I downloaded the iso file, what next? Opening an iso image on a computer

File iso how to open and what it is. This question may arise for every computer user. In this article I will tell you what the iso format is and how you need to handle it: how to create an iso image and what program to open it with.

The iso file extension is an archived image of a CD or DVD disk that is used by programs to create an exact copy of disks and then burn them. Very often used to store backup exact copies of disks on media. Essentially, this file is simply an archive container in which the file system of the ISO 9660 standard, which describes the standard for CD-ROM disks, is collected. The purpose of creating this format was to ensure full compatibility of the storage medium on different operating systems (such as Unix, Windows, Mac OS).

How to open an iso file using the free 7-zip archiver.

If you have an ISO image and need to burn it to a disc, you can use the free CD BurnerXP disc burning program. You can read how to record.

If you don’t need to burn the image to disk and you just want to open the iso file to, for example, view a list of files or open some, you can use the free 7-zip archiver. I will show you how to do this using the example of one of the files, and at the end of the article I recorded a video with step-by-step instructions. You must have the 7-zip archiver installed on your computer.

So, open the folder with the disk image file (iso) and right-click on the file. In the menu list we find 7-zip, click and in the menu that opens select “Open archive”. This operation will open our file to work with the files that are inside. In this case, we will be able, for example, to select only some of all the files present and unzip them to a computer for reading or viewing. If you select the “Unpack” menu, a window will open with a choice of where to unpack the entire iso file. When you select the “Unpack here” menu, the program will unzip the entire contents of the archive into the folder in which the iso archive itself is located. And when you select “Extract to...”, the program will expand all the files contained in the archive into a folder that will have the same name as the name of the iso file. In our case, we select “Open archive” because This is the most universal method of working with it.

After this, the archiver will start with a list of files that the iso image contains. Just like in a regular Explorer, you can select files and open folders. To unzip the necessary files, we select a file, folder or several files and folders and click the “Extract” button. A window will open where you need to specify the folder into which the file will be extracted. In my case, I selected 1 file and extracted it to the same folder where the image itself was located. Click Ok.

As a result, the files that we extracted should appear in the selected folder. There is nothing super complicated in the iso file and you can work with it in the same way as with a regular archive.

How to open an iso file using winrar archiver

In principle, you can open an iso with any decompressor program that allows you to work with this iso format. As for the most common winrar program, I will show you how to work with it.

If you already have winrar installed, you can extract all files from the iso image directly from the context menu. But as you can see in the image below, you cannot open the file by right-clicking. You will need to first launch winrar and select the required file in the program itself to open and then extract the necessary files. If you often need to open these types of files, it will be more convenient to add the ability to open with an archiver using the context menu.

To do this, launch winrar and open the options menu and then settings. Go to the Integration tab, check the ISO checkbox and click OK.

After this, the right-click context menu on the ISO file will look like this. Also pay attention to the file icon. It took the form of a winrar archive, i.e. When you run such a file, the archiver will automatically start with the contents of the file.

Now you can select the files or folders you need, view the contents, or extract them to your computer. All operations are the same as in the case of the 7-zip archiver.

How to open an iso file with a disk mount program

In previous examples, we looked at options for how to open and extract the contents of a file. However, in most cases you will be faced with the task of watching a video or installing some program or game on your computer. And in this case, you will need a special program that creates a virtual disk drive on your computer and mounts the iso file, which allows you to use it as an ordinary CD or DVD disk. This is necessary if the installer program, to install programs, needs to work not with files in a folder, but with a full-fledged drive.

The most common and also free program for mounting images is DAEMON Tools Lite. You can download it from the website daemon-tools.cc. Please note that to download you must click on the following link:

After downloading, run the installation file and install the program on your computer. Once the installation is complete, all ISO files will change their icon to daemon tools and, when opened or double-clicked with the left button, will be automatically mounted as a virtual disk and opened as a disk. To do this, the program will create an additional virtual drive during mounting and when unmounting the image, this drive will be deleted as unnecessary.

