This article shows you how to create an image (ISO) file of optical media (CD or DVD) using a computer running Windows or a Mac. It also explains how to create an ISO file using files on a computer. ISO files can be used directly, exactly as if they were a physical optical media inserted in the appropriate computer reader. In this case it is necessary to execute what in technical jargon is called "mount" of the ISO file. If necessary the ISO files can be burned to disc to have a physical CD / DVD available. To be able to create an ISO file from a CD / DVD, the latter must not be protected by anti-copy systems.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Create Optical Media ISO File on Windows
Step 1. Log in to the Ninite website using this link
Step 2. Scroll down the page to the "Utilities" section
It is located in the lower right part of the web page that appeared.
Step 3. Select the check button next to "InfraRecorder"
It is located in the middle of the list of options in the "Utilities" section. Select the check button InfraRecorder to download the relevant installation file to your computer.
Step 4. Press the Get Your Ninite button
It is purple in color and is positioned in the center of the page. The "InfraRecorder" program installation file will be downloaded to your computer.
Depending on your browser settings, you may need to select the destination folder and press the button Download, OK or Save before the file in question is actually saved locally on the computer.
Step 5. Install InfraRecorder
Double-click the installation file icon named Ninite InfraRecorder Installer, push the button Yup when prompted and wait for "InfraRecorder" to be installed on your computer.
Step 6. Start "InfraRecorder"
Double-click the program icon featuring a CD that appeared on the desktop at the end of the installation.
Step 7. Insert the source CD into your computer drive
Make sure the part of the disc that can be written or labeled is facing up.
If the Windows "AutoPlay" window appears, close it
Step 8. Press the Read Disk button
It is located in the lower right part of the "InfraRecorder" window. A new pop-up window will appear.
Step 9. If necessary, select the optical drive into which you have inserted the disc to be copied
Select the "Source" drop-down menu, then click the name of the CD player you inserted the disc into.
Unless your system is equipped with multiple optical drives you will not need to perform this step
Step 10. Press the ⋯ button
It is located to the right of the "Image File" field.
Step 11. Type the name you want to give the ISO file
Enter it in the "File name" text field.
Step 12. Select the folder to store the ISO file
Select the folder in which you want to store the file using the bar on the left side of the dialog box in use (for example choose the directory Desktop).
Step 13. Make sure you have selected the "ISO" file format
Check the "File type" text field to make sure it says it Disc Images (*.iso). Otherwise, click the field in question and select the correct file format from the drop-down menu that will appear.
Step 14. Press the Save button
It is located in the lower right corner of the window.
Step 15. Press the OK button
It is located at the bottom of the window in use. In this way the program will start the process of creating the ISO file of the indicated disc.
Step 16. Press the OK button when prompted
It is located at the bottom of the window. The ISO file was created and stored inside the folder you indicated in the previous steps.
Method 2 of 4: Create Optical Media ISO File on Mac
Step 1. Insert the disc to be copied into the optical drive
Most Macs don't come with an optical drive, so you'll likely need to purchase an external drive to connect to your computer.
Step 2. Enter the Go menu
It is located in the upper left of the Mac screen. A list of options will be displayed.
If the menu Go is not present in the menu bar, select the Finder icon or click an empty spot on the desktop to make it appear.
Step 3. Choose the Utility item
It's located at the bottom of the drop-down menu Go.
Step 4. Start the "Disk Utility" program
Double-click the icon Disk Utility characterized by a gray hard drive and a stethoscope.
Step 5. Access the File menu
It is located in the upper left corner of the Mac screen. A small drop-down menu will appear.
Step 6. Choose the New item
It is one of the options listed in the menu that appeared.
Step 7. Select the Disk Image from [disk_name]… option
It is located within the menu New. A dialog box will appear.
Step 8. Type the name you want to give the ISO file
Enter it in the "Name" text field.
Step 9. Select the folder to store the ISO file
Access the drop-down menu on the right of the word "Located in", then choose the item Desktop. In this way the file will be easier to find when you need to use it and to convert if you want to use it on Windows systems.
Step 10. Access the "Image Format" drop-down menu
A list of options will be displayed.
Step 11. Choose the Master CD / DVD entry
It is one of the items listed in the menu.
Step 12. Press the Save button
It is located in the lower right part of the dialog in use. In this way, all the contents of the disc will be transformed into a file in CDR format and stored on the Mac desktop.
Step 13. Convert the resulting file to ISO format
This is a superfluous step if you intend to use the image file only on Mac. However, it should be noted that the CDR format is not supported by computers with a Windows operating system. In this case you need to convert the file to ISO format. Follow these instructions:
-
Open the "Spotlight" search field by clicking the icon
Macspotlight then type the terminal keyword;
- Select the option Terminal from the list of results that appeared;
- Type the command cd ~ / Desktop and press the Enter key;
- Type the command hdiutil makehybrid -iso -joliet -o [filename].iso [filename].cdr. Make sure to replace both parameters [filename] with the name you want to assign to the ISO file and the one you assigned to the CDR file respectively.
- Press the Enter key.
Step 14. Close the "Terminal" window
The CDR file will be converted to a normal ISO file.
Method 3 of 4: Create the Data ISO File on Windows
Step 1. Access the "Start" menu by clicking the icon
It features the Windows logo and is located in the lower left corner of the desktop. Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win key on your keyboard.
Step 2. Open a new "File Explorer" window by clicking the icon
It features a small folder and is located at the bottom left of the "Start" menu.
