Guide:How to use disk image files

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A disk image is a computer file containing the complete contents and structure of a data storage device. For LEGO Games, they usually come in .iso, .bin and .cue, or .mdf and .mds file formats. Windows 10 and 11 can natively mount .iso files, but previous versions cannot.

For .iso format LEGO games on Windows 10 and 11, mounting using the default Windows tool will work perfectly fine. If you are on another OS such as Windows 7 or older however, or are looking to mount other disc formats, you must use a mounting software. While there are many out there, several are riddled with adware, will have constant pop-ups trying to get you to purchase a paid version, and sometimes will be (falsely or not) flagged as malware by antiviruses.

Alcohol

Alcohol 120% is a widely respected software used by members of communities like Redump for file preservation. It supports all of the major disc image file types, and sometimes will allow for the visibility of files otherwise not picked up by common softwares. While Alcohol 120% is a paid software, Alcohol Portable is a safe, free, clean program that exists by the same creators and developers. Users have reported this being successful in mounting .mdf and .mds file formats, which some obscure LEGO promotional CDs used as their format of choice. That is the most unusual (known) case for these games, and as it works with such a well-respected and reliable software, this is recommended.

Note: Alcohol may be flagged as an unsafe download in your browser of choice. This is normal, and you can disregard this warning.

ImgDrive

An alternative is ImgDrive by Yubsoft, however this is much less-known. It does have a free version, no adware, no pop-ups, and is a clean install, however is less proven and tested compared to Alcohol. It is one of the only clean programs that can also mount .mdf and .mds files.

WinCDEmu

WinCDEmu is a widely regarded, respectable software for consumers. It is a clean install, and very, very simple to use. The only catch with WinCDEmu is that it seems to only be able to mount some .mdf and .mds files, with others mounting the .mds, but never showing the data from the .mdf portion, where data is stored. There have also been reports of Audio CDs having issues with WinCDEmu. For simple and casual use however, this is the most seamless software to use.

DAEMON Tools Lite

DAEMON Tools Lite is a software often used by professionals due to it's long lifespan compared to other software, however, it's installer is riddled with adware, and multiple versions of DAEMON Tools are flagged containing adware and malware. Whether these are real flags or not is up to debate, but when other, less bloated alternatives exist, it's best to stay away.

PowerISO

PowerISO is a popular solution used by most consumers, but has similar issues to DAEMON Tools Lite. There is adware in the installer, and malicious pop-ups trying to get you to pay for the full version of the software every time you try to mount a file. It is not recommended to use this tool in the modern day.

Other Software

Generally, if a software is not widely regarded and does not have any presence on forum sites like Reddit, it is safest practice to avoid these downloads. Mounting software is a highly saturated medium for unsafe downloads, adware, malware, and more, so it is very important you only use programs that you recognize, or ones that are recommended by those who are more knowledgeable. Even if software may have been useful back years ago, there is the possibility that a company or software could've been bought by a larger entity, and become riddled with these things. Do your research before installing random media onto your computer.

How to Use Disc Image Files

Disc file formats are usually very straightforward to get set up, given you have the right software. Right clicking on disc image files will generally prompt you with an "Open with" option in the context menu, to which you can open with specific programs. If your program is not listed, or you do not receive this option in the context menu, you can always drag and drop the file into something like Alcohol, or search for the file directly from the program.

.bin and .cue & .mdf and .mds

For file formats like this, you want to mount the .cue and .mds files. This is because the .bin and .mdf files are the ones that hold the data, and the .cue and .mds files are what get read by the program to allow access to it. If you do not follow this rule of thumb, you may run into issues trying to access the data that lie within these files.

Disclaimer

The Research Realm is not responsible for any modification to your system, and you are downloading all of these programs AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The Research Realm is not to be held accountable for any possible destruction of media caused by negligent use or installation of software.

The Research Realm does not condone piracy in any way.

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