After opening an iso file in this way, you can perform all operations with it just like those available for files on a regular disk. To unmount the image and hide the virtual drive, right-click on the virtual drive and select "eject" from the context menu.

Video “How to open an iso file”

An ISO file is an image of a CD or DVD disc. Such files are used to create an exact copy of the data contained on the disk. In this article we will talk about how to unpack an ISO file and access its contents.

If you need to unpack an ISO file, the easiest way is to use any archiver. As an example, we will demonstrate how this is done using 7-Zip as an example. You can use any other archiver that you like. For example, you can use WinRAR.

So, in order to unpack an ISO file, you need to right-click on the ISO file and select the menu item “7-Zip – Open archive”.

As a result, a 7-Zip archiver window will appear in front of you with the contents of your ISO file. From this window you can drag and drop files into the folder you need. But this method of unpacking will take more time. To unpack as quickly as possible, click on the “Extract” button.

After this, the process of extracting the ISO file will begin. The time required to unpack depends on the size of the ISO file and the performance of your computer.

Once the extraction is complete, all files from the ISO file will be located in the folder you selected.

Unpacking an ISO file using UltraISO

This is a professional tool for working with ISO files. With this program you can create, mount, unpack, and perform many other actions with ISO files. UltraISO is a paid program, but you can use the Trial version.

In order to extract an ISO file using UltraISO, you need to run UltraISO and . This can be done using the button on the toolbar or the “File – Open” menu. The CTRL+O key combination also works.

After you have opened the ISO file, all the files inside this disk image will appear in the UltraISO program window. In order to unpack them you need to select everything and right-click on them. In the window that appears, select “Extract to”.

Unpacking an ISO file with Daemon Tools Lite

You can also mount the ISO file as a virtual drive and then copy files from it. To do this, you can use Daemon Tools Lite or any other disk mounting program.

To mount an ISO file, simply open it. If you have the latest version of Daemon Tools Lite installed, the virtual disk will be mounted automatically.

After that, open the “My Computer” window, find the virtual disk there and also open it.

After this, the files from the ISO image will appear in front of you, and you can copy them to the folder you need.

It should also be noted that in Windows 10 you can mount ISO files without using third-party programs like Daemon Tools Lite.

Questions about how to open an unfamiliar file format sooner or later arise for almost any computer user, because the list of applications initially included in the Windows library does not suit all of them. It happens that after downloading a program, a person receives a disk image instead of the usual file with the .exe extension, which is an application. In this case, it is important to know what you can use to open an ISO and how to use it.

What is an ISO file

An ISO file (ISO, less commonly ISO) is a virtual image of a physical medium - an optical disk, usually in CD or DVD format, containing a copy of all its data. This data can be anything: music, videos, movies, copies of real disks used for convenient installation of applications, and so on. This type of file began to spread quite a long time ago, when there was practically no fast Internet, and the search for the necessary applications was mainly carried out through disk exchange, then ISO files helped bypass the protection of many programs that required the presence of physical media in the drive to be allowed to work with them.

Now virtual disk images are used to distribute large programs (mostly video games) or their packages. In addition to being used for storing data, an ISO image allows you to accurately reproduce the original physical disc. To do this, you need to write the information contained in it onto an empty “blank”.

Programs that open the ISO extension are divided into two types: archivers that can read the contents of a virtual disk, and virtual drive creators that simulate the presence of a disk drive and connect images to it. The first of these are suitable if you just need to access the ISO file or copy its contents to your computer. Its structure is a regular archive with compressed information, so the files it contains can be opened, edited and copied using programs such as 7Zip or WinRar.

The second type of programs is used for more convenient and advanced work with virtual drives and includes applications like Daemon Tools. They can install programs from virtual disks and simulate the presence of media in the drive. They are always recommended to be used, if possible, because there is a whole list of virtual drive emulators that are free and convenient even for inexperienced users.