Step 3. Select the Desktop folder
It is located inside the left sidebar of the "File Explorer" window.
If the indicated option is not visible, swipe the left sidebar of the "File Explorer" window up or down
Step 4. Go to the Home tab
It is located in the upper left corner of the "File Explorer" window. The toolbar will appear.
Step 5. Press the New Item button
It is located within the "New" group of the "File Explorer" window ribbon. A small drop-down menu will appear.
Step 6. Choose the Folder option
It is one of the items listed in the menu that appeared. This will create a new empty folder directly on your computer desktop.
Step 7. Name the newly created folder
Type any name you like, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
If you want to use the default name assigned to the folder by the operating system, simply press the Enter key
Step 8. Copy the files you want to insert into the ISO file into the folder
Copy all the files you want to be part of the image file and paste them into the newly created folder.
Step 9. Log in to the Ninite website using this address
You will need to download an application called "InfraRecorder" which you will need to create the ISO file.
Step 10. Scroll down the page to the "Utilities" section
It is located in the lower right part of the appeared web page.
Step 11. Select the check button next to "InfraRecorder"
It is located in the middle of the list of options in the "Utilities" section. Select the check button InfraRecorder to download the relevant installation file to your computer.
Step 12. Press the Get Your Ninite button
It is purple in color and is positioned in the center of the page. The "InfraRecorder" program installation file will be downloaded to your computer.
Depending on your internet browser settings, you may need to select the destination folder and press the button Download, OK or Save before the file in question is actually saved locally on the computer.
Step 13. Install InfraRecorder
Double-click the installation file icon named Ninite InfraRecorder Installer, push the button Yup when prompted and wait for "InfraRecorder" to be installed on your computer.
Step 14. Start "InfraRecorder"
Double-click the program icon featuring a CD that appeared on the desktop at the end of the installation.
Step 15. Access the Actions menu
It is displayed at the top of the window. A series of options will appear.
Step 16. Choose the Burn Compilation… item
It is located at the top of the appeared menu. A pop-up window will appear.
Step 17. Select the option to a Disc Image…
It is located at the top of the new menu Burn Compilation.
Step 18. Press the Yes button when prompted by Windows
A new dialog will appear.
Step 19. Select the Desktop folder
It is located inside the left sidebar of the appeared window.
Step 20. Select a folder
Choose the directory where you have stored all the files that will make up the ISO archive.
Step 21. Name the new ISO file
Type it in the "File name" field.
Step 22. Press the Save button
It is located at the bottom of the appeared window. In this way "InfraRecorder" will start the process of creating the ISO file using the indicated data.
Step 23. Press the OK button when prompted
At this point the ISO file has been created and is ready to use.
Method 4 of 4: Create a Data ISO File on Mac
Step 1. Log into your Mac desktop
This is where you will store the files you want to include in the ISO archive.
Step 2. Open the File menu
It is located in the upper left corner of the Mac screen.
Step 3. Choose the New Folder option
It is located at the top of the drop-down menu that appeared. A new empty folder will be created on the Mac desktop.
Alternatively, you can press the key combination ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + N after selecting an empty spot on the desktop
Step 4. Name the new folder
Type any name you like, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
If you want to use the default name proposed by the operating system, simply press the Enter key
Step 5. Copy the files you want to insert into the ISO file into the folder
Copy all the files you want to be part of the image file and paste them into the newly created folder.
Step 6. Launch the "Disk Utility" app
Access the menu Go located at the top of the screen, choose the item Utility, then double-click the icon Disk Utility.
Step 7. Access the File menu
A list of options will be displayed.
Step 8. Choose the New item
It is located at the top of the appeared menu.
Step 9. Select the Disk Image from Folder… option
It is one of the items on the menu New appeared. A pop-up window will appear.
Step 10. Select the newly created folder
Click the entry Desktop located in the left sidebar of the window that appeared, then select the folder that contains the data to be included in the ISO file.
Step 11. Click the Image item
It is located at the bottom of the window. A new dialog will appear.
Step 12. Name the ISO file
Type your preferred name into the "Name" text field.
Step 13. Select the desktop as the destination of the ISO file
Access the "Located in" drop-down menu, then choose the option Desktop. This will make the created file easier to locate in the next steps.
Step 14. Access the "Image Format" drop-down menu
A list of options will be displayed.
Step 15. Choose the Master CD / DVD entry
It is one of the items listed in the menu.
Step 16. Press the Save button
It is located at the bottom right of the dialog in use. In this way, all the contents of the indicated folder will be transformed into a file in CDR format and stored on the Mac desktop.
This step may take several minutes to complete
Step 17. Convert the resulting file to ISO format
This is a superfluous step if you intend to use the image file on Mac only. However, it should be noted that the CDR format is not supported by computers running Windows. In this case you need to convert the file to ISO format. Follow these instructions:
-
Open the "Spotlight" search field by clicking the icon
Macspotlight then type the terminal keyword;
- Select the option Terminal from the list of results that appeared;
- Type the command cd ~ / Desktop and press the Enter key;
- Type the command hdiutil makehybrid -iso -joliet -o [filename].iso [filename].cdr. Make sure you replace both parameters [filename] with the name you want to assign to the ISO file and the one you assigned to the CDR file respectively.
- Press the Enter key.
Step 18. Close the "Terminal" window
The CDR file will be converted to a normal ISO file.
