A disk image is a file containing full copy the structure and content of the data that are on the disk. It stores all the information that duplicates the location and content of a particular storage device. The order of data sectors is repeated on the image, but the structure built on it is ignored.
The purpose of creation was originally backup disk data where the exact original structure was preserved. Currently, due to the proliferation of optical media, there are more images in as ISO files that can be used instead of CDs. ISO has less data - no overhead information.
Using archiving programs that support the opening of this type of data, you can extract and view the contents of this file. About the same, how and with what tools you can reproduce the disk image will be discussed further.
Create an image with ultraISO
One of the most accessible methods for creating ISO is using the UltraISO utility. The program is paid, but you can use the trial trial version, which we download from the official website. 
The essence of use is as follows: there is two main fields- the directory tree of the mounted image on the left and the data stored in them on the right. Below are the directories and files stored on the computer.
We set the name future copy, for which we left-click on it, property – Rename. Entering a new name.
Then we drag folders and files from the storage area on the computer to the image files area. To find the ones you need, use the directory explorer presented below. 
Notice that at the top is displayed overall size documents.
Actually, to complete the operation, all that remains is to save: File – Save as.
From the proposed formats we take ISO and keep.
The saving process will appear, after which you will find a copy in the location you specified. 
Burning an image with Daemon tools
Daemon Tools is an equally popular program for recording images.
There are several variations of this software, among them the free DAEMON Tools Lite. After installing the free license, you will have a virtual DVD drive.
After starting, click on the button below to create a copy of the disk. 
V settings refer to drive unit where the drive and folder are located where the image will be saved.
Specify the type of copy MDS or ISO.
Farther Start and the creation process will begin, at the end of which the copy will be ready. 
Mount you can check it in the virtual drive.
Using Ashampoo Burning Studio Free
The free version of this program is free, it will allow you to burn a disc image. Downloading from off. site, simple and straightforward installation.
After installation, the application will start on its own. We choose Disk image – Create.
If we create on the basis of a real disk - beforehand insert it into the drive.
We indicate the storage location and click Further to start the process. 
After completing the procedure, you can open the folder containing the file. 
How to create a copy of a disc using CDBurnerXP
To create an ISO in the CDBurnerXP utility, select from the menu File – save project as ISO. 
Specify the directory where to save the file and click Create ISO.
Can be customized parameters, such as: name, description, date, identifier, copyright and other settings. Opening Boot Options you will see a dialog box with additional options. 
ISO with ImgBurn
ImgBurn is a handy tool for burning ISO images. Everything is done very quickly and quite simply.
After downloading and installing the program, you will see the following window. 
As you can see, here it is possible as write down image to disk, so do it from available files.
In this case, we are interested in the latter.
You do not need to specify any special additional settings (the only thing is, if you wish, you can change the write speed and the number of copies), specify the drive from which we want to read the data and click Reading 
The copying process will go, at the end of which the message will signal us about its successful completion. 
Free DVD ISO Maker
The program is free, it is easy to use and simple. 
After starting, you will need to select Select CD/ DVDdevice, that is, the drive to be read (specify the path). Next is the place where we will save the resulting file. Then we press Covert and wait for the final completion of the copying procedure.
Using ISODisk
Also free, download it from the official site. 
The interface, although it is in English, is quite intuitive. Some users do not recommend using it to mount virtual drives, but it copes with the task of creating ISO with a bang.
Why would a PC user know how to create a hard disk image? Of course, in order to, if necessary, produce a complete including the lost data, and not just the operating system. To create a hard disk image, you need one of the computer programs specially designed for this purpose. For example, this can be done using Acronis True Image Home.
First, you will have to download and install the above program, the latest version of which is located, for example, at this link http://openprog.ru/acronis-true-image-home and install it on your computer. It's free. Wondering how you should take into account the fact that you will need free space. For example, you can save it to one of the disks on your personal computer. Or create this image on
So, Acronis True Image Home is installed and running, how to create a disk image, what are the next steps for a PC user?
Step one: You need to enter the main menu of the installed and running program and select the "Backup" button in it, after which a menu will drop out, including other submenus. You should choose - "Backing up disks and partitions".
Step two: In the "Archived partitions" window that opens, you need to select a hard disk or partition. How to create an image of a disk or partition on which the OS is installed? In this case, you are advised to check the sector-by-sector archiving option, taking into account that more free space will be needed. You will see the estimated size of the archive below in the same window. That's it, click Next.
Step three: A new window has opened and now you should check "Create a new backup archive" if you need to create a new archive and copy the disk image into it. How to add it to the archive that was created earlier? In this case, check - "Add to existing backup archive".
Using the "Browse" button here, you should select a folder in which to store disk image archives created by the program in question.
Now, using the appropriate button, create a name for the archive, select its format, and in order to save these and others offered by the setup program, press the "OK" button.
