I've read several threads about bin/cue files whilst trying to find out how to mount bin/cue files in linux - like daemon tools does in Windows. I found out how...

But first - why do so many people think bin files are so many different things!?? I've seen numerous times people just saying "use 'mount -t iso9660 some.bin /some/dir'" - this is crap! (in most circumstances...)

So i'd like to set the record straight:

bin/cue files are paired.

- The bin file is a raw image of a cd. A cd is composed of sectors (approx. 333,000 on a 74min cd) of 2352 bytes each. Different types of cd use different amounts of space in the sectors for actual data. A normal PC cd will use 2048 bytes per sector - the rest of each sector is given over to error correction. PSX/VCD cds use 2336 bytes, Audio cds use the full 2352 bytes with no error correction. Since bin files are raw data images, they are larger than iso files. The bin image can contain of any type of cd.

- The cue file is necessary, it specifies the mode that a cd image is written in (see elsewhere for description of mode) and the number of bytes that have been read into the image per sector (normally 2352). Also index is specified. A typical cue file looks like:

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


Now for some useful info! The linux mount command will not mount a bin file. If you can mount a particular bin file then its an .iso file with a .bin extension. In my searches, I came across several handy utilities:

isodump - get it here: http://www-tet.ee.tu-berlin.de/solyg...0.05.02.tar.gz
isodump will dump iso images from bin (CloneCD img) files. Its not perfect, and failed on one or two i tested.

cdfs - get it here: http://www.elis.rug.ac.be/~ronsse/cd...4.20-a.tar.bz2
cdfs is a file system kernel module. You can use it instead of iso9660 when you mount cds. It will show all the tracks on a cd as files in the mounted directory, i.e. A data cd may show a single .iso file, an audio cd will show some .wav files (yes, it adds the WAV header!!), and a mixed cd may show an .iso file and an apple hfs image, and some .wav files...! This thing rocks!!

And now for what you've all been waiting for - cdemu. This is another kernel module, but this one creates virtual cd drives, just like daemon tools. A userspace program allows you to link a bin/cue file pair to a virtual cd device, and then simply use the linux mount command to mount the virtual cd!! Oh yeah, its here: http://robert.private.outertech.com/virtualcd/

So, now you CAN mount .bin files!!!!

------------------------------
Richard Wellstead

http://www.uselinux.co.uk/
------------------------------

*bows deep*
Thanks for the info. I've been looking for something like this for a long time.

I'm going to check it out as soon as i get home.
)

also bin2iso can attempt to recreate cue files for single track data cds.

*smiles*
Thanks for the info... I'm using it at school now to check files...

I've bought a Inline cd-recorder for the pc at home.
Somehow i had a damned lot of pictures on the pc, one of the problems with having a digi-cam i guess.

This link CRASHES ie6 !!! It will let lynx thru tho ha ha ha.

http://robert.private.outertech.com/virtualcd/

Just been working on converting a *.bin file to a *.mpeg2 file. Thanks, rkwellstead for your post -- it showed up in google near the top.

For the record, I came across the following problems with cdemu: use the latest version, cdemu-0.5.3. If you're using Slackware 9.0, create a new directory for the cdemu.o module: mkdir /lib/modules/2.4.20/misc.

After you untar, make && make install it, run the create_cdemu_devs.sh script included with the source. insmod the cdemu.o module (and edit your distro's init.d/rc.d modules file to insmod it on boot). Use cdemu as follows: cdemu 0 foo.cue; this assigns the file foo.cue to device /dev/cdemu/0. You can use up to 8 devices (ie. /dev/cdemu/0-7).

Next, untar, compile, make && make install the cdfs module and insmod it (edit your init.d/rc.d modules file). Now you can mount the cdemu image as follows: mount -t cdfs -o loop /dev/cdemu/0 /mnt/cdfs, where /mnt/cdfs is your mount point.

You can also use cdfs to mount an actual mode2 SVCD as follows: mount -t cdfs /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdfs.

In using cdemu and cdfs, however, I found that although I could navigate the *.bin filesystem, I was unsuccessful in extracting the mpeg2 file. I found that bchunk and bin2iso were also unsuccessful in extracting the mpeg2 file.

I then tried vcdgear for linux, and it extracted the mpeg2 file perfectly: http://www.vcdgear.com

D'oh; I spent all that time on cdemu and cdfs; oh well, hope this helps someone.

n/t

*laughs* know that feeling..
First our ADSL went down on thursday,, So we spent the whole weekend without the net. Friday evening i actually ran to the videostore and bought "Matrix Reloaded" And spent the rest of friday and saturday to get the damned dvd mounted. Just passed into sunday my gf asks me if i can't just start the box with XP and use that.... Gruntling i do as she says and discovers to my amasement. The DVD is beside my pc, it's the cd-recorder that i've been trying to play the dvd.... *i still haven't seen the dvd*

Argh. Hate that.

"The DVD is beside my pc" so do you have a dvd drive in the pc?
are you using mplayer?

yepps.. *sorry that it tok a time before i got back to this*
I'm using mplayer and xine, if mplayer don't take it then xine and the other way.. So far i've had no problems with it...
Ehem... i said so far and now i'm scared of trying a new dvd in case it don't work... )

Important pc-studying shows that if you'r pc have been fine for the last 6 months, saying so out loud will automatically make it go haywire and crash as soon as you thnk about the pc..

Not in the linux environment - my experience is....
with Windows this cvan be true - depending on the temperment of that particular OS - usuall as soon as a real tech comes along it will get scared and start working.

Linux thrives on loving and encouragement and satisfaction.
Actually my XP box was really happy until I moved over to linux - when I dumped her for linux - after a few months - I went back to check up on her and she would not work. WinExplorer started locking up nearly everytime I boot it. Sad reminders of the old days cos there would be nothing I can do to fix her what with the memory leaks it would be a format and recover type scenario. Poor thing.

[edit]
I suppose she's getting near her old age of about 2 years.
It would be nice to keep her tho as I 've gots lots of games and patches etc configured on her along with plenty of customizations. I think I'll give it a while to check what's ailling her. Maybe I can trick her into thinking it's the good ol days [sys recovery].

I know what you mean Mossy
That's why we have the great program ghost When we remember to use it.

I'm going to give my xp a new start and then make a ghost image, the same thing i said the last time i had to do it. And somehow forgot about ghosting it.... :/

Some day i'll make it.

yeah I ventured that way once before then got tied up into something else. I left windows so I am not bothered about it.

And now my Storage and Home dir are seperate partitions in Linux so I can keep them as long as the HD sees fit.

Yepps... me too... *smiles*
I had this bad habbit of making backups of my stuff with zip or rar and forgot to put them on another partition or a cd. Not fun to spend half a day to back up files for then to discover that you forgot to move them somewhere safe when you're in the middle of a new installation.

Just a tip.. If you have a SVCD thats in bin/cue format just use MPlayer to watch it.. no need to burn or mount...

mplayer movie.bin

whamma.. your in



was searching myself for that answer, came across this thread, so maybe someone else could use the tip