In my opinion, anyone who has a computer at home should know what a disk image is and be able to use virtual drives. This article came up on its own as an attempt to give a systematic and fairly comprehensive answer to a number of questions from my friends and acquaintances that arise when working with this data storage technology. Disk images can be very useful not only for movie lovers and gamers, but also for ordinary people trying to save their data.
What is a disk image
A disk image (often called image in English) is a file that contains a complete copy of the data and structure of the file system of a disk. In this way, an optical disc (CD/DVD/Blu-Ray), a hard drive partition, a floppy disk, or the contents of a flash drive can be saved. In fact, this term refers to any file with information sufficient to duplicate the structure and content of some information storage device. Moreover, it does not matter whether this particular disk image was obtained from real physical media or was created using special software. As a rule, sectors of the storage medium are duplicated in the disk image file, and the file system is ignored.
At the time of writing, there are a huge number of formats (ways of recording the structure and information of some medium). The oldest and most famous is the ISO format. However, disk images in this format do not support a number of technologies, such as multi-session disks. Therefore, numerous formats have emerged that provide more complete copying of the media structure. The most popular ones are: NRG, MDF, IMG, CCD, CUE, DMG and BIN. Of course, there are many more different formats, but these are the most common.
What is a disk image for?
First of all, disk images are needed for backup. This technology allows you to make a copy of any media, with the ability to reproduce it in its original form, even if the original is lost. For example, is it convenient to have an image of the system partition of a computer or laptop with software already installed and settings made? Convenient, of course! If the system crashes, then we will only need to restore the system partition from such an image saved somewhere in a safe place. The time difference, compared to installing the system and all the software, is simply colossal, I assure you. Most sensible system administrators in companies with more than a dozen computers do just that.
Another example is a disk with drivers or software for some device. I know from myself that losing such discs is a piece of cake. And if you collected images of such media in one place in advance, then even if you didn’t find the original disks, you don’t have to worry.
In addition to backup, disk images are often used by gamers to speed up work with information on external media. Accessing a disk image stored on the HDD is an order of magnitude faster than accessing a CD or DVD in a regular drive. Due to this, there is often a significant gain in the speed of loading the game and its operation.
A variety of software is often distributed on the Internet in the form of disk images. Of course, among these disks there are a lot of illegal copies of various games, operating systems, etc. But, hand on heart, I can say that this kind of software can also be in demand for completely innocent purposes. For example, not long ago they brought me a laptop. It comes with licensed Windows XP. The sticker is there, but the Windows disk itself is missing. The regular distribution kit of "Vortochek" is not suitable, since the serial number on the sticker does not suit it. As a result, I found on the Internet a disk image with a distribution kit specifically for this laptop model. After installation, it created a legal version of the operating system on the laptop.
It should be noted that a number of programs are distributed completely legally in the form of disk images. Usually, these are all kinds of LiveCDs - disks from which you can boot your computer. All leading antiviruses and most programs for working with hard drives have such options. So not all disk images on the Internet are pirated.
How to create a disk image
Disk images are created using special programs. A lot of such applications have been written. Most of them are paid -,. However, there are also free ones - or.
As mentioned above, disk images are files containing data and information about the structure of any media. However, it should be understood that the software used for creating images of optical discs with distribution kits of programs or operating systems and hard drives is usually different. There are several programs that support creating images from both optical media and hard drives, but I recommend using more highly specialized software. Despite some similarity in functions (creating an image, cloning a disk, restoring (writing) from an image), the applications used are different and should not be confused.
To create and replicate images of flash drives (sometimes you need this), you can use a wonderful program.
How to work with disk images
Disk image files can be used as follows:
- Launched using virtual drives. To do this, programs are used that emulate (simulate using various software) drives into which disk images are mounted. Such a virtual drive appears in the system as a regular physical disk drive. With its help, you can use various disk images as physical media, reading information from them and writing it. Among the most popular programs that ensure the operation of such drives are Alcohol 120% with its free version and Daemon Tools Pro with the free Daemon Tools Lite.
- Recorded on media of suitable size and type. Most often, discs recorded in this way are complete copies of the originals (there are several types of protection that cannot be bypassed in this way, but this is a topic for a separate article). Most programs for burning discs, as well as those applications with which the disc images were created, can handle this.
