How to download iso files. Opening an image file using standard Windows tools

The question of opening some types of files constantly arises among computer users, since not every extension is supported by the standard set of programs preinstalled in the operating system.

What are ISO files for?

My acquaintance with ISO files began at a time when it was a big problem to find programs on the Internet, and low speed and expensive traffic put an end to any attempts to download online.

People used disks and actively copied them from each other. There was one problem with this process - many disks were protected. Games did not work without a disc inserted into the CD or DVD drive, and autostart was required to install the programs. In short, you couldn't just take and copy the files - you needed the disk itself.

During this period, programs appeared that imitated a floppy drive, creating its virtual analogue, and the files with which they worked received the ISO extension.

An ISO file is an image file of a CD or DVD disc containing in a compressed form all the data that is present on its physical original (optical disc). In addition to storing a disk image, the use of files of this format allows you to create an exact digital copy of the original by writing the data to a blank CD-RW or DVD-RW.

Most often, ISO files are used to distribute large assemblies of programs, or for versions of bulk paid products such as Windows, Microsoft Office, Photoshop, games, etc.

Programs that open ISO files

To open image files, two types of programs are used - archivers and disk drive emulators.

1. Archivers

These are programs that work with archive files. The main purpose of archives is to compress information or combine a large number of different files into one, so that it is more convenient to transfer it somewhere. These include WinRar, 7Zip and a few others.

The structure of the ISO file is identical to other archive formats, therefore, it is supported by the above archivers.

2. Emulators of CD / DVD drives

The purpose of these programs is not to work with files inside disk images, but to create virtual disks and mount image files (ISO) instead of physical storage media. Emulators are not designed to edit or work with individual files within an image.

How to open an ISO disc image file with WinRar?

In the article "" I already talked about this archiver and its capabilities, so if you decide to get acquainted with it in more detail, go there. We are now interested in how to open an ISO using it.

Since your ISO files do not have a typical WinRar icon in the form of a stack of books, I believe that you do not have an archiver or this file type is not included in its settings as a characteristic one.

1. If the archiver is not installed

You need to download it from the official site - win-rar.ru/download/

After starting the installation file, you will be asked what files to associate with WinRar. If you want to automatically open ISO files with this program, then check this box.

Now all image files will have a corresponding icon and will be automatically opened by the archiver when you double-click.

The program allows you to make changes to the contents of the archive - delete, add and edit files.

2. If WinRar is already installed and ISO does not open

The files are marked as unrecognized, which means that the files are not associated with the program. In this case, it is possible to manually select WinRar when opening a file or change the program settings so that it understands ISO by default.

To change the settings, run the archiver. Press the key combination Ctrl + S or in the top menu select the "Parameters" tab and "Settings" in it.

In the installations, we need the last tab, codenamed "Integration" - it contains the cherished plate with the types of associated files. Put a tick in front of ISO and click "OK".

We have figured out how to open the file to extract the necessary data from it and make changes, now let's move on to using it as an image.

How to run ISO file with Daemon Tools Lite

To work with image files for their intended purpose, you can use not only this program, there are a number of applications that create virtual disks and use ISO images, free versions of each of them are approximately identical in capabilities and user interface.

I am comfortable using Daemon Tools Lite because it is officially free (no need to pay, look for pirated versions and various cracks), and, most importantly, I am used to it.

Program installation

Official site for downloading the application - daemon-tools.cc/rus/products/dtLite

Download the installation file from there, when you start it, you will be prompted to install a free version of the program with advertising or pay a small fee to use a clean product.

During the installation, they may ask a few more questions (depending on the version of the program, something changes). In particular, you can choose which shortcuts to put in the system, whether to allow the transfer of statistics data and which files are automatically associated with this application.

During installation, there may be suggestions for installing software for different types of controllers - they are not required, but may be useful.

First start

The first launch of the program will happen immediately after installation, if you do not refuse this action by unchecking the checkbox. When you start it for the first time, Daemon tools will offer to scan all your hard drives (HDD) to find suitable files (ISO and other related files). I recommend unchecking all unnecessary checkboxes, leaving only ISO.

