One of the small but great features in Windows 7 is the fact that it allows users to burn disk images on CDs and DVDs without having to install additional software. For this task Windows 7 offers a small tool called Windows Disc Image Burner which is included in all versions. In this article I will share what disk images are, which are the formats supported by this tool and how to burn disk images both by using the visual interface of Windows 7 and from the command line.

What Is a Disk Image & Why Is It Useful?

For those of you not familiar with the term, according to Wikipedia, a disk image is a single file or storage device containing the complete contents and structure representing a data storage medium or device, such as a hard drive, floppy disk, CD or DVD. In other words, disk images are perfect copies of disc (CD or DVD), that keep the same structure and contents. These disk image files can have many formats (and file extensions), the most common being '.IMG' and '.ISO'.

They are useful when you need to backup media such as installation discs, data discs, etc. By making a disc image, you can easily copy it over to another disc which can be used in case the original gets deteriorated.

If you want to know which applications can create disk images, consult this page on disk imaging software. Our favorites are CDBurnerXP and IMGBurn.

What Kind of Image File Can I Burn?

Currently 'Windows Disc Image Burner' supports only the two most common formats: '.IMG' and '.ISO' disk image files.

Do You Need to Burn Discs with Other Types of Files: Pictures, Video, Music, etc?

If you have arrived to this page while trying to find a way to burn a CD or DVD with other types of files than disc images, this tutorial will not help you. Try instead these tutorials:

• How to Burn CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12 - to learn how to burn music and different types of audio files to a disc.
• How to Burn DVD's with Windows DVD Maker - to learn how to burn pictures, movies and audio to your DVDs, straight from Windows 7, without installing any special software for this task.

How to Burn an Image With Windows Disc Image Burner

First, navigate to the '.ISO' or '.IMG' image file you want to burn, right click on it and select 'Burn disc image'.

NOTE: If you have third party software installed which has file associations with '.ISO' or '.IMG' files, you will find 'Burn disc image' in the 'Open with' menu.

The Windows Disc Image Burner application will now open. You can choose which disk burner to use, if you have more than one, in the 'Disc burner' drop-down list. To double check that the burning process was successful, you can select the option 'Verify disc after burning'. Insert a disc in your DVD or CD burner, wait for a few seconds and click on Burn.

The application will detect the disc type and, if the disc is rewritable and has content on it, it will show a warning message allowing you to choose between deleting the existing content or not.

Once the burning process starts, there is no percentage progress meter. There's only a green progress bar.

After the burning process finishes, the DVD/CD tray will automatically open and you will see a confirmation message if the burning process was successful.

To exit the application, click on Close.

How to Burn an Image from the Command Line

If you prefer the command line, you can use it to burn an '.ISO' or '.IMG' image file. First, open a Command Prompt window.

To do this, search in the Start Menu search box the term 'cmd' and click on the first result. Alternatively, you can find the Command Prompt in Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.

You have two options: load a specific image file from the command line and then burn it from the Windows Disc Image Burner application, after you've configured additional parameters, or you can burn the file directly from the command line.

To load a specific image file in the Windows Disc Image Burner application from the command line, use this command: isoburn.exe "{drive letter}:\{path to image file}".

As an example, the image file that I want to burn is called 'office.iso' and it is located on drive D: in the image test folder. The command that I have to write is: isoburn.exe "D:\test image\office.iso".

The command is not case sensitive which means that it doesn't matter if the image or folder name has capital letters or not. After you write the command, press Enter and the main window of Windows Disc Image Burner will open.

Here you can select the disc burner if you have more than one and you can select the option to 'Verify disc after burning'. Then, insert a blank disc into your DVD burner and click on the Burn button.

If you want to burn an image file directly from the command line, you have to use this command: isoburn.exe /q "{drive letter}:\{path to image file}". The only difference between this command and the previous one is the /q element which tells the application to start burning the image file immediately. Before you type this command make sure that you have a blank DVD in your DVD burner and double check the image file name to make sure that you burn the right one.

Unfortunately, in the Command Prompt, you cannot setup Windows Disc Image Burner to verify the disc after the burning process and you cannot select a DVD burner if you have more than one. Or at least we did not find a way. If you know how to do it, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Conclusion

This tool is perfect for any occasional burning of image files to a CD or DVD. One big benefit is that it comes built in Windows 7 and you don't need to install any additional application; plus, it is very easy to use. There are also a few disadvantages such as the limited support for only two image formats. However, the supported formats are very common and the scenarios for needing to burn other image types are rare.
For other tools that can be used to burn files on CD or DVD, check out our recommendations below.

Related Articles:

How to Burn Files and Folders to a Disc in Windows Explorer
How To Burn DVD's With Windows DVD Maker
How to Burn CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12
An Ode to the Command Prompt - the Most Powerful and Least Used Windows Tool