The mdf and mds file formats are used to save a CD or DVD image on your PC for a certain period of time. For example, you were given a disc with an interesting film that you do not have. Of course, you'll want to make a copy for yourself, but it's not always possible. empty disk at hand. In this situation, you will create a disk image, and after purchase blank disk make a recording. As a result, you will receive a copy without any effort.
How to open mdf file
Often this problem occurs among those who downloaded the game from a torrent and now do not know how to install it on a computer with Windows 7. In such cases, 2 files appear on the PC - mdf and mds.
To open content stored in mdf format in Windows 7 on your computer, you need to have specialized software that can read this format and is designed to work with such files. You can use the following programs to open: Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, Cyberlink, IsoBuster, UltraISO, MagicISO, etc. 
Let's look at using Daemon Tools in Windows 7
Of the above applications, I suggest you consider using Daemon Tools, since this program is free (for home use), so you don’t have to look for the tablet version.
Therefore, you can obtain the application distribution directly from the manufacturer’s official website without the risk of running into an infected product.
First download and install it on your PC. The installation sequence is standard, does not require special knowledge, and will only take a few minutes. At the appropriate stage, select the “License is free” item.
At the end of the process, a logo with a lightning bolt will appear at the bottom of the screen on the right; this is Daemon Tools.
Working with Daemon Tools
In order to get started, you need:
- Specify the file in mdf resolution that you want to open.
If you encounter any difficulties, you can additionally use the following video instructions:
After performing such manipulations required file will open without problems. The sequence of work is the same for everyone Windows versions, including for Windows 7.
Working with the UltraISO program
With UltraISO you can also open disk images stored in mdf and mds files. You can also burn images to disks and convert images different types into regular ISO images that can be mounted in Windows without additional programs.
How to open mds file?
Always together with the mdf file. Without it, it makes no sense at all; these two files always “live” together. The actual purpose of the mds file is to store header information and it weighs little, while mdf contains the actual image, i.e. the information itself.
For a better understanding of how to open mdf and mds files, first become familiar with what they “eat” with, then many questions will disappear on their own.
Such file formats are created by the Alcohol 120% program and can actually be opened with it. Usually games are placed there.
Alcohol 120% bypasses this protection and creates a similar disk only virtual in mdf format. Along with it, there is often another mds extension - it is seen by another application: “Daemon Tools Lite”
Based on the above, we can conclude that the program that opens the mdf format is
But if you just open the mdf format, you will see the contents, and you, in all likelihood, need to install the game.
Therefore, first you need to create a virtual drive (not necessary in Alcohol 120%), place the mdf extension there and then proceed with the installation.
How to open a mdf file with UltraISO
To open mdf format. Then right-click on it and move the cursor to the line: “open with” and select UltraISO.
A tab will appear in which we will see the content. You need to run this file, so select “mount to virtual disk” in the menu. A virtual drive will open for you.
In it, click “mount” and the program will start. To start the game installation, click (double) on the virtual drive (start=>, computer=>, virtual drive you created)
How to create a virtual disk using Daemon Tools Lite
Here we need to download a program that opens mds formats - Daemon Tools Lite. It's completely free. Download and install.
In the window that opens, click “add drive”. If you then open the “computer” option, you will see a DVD with the same letter. This will be the virtual drive you created. Now you can mount the mdf file using the UltraISO program.
Which program to open the mdf file if it comes with mds
mdf and mds files usually come together. If so, then proceed as follows. Create a virtual drive using Daemon Tools Lite, then click on it “add file”. A window will open. Specify the path to the mds file we need (mdf - you won’t see it).
In the image directory (top) a line will appear with the address to our file. Select it by pressing the left button. The “mount” button will become active - click.
There are, of course, many other programs that open the mdf format, but those described above are used most often.
MDF (Media Disc Image File) is a disk image file format. In other words, this is a virtual disk containing some files. Computer games are often stored in this form. It is logical to assume that a virtual drive will help read information from a virtual disk. To carry out this procedure, you can use one of the special programs.
The peculiarity of images with the MDF extension is that they often require an accompanying file in MDS format to run them. The latter weighs much less and contains information about the image itself.
Method 1: Alcohol 120%
Files with the MDF and MDS extension are most often created through Alcohol 120% . This means that this program is best suited for opening them. Alcohol 120%, although a paid tool, allows you to solve many problems related to burning discs and creating images. In any case, the trial version is suitable for one-time use.
Method 2: DAEMON Tools Lite
A good alternative to the previous option would be DAEMON Tools Lite. This program looks nicer and opens MDF faster. True, without a license, all functions of DAEMON Tools will not be available, but this does not apply to the ability to view the image.
The same result will occur if you open the MDF file via "Quick Mount".
Method 3: UltraISO
UltraISO is perfect for quickly viewing the contents of a disk image. Its advantage is that all files included in MDF will be immediately displayed in the program window. However, for further use they will have to be extracted.
Method 4: PowerISO
The last option for opening MDF is the PowerISO program. It has almost the same principle of operation as UltraISO, only the interface in this case is more friendly.
So, MDF files are disk images. Alcohol 120% and DAEMON Tools Lite are excellent programs for working with this category of files, which immediately allow you to view the contents of the image via autorun. But UltraISO and PowerISO display a list of files in their windows with the subsequent ability to extract.