At the end of the scan, the main interface of the program will open, where the image files that were found during the scan will be placed in the central part.

Program interface

At the top right is a search box and "+" to search and add new images.

At the bottom there are icons of active virtual disks, and on the left there is a menu for management (which you can do without).

In order to launch the ISO file with the Daemon Tools program, you need to select it with the mouse and drag it to the virtual disk in the lower panel. The image will instantly be mounted into the drive and autorun will occur, if it was provided by this file.

All virtual disks are perceived by the system as normal and are displayed in the "My Computer" list.

In such a disk, you can enter and navigate through the folders, as with a regular disk.

How to enable multiple drives at the same time

Daemon Tools can open several ISO files at the same time, mounting images to different virtual disks. This means that it is not necessary to extract one file before installing another - you can simultaneously run at least all the image files found.

To do this, when selecting the desired image file, do not drag it to the disk on the bottom panel, but click on the "Mount" link in the left menu.

In this case, a new virtual CD / DVD drive will be automatically created and the disk image will be installed into it.

Other useful features

The "Quick Mount" icon allows you to add images to the drive directly through the explorer, even if they are not in the list of found ones.

To extract files and to delete virtual disks, click on the disk with the desired letter with the right mouse button and select “Unmount” or “Delete”, respectively.

The paid version of the program has a lot of functions that are no longer related to opening ISO images, but to their creation and burning to physical disks, if you need these functions, you can connect them by paying a certain amount.

We are finished for today, I hope that now you will have no problems opening ISO files and launching other types of images.

The question of how to open the ISO most often arises among novice computer users who, for example, downloaded a game, program or Windows image from the Internet and cannot open the ISO file using standard Windows tools. Let's take a closer look at what to do with such files.

What is an ISO file?

In general terms, an .ISO file is an image of a CD or DVD disc. Although not necessarily these particular carriers. Thus, this file contains all information about the contents of the CD, whatever information it carries, including music, bootable distributions of operating systems, games or programs.

How to open ISO image files

First of all, it should be noted that in a sense it depends on what exactly is in this image. If this is a program or a game, then the best way would be not to open the file as such, but to mount the ISO image in the operating system - i.e. The .ISO file opens in a special program that makes it so that a new virtual CD appears in the explorer, with which you can carry out all the necessary operations - install games and so on. ISO mounting is the most common option and usually the most suitable one. Below we will discuss how to mount a disk image on the system.

Another possible case is if the .ISO file contains an operating system distribution kit. In this case, in order, for example, to install Windows on a computer, you need to write this image to a disk or flash drive, after which the computer boots from this media and Windows is installed. How to use an ISO image in order to create a bootable disc or USB flash drive is described in detail in these instructions:

And the last possible option is to open the ISO file in the archiver, the expediency of which and how to do it will be discussed at the end of the article.

How to mount an .ISO image

The most commonly used method to open an ISO image file is the free Daemon Tools Lite program. You can download Daemon Tools from the official site http://www.daemon-tools.cc/rus/downloads. Note that you need to download Daemon Tools Lite - only this option is free for private use, all other options are paid. If after you click the Download button, you do not see where the download link is, then the hint: above the square banner on the right, in small blue letters, the Download link. After you install Daemon Tools, you will have a new virtual CD-ROM drive on your system.

By launching Daemon Tools, you can open any .ISO file through this program, and then mount it in the virtual drive. Then you use this ISO like a regular CD in a DVD-ROM.

In Windows 8, any additional programs are not needed to open the .ISO file: you just need to double-click on this file (or right-click and select "Connect") after which the disk will be mounted in the system and you can use it ...

How to open an ISO file with an archiver and why you might need it

Any disk image file with the .ISO extension can be opened by almost any modern archiver - WinRAR, 7zip and others. How to do it? First of all, you can start the archiver separately, then select the file in the archiver menu - open and specify the path to the ISO file. Another way is to right-click on the ISO file and select "Open with", then find the archiver in the list of programs.

As a result, you will see a list of all the files contained in this disk image, and you can unpack them all or individually to any location on your computer.