How to open a file with an archiver

By default, most archivers do not associate the ISO disk image format with them, but you can still open it with their help. To do this, you need to change the program settings. For example, in the WinRar application this is done using the following algorithm:

Open the archiver, go to the “options” menu and go to the “settings” tab.
On this tab, go to the “integration” item and in the “Associate WinRar c:” sign, check the box opposite the ISO format, then confirm and save the changes.
Right-click on the desired ISO file, find the WinRar program icon in the menu that appears and select the “Extract files...” function.
The image will automatically open in the program, after which all you have to do is point to the desired item on the disk and wait for the extraction to complete. Information from the virtual disk will be installed to the specified location.

You can also open an ISO file using 7-Zip. To do this, just go into the program, click “open” and double-click on the desired image with the left button. In addition, you can right-click on the file itself, select the “open with” function and find the desired archiver in the menu that appears.

The disadvantages of these programs include the fact that they can be used to manipulate files on the image only within the computer. Archivers cannot, for example, copy the Windows installer to a flash drive - this will require the help of more advanced utilities.

Programs for mounting an image

The most popular type of programs that can be used to open ISO format on a computer are virtual drive emulators. They include many useful functions for working with disk images, such as mounting and unmounting them, as well as working with multiple digital media at once. The most famous utility of this type is Daemon Tools, but there are others, such as WinISO, ISOBuster, UltraISO, Roxio Easy Media Studio, Alcohol 120%, Gilles Vollant WinImage and others.

Daemon Tools Lite

The most famous specialized program used for reading ISOs is Daemon Tools. It can be downloaded online from the official website. There is a free version of the utility, called DT Lite, which includes everything you need to work with ready-made images, as well as a paid version, used for more advanced tasks, such as creating new virtual disks and burning them to physical media.

After downloading and installing, the utility automatically creates a virtual drive onto which you can immediately mount disk images. Once mounted, the user can access the ISO files through the My Computer folder as if they were on physical media inserted into the drive. The “artificial” drive, when opened, provides access to all files on the copy of the disk.

The program interface is very simple and friendly even for beginners, but some of them may still need detailed instructions for opening an ISO image using the Daemon Tools utility:

Install the program, run it, click on the “add image” button located at the bottom of the interface. Then find and select the required ISO file in the window that appears - it will be added to the program directory.
Right-click on the file, then select the “mount” option in the pop-up menu and the desired drive, if there is more than one. Wait for the process to complete. This usually takes a few seconds.
Go to the virtual disk directory by clicking on the drive icon in the application or through the “My Computer” folder menu. It will contain all files archived on ISO.

Using Daemon Tools you can open two or more archives at the same time. To do this, click on the “Add virtual DT drive” or “Add virtual SCSI drive” button. There is not much difference between them, except for the response to some copy protection systems. You can mount a separate disk image in each of the virtual drives.

Ultra ISO

Another good utility for media emulation is a small program under the self-explanatory name Ultra ISO. It is worth noting that it works not only with ISO, but also with other image file formats, for example .bin, .mdl, .cue, .mdf, .isz (its special format) and others - there are 30 extensions in total. To open an ISO image using it, you need to follow these steps:

Download, install and run the program.
Select the “file” tab, in which click on the “open” option that appears, then find the desired ISO image and double-click on it.
Files from the disk will appear on the right side of the Ultra ISO window, from where they can be expanded or extracted to the desired directory on your computer.

The main advantage of the utility is the ability to immediately extract all files from the image or start recording it to a blank. To do this, you just need to select the “burn files to CD” option in the top menu of the application.

Alcohol 120%

Another application that allows you to open an ISO extension is Alcohol 120%, which has also gained some popularity among users. Unlike DT and UltraISO, it is paid (with the exception of the trial version), and is also more complex to use, but in return it has some functions that are not available to other utilities. In order to open an image using it, you need to:

Download and run the Alcohol 120% installation application. During it, the program will prompt the user to create a new virtual drive - you must agree to this.
After installation is complete, reboot the system. Upon completion of the OS restart, a new one created by the utility will be added to the existing physical drives on the device.
Find the ISO file in the directory on your computer, right-click on it and select the “mount” option from the pop-up menu.
In the window that opens after this, point to the desired file - Alcohol 120% will autostart, in which you can view, extract or edit the contents of the image.

