How to make iso file

How to make iso file

ISO Maker: How do I make an ISO image file from your CD/DVD?

With no doubt, it can be used as an ISO maker which is a quick and easy making ISO tool for you to create a new ISO image file.

Here is the tutorial of using WinISO as ISO maker:

Step 1: Install and run the software

Firstly, Free Download WinISO from our official website, install and run it.

After installation, run the software. You can see the main interface as below.

Step 2: Click Tool button

Here you get your ISO maker. Please click the «Tools» button, and then click «Make Image from CD/DVD/BD» in toolbar. Or you can just click “Make”

Step 3: Choose and Set destination

Dialog interface for “make image” will pop-up. Select your CD/DVD/BD Drive that holds the CD/DVD/BD, and choose the output format you need in the destination and then enter the “File name”. After that you can click the «OK» button to begin making an ISO file.

The above is the entire tutorial of using WinISO as an ISO maker.

Besides making an ISO file, you can also use it as other image formats maker, such as MDS maker, NRG maker, and so on.

For more guides, please take closer look here:

Create an ISO File from a Folder in Windows

A great tool for distribution or backups

If you don’t already know, an ISO file is a container that can hold a number of files in it. It’s usually used to create backups of your CD and DVD discs. However, you can create an ISO from the folders on your Windows PC as well. There are actually multiple apps that help you do it on your machine.

There are many reasons why you may want to create an ISO on your Windows 10 PC. Maybe you want to keep all of your folders in a single place. Or maybe you want to keep some of your folders handy ready to burn to your discs.

Regardless of the reasoning, it’s pretty easy to create an ISO from folders on a Windows computer. Also, check out the video from our sister site where we walk you through the steps in a short video.

Use AnyBurn To Create ISO From The Folders On Your PC

One of the free apps you can use to create an ISO from your folders is AnyBurn. It’s actually an app that helps you burn your data to your discs but you can use it to create ISO files as well. It has an option on the main interface that helps add your chosen folders to an ISO which you can then save anywhere on your computer.

Create An ISO In Windows 10 Using WinCDEmu

WinCDEmu is an open-source tool that lets you create virtual drives out of various image file formats on your computer. If you have downloaded an ISO file and you want to view its contents, this app can help you mount that as a drive on your machine.

You can use the app to create ISO files from folders in Windows as well, and it actually provides you with the easiest way to make an ISO from your folders. All you basically need to do is install the app and it’ll add an option to your context menu. You can then use that option to generate an ISO from your folders.

Use ImgBurn To Create ISO Files From Folders On Windows

ImgBurn has been a popular app to create and burn image files for a long time. If you’ve ever created a backup of your discs or you’ve burned a disc, you’ll likely recognize the app.

The app can be used to create ISO files from your folders as well.

Use a Portable Tool To Create An ISO From Folders

If it’s just a single ISO that you’ll be making and you don’t think you’ll be doing it again anytime soon, you might prefer something that doesn’t require an installation. Folder2Iso can actually help you out as it’s a free and portable tool that helps quickly create ISOs without any hassle.

It works on many versions of Windows including Windows 7, 8, 10, and Linux.

It’s a good idea to create an ISO from your folders in Windows so you can mount them all as a single drive on your PC. If you have done it on your computer already, let us know what app you chose to do it and why. We await your response in the comments below!

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm. Read Mahesh’s Full Bio

How to Create an ISO Image from Your Operating System

You can learn how to create an ISO image from your operating system here. It helps you get a custom ISO image with Windows installation and all your personal data included.

By Delia / Last update March 29, 2022

What an ISO image can do for you

It is very important to backup your operating system just in case. Thus when your system crashes due to various problems, you can quickly roll it back to the state where the backup was taken.

If the backup is ISO image, then you can enjoy some more benefits compared with other image backup format:

In the following, I will describe how to create an ISO image from your operating system.

Create Windows 10/11 ISO from the current installation

Windows 10/11 has built-in feature DISM that allows you to capture Windows image under recovery environment. To use it, you need a Windows 10/11 recovery media or installation disk. With that prepared, you can follow the steps below to capture Windows 10 recovery image as well as Windows 11 recovery image. Below will take Windows 10 as an example.

1. Boot your PC from the recovery media or installation media.

2. If you boot from the installation disc, you can press Shift + F10 at Windows Setup screen to bring out command prompt. If you boot from a recovery media, then select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

3. Type the following command and press Enter.

Note: The drive letter may change under recovery mode, so the Windows installation drive may not be C: drive. In that case, you need to replace the drive letter «C» with where the Windows installed, and replace “D:\windows10” in ImageFile switch with the target location path where you want to save the custom image.

This process might take a while and you cannot turn off the PC during the time. Please be patient untill it finishes.

Note: If you want to use this image in another computer, then it’s necessary to remove SID (System Identifier) by sysprep. This step should be done before capturing the image.

How to make the ISO image file bootable

The created image file can be used to reset Windows 10/11 PC. To make it as a bootable ISO image, follow these steps, here will take Windows 10 as an example:

1. Open Windows 10 installation disc in File Explorer. Copy its contents and paste to a folder on your internal or external hard drive. For example, copy them to a folder named “iso-files” located on D: drive. You can also mount a Windows 10 ISO and copy its content.

