.BIN / .CUE / .ISO Frequently asked questions. READ1ST

1) What is a .BIN? What is a .CUE? What is an .ISO

The .BIN / .CUE CD image format was made popular by the CDRWin software. Afterwards many programs have started supporting or partially supporting it, including: Nero, BlindWrite, CloneCD, FireBurner. The .CUE file contains the track layout information, while the .BIN file holds the actual data.

.ISO is also a CD image format, but is sometimes used for 'ISO9660 format' (standard, recognized by all applications) and sometimes for unique Easy CD ISO format.




2) I have download .BIN&.CUE/.ISO files - what to do with them?




You can burn them to a CD-R or a CD-RW with:

-Alcohol 120% - My favourite, excellent software, easy and yet very advanced (burns ISO, BIN/CUE, CCD, CDI, BWT files!):
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_tools/alcohol120.cfm

- BlindWrite - easy to use: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_applications/blindwrite_suite.cfm

- FireBurner - also very good, a single .EXE file! http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_applications/fireburner.cfm

- BurnAtOnce - A handy and FREE tool for burning .bin/.cue/.iso. Easy to use!
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_applications/burnatonce.cfm

- Nero - many of you have this, but it can't handle all image files:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_applications/nero.cfm

- CDRWin - This is the original BIN/CUE software:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_applications/cdrwin.cfm


You can also mount image files as virtual CD-ROM drives using

Alcohol - http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_tools/alcohol120.cfm

Daemon Tools - http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_tools/daemon_tools.cfm

There are also several softwares you can use to exploit & manipulate BIN/CUE files in various ways:

CDMage - http://www.geocities.com/cdmage/
IsoBuster - http://www.afterdawn.com/software/cdr_software/cdr_tools/isobuster.cfm



3) I have a .BIN file but no .CUE?



.CUE can be made with just Notepad. A typical Playstation(One or 2) .CUE file looks like this:

FILE "image-name.BIN" BINARY
TRACK 1 MODE2/2352
INDEX 1 00:00:00

A typical PC CD-ROM .CUE looks like this:

FILE "image-name.BIN" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00

"image-name.BIN" being the name of the image file (IWDII.BIN, CIV3.BIN and so on...)

Notice the difference of the track mode - PC-ROMs being Mode 1, Playstations CDs Mode 2 and (Super)Video CDs are also MODE2/2352.



4) How do I make .BIN/.CUE files?



CDRWin or the BIN/CUE format is not ideal for distributing. BlindWrite suite and CloneCD perform a lot better in this purpose and can also handle various copy protections. Both of these softwares can also create .CUE files for increased compatibility



5) I have a .BIN & .CUE, but my CD writing software can't locate the .BIN file?



Edit the .CUE file with Notepad (or similar) and verify that the FILE "C:\path\image.bin" matches the location of your image file



6) My image file is IMAGE.BIN.EXE and I can't rename it!

Read here
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/23982

7) Sector sizes of CD image files (by Aldaco12)



When you talk about images must think on SECTORS not on DATA SIZE.

The rules are:

1)A standard 74 min CD is made by 333,000 sectors.
2) Each sector is 2352 bytes big, and contains 2048 bytes of PC (MODE1)Data, 2336 bytes of PSX/VCD (MODE2) Data or 2352 bytes of AUDIO.
3) The difference between secor size and data content are the Headers info and the Error Correction Codes, that are big for Data (high precision required), small for VCD (standard for video) and none for audio.
4)If you extract data in RAW format (standard for creating images) you always extract 2352 bytes per sector, not 2048/2336/2352 bytes depending on data type (basically, you extract the whole sector).

This fact has two main consequences:

a) You can record data at very high speed (40x) without losing information, but if you try to do the same with PSX or Audio you get unredable CD (for PSX) od audio CD with lots of clicks because there are not error correction codes (and error are more likely to occur if you record at high speed.

b) On a 74 min CD you can fit very large RAW images,up to 333,000 x 2352 = 783,216,000 bytes (747 Mb). This should be the upper limit for a RAW image created from a 74 min CD. Remember that if you store standard data (backup files), you can burn only 333,000 x 2048 = 681,984,000 bytes (the well known 650 MB limit).

Please note that an image size is ALWAYS a multple of 2352 bytes (you extract SECTORS), if extracted in RAW mode.