Using programs to view ISO files is a simple task that even a novice computer user can handle. There are many utilities for this, each with its own features, pros and cons. You need to choose the right one based on the purpose and frequency of its use by the individual.

An ISO image is often used to create a copy of installation programs such as Windows.

An ISO file is an optical image of a CD or DVD 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 copied. The disk may contain information that can protect it from being copied.

Only programs that have this capability can save such information.

You can view ISO file information 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 boot files and other large files at a faster rate than through removable or other physical media.

Now the ISO format is being used more and more often.

The main difficulty with such files is that Windows Vista and XP cannot initially recognize their format, which is why some inexperienced PC users experience difficulties.

When you try to open it without pre-installed third-party software, older operating systems do not know what to do with this file.

How to open an ISO file?

Read also: 5 easy ways to create a Windows 10 OS image

Rice. 2. Creating a disk image

This format is most often used to transfer information from a CD or DVD via the Internet or media.

All necessary data is saved in the archive, which is then transferred and unpacked on another computer.

Recently, this format has begun to be used frequently, therefore, every PC user should know how to open it, because not every computer will be able to immediately select the appropriate program.

This format is used for archiving 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 launch the file by double-clicking the mouse. But if you need to extract information from a virtual disk, you will need a special program.

At the moment, there are several more well-known, free programs that are easy to use and accessible 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 junk

Daemon Tools is a program for creating CD/DVD images.

The drive is created programmatically and then treated by the computer as if it contains a disk. This allows you to use images as if they were physical disks located on a CD-ROM.

It is possible to create images in various formats for subsequent use in this and other similar programs.

A virtual disk drive is created to increase the speed of information transfer and reduce wear on media.

One of the most popular utilities for creating images and unpacking them.

Rice. 3. Utility download page

You can find a free version on the developer's official website, 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 website.

After downloading the program, install it and run it. To create an image, click on the button shown in Fig. 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”, like a disk located in the drive.

You can also open it through “My Computer,” but before that you need to launch it in the program. To do this, press the corresponding button shown in Fig. 5.

Fig.5 Putting the image into operation.

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 files have become quite popular and widespread, you need to have this program on your PC.

Its system requirements are small and the amount of memory it takes is minimal. Additionally, it can be noted that this utility is often installed along with the game, as a required application, if this comes from a disk through a drive.

From reviews:

“An excellent program for virtualizing optical disks, and it’s also free.”

“One of the best programs for working with disk images”

“Excellently and efficiently creates a virtual disk and stores data on it”

Alcohol

Read also: Error “Windows cannot complete formatting”: causes of the error and 5 ways to fix it

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 absence of the ability to record information on 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 provided free of charge only for 30 days. Next, the utility asks you to buy a license.

The full version can, of course, be downloaded from pirated 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 the main page. On it you need to click “Download trial”.

After this, you will automatically be redirected to the download page, where you need to click the “Download” button, after which the installation file will begin downloading.

Once 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 - Launch “My Computer”, find the desired disk and launch it.

From reviews:

“This program is much better than Daemon Tools, much! It’s very easy to create images, and it’s easy to remove (unlike Daemon Tools again)”;

“Cool program for images”;

“A must-have program for any computer. No comments needed.”;

“Cool program is very necessary for gamers!!!”;

“Damn, the program is absolutely a bomb, and even if you know how to use it, download it without fail!!!”

Read also:Create a bootable USB flash drive with utilities for Windows yourself

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 burning.

There are paid and free versions. The difference is that in the free version 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 what accounts for its popularity. You can download the program for free on any website where it is available. One of the best is SoftPortal. How to download the program:

1 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 the installation file.

When the installation is complete, open the program. After launching the application, proceed to opening 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 an image. The content will open as shown in Figure 16.

Fig. 16. Contents of the image.

Everything that is in the image is displayed in this window. Here you can already select what you need and work with the file.