2. Copy the custom image install.wim created before to the Source folder and replace the original one.

3. Download and install the latest Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10. You only need to select Deployment Tools to install.

4. Run the command following command on an elevated command prompt.

The command is kind of complicated. To make it easy, you can also use free tool as Folder2ISO to create an ISO image out of the folder you created in step 1.

Easier way to prepare system image and bootable WinPE disk

The purpose of creating an ISO image from current operating system is usually making a bootable recovery drive, or deploying system to another computer. If you find above steps troublesome and error-prone, you can try an easier workaround to achieve similar objectives, that is, to create a system image backup and a WinPE bootable media.

Both of the operations can be done with the freeware AOMEI Backupper Standard. It is a powerful backup tool that works in Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. With it, you can create a system backup image through several clicks, and create a bootable media via USB or CD/DVD.

How to create an image backup from your operating system

1. Download the free backup software from the Download Center or the button below, then install and launch it.

2. Select System Backup under Backup Tab. In daily use, you can also choose other options as needed.

3. The program will automatically include required partitions for a full system restore. Just specify a destination location to store the backup image.

4. You can set up a Backup Schedule to automate the task, or perform incremental or differntial backup in Backup Scheme to backup only changed files each time. After that, click Start Backup to execute it.

The created system backup task will show in the Home page. You can either manage it directly, or go to Restore tab for system recovery.

How to create a bootable media

1. Go to Tools tab and choose Create Bootable Media.

2. Select the bootable disc type, it’s recommended to choose Windows PE. The created disc is compatible with both legacy/MBR and UEFI/GPT.

3. Then you can select bootable media as USB, CD/DVD, or export the ISO file directly. Click Next to start creating the media.

With the created bootable media and system image, you can easily restore Windows to an earlier normal state.

вњЌ Tips:
вњЎ If your computer fails without any preparation, you could create the system image and bootable media on another working computer, and use them to perform Universal Restore on the faulty PC.
вњЎ You can also create a recovery environment in AOMEI Backupper Professional. Once the recovery environment is created and enabled, the «AOMEI Backupper Recovery Environment» option will be added to the system boot menu page so that you can select to start the system from the recovery environment to restore Windows ISO image to new hard drive.

Alterantive: Onekey system backup and system recovery solution

Instead of creating a system image backup and bootable media separately, you can run onekey system backup with AOMEI OneKey Recovery. It allows you to save system image on a custom recovery partition which is accessible from Windows PE.

Final words

In addition to creating ISO image from your operating system using DISM, you can also create custom system image and bootable drive via AOMEI Backupper. With it, you can set up a scheduled backup to keep your system image up to date, and choose incremental or differential mode to save only changed files each time.

If you want to protect unlimited computers within company, you can choose AOMEI Backupper Technician. It allows you to deploy or restore system image file to multiple clients over network, perform portable USB backup without installing this software on different computers, etc.

How to Create an ISO Image File From a DVD, BD, or CD

Make an ISO file from any disc in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP

In This Article

Jump to a Section

What to Know

Creating an ISO file from a DVD or any disc is easy with the right free tool and is a fantastic way to back up DVDs, BDs, or CDs to your hard drive.

Creating and storing ISO backups of your essential software installation discs and even operating system setup discs is a smart plan. Complement that with one of the best unlimited online backup services, and you have a near bulletproof disc backup strategy.

ISO images are great because they’re self-contained, perfect representations of the data on a disc. Being single files, they’re easier to store and organize than outright copies of the folders and files on a disc would be.

Third-Party Tool Required for Windows

Windows doesn’t have a built-in way of creating ISO image files, so you’ll need to download a program to do it for you. Fortunately, several freeware tools are available that make creating ISO images a straightforward task.

Time Required: Creating an ISO image file from a DVD, CD, or BD disc is easy but could take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour, depending on the size of the disc and the speed of your computer.

These directions are for Windows, macOS, and Linux users. There’s a separate section for each tutorial.

Make an ISO From a DVD, BD, or CD Disc

Download BurnAware Free, a completely free program that, among other tasks, can create an ISO image from all types of CD, DVD, and BD discs.

BurnAware Free works in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of those operating systems are supported.

There are also «Premium» and «Professional» versions of BurnAware that are not free. However, the «Free» version is fully capable of creating ISO images from your discs, which is the aim of this tutorial. Just make sure you choose the download link from the BurnAware Free area of their website.

If you’ve used BurnAware Free before and don’t like it or it didn’t work, there are alternative ways to make an ISO from a disc. See some other software suggestions at the bottom of this page.

Install BurnAware Free by executing the burnaware_free_[version].exe file you just downloaded.

During or after installation, you may see one or more Optional Offer or Install Additional Software screens. Feel free to decline or deselect any of those options and continue.

Run BurnAware Free, either from the shortcut created on the Desktop or automatically via the last step in the installation.

Select Copy to ISO from the Disc Images column.