Step five: After all the previously done manipulations, you will see a newly opened window - "Summary data". Here you need to check the name of the created disk image archive and its location. If the need arises or your desire, you can use the "Parameters" button to configure additional copying parameters or change those previously set. Archive creation will start after the PC user clicks the "Start" button.
In fact, after reading the above information, any user of a personal computer and even a child who knows how to read, type on the keyboard and "click" the mouse, will understand how to create a disk image and will be able to perform all the necessary operations in practice.
After clicking the "Proceed" button, the actual creation of the disk image archive occurs in automatic mode. At the end of the process, you will see a window informing that the operation was successful, and in another window, after clicking "OK" you will see the corresponding information about the newly created hard disk image or one of its partitions.
Over time, fewer users are using drives, and more laptop manufacturers are removing a physical drive from their devices. But it is not at all necessary to part with your valuable collection of discs, because you just need to transfer it to your computer. Today we will take a closer look at how the disk image is created.
This article will discuss how you can create a disk image using DAEMON Tools. This tool has several versions that differ in cost and the number of available options, but specifically for our purpose, the most budgetary version of the software - DAEMON Tools Lite, will be enough.
Steps for creating a disk image
1. If you do not have the DAEMON Tools program, then install it on your computer.
2. Insert the disk you want to capture into the drive of your computer, and then launch the DAEMON Tools program.
3. In the left pane of the program window, open the second tab "New image" ... In the window that appears, click on the item "Create image from disk" .
4. A new window will appear in which you will need to fill in the following parameters:
- In the graph "Drive unit" select the drive in which there is currently a disc;
- In the graph "Save as" you will need to specify the folder where the image will be saved;
- In the graph "Format" choose one of the three available image formats (MDX, MDS, ISO). If you do not know which format to stop at, check the ISO, because it is the most popular image format supported by most programs;
- If you want to protect your image with a password, then put the checkbox next to the item "Protect" , and on the two lines below, enter the new password twice.
5. When all the settings are set, you can start the process of creating an image. To do this, you just have to click on the button "Start" .
Every computer user sooner or later begins to ask the question: "How to create a disk image?" It is quite simple to do this, moreover, the process does not take much time. But for this it is recommended to read this article, since here is a step-by-step instruction that will help you understand the question in more detail.
General Provisions
There are several ways you can create a disk image yourself. In any case, we will have to work with special software, which significantly speeds up the process and makes it much easier. It is worth saying that the image that the ISO extension can have is a regular file stored on your hard drive. The only difference is that it has a size much smaller than the original, and is also launched using special programs. You probably noticed that most often the image is created for games, service files that take up a lot of space. The ISO is also opened by different programs, and in this article we will look at which ones. By the way, the extension does not have to be exactly that, but it is used most often. It is impossible not to draw your attention to the fact that the integrity of files is of great importance, it is advisable to check them with an antivirus before starting work. After that, we proceed to the practical part.
What is good about the image
Let's start with a simple example. For example, if you have a game disc, you must use an optical drive to run it. If one is missing or defective, then this already suggests that the image is an excellent solution for you. The same goes for damaged discs. Older computers and laptops often have a defective laser, so writing or reading a disc is quite problematic. In addition, if you have a good Internet connection, you can download images from the network, you don't even need to buy anything, you just need to find what you need. Another example is installing an operating system from a flash drive or disk, which is extremely convenient. The image will unpack quickly enough and without errors. As noted above, if the file weighs 11 gigabytes, and you have a 4.5 GB disk, then the only way to write a document to the existing media is to make an image of it. This way you can achieve the volume you need.
Working with Daemon Tools
One of the most popular and simple programs for creating images. It is completely free and is constantly updated, supports most modern extensions, and therefore is in great demand. To begin with, we need the installed program and the disc inserted into the drive, it is his image that we will learn to create. Most often, the Daemon Tools icon is displayed in the tray (lower right corner on the desktop). Right-click and see a pop-up menu, where you should select "Create disk image". A menu will open in front of you. Here we can find the floppy drive, the place where the image will be saved. You will also need to select an extension. ISO or IMG is recommended, but if you are interested in a specific format, then choose it. The name of the image is also indicated here. After that choose "Save". We press "Start" and wait for the end of the process. When finished, close the window and go to the folder where we saved the file.
How to create a hard drive image: introduction
It's one thing to just learn how to write to a USB flash drive or disk, and quite another to be able to create backups. For this we will use a free software program called Acronis. Although it should be noted that this is far from the only option that allows you to work with a hard drive. If you are using the Windows 7.8 operating system, then there are built-in tools that allow you to create an image of your hard drive. If it is a laptop, then there is also a standard utility called Recovery. It is worth saying a few words directly about Acronis, which was developed specifically in order to back up hard drives, boot them or restore them. It should be noted that the utility works when other programs are powerless, for example, even when the operating system does not load. Well, now let's move on to the practical part of the question.
How do I create a hard disk image using Acronis Images?
