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file-formatbin

Is a .BIN CD Image file a standard format?

In this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_file_formats

I found many .BIN files used by many applications. Are all these the same format?

I am going to deal with .BIN files. I want to know the standard format.

Google could not help me to find a site explaining the standard structure for the .BIN format. Because it changes BIN to Binary in the search results.

I am talking about the CD Image .BIN files.

Solution

  • The BIN extension indicates that it is just binary data and doesn't say anything about the actual format. Like your linked Wikipedia page suggests, the extension has different meanings depending on where it's used.

    If you know it is a CD image, the actual structure of the data inside the image is usually some file system (probably ISO 9660 with Rock Ridge or Joliet extensions). On Linux this can be mounted through a loop device and used like a regular CD.

    EDIT

    The ISO 9660:1988 standard can be downloaded freely online:

    http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-119.htm

    A draft of the current ISO 9660:1999 is available here:

    http://www.pismotechnic.com/cfs/iso9660-1999.html

    The draft does not represent the official released standard (which you may purchase) but it may be close enough to get you most of the way. Note, these do not include any information about extensions that may be in use. The linked Wikipedia page lists a few of the most common extensions each of which will also have their own published standards.