Frankly, I don’t see the use of this feature - it’s usually easier and faster to mount an image than to open an ISO in an archiver, and after that you can also extract any files from the mounted disk. The only option that seems to me to be justified is the absence of programs for mounting ISO images, like Daemon Tools, the absence of the need for such programs and the unwillingness to install them, but at the same time there is a one-time need to access the files in the ISO image.

UPD: how to open ISO on android

Considering that torrenting on android phones and tablets is not uncommon, you may need to open an ISO image on an android. To do this, you can use the free ISO Extractor program, which can be downloaded from Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.qzx.isoextractor

Perhaps, these methods for opening images are quite enough, I will hope that the article was useful for you.

In most cases, the question of how to open an ISO file arises for novice users. At the first meeting with this format, Windows cannot always find the optimal utility for opening content or launching it. This type of compression is common, so you should know how to open a disk image. There are several free utilities for this.

How to open an ISO file

This compression format is usually used to transfer data from a DVD or CD disc over the Internet or removable media. The archive contains all the data, which can then be unpacked on another computer. The format is used often, so you need to know which program to open the ISO with. Your operating system may not immediately find a suitable application for these purposes, you may have to download it.

Often this format is used for archiving games, OS, so that you can run in the future from a virtual drive without a physical disk. In this case, you do not need to unpack the archive, but simply run it. If we are talking about extracting content and then using it, you need a special program. There are several well-known, convenient and available utilities that will help you perform all the above steps. ISO - how to open:

• Alcohol;
• Deamon Tools;
• Ultra ISO;
• Nero;
• 7-zip;

How to open an ISO file on Windows 7

This version of Windows is considered the most widespread and popular, so below there will be a list of options for how to open ISO in windows 7. The standard set of system applications does not have a special utility for writing or opening this extension, so you have to download it from the Internet. If we are talking about an archive with a game, then you should find Daemon Tools Lite. This version is free and has the necessary functionality. The way to use is as follows:

1. Install the utility. All ISO file icons change, but that's the way it should be.
2. During installation, another section will appear in the explorer, which will act as a virtual drive.
3. Double click on the image and it will automatically launch like a regular disk.
4. If this does not happen automatically, then go into the program, right-click on the drive and select "mount image".
5. An explorer will appear, through which you should specify the location of the file.
6. Next, through my computer, just go to the virtual cd-rom and run the installer.

The ISO image does not necessarily contain the game, it could be the operating system that you want to extract. The Ultra ISO program is perfect for this. This is a multifunctional tool that works with this extension, launches, unpacks or writes to other media (flash drives, disks). Instructions for using this utility:

1. Download the installer, install and after launch select the "Trial period" item. The functionality will be fully available.
2. Click on the "File" button and select "Open". Find the folder with the disk image through the explorer and select it.
3. The program window will display content that you can extract, burn to media or run directly from Ultra ISO.
4. You can also immediately find the location of the archive, right-click on it and select "Open with ...". Specify the Ultra ISO program in the window. In the future, all such files will be launched by this application.

Another easy way to open a disk image is to use the popular 7Zip archiver. This utility works with a wide variety of formats. It is also capable of launching an ISO document, for this you need to do the following:

1. Download and install the application. Select all types of extensions during installation.
2. Find the folder with the ISO, right-click on it and select "Open with".
3. Click on the archiver in the list, and ISO will be launched through it.
4. Next, you will see a list of files that can be unpacked or displayed for reading directly from 7zip.

There is another option, how to open an ISO image - the Nero program. Previously, it was a very popular CD and DVD burning application, but with the advent of flash drives, it has become less in demand. However, it is able to work with ISO, open or write to disc media. You will need the latest version of the utility with all the add-ons. Further, the launch takes place like this:

1. Install, run the application.
2. Click on the item in the top menu "ImageDrive". Confirm the action to create the virtual drive.
3. Click on the "First Drive" item and select the disk image file via the browse button.
4. The disc will be mounted and you can run the executable file or burn the contents to CD.

