Looking for a compressed ISO software.

Foxfyre · August 30th, 2010, 16:13

Ok, so I'm the type who likes to backup everything to my computer. Now, with cartridge based consoles, .zip support is usually included in the emulator.

However that leaves me with disc based consoles. Right now, I have all my ISO's compressed with 7zip at the maximum compression I can get to save on disc space. However, every time I want to actually play one of these games, I have to extract the file, and even on my computer that can take 5-10 minutes due to the high level of compression I used.

Is there any software out there that lets me compress the ISO's, but still leaves the files usable without decompressing? Basically, so they can still be used "on the fly"???

So far I've come across WinMount, UltraISO, and PowerISO...all of which use their own special formats, and require THAT software to be installed. Is there anything that's a bit more....universal? Something that can compress a .iso and leave it as a .iso?

Are there any other options?

__________________
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Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

Dax · August 30th, 2010, 16:20

Perhaps use an NTFS compressed folder if you're on Windows(and don't put your ISO/CDVD images in any compressed containers)?

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Spyhop · August 30th, 2010, 16:22

Stop being such a ferengi and buy a larger HD and stop compressing/decompressing ISOs. Problem solved.

Foxfyre · August 30th, 2010, 16:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyhop

Stop being such a ferengi and buy a larger HD and stop compressing/decompressing ISOs. Problem solved.

Why? What sense does that even make? If I can store the same file and use at least half the space to do so, then why wouldn't I want to get the most out of the harddrive space I have? Also, if I have ALL my ISO's backed up to my computer, do you REALLY think that harddrive space is my issue? That it's the reason I'm asking this question?

It's simple "economics", if you will. Get more, pay less. (i.e. store more stuff on your hdd, therefore more effectively using the space you've paid for.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dax

Perhaps use an NTFS compressed folder if you're on Windows(and don't put your ISO/CDVD images in any compressed containers)?

I'm looking for decent compression. Not what windows passes off as compression. Right now the files are compressed with 7Zip. Windows compression doesn't even compare to Winzip, let alone 7Zip.

__________________
Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio

Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

Spyhop · August 30th, 2010, 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxfyre

Why? What sense does that even make? If I can store the same file and use at least half the space to do so, then why wouldn't I want to get the most out of the harddrive space I have?

Because, as you've already demonstrated, it's extraordinarilly inconvenient to do so. HDs are cheap. Time isn't.
You can get 2TB drives for less than 100 bucks nowadays.

Foxfyre · August 30th, 2010, 16:52

Hence why I'm looking for a way to do both. Compress, but yet save time. There's more than one