First of all, go to the program menu. Here you will see the line "Backup and Restore", which is what we need. Click and go to another section, where you need to select the "Backing up disks and partitions" item. Pay special attention to disk management. You will be able to observe as many as 4 sections. Each of them is responsible for something. One of these, usually the largest, is where you have your operating system installed. A section called System contains recovery information. Recovery is the place where the factory settings of a computer or laptop are stored, and an unnamed section is of a system nature. So, select disk 1, aka My Passport, our backup copy will be located here. The program will prompt you to make a copy of all sections of your computer or laptop. It should be noted right away that nothing needs to be changed, we create a full backup of all partitions. It is advisable to pre-configure the settings, for this we go to disk mode, put a checkmark in front of the hard disk and select the place where to save the image.
We continue to work with Acronis
After we have done all of the above, we move on to the next stage, where we need to get down to business, and since creating a disk image is not very difficult, it will take no more than 10 minutes. It is best to use a USB flash drive or portable hard drive. This is where you should create and save a backup. Although this may be a hard disk partition, it is not the one where the operating system is installed. Then you can click "Archive", although before that it is better to configure the backup settings. Go to "Additional" and put a tick in front of the line "Archive in sector-by-sector mode". We also select "Check backup after creation". Exit this menu and start archiving. When finished, go to the folder and see if our file has survived.
What to look for
It should be noted that it is imperative to create bootable media. Since you already know how to create a disk image, let's go straight to the next step. This is necessary in the event that any emergency situation arises. For example, the computer will not turn on due to errors. For this we use the same Acronis. In the main menu, select "Create bootable media". Next, follow the instructions, and then insert a USB flash drive or disk into the port. The connected device appears in the window. In the menu, put a checkmark in front of all the lines that you see. Click "Next" and select the device, after which we start creating. A window will appear with the process, upon completion you will see a dialog box confirming the successful creation of the bootable media. If you need to restore the system, then you can do it both directly from the running system and through the BIOS. In the main menu, select the "Restore" item and follow the prompts.
Conclusion
I would like to say that creating a regular image and a hard disk image are somewhat similar. In principle, there is nothing complicated here, but there is one "but", you need to use only those programs in which you figured out, or there is a detailed instruction at hand. If you do something wrong, then there is a possibility that you will have to take the hard drive to the service, where a considerable amount will be taken to restore its work. After reading, you should have completely figured out how to create a disk image, both hard and regular. The main thing is to follow the instructions and not get nervous if you didn't manage to do something on the first try.
Read about how to create and work with disk images, as well as with what programs, in our today's article.
Disk image. Applications
A disk image is a file that contains a complete copy of the content and data structure on a drive.
A disk in this case means any hard (HDD), flexible (FDD) or optical (CD / DVD) disk or Flash drive.
Advice! The main advantage of a virtual image is the fact that the disk image contains absolutely all information for duplicating the structure, content and location of the data carrier, repeating its set of sectors and ignoring the file system.
Virtual disks are used to:
- Reserve copy.
Unlike conventional backup programs, which copy only those files to which you have access, in the case of creating an image, in addition to the actual data, the bootloader and files that could be locked by the OS will also be copied. - Distribution of software. For distribution (including via the Internet) of operating systems (OS) and software (software) of a large size (for example, distributions of OS BSD, Linux).
- Creation of virtual hard disks in virtual machines. Before you start working with a virtual machine, you need to create a virtual hard disk on which the operating system will be installed later.
- Replication of systems of the same type.
If it is necessary to install the operating system and software on computers with the same hardware configuration.
A more rational step would be to install and configure the OS and software on one computer, after which an image is created along with all the system settings and installed on other computers.
The .ISO format is the most popular disk image format, but it has the disadvantage of not supporting multi-session data.
Other popular formats are DMG and .IMG, as well as proprietary .MDS / .MDF (Alcohol,), NRG (Nero Burning ROM), .VCD (VirtualCD) and others.
An overview of programs for creating a disk image
Alcohol 52%
The program settings allow:
check the accuracy of reading data from physical devices;
improve the quality of scanning bad sectors;
simultaneous work with 6 virtual drives;
work with formats: BIN, BWA, BWI, BWS, BWT, CCD, CDI, CUE, ISO, ISZ, NRG, MDS;
Helpful information:
DAEMON Tools
As you can see from the table, for the tasks of an average user, the functionality of the free version is enough, which allows you to create and mount all existing types of images and emulate up to 4 drives.
The program has a clear Russian menu.
Ultra ISO
The useful features of the program include:
optimization of the structure of the disk image, allowing more efficient use of hard disk space;
creation of boot disks containing boot sectors of the most popular operating systems (DOS, Windows, Linux);
extraction of boot sectors from hard (HDD) and floppy disks (FDD);
adding, removing, editing files and folders directly inside the disk image.
The program interface is available in more than 40 languages, including support for English, Ukrainian and Russian.
The license cost of the program is $ 30, there is also a trial version.