The Copy to Image tool will appear in addition to the existing BurnAware Free window.

You might have seen a Make ISO icon below the Copy to ISO one, but you don’t want to choose that for this particular task. The Make ISO tool is for creating an ISO image not from a disc but from a collection of files you select, like from your hard drive or another source.

Choose the optical disc drive you plan on using from the drop-down at the top of the window. If you only have one drive, you’ll only see one choice.

You can only create ISO images from discs your optical drive supports. For example, if you only have a DVD drive, you won’t be able to make ISO images from BD discs because your drive won’t be able to read the data from them.

Select Browse.

Navigate to the location you want to write the ISO image file to, and give the soon-to-be-made file a name in the File name text box.

Optical discs, especially DVDs and BDs, can hold several gigabytes of data and will create ISOs of equal size. Make sure there’s enough room on the drive you choose to save the ISO image to. Your primary hard drive likely has plenty of free space, so choosing a convenient location there, like your Desktop, as the location to create the ISO image is probably fine.

If your ultimate plan is to get the data from a disc onto a flash drive so you can boot from it, please know that simply creating an ISO file onto a USB device isn’t going to work as you expect. In most cases, like installing Windows from a flash drive, you have to take extra steps to make this work.

Choose Save.

Insert into the optical drive you chose in Step 5 the CD, DVD, or BD disc from which you want to create the ISO image.

Depending on how AutoRun is configured in Windows on your computer, the disc you just inserted may start (e.g., the movie may start playing, or you may get a Windows installation screen). Regardless, close whatever comes up.

Select Copy.

Do you get a There is no disc in the source drive message? If so, choose OK and then try again in a few seconds. The spin-up of the disc in your optical drive might not have been completed, so Windows doesn’t see it yet. If you can’t get this message to go away, make sure you’re using the right optical drive, and the disc is clean and undamaged.

Wait while the ISO image is created from your disc. You can see the progress by watching the Image progress bar or the x of x MB written indicator.

The ISO creation process is complete once you see the Copy process completed successfully message along with the time BurnAware finished ripping the disc.

The ISO file will be named and located where you decided in Step 7.

You can now close the Copy to Image window and the BurnAware Free window. You can also now remove the disc you were using from your optical drive.

Create ISO Images in macOS and Linux

Making an ISO in macOS is possible with included tools.

Open Disk Utility. You can do this via Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

Go to File > New Image > Image from [device name].

Name the new file and pick where to save it.

There are also options to change format and encryption settings.

Choose Save to make the image file.

When finished, select Done.

Once you have the CDR image, you can convert it to ISO via this terminal command:

To convert the ISO to DMG, execute this from the terminal on your Mac:

In either case, replace /path/originalimage with the path and filename of your CDR or ISO file, and /path/convertedimage with the path and filename of the ISO or DMG file you want to create.

On Linux, open up a terminal window and execute the following, replacing /dev/dvd with the path to your optical drive and /path/image with the path and filename of the ISO you’re making:

If you’d prefer to use software to create an ISO image instead of command line tools, try Roxio Toast (Mac) or Brasero (Linux).

Other Windows ISO Creation Tools

While you won’t be able to follow our tutorial above exactly, there are several other free ISO creation tools available if you don’t like BurnAware Free or if it’s not working for you.

Some favorites we’ve tried over the years include InfraRecorder, ISODisk, ImgBurn, and CDBurnerXP.

To install Windows from an ISO, just open the ISO file, or use the Windows Advanced Boot Options. If that’s not an option, follow the steps for booting from a USB device and choose the disk drive instead.

To burn an ISO file to a DVD, put a blank disc in the drive, right-click or tap and hold the ISO file, then choose Burn disc image. Pick the correct burner from the Disc burner drop-down menu (typically, the «D:» drive), then select Burn.

The ISO file for Windows varies with each update, but it’s typically about 5-5.5GB.

Top 3 Ways to Create an ISO File

May. 21, 2015 11:41 am / Posted by Ruby Johnson to Windows Tips

«What is the best way to make an ISO file out of a DVD?»

ISO files are archives that contain files and folders, and are easy to transfer and backup. And when you forgot your Windows password, the ISO image provided by Windows Password Recovery Tool can be helpful to reset Windows password. You can create ISO files from folders, or from CDs, DVDs etc. In this post, top 3 methods will be listed to explain how to create an ISO file.

Way 1: Create an ISO Image from Folders with Freeware Folder2ISO

Note: Folder2ISO is a free and powerful application for creating an ISO image. It is able to convert any kind of folders to ISO.

Way 2: Create ISO Files from CD, DVD with ImgBurn

Note: ImgBurn is an image burning program that can be used to burn many types of files into CD, DVD, HD DVD or Blu-ray disc. But it can also used to convert any files to ISO image.

Way 3: Convert Files to ISO using WinRAR

Note: WinRAR is a paid program, but you can use the trial version to create ISO.

That’s it! Feel free to have a try to create an ISO image files. And if you need, you can also write an ISO file to USB drive.

World’s 1st Windows Password Recovery Software to Reset Windows Administrator & User Password.