Easy Ways to Create an ISO File from a CD or DVD

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Easily create ISO image files from your DVD or CD drive
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ISO files are exact copies of a DVD or CD, which makes them great for archiving and sharing discs without worrying about scratches or other damage. You can also use an ISO image to create a boot disc or flash drive. As long as you have a CD or DVD drive, you can convert any disc to an ISO. We worked with computer and tech specialist Luigi Oppido to create this simple guide to converting a DVD or CD to ISO on Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu Linux.

Make an ISO from a CD or DVD

On Windows, install AnyBurn or any other free disc imaging utility. On a Mac, you can use Disk Utility to do the conversion. If you use Ubuntu, install Brasero from your default package manager.

Section 1 of 3:

Windows

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  1. You can create an ISO image from any CD or DVD. The resulting image file will be the same size as the data on the disc (up to 800 MB for a CD, or 4.7 GB for a DVD).
    • Oppido explains that creating an ISO from a disc is like taking an exact photo of the disc with a special camera that can then print an identical new disc from that photo. You can use that image to create boot discs, play games that require keeping a disc inserted when you don't have the physical disc, and much more.
  2. If you don't have this disc imaging utility, you can download it for free , or you can pay for Pro to unlock more features. However, the free version will allow you to convert a CD or DVD to ISO image files.
    • This program is compatible with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows.
    • You can also use other disc imaging utilities like WinX DVD Ripper Platinum, PowerISO, Ventoy, Win32 Disk Image, and WinCDEmu. Note that any of these can also include extra applications and software included in the download that may be malicious – in that case, make sure that you're only downloading the disc imaging utility.
      • Protect yourself and your computer with a good antivirus or anti-malware like Windows Security or Avast .
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  3. This will take you to another window with more options.
  4. Choose the drive that you have inserted the disc into next to "Select source drive."
  5. Give the image file a name that you'll recognize, choose a location to save it, and then select the file type. By default, this will say "Standard ISO File" and you'll want to leave it at that.
    • Click the folder icon to change the location if the default location is not what you want.
  6. The time this takes will depend on the size of the disc and the speed of your drive. Once the process is complete, you'll find the ISO file in the location you set in the previous step.
    • Once done, you'll see "Creating image file finished successfully" and can close the window. [1]
    • Oppido explains that if you want to use your ISO like a software CD or DVD, you can mount it like a virtual CD or DVD drive. To mount the ISO file, just right-click it in File Explorer and select Mount . "At that point," Oppido says, "the tray is now virtually closed, the CD or DVD has spun up and loaded the virtual disk, and now it shows up like a plugged-in drive."
    • If you're using a virtual machine, you'll find a .exe file that you can use to set up the ISO image file.
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Section 2 of 3:

macOS

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  1. You can use the Disk Utility program to create image files from any of your CDs or DVDs. You can find this in the Utilities folder in your Applications folder. You can also press ⌘ Command + Space and type "disk utility" to search for it.
    • Disk Utility creates a CDR file, so use Terminal to convert the CDR file into an ISO.
  2. Insert the CD or DVD that you want to create a disc image from.
  3. This will open a submenu with more options.
  4. "<Device>" will change to reflect the drive that contains the CD or DVD.
    • Alternatively, press Alt + Cmd + N .
  5. Give it a name that you'll recognize, and choose the Desktop as the save location.
    • Click the drop-down menu next to "Image Format" and select DVD/CD master .
  6. The time this takes will depend on the size of the disc and the speed of your drive.
    • The file will be in CDR format. Continue to use Terminal to convert CDR to ISO.
    • CDR works fine on Mac, but convert it to ISO if you plan on using the file on Windows.
  7. You can convert the CDR file to an ISO file using a simple Terminal command. You can find the Terminal in your Utilities folder.
    • If the CDR file is not located on your Desktop, move it there before continuing.
  8. Type cd ~/Desktop and press Return .
  9. hdiutil makehybrid -iso -joliet -o Name.iso Name.cdr . Replace "Name" with the name of your CDR file. Now you have an ISO image file that you can use on any operating system. [2]
    • According to Oppido, if you want to use the ISO as a virtual CD or DVD, you will need to mount it. To do this, you'll just double-click the ISO file in Finder. Then, it will show up as a drive on your desktop.
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Section 3 of 3:

Ubuntu Linux

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  1. If you don't have Brasero installed, you can install it from the Ubuntu Software Center or in a terminal using the command sudo apt install brasero .
  2. The "Copy CD/DVD" window will appear.
  3. If you only have one disc drive, it will be selected by default.
  4. This will create an image file from the original disc instead of copying it to a blank one.
  5. You'll be prompted to give the image file a name and select the location you want to save it to. After that, Ubuntu will begin creating the ISO file from the disc inserted into the computer.
  6. If you'd rather use the Terminal, you can create an ISO file using a single command. Open the Terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T and enter the following: [3]
    • sudo dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/home/username/image.iso
    • Replace /dev/cdrom with the path to your disc drive. Replace the path for the ISO file with whatever path you'd like to save it to.
    • To mount the ISO, use the command sudo mkdir /mnt/iso to create a mount point, then use sudo mount -o loop /path/to/my-iso-image.iso /mnt/iso to mount it.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I create an ISO from a file on the computer?
    Community Answer
    To create an ISO file from your own physical disc, you’ll need to get a third-party program that can do so. There are many tools for this and many of them are packed with junkware. Beware! InfraRecorder does a fine job of this and is free, open-source software that doesn’t include junkware. Insert a disc, click the “Read Disc” button, and select a source drive to read from and destination ISO file to create. As simple as that!
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  • Question
    How do I convert a PS2 disc in an ISO file?
    Aditya Telang
    Community Answer
    Yes. You need to use an image burning software. Some good one's are IMGBurn or MagicISO. Use the "Image File From Disk" setting. Insert the desired PS2 game disc into your computer’s CD/DVD drive. Locate your CD/DVD-Rom Drive then choose a location on your computer where you would like to save the completed ISO file.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.anyburn.com/tutorials/copy-disc-to-iso-file.htm
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/create-a-disk-image-dskutl11888/mac
      3. ↑ http://askubuntu.com/questions/136165/how-to-create-iso-images

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Install InfraRecorder.
      2. Insert the disc you want to copy.
      3. Open InfraRecorder.
      4. Click Read Disc .
      5. Select your disc drive.
      6. Select a saving location.
      7. Click OK .

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        Jan 6, 2017

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