Don't BURN .ISO files, Just Access It

So you  downloaded a CD / DVD image from the internet. Or you copied a CD / DVD Image somewhere from your friend's external disk.

Then your friend said something about 'burning it' unto a blank CD / DVD. There you read ages ago that in order to burn an image, you need to have a CD / DVD burner or RW Drive.

Yeah thats right.

That a file started with .ISO extension is infact a CD / DVD image. It is an International Standard Organization format for making a working CD/DVD , an  ISO9660 file to be exact. It is a half finished product by the way. Everything IS inside the file, but to access it you first need to transfer the whole image unto a blanks CD / DVD. It is slightly different from a mere copying. If you just copying an ISO file unto a CD / DVD, it will be still an ISO file there, like before you copy it. So burn, not copying it.

And dammit, there your problem is. All you have with is a cheap netbook without a CD / DVD drive. If you wanna burn some files without a proper drive, you definitely gotta find a lighter!

Just kidding. It is actually possible to simply access the file without burning it.

A Microsoft Windows user (WinXP/Vista/7) can still access the file content inside the ISO file like the normal CD / DVD via third party virtual drive software such as PowerISO. This software create a fake 'D or E' CD / DVD ROM drive in 'My Computer' and by following the instruction, you can 'mount and unmount' the ISO file like 'insert or eject' the real CD / DVD.  Grab the PowerIso from this location.

Linux users do not need additional software to read the ISO file. Well, they are geeks remember? A geek just get himself an X terminal. Then he issues a su or sudo command or even to become root,  then to type

mkdir cdrom
mount -o loop myimage.iso ./cdrom

Walah, it works everytime. Then browse the 'cdrom' folder in the home folder. Later, when it no longer needed, back to the terminal and type

umount ./cdrom

Thats the geek way, along with a geeky note. If the errors pops up after you type the above commands, then please google it to find the correct one. Because even a geek doesn't have to remember everything.

Err, a less geeky solution for a linux user, please? Just click the ISO file, you may be able to read it straight away.