Well, that's all on this topic for now...
Good afternoon.
Let me make a reservation right away that this article is in no way aimed at distributing illegal copies of disks.
I think that every experienced user has dozens, or even hundreds of CDs and DVDs. Now storing all of them next to a computer or laptop is not so important - after all, one HDD, the size of a small notepad, can accommodate hundreds of such disks! Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to create images from your disk collections and transfer them to a hard drive (for example, to an external HDD).
The topic of creating images when installing Windows is also very relevant (for example, to copy the Windows installation disk into an ISO image, and then create a bootable USB flash drive from it). Especially if you don’t have a disk drive on your laptop or netbook!
Creating images can also often be useful for game lovers: discs become scratched over time and become difficult to read. As a result of intensive use, the disc with your favorite game may simply become unreadable, and the disc will need to be purchased again. To avoid this, it’s easier to read the game into the image once, and then launch the game from this image. In addition, the disk in the drive makes a lot of noise during operation, which annoys many users.
And so, let’s get down to the main thing...
1) How to create an ISO disk image
An image of such a disk is usually created from disks that are not copy-protected. For example, discs with MP3 files, discs with documents, etc. To do this, there is no need to copy the “structure” of the disc’s tracks and any service information, which means the image of such a disc will take up less space than the image of a protected disc. Usually an ISO image is used for such purposes...
CDBurnerXP
A very simple and multifunctional program. Allows you to create data discs (MP3, document discs, audio and video discs), in addition, it can create images and burn ISO images. This is what we will do...
1) First, in the main program window, you need to select the “Copy disk” option.
The main window of the CDBurnerXP program.
Drive: CD-Rom where the CD/DVD disc was inserted;
A place to save the image;
Image type (in our case ISO).
Configure copy settings.
3) Actually, all that remains is to wait until the ISO image is created. The copying time depends on the speed of your drive, the size of the copied disc and its quality (if the disc is scratched, the copying speed will be lower).
Disc copying process...
Alcohol 120%
This is one of the best programs for creating and emulating images. By the way, it supports all the most popular disk images: iso, mds/mdf, ccd, bin, etc. The program supports the Russian language, and its only drawback, perhaps, is that it is not free.
1) To create an ISO image in Alcohol 120%, in the main program window, click on the “ Creating images«.
Alcohol 120% - creating an image.
2) Then you need to specify the CD/DVD drive (where the disc to be copied is inserted) and click the “next” button.
Select drive and copy settings.
3) And the last step... Select the location where the image will be saved, as well as indicate the type of image itself (in our case - ISO).
Alcohol 120% is a place to save your image.
After clicking the “Start” button, the program will begin creating the image. Copy times can vary greatly. For a CD, this time is approximately 5-10 minutes, for a DVD - 10-20 minutes.
Ultra ISO
I couldn’t help but mention this program, because it is one of the most popular programs for working with ISO images. As a rule, one cannot do without it when:
Installing Windows and creating bootable flash drives and disks;
When editing ISO images (and it can do this quite easily and quickly).
In addition, UltraISO allows you to create an image of any disk in 2 mouse clicks!
1) After starting the program, you need to go to the “Tools” section and select the option “ Create CD image...«.
2) Then all that remains is to select the CD/DVD drive, the location where the image will be saved and the type of the image itself. What is noteworthy, in addition to creating an ISO image, the program can create: bin, nrg, compressed iso, mdf, ccd images.
2) Creating an image from a protected disk
Such images are usually created from game discs. The fact is that many game manufacturers, protecting their products from pirates, make it so that you can’t play without the original disc... That is. To start the game, the disc must be inserted into the drive. If you don't have a real disk, then you won't run the game...
Now imagine a situation: several people are working at a computer and each has their own favorite game. Disks are constantly rearranged and over time they wear out: scratches appear on them, reading speed deteriorates, and then they may no longer be readable at all. To do this, you can create an image and use it. Just to create such an image, you will need to enable some options (if you create a regular ISO image, then when you start the game, it will simply give an error that there is no real disk...).
Alcohol 120%
1) As in the first part of the article, first of all, launch the option to create a disk image (in the menu on the left, first tab).