UPDATE 13.10.2002: Added FAQs 5 and 6
UPDATE 24.10.2002: Added BurnAtOnce
UPDATE 28.10.2002: Added Alcohol 120%
UPDATE 29.10.2002: Brief ISO comment
UPDATE 17.01.2003: Added Aldaco12's sector size post. Cleaned the thread.

 

Using nero 5.5.3.5 I found it easier just to select burn image and then select the bin directly. A dialogue that appears (Foreign image settings) allows you to choose block size, mode and other stuff normally specified in the cue file. This seemed to get round the "The handle is invalid" error message which I was getting.

 

i just recently purchased the the TDK CYCLONE 48X24X48X cant burn images using nero,it comes up on the screen as it is doing it but i end up with more blank discs,when i look at the disc using nero info tool its says something completely different.as if there is something on the disk but trust me there is no image,my cheap burner was slow but burned the image everytime.any help or advice would be great...thanks
paul

 

Cholo,

Wrong sector size specified in Nero.

 

Here's one I didn't see mentioned:

When I send a CUE to Nero 5.5.9.0, it immediately prepares to burn. I don't get the option to change the name of the disc to match the original BIN.

i.e.: a-game.FLT.BIN is sent to Nero. If opened in WinISO, the CD name is THISGAME. Once burned, the CD name is shown as NEW.

Is there any syntax in the CUE file that can correct this?

 

Ummm....

Now I have made to two *.CUE files and am using Blindwrite. when I try toburn the CD
it tells me...

"Exception during TOC decoding : CUE error at line 1 - FILE BFD1.FLT.EXE; I:\BFD1.FLT.EXE; I:\BFD1.FLT.EXE not found or empty"

Heres what my Cue file looks like...

FILE "BFD1.FLT.EXE" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00

did I do something wrong? Do I need to convert or rename any files?
Please Help Me!

 

Is the image file in I:\ ?
Is it possibly corrupted?

For the last time: Format-to-format conversions are a waste of time.

 

I dont even mess with the .CUE files. You can burn directly from the .BIN Files. But I am having a problem.

My Data BIN is 730MB, and from where I got it, it was said that is can be fit to one CD. I cannot get a data CD to have more than 630MB. Another forum suggested trying to copy using MODE2, but the CD couldn't even be read. Anyone know how to burn a larger file like that to a single CD? I am using NERO. Thanks!

 

Dark007, maybe you're burning files with Nero's command File ---> New ---> CD ROM (ISO) rather than using the correct command File ---> Burn image.

When you talk about images must think on SECTORS not on DATA SIZE.
The rules are:
1)A standard 74 min CD is made by 333,000 sectors.
2) Each sector is 2352 bytes big, and contains 2048 bytes of PC CD-ROM (MODE1) Data or CD-XA (Mode2 Form1) Data , 2324 bytes of PSX/VCD (MODE2 Form2) Video Data or 2352 bytes of AUDIO.
3) The difference between secor size and data content are the Headers info and the Error Correction Codes, that are big for Data (high precision required), small for Video and none for audio.
4)If you extract data in RAW format (standard for creating images) you always extract 2352 bytes per sector, not 2048/2324/2352 bytes depending on data type (basically, you extract the whole sector).


This fact has two main consequences:

a) You can record data at very high speed (40x) without losing information, but if you try to do the same with PSX or Audio you get unredable CD (for PSX) od audio CD with lots of clicks because there are not error correction codes (and error are more likely to occur if you record at high speed.

b) On a 74 min CD you can fit very large RAW images,up to 333,000 x 2352 = 783,216,000 bytes (747 Mb). This should be the upper limit for a RAW image created from a 74 min CD. Remember that if you store standard data (backup files), you can burn only 333,000 x 2048 = 681,984,000 bytes (the well known 650 MB limit).

Please note that an image size is ALWAYS a multple of 2352 bytes (you extract SECTORS), if extracted in RAW mode.

 

aldaco12,

That's a very good post - should clarify the "700+ mb image files" issue.

Some critique to your conclusion a)

Basically you are saying that the error rate would be higher at very high speeds. This actually shouldn't be if the drive and the media are high quality, but we have already seen cases that this does not always happen.

 

To be more precise, errors occur randomly: they represent a sort of 'noise' which exist during each transfer of information, digital or not.

