goodcas.blogg.se

Most operating systems available for download, including Windows and various Linux distributions are provided in the form of ISO images.

Once you have that big file, you can decide if you want to mount it for further use or burn that image to an optical disk.

While many people look to the ISO format to back up optical disks, globally ISO images are mostly used for distribution of large programs and operating systems because it allows to store all files in one big file that can be downloaded easily. In this case, all your applications treat it as if it were a real optical disk inserted into the optical disk drive of your computer. Most operating systems (as well as many utilities – auxiliary computer programs designed to perform specialized tasks that ensure proper work of the computer’s hardware or operating system) also allow mounting an ISO image as a virtual disk. The idea behind an ISO image is that you can archive an accurate digital copy of an optical disk and then use this image to burn a new disk which will be an exact copy of the original optical disk. It is, in fact, a sector by sector copy of the physical disk, without any additional compression applied. Think of an ISO image as a complete copy of all data stored on a physical optical disk such as a CD, DVD or Blu-ray disk, including its own file system. The abbreviation ISO comes from the name of the file system used for optical media – usually, it is ISO 9660. This file format is often used to back up optical disks or arrange large sets of files for further writing to an optical disk. Quite often, there is a situation when a copy of a disk should be saved, and this is when an ISO image comes on stage.Īn ISO file (often referred to as an ISO image) is an archived file containing an accurate copy (or image) of data found on an optical disk, for example, a CD or a DVD. Most computer software is supplied in a digital format – on an optical disk or in other forms.