2) Then you need to select the disk drive and set the copy settings:
Ignores read errors;
Advanced Sector Scanning (A.S.S.) factor 100;
Read subchannel data from the current disk.
3) In this case, the image format will be MDS - the Alcohol 120% program will read the subchannel data of the disk into it, which will subsequently help launch a protected game without a real disk.
By the way, the size of the image during such copying will be larger than the actual disk space. For example, based on a game CD of 700 MB in size, an image of ~800 MB in size will be created.
Nero
Nero is not just one program for burning discs, it is a whole range of programs for working with discs. With Nero you can: create any discs (audio and video, with documents, etc.), convert videos, create covers for discs, edit audio and video, etc.
Using NERO 2015 as an example, I’ll show you how an image is created in this program. By the way, for images it uses its own format: nrg (all popular programs for working with images read it).
1) Launch Nero Express and select the “Image, project ...” section, then the “Copy disk” function.
2) In the settings window, pay attention to the following:
On the left of the window there is an arrow with additional settings - check the box " Read subchannel data«;
Then select the drive from which the data will be read (in this case, the drive into which a real CD/DVD disc is inserted);
And the last thing you need to specify is the drive source. If you are copying a disc to an image, then you need to select Image Recorder.
Setting up copying of a protected disc in Nero Express.
3) When you start copying, Nero will prompt you to select a location to save the image, as well as its type: ISO or NRG (for protected disks, select the NRG format).
DAEMON Tools is the best program for creating virtual disks and mounting them (emulating), which significantly reduces disk space and allows you to create backup copies of all necessary files. The main difference between this program and many other similar ones is that the developers of the utility put the interests of their users much higher than everything else. This is evidenced by the constantly updating versions of the program, which is becoming more and more convenient to use and universal in application. The main advantages of the utility include:
- the ability to create images (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) as a file and mount them.
- the ability to replace physical wear of all types of disks.
- a convenient and clear interface will make absolutely no one use the program for all categories of users.
- allows you to use all possible image formats.
- provides the ability to copy boot disks, and also makes it possible to protect saved files with a password, which will ensure complete security for file storage.
In order to be able to use the program, you need to take the following steps.
First you need to download and install the program on your personal computer:
After this, select the desired program components to use and determine the program installation folder. Installation will take just minutes.
After installation, you need to launch the program and select the image creation tab, after which a window will open in which you need to select the disk drive parameters, writing speed, and location of the new disk image. Select the file for the image and its format. It is advisable to specify the maximum reading speed and, if necessary, you can specify a protection password.
When you have finished selecting the parameters, you need to click on the start button and the image will be created automatically in the previously specified folder.
A fairly convenient interface and ease of use are the main advantages of this program, which is designed to greatly secure and expand the range of capabilities of your disk images to 4 different units, which will replace the need to save disks and fear their failure.
A disk image is a file containing full copy structure and content of data located on the disk. It stores all the information that duplicates the location and contents of a specific data storage device. The order of data sectors is repeated on the image, but the structure built on it is ignored.
The original purpose of creation was backup disk data, where the exact original structure was preserved. Nowadays, due to the spread of optical media, images in as ISO files, which can be used instead of CDs. ISO has less data - no service information.
Using archive programs that support opening this type of data, you can extract and view the contents of this file. How and with what tools you can reproduce a disk image will be discussed further.
Creating an image using ultraISO
One of the most accessible methods for creating an ISO is to use the UltraISO utility. The program is paid, but you can use the trial version, which you download from the official website. 
The essence of use is as follows: yes 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.
Set the name future copy, for which we left-click on it, property – Rename. Introducing a new name.
Then we drag folders and files from the storage area on the computer to the image file area. To find the ones you need, use the directory explorer presented below. 
Please note that at the top it 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 save.
The saving process will appear, after which you will find a copy in the location you specified. 
Burning an image using Daemon tools
An equally popular image recording program is Daemon Tools.
There are several variations of this software, including the free DAEMON Tools Lite. After installing the free license, you will have a virtual DVD drive.
After launch, click on the button below to create a copy of the disk. 
IN settings we refer to drive unit, where the disk and folder where the image will be saved is located.
Specify copy type MDS or ISO.
Further Start and the creation process will begin, upon completion of which the copy will be ready. 
