How to open ISO files on Ubuntu Linux

ISO files are disc image archives commonly used to distribute software and operating systems. There are two main ways to access the contents of an ISO file on Ubuntu Linux: using the graphical user interface (GUI) or the command line.

What is an ISO File?

An ISO file or an ISO image is a single data file that incorporates all the data that is present on a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. It is a digital copy of an optical disc, and it is useful in copying an exact copy of the original disc. ISO files normally have a .iso extension, which is used to distribute software and operating systems, and other forms of media.

ISO files can be used to:

1. Burn data, create a bootable CD, DVD, or USB drive
2. Install an operating system or software.
3. Back up a disc.
4. Transfer software or data in electronic forms.

ISO files contain all the files and folders present on the disc with the disc’s file system, the boot sector, and the data. They can also be installed on a computer as a virtual drive so that individuals can operate the disc without the actual physical disk.

ISO files can be extracted using various tools, such as:

1. Using the mount tool.
2. Using the 7z tool.
3. Using the info tool.

ISO files can be opened and mounted on a computer using various methods, including:

1. Creating a bootable CD/DVD using the ISO file.
2. By means of using software that supports mounting the ISO file as a virtual drive (such as Daemon Tools, Virtual CloneDrive and etc. ).
3. Creating a virtual disc that will in actuality be running the ISO file on a virtual machine.

How to open ISO files on Ubuntu Linux

Mount Tool

Step 1: First make a directory.

mkdir /mnt/extract

Step 2: Mount the iso file as a loop device.

mount -o loop isofile.iso /mnt/extract

The mount command with the -o loop option is used to mount an ISO file as a loop device which allows you to access the contents of the ISO file as if it is a physical disc.

7z Tool

Step 1: Enter the following command to download 7z tool.

sudo apt-get install p7zip-full

Step 2: Now paste the following command to extract files from iso image.

7z x Test.iso

7z: It is an implementation of the command-line 7-Zip file archiver.

x: The extract option “x” instructs 7z to extract the contents of the iso file.

Test. iso: This is the actual name of the ISO file which you wish to extract.

isoinfo tool

Step 1: Enter the following command to install isoinfo tool.

sudo apt-get install genisoimage

Step 2: Now paste the following command to extract and list the files in the iso image.

isoinfo -i Test.iso -l

isoinfo: It is the command used to get information on an ISO file.

• -i Test. iso: The first option is the input file, which is the ISO file you want the application to read and analyze. In this case the bootable ISO file is referred to as Test. iso.
• -l: The long option, telling isoinfo to output information about the ISO file to command line.

Conclusion

Overall, ISO files serve as a good means of sharing and archiving data and software, as well as distributing operating systems. They can be used to burn CDs and DVDs which can be made bootable or to copy discs and write data on them, install software, or to transfer some data electronically onto a USB Flash drive . Backup files are in ISO format and there are several ways of opening it with the computer including with the mount tool, 7z tool, and isoinfo tool. So by going through with all the described procedures you will not encounter any problems with opening and extracting ISO files on Ubuntu Linux.

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Article Tags :

• Linux-Unix