ISO file is a complete CD image file, full name ISO 9660, used to store system installation, software distribution or CD backup. 1. It is not a compressed package, but a complete disk copy. It cannot be run directly, but can be recognized by specific software or written to a USB flash drive/disk; 2. The opening method includes browsing with WinRAR/7-Zip and mounting as a virtual optical drive (supported by Windows/macOS/Linux); 3. When installing the system, you need to use Rufus/Ventoy and other tools to write ISO to the USB flash drive and set it up to boot; 4. Other uses include running classic games, deploying server images, saving genuine CD content, etc., which is one of the common skills in technical work.

An ISO file is actually a complete disc image file. Simply put, it is a "virtual disc". You can understand it as a packaged system installation disk or software installation disk, which contains all the original data, structure and boot information. The most common uses are such as installing the system, backing up the CD contents, or creating a bootable USB drive.

What are ISO files?

ISO is a standard disc image format, with the full name ISO 9660, usually ending with .iso . It's not something like a compressed package that needs to be decompressed, but a complete disk copy. For example, if you buy a Windows system installation CD and copy the entire CD, you will get an ISO file.

This kind of file itself cannot run directly, but can be recognized by some software or written to USB flash drives or CDs for use. Common scenarios include:

• System installation (such as Windows, Linux distributions)
• Software distribution (especially old software or professional tools)
• CD backup and archive

How to open an ISO file?

The way you open an ISO file depends on what you want to do. If you just want to see what files are inside, you can use the following methods:

• Open with compression software : Software such as WinRAR and 7-Zip can directly open ISO files, browse the file structure inside, and even extract individual files.
• Mounted as a virtual optical drive :
  • Windows 10/11 comes with ISO mount function. Right-click the ISO file → "mount", and the system will automatically assign a virtual optical drive letter.
  • Double-clicking on the ISO file on macOS will also automatically mount.
  • Linux users can use the mount command to load.
• It is not recommended to decompress and modify directly : Although it is technically feasible, once the ISO file is changed, it may not be started or used normally.

It should be noted that the content you see after mount is read-only and cannot be edited directly.

How to install the system using ISO files?

If you want to install the operating system with ISO files, the most common way is to create a bootable USB drive:

1. Prepare an 8GB or larger USB drive and back up the original data (because it needs to be formatted).
2. Download and install a USB drive writing tool, such as Rufus (Windows), Ventoy (cross-platform), or balenaEtcher (suitable for beginners).
3. Open the tool, select your ISO file and USB drive device, confirm the parameters and start writing.
4. After writing, insert the USB drive into the target computer, enter the BIOS settings during restarting and start the installation from the USB drive.

This process is actually not difficult, but there are three things to note:

• Ensure that the source of the downloaded ISO is credible, otherwise there may be security risks
• The USB drive writing tool should choose the right mode (such as UEFI/GPT or Legacy/MBR)
• Some tools will automatically partition and format the USB disk. Remember to back up the data before operation.

How else can I use ISO files?

In addition to installing the system, ISO has many other uses:

• Old players who play games : Many classic games have ISO versions, which can be run through simulators, such as PS1, PS2 and other platforms.
• Making server mirroring : ISO is often used to deploy virtual machines or cloud server systems in enterprise environments.
• Save the content of genuine CDs : Some people like to make the genuine CDs ISO archives to prevent physical CDs from being damaged.

If you are often exposed to technical work, mastering how to handle ISO files is almost one of the essential skills.

Basically that's it.

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