Mount You can check it in a virtual drive.
Using Ashampoo Burning Studio Free
The free version of this program is free and will allow you to burn a disk image. Download from off. site, simple and straightforward installation.
After installation, the application will launch on its own. Choose Disk image – Create.
If we create it based on a real disk, first insert it into the drive.
Specify the storage location and click Further to start the process. 
Once the procedure is complete, you can open the folder containing the file. 
How to create a copy of a disk using CDBurnerXP
To create an ISO in the CDBurnerXP utility, select from the menu File – save project like ISO. 
Specify the directory, where to save the file and click Create ISO.
Can be customized options, such as: name, description, date, identifier, copyright and other settings. Once you open Boot Options, you will see a dialog box with additional options. 
ISO using ImgBurn
ImgBurn is a convenient 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 you can: write down image to disk, so make it from existing files.
In this case, we are interested in the latter.
There is no need to specify any additional settings (the only thing is that, if desired, you can change the recording speed and number of copies), specify the drive from which you want to read data and click Reading 
The copying process will begin, after which a message will signal to us that it has been successfully completed. 
Free DVD ISO Maker
The program is free, easy to use and simple. 
After launch you will need to select Select CD/ DVDdevice, that is, the drive for reading (specify the path). Next is the place where we will save the resulting file. Then click Covert and wait for the final completion of the copying procedure.
We use ISODisk
It is also free, download it from the official website. 
The interface, although in English, is quite intuitive. Some users do not recommend using it for mounting virtual drives, but it copes with the task of creating ISOs with a bang.
Programs for creating images from any disk, converting to any format and many other functions!
↓ New in the "Disk Images" category:
Free
Virtual Drive Pro 14.0 is a unique program that will significantly reduce the time it takes to download any calculation applications. The algorithm of the Virtual Hard Drive program is to use part of your system's random access memory (RAM memory) to simulate a hard drive, thanks to which you can significantly reduce the time for processing or recording the information you need.
Free 
Ashampoo Burning Studio 9.21/11.0.2 is a program that provides high-quality burning of discs of any format. The Ashampoo Burning Studio program allows you to create various projects, as well as burn any discs on modern or old drives. The program also supports long file names (127-character DVD or Blu-ray and 64-character for CD), it can automatically configure parameters and save or load a saved project.
Free 
DAEMON Tools Net 4.41.0314.0144 is the next version of the disk virtualization program from the famous developer Disc Soft Ltd. This version of the program allows you to store and process disk images on the server, with access to them via the local network by other users.
Free 
CDBurnerXP 4.4.0.2838 is a program that can burn a disc of any size and format. The CDBurnerXP program can burn discs both from images and from folders located on the computer; it can burn data discs or audio CDs with equal quality.
Free 
Alcohol 120% 2.0.1.2033 is a program that can not only create backup copies of disks in the form of an image, but also write them to media.
Free 
Alcohol 52% Free Edition 2.0.1.2031 - this program will make it possible not only to emulate the image of your choice onto a virtual disk while maintaining identity with the original, but can also bypass the copy protection functions of this disk.
Free 
UltraISO 9.5.2.2836 is a program that works with disk images. The UltraISO program makes it possible to correct disk images. That is, she can change the data on them, as well as add or remove any files from the image without unpacking it.
Free 
PowerISO 4.9 is a program that allows you to work with disk images. The PowerISO program makes it possible to convert images from any format to the format of your choice, compress, decompress or encrypt disk images.
Free
Gizmo Drive 2.7.9 has two main goals - emulating disk images and creating virtual drives. The Gizmo Drive program allows you to create a virtual disk or several disks, for each of which you can specify separate settings during installation.
Free 
IsoBuster 2.8.5 is one of the most powerful programs that work with disk images and can also recover information on optical CDs and DVDs.
Free 
ImgBurn 2.5.6.0 is a fairly small program that has all the necessary functions to burn almost any image of CD and DVD discs.
Free 
Virtual CloneDrive 5.4.5.0 is a program that will help you create a virtual disk from an image. After installing Virtual CloneDrive and rebooting the system, you will have a virtual drive into which you can then insert your image. Virtual CloneDrive supports up to 8 virtual CD-ROMs simultaneously.
