What are ISO files?

[Windows Central Question]

I keep seeing new Windows builds being released via 'ISO files'. What are these files?

 

[TechFreak1]

In the simplest terms, iso files are digital CD / DVD copies which can be manipulated into making bootable USBs and loaded as traditional CD / DVD using software (mounting programmes) or if you are using windows 10 itself then you don't need such programmes. So you have the benefits of a CD / DVD without having to worry about scratched disk or disks damaging your CD / DVD drive.You do have to bear mind that like any other file they are susceptible to data corruption if the media they are stored say a mechanical hard drive starts to fail.

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[RumoredNow]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_image

ISO is also commonly known as a Disk Image. It is a 1:1 copy of what would be burned to a disk.

To burn an ISO in Windows 10 check this thread: http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...-burn-iso-natively-windows-10-a-new-post.html

You can also rip ISO's from disks and use them in virtual CD/DVD tray programs like Virtual Clone Drive. Handy for legacy software that came on disk. You can store lots of it on modern Hard Drives with their huge capacity and run the programs "from disk" without actually needing to use the physical disks. This avoids inconvenience of swapping disks in and out of the tray and potential damage to the disk.

 

[Ryujingt3]

All the above answers are correct. ISO files are virtual copies of the physical media that you can download and open and run on your computer, exactly the same as the physical media. So, a Windows Insider build as an ISO is a digital version of a physical disk. Just download it, open it and run the Setup file to start installing the Windows build. Exactly the same steps as you would do if you had a physical disc.