What can't be counted. Users very often have to deal with formats such as MDF and MDS. Not everyone knows how to open such objects. Meanwhile, the solution is very simple and accessible to anyone. But, unfortunately, most ordinary users do not think about this. Let's consider several issues related to both the format itself and the choice of program for opening files of this type.
What is the MDS format?
Let's start with what kind of format this is and what program it corresponds to. According to the official description, objects of this type are information files that store data about the contents of MDF image files.
The main image format is the default saving standard when working in the Alcohol 120% application. Thus, it is easy to conclude that it is initially better to open both types of files in this program.
Format features
We figured out how to open MDS. But when working with objects of this type, some features and nuances should be taken into account. The fact is that both formats are very closely interconnected. The MDF file contains the main contents of the image (files and folders). This is a kind of container with packed contents. The MDS file contains information about how the contents of the main container are organized. It may include the names of tracks, movies, their playing order, timecode information, etc.
Therefore, if you try to open an MDS file without an accompanying MDF object, nothing will work. But when opening MDF without MDS, there will be no ordering data, although the main files and folders can be extracted from the image. Sometimes, when you lose the MDS and open the MDF, you won't get whole objects, but only some parts of them. In other words, as is already clear, files can only be opened in pairs.
How to open MDS and MDF in Windows?
Now a few words about operating facilities Windows systems. How to open MDS files in their environment? Unfortunately, systems below version 10 do not have their own means of mounting virtual drives from images. But in the tenth modification, it is enough to double-click on the main object (MDF) or the accompanying information component (MDS), after which the virtual drive with a CD/DVD disk supposedly inserted into it will be mounted automatically. But how to open the MDS format in systems of a lower rank? Many experts recommend using the built-in disc burning tool, but I think this is not the best perfect solution, and it is only suitable if no program for working with images is installed on the computer.
How to open MDF and MDS: additional utilities
As for programs that perform all kinds of operations with images, in addition to the main utility (Alcohol 120%), you can use packages such as UltraISO, Daemon Tools, ISO Buster, MagicISO, Power ISO and others.
In principle, any utility that can work with images will do, since this format supported by all well-known programs in this category. This is something like an unspoken agreement between developers of different software, when the “native” formats of some programs are supported by other applications as additional ones. But, again, keep in mind that MDS objects are purely informational files, and without the presence of a main MDF format container, you can’t even dream of opening an MDS.
Which technique should I use? Ideally, of course, it is better to install a “native” program, although you can use any other one from the list without any problems. Windows tools could also be recommended, but, unfortunately, they do not always work and are only suitable for quickly mounting an image, and not for editing its main and information content.
– Igor (Administrator)There are many different file formats and it's easy for beginners to get confused. For example, not everyone knows that in addition to the ISO format there are other archive files. Therefore, in this article I will tell you what they are and how to open mdf and mds files.
So let's get started.
Note: If you are only interested in how to open an mdf file, then there is a corresponding video at the bottom of the article.
What are files with the mdf and mds extensions for?
The MDF or Media Disc Image File format is designed for storing images of CD and DVD discs. In other words, an archive file within which all the data is stored, much like an ISO file. Therefore, the MDF file is usually quite large in size. Along with this file, the kit always comes with a small file with the MDS extension, which stores all the specific data about the original disk. In order for disk data to be usable, both of these files are needed.
Note: Some programs use this format to store their information. Therefore, before trying to open them, I advise you to make sure that you have an mds file with the same name.
How to open mds file?
As already mentioned, an MDS file stores metadata about the disc, namely the CD or DVD title, track information, etc. Therefore, you cannot open it without an MDF file, which contains the data itself. So, if you hear the phrase “how to open an mds file,” then you should mean an mdf file, which will be discussed further.
Note: It is important to understand that although the MDS file is not opened, it should still be located next to the MDF file.
How to open mdf file?
By default, Windows 7 does not have tools for opening an mdf file, so you need to use programs to emulate CD and DVD drives (there are all the necessary links to programs inside the review). In principle, you can use any of them, but in this article I will show you how to do this using Daemon Tools. The choice was made because it is simple, supports the Russian language and is very easy to use.
Open mdf file with Daemon Tools
First of all, download this program from the review, the link to which was left just above, or enter “Download Daemon Tools Lite” in a search engine. Please note that you need the Lite version, since the others are paid.
During the installation wizard steps, be sure to ensure that " Free license" as below
After the program is installed, an icon with a lightning bolt in a circle will appear at the bottom of the notification area (tray), which is intended for quick access to Daemon Tools. Now, you need to right-click on the icon and select the following "Virtual drives" -> "Add virtual SCSI drive", then wait until the drive is created (it may take a while).
Now that the drive is created, you can load the mdf file into it. To do this, right-click on the icon again and select “Virtual drives” -> “Drive 0:” -> “Mount image...”. After this, a window will open where you will need to select your mdf file.
After this, all the information from the mdf file, in other words, a CD or DVD disc, will be available in the created drive. For example, if you were given an image with a free toy, then most likely a window will appear to select an action (autorun, open as directory, etc.). If nothing appears, then open the corresponding drive letter in Explorer (it is listed next to the selected drive in the menu). For example, if you look at the figure above, “Drive 0:” is the drive with the letter “F”.
And for a snack, a corresponding video.