy to remove (unlike again from Daemon Tools) ”;
"Cool program for images";
“A must for any computer. Doesn't need comments.
“A cool program is very necessary for gamers!!!”;
“Damn, the program is generally a bomb, and even if you know how to use it, download it without fail !!!”.
Read also:We create a bootable USB flash drive with utilities for Windows on our own
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 recording.
There are paid and free versions. The difference is that in the free one 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 the reason for its popularity. You can download the program for free on any site where it is available. One of the best is SoftPortal. How to download the program:
1 We 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 file for installation.
When the installation is complete, open the program. After launching the application, we proceed to open 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 the image. The content will open as shown in Figure 16.
Fig.16. Image content.
Everything that is in the image is displayed in this window. Here you can already choose what you need and work with the file.
The program is easy to use, so even the most inexperienced beginner can handle it.
From the reviews:
“The program is just super, I advise 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 write images to disk. Working with the program is quite easy, it is Russified, which contributes to the rapid development of all functions. The internal file browser allows you to conveniently browse folders and select files for new projects. Recommended for use!”;
Developed in 1999, it is still popular among users and open source, which, under license, is freely distributed.
The main platform is the Windows operating system. GUI and command line versions are available.
Surprising is the fact 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 version of the system.
If your PC has an operating system Windows system 7, then 64-bit will most likely work. After selecting the version, click the "Download" button, after which the download of the installation file will begin.
Fig.10. Utility download page.
Installation has no features and occurs in the same way as with any other program.
After the installation is complete, run the program. If you click on the “Plus” (add) button in the window that opens, another window will open in which you already need to select the ISO file for unpacking.
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 to the desktop with the mouse.
Fig.11. Adding a file for unpacking.
From the reviews:
“The program is pleasant to work with, everything is smooth and hassle-free. Archives can be unpacked both into the current folder and into a folder with the name as the name of the archive itself (which is much more convenient). You can zip the folder (“Add to archive”) and send it by e-mail. You can just open the archive and see its contents";
“Very simple, very useful and functional, highly recommended”;
“The program is excellent, I have been using it for more than a year. Works well, well done developers. And most importantly, it's free!!! Get it, you won't regret it."
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