The program is easy to use, so even the most inexperienced beginner can handle it.

From reviews:

“The program is just super, I recommend it to 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 burn images to disk. Working with the program is quite easy, it is Russified, which facilitates the rapid development of all functions. The internal file browser allows you to conveniently browse folders and select files for new projects. I recommend it for use!”;

Developed in 1999, it is still popular among users and is open source, which is freely distributed under a license.

The main platform is Windows OS. GUI and command line versions are available.

It is surprising 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 system version.

If your PC has the Windows 7 operating system, then most likely a 64-bit version will do. Having selected the version, click the “Download” button, after which the installation file will begin downloading.

Fig. 10. Utility download page.

Installation has no special features and occurs in the same way as with any other program.

After the installation is complete, launch the program. If you click on the “Plus” (add) button in the window that opens, another window will open in which you need to select the ISO file to unpack.

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 onto your desktop using the mouse.

Fig. 11. Adding a file for unpacking.

From reviews:

“It’s a pleasure to work in the program, everything is smooth and hassle-free. Archives can be unpacked both into the current folder and into a folder with a name like the name of the archive itself (which is much more convenient). You can pack the folder (“Add to archive”) and send it by e-mail. You can simply open the archive and view its contents”;

“Very simple, very useful and functional, highly recommend”;

“The program is excellent, I’ve been using it for more than a year. It works well, the developers are great. And most importantly - it's free!!! Place your bet, you won’t regret it.”

In most cases, the question of how to open an ISO file arises among novice users. When you first encounter this format, Windows cannot always choose the optimal utility for opening content or launching it. This compression option 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 via the Internet or removable media. The archive contains all the data, which can then be unpacked on another computer. The format is used frequently, so you need to know which program to open the ISO. Your operating system may not immediately select a suitable application for these purposes; you may have to download it.

This format is often used to archive games and OS so that it can be launched 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 will need a special program. There are several well-known, convenient and accessible utilities that will help you perform all the steps described above. 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 common and popular, so below is a list of options for opening an ISO in Windows 7. The standard set of system applications does not have a special utility for writing or opening this extension, so you will 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 method of use is as follows:

Install the utility. All ISO file icons change, but that's how it should be.
During installation, another section will appear in Explorer, which will act as a virtual drive.
Double-click on the image and it will automatically launch like a regular disk.
If this does not happen automatically, then go to the program, right-click on the drive and select “mount image”.
An explorer will appear through which you should specify the location of the file.
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 needs to be extracted. 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:

Download the installer, install and after launch select “Trial period”. The functionality will be fully available.
Click the “File” button and select “Open”. Through Explorer, find the folder with the disk image and select it.
Contents will appear in the program window, which you can extract, write to media, or launch directly from Ultra ISO.
You can also immediately find the archive storage location, right-click on it and select “Open with...”. In the window, select the Ultra ISO program. In the future, all such files will be launched by this application.

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

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

There is another option for opening an ISO image - the Nero program. Previously, it was a very popular application for burning CDs and DVDs, but with the advent of flash drives it became less popular. However, it is capable of working with ISO, opening or writing to disk media. You will need the latest version of the utility with all the additions. Then the launch proceeds like this:

Install and launch the application.
Click on the item in the top menu “ImageDrive”. Confirm the action to create a virtual drive.
Click on the “First drive” item and select the disk image file using the browse button.
The disk will be mounted, and you can run the executable file or burn the contents to a CD.

How to open an ISO file on Windows 10

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

7Zip is an archiver that will help you launch an image and extract all the files from it.
UltraIso - the utility can not only launch an ISO, but also write it to any media.
Deamon Tools is a popular drive emulator for mounting ISOs.
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 desktop shell on many modern laptops. Users who have recently purchased a PC should know which program to use to open the ISO file. Unlike other versions of Windows, this one has a built-in tool, so you don’t have to install anything additional. You can read the ISO as follows:

Find the folder with the file.
Right click on it.
In the context menu, click “Connect”.
You will have a new virtual drive where the document will be mounted.
After that, you can work with the content.

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