This happens even when two people talk: the listener can lose some information but he/she manages to understand the phrase because the information you transfer is redundant: if I say to you 'plz tlk to me' you understand the whole phrase even if some information is lost!! This means that the english language, like many others, is 'redundant'.

Coming back to CD-R media and data type: MODE1 and MODE2 Form1 DATA standard (CD-ROM, CD-XA) are redundant (and then very secure) because this standard puts 2048 bytes of information in 2352 bytes of space, leaving more or less 300 bytes for error correction (CRC). MODE2 Form2 (Video) and AUDIO are not redundant! This mean, IF (and I mean IF, because this is a random occurrence) ERROR OCCURS, you are sure to LOSE information.

The fact that lost information is critical or not also is a random occurrence.
On audio CD, an error can be detected ad clicks, pops or can have no influence to overall audio quality.
On PSX backups, the resulting CD can be corrupted (then unreadable) or, on some cases, the error could cause just a change of colour on a background, or a jump during a FMV.

A correct assumpltion is that a burner working at 40x speed is MORE LIKELY to add errors than the SAME burner working at 4x. I agree with you that still you could have a perfect CD (but I never heard of a PSX that managed to read a CD burned at 40x!!!).

 

aldaco12,

Yes, according to many articles the perfomance of ultra high speed media & drives (32x+) leaves a bit to be desired. Lowering speed can be a good idea. On the other hand slowing down to 1-4x may give you a phenomena known as pit smearing (pits overheated causing irregular shape) which can again cause problems. I think that 8-16x might be a good balance. I don't have a modern drive so I can't test with my PSX.

Speaking of PSX,

I wonder if Sony has used some internal error correction coding in the PSX format are they really unprotected. After all console CDs really get hard use & a lot of handling.

 

I have another question regarding BIN and CUE-files: recently I have downloaded Easy CD Creator and it contains only one mega BIN-file of 157 Mb. The instructions tell me to burn this file first to CD and after that I have to install it. How do I install a BIN-file ???! When I doubleclick on it, it says "bad CRC". I have CDRWIN 5.0, can you please, please give me advise ???

Greetz.

 

Sorry, of course I read the posts carefully. I am just not (yet) familiar with the CDRWIN-software and the way how to convert a BIN-imagefile to normal data-files which can be used, installed or whatever.

PS. May I give your forum-site give a compliment, It's a wonderful learningplace, where we can share our knowledge !! When do you become for example 'moderate' ?

 

Using the methods described in the posts (make a .CUE file yourself, load the .BIN to FireBurner), you load the BIN to a CD-R software and then write a CD out of it. You do not burn the .BIN file itself, but the stuff that is *inside* the BIN.

There are a lot better softwares for that than CDRWIN.

 

Hello,

I'm familiar with burning bin images to cd's.
But i have a question about something else.

I have a bin and cue file, that i'm going to burn to a cd. But can i burn other stuff with it to like. The bin and a *exe file ?

 

alright, well that brings up another question then. See, the curent .cue file that i have, doesn't have a matching program, as in, if i were to double click on it, the computer would ask "What do u want to open this file with." So if i make a notepad file with
FILE "IMAGE.BIN" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00
In it, then will that pose a problem, now that the file isn't a generic thing, and it cooresponds to notepad?
Oh and also, is:
FILE "IMAGE.BIN" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00
Exactly what i should put into notepad? Or is that some generic form, and i need to type something else in, to make it match my game BIN file. ok! thanks people

 

Erico,

We all burn legal BIN/CUEs. We are all just making backups of our software, right?

VCDJunkie,

Something is on my to-do list. Originally when I started this thread, one idea of it was to collect BIN/CUE FAQs and later compose an guide/article based on the information.

 

no one really answered my previous question from page 2. But i guess what i was trying to say was, no matter waht the BIN file is(even if its an illegal game), will the cue always look like:
FILE "IMAGE.BIN" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00
And if type that into notepad, wont that make it a notepad file? Which poses a problem cause all my other BINs and CUEs are files my computer wont recognize, and i just put them onto a CD. Wont the fact that its a notepad file screw something up?

 

There is no such thing as a Notepad file. Notepad can handle any raw text file, including .TXT, .HTML, .CUE, etc.

The basic structure of the .CUE is like the one you show. But as said in the beginning, the MODE can vary, and it can have multiple tracks (very common in PSX), etc.