How to open an ISO file on Windows 10

This is the freshest and newest version of Windows, which has incorporated all the best developments of previous operating systems. It has an interesting design, like in Windows 8 and convenient functionality, like in 7-ke. The system has many built-in programs that help you perform most of the necessary actions on the system. However, the developers did not include the option to open the ISO in windows 10, so you will need to download additional software. You should choose from the same list as for the 7th version of Windows. Optimal programs in order of usability:

1. 7Zip is an archiver that will help you launch an image and extract all files from it.
2. UltraIso - the utility can not only run ISO, but also write it to any media.
3. Deamon Tools is a popular drive emulator for ISO mounting.
4. Alcohol is a less popular utility, but also suitable.

How to open an ISO file on Windows 8

This operating system is often used as a pre-installed operating system on many modern laptops. Users who have recently purchased a PC should know which program to open the ISO file with. Unlike other versions of Windows, this one has a built-in tool, so you don't have to install anything else. You can read the ISO as follows:

1. Find the folder with the file.
2. Right click on it.
3. In the context menu, click the "Connect" item.
4. You will have a new virtual drive, where the document will be mounted.
5. After that, you can work with the content.

Owners of the 8th version may experience problems if the image is located on a media with a format other than NTFS or on network drives. In this case, you should use the programs described above:

• WinRar / 7zip;
• Alcohol;
• Deamon Tools;
• UltraISO;
• Nero.

Video: which program to open the ISO file

Greetings to everyone who is interested in this publication. This article will explain to you how and how to open an iso file, tell you what this format is and where it is most often used.

You will also figure out how to work with this extension in archivers and, of course, in the Daemon Tools and UltraISO programs. Interesting? Intrigued? Then let's not dwell on the introductory part, but move on to the first chapter!

All the details about the ISO format

An ISO image is an optical disc image that contains data from a DVD or CD disc, its file system described by the ISO 9660 standard.

In fact, such an image is a regular file with the .iso extension and can be run instead of the usual CD using specialized programs.

A huge advantage of this technology is that when creating an image of a disk, the latter will be copied exactly to the smallest details: the directory structure, all data, complete information about the file system, the boot process and various file attributes.

This is why it is very easy to recreate the original CD from an ISO image. This is the reason for the popularity of using the described extension.

An ISO document can be found when downloading games, operating systems, and other software products. In this format, it is convenient to install them by running directly on a computer or by writing an image to a USB flash drive (in this case, it becomes bootable; it can be used to boot Windows 7/8 or other versions).

Also, sometimes small files and directories are added to a document with the .iso extension so as not to transfer them separately.

To unpack such a document and view its contents, special archiving applications are required. Most programs have been created for the Windows operating system, some of which we will talk about today.

By the way, I am often asked if it is possible to open ISO in Android? Of course. To do this, you can use, for example, ISOExtractor.

Unpacking the ISO file using archivers

Almost any archiver is suitable for unpacking the described extension of documents, since they all open, allow you to view and extract data from the most common archive formats. And ISO is just one of them.

According to the standard, archivers for ease of use always embed the main commands in the menu invoked by clicking on the right mouse button. Therefore, right-click on the downloaded file and select "Open with<Название_программы>". Then all the contents of the image will open in the archiver.

In the same way, you can extract information by selecting the menu item "Extract here" or "Extract files ...".

Let's turn to Daemon Tools

One of the most popular disk imaging products. The program is provided to users in a paid and free version. In all versions, mounting of almost all types of images is available, the creation of documents in ISO, MDS and MDX formats.

You can familiarize yourself with Daemon Tools in more detail, and you can also download it from the official website.

During the installation of the program, uncheck the installation of components from Mail.ru and then from Yandex, be sure to select the appropriate interface language and check the box next to "Free license" if you have not purchased the product. The rest is simple. After the installation is complete, the program will automatically start.

Now let's figure out how to make your own image, open a downloaded one or delete an existing one.

Mount ISO image

In the opened application window at the bottom there are basic tools for working with the described file format. And the first one is Quick Mount. Click on this icon and in the explorer select the document with the .iso extension, and then click on the "Open" button.

