Buzz
If you've just downloaded an image file of an old game or program from years ago, you might be wondering how to open it on your computer. BIN files are an older file format that contains all the data from a CD or DVD disk image. You can't open a BIN file directly; to access it, you need to either burn it to a blank disk or mount it to a virtual drive. Alternatively, you can convert the BIN file to an ISO format, which is more widely supported by burning or mounting software.
Steps
Burn BIN File
Locate the file. To burn a BIN file to a CD or DVD, you’ll need the accompanying CUE file. If you have the BIN file but can't find the CUE file, you can create one in that format.
Create a CUE file (if not already available). Open Notepad and input the following command:
FILE "filename.bin" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00
- Change filename.bin to the name of the BIN file you wish to burn. Make sure to keep the quotation marks.
- Save the file in the same directory as the BIN file. The CUE file should have the same name as the BIN file, except with the .CUE extension. Click File → Save As, select "All Files" in the "Save as type" dropdown, and add the .CUE extension to the file name.
Open the disc burning program. Because BIN is an older format, only programs from previous versions can fully support it, especially when it comes to BIN files with multiple tracks. Popular programs for this include CDRWIN, Alcohol 120%, and Nero.
Load the image file. Depending on the software, you may need to load the CUE file, or the program might ask for the BIN file. Once the image is loaded, you'll see a preview showing how much space the image will take up on the disc.
Start burning the disc. After confirming that the image is loaded correctly, insert a blank disc and start the burning process. The burning time will depend on the image size, burn speed, and the performance of your computer.
Verify the disc. Once the burning process is complete, you can check the disc by inserting it into a player. You should ensure that all the data was correctly written, and the tracks are in the proper order.
Mount Image
Install software for creating virtual drives. Virtual drives replicate physical optical drives on your computer and allow you to "mount" image files onto them. This makes your computer think that a disc has been inserted, and the image is loaded as though the disc was running.
- Many software options exist for creating virtual drives, with WinCDEmu being one of the most popular free ones. However, be cautious when installing it as it often includes additional browser toolbars and other software that may not be needed.
- Mounting an image only works if the image is designed to run on a computer. For example, if you mount an image of an old console video game, the data won’t work since the original disc only operates on the console interface.
- Windows 8 and OS X often come with built-in virtual drive software, but the first step is to convert the BIN file to ISO format.
Mount the image. Programs like WinCDEmu will place an icon in the system tray. Right-click on this icon, hover over one of the virtual drives, and then select Mount Image.
- Browse for the CUE file on your hard drive. It's important to remember that the BIN and CUE files must be in the same folder. Once the CUE file is located, you can load it to mount the image.
Open the disk. After mounting the image, your computer will behave as though a real disk has been inserted. This means that Autoplay may trigger automatically, or you can choose an action to use the disk. The messages you receive depend on the content of the disk and the system settings.
- Use the image file like a CD or DVD that has been inserted into your computer.
Convert BIN files to ISO format
Download the conversion program. You need a conversion program to change the BIN file into ISO format. Once converted to an ISO file, you can mount or burn the file using several programs.
- One of the most popular free conversion tools is MagicISO.
Launch the conversion tool. Start MagicISO and click on the Tools menu. Select 'BIN to ISO'.
Browse for the BIN file.
Choose a name for the new ISO file.
Convert the file. Click on Convert to convert the BIN file to ISO format. The process may take a few minutes.
Mount the ISO file. After the file is converted, you can mount it to a virtual drive. If you're using Windows 8 or OS X, simply right-click the ISO file and select 'Mount'.
Burn the ISO file. You can burn the ISO file to a disk using a disk burning program.
Extract the ISO file. You can use MagicISO to open the contents of the ISO file, allowing you to copy specific files within the archive.