Now the selected file appears in the working window of Daemon Tools. Find the icon with a green triangle labeled “Mount” in the tools and click on it. The usual autorun window will appear in front of you. Further, the installation of the game or other application occurs as usual.

Removing an image

If you no longer need the disk image, you can delete it using this program. Just click on the icon with a gray square called "Unmount" and then delete the file by clicking on the second icon on the panel with a red cross on the disk.

Create your own disc

Daemon Tools will also help you create your ISO image. To do this, find the "Create image from disk" command on the toolbar and click on it. A window will open in front of you with the specification of the parameters. Here you can specify the name of the future file and its path, add a password, specify the required reading speed, etc. After setting all the parameters, press "Start".

That's all. Your look is ready!

Let's get started with UltraISO

Iso file won't open, don't know how to edit or convert an image? Then UltraISO is in a hurry to help.

Indeed, this program does an excellent job not only with writing or deleting created discs, but also allows you to make corrections to them, optimize the file structure to save space, and much more. It is also provided for free and for a fee. Link to the official website.

Installing the application is very easy, so this time I have nothing to advise. So let's get down to business.

Opening and loading an image

After starting the program, a working window with a very convenient and neat interface will open in front of you.

To open an ISO file, simply click on the "Open" icon and select the appropriate file in the explorer. The directories and subdirectories of the document will be displayed in front of you in the working window.

To mount the image, press the "Mount to virtual drive" command or the F6 key. You will be transferred to a new window, where you should select the required virtual drive and the path of its future location. Only then click on the "Mount" button.

Now, to run the resulting image, go to "My Computer" and right-click on the virtual device that appears, and then select "UltraISO" and then "Auto play".

Ejecting a disc

To eject an unnecessary virtual disk, again in the "My Computer" folder, right-click on the image, find "UltraISO" and then click on "Eject".

In the program itself, in the toolbar there are buttons "Extract" and "Delete".

Create an image

To write your information to an ISO file in the tools, find the "Create CD image" command and by clicking on it, a window with settings will open in front of you.

Be sure to include the path to the file and check the rest of the parameters. Then click on the "Make" button. Now it's worth waiting a little while the recording process is complete. At the end of the operation, a window will pop up confirming the successful creation of the image or an error.

Now you know what an iso file is and what applications work with it. I hope you enjoyed the article. And if so, then join the ranks of subscribers and share interesting articles published on my blog on social networks. See you soon!

Bye Bye!

Best regards, Roman Chueshov

Read: 105 times

Currently, you can successfully replace any CD or DVD disk with its virtual image. However, some inexperienced users may find it difficult to work with disk images. In fact, there is nothing difficult in using images, it is enough to resort to the help of a special program. To open a disk image on a computer, you will need:

- Computer (Order from us);

- One of the following programs: Ultra Iso, Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools;

- Disk image.

Instructions

1. Ultra iso

The most common disk imaging program is UltraIso. First of all, this program has earned its popularity due to its wide capabilities. She is able not only to run disk images, but also to make certain changes to them. To easily run an image through this program, you need to do the following:

After these steps, the disk image will be launched on the computer.

1. Alcohol 120%

Currently, there are a lot of such programs, the second place among applications for working with images is occupied by the Alcohol 120% application - this is a paid program, but it has a free trial period. Install this application on your hard drive and open it. Click on one of the available virtual drives, they are located at the bottom of the program, and click the "Mount image" command, specify the location of the disk image and confirm its use. The disc will become available as standard.

1. Daemon tools

The third known program for such tasks is DaemonTools. Download the DaemonTools setup file and install the application. Reboot your operating system. The DaemonTools utility will start automatically when Windows starts and will be minimized to the tray. Move the cursor over the icon of this utility in the tray and right-click, click the command "Virtual CD / DVD ROM" and click "Mount image". Specify the location of the disk image and complete the procedure by clicking on the appropriate button. The image will open.

1. Windows operating system can recognize iso files as archive files. Never try to unpack such files, they are not archives, and the unpacking process may damage the file structure and it may stop working.

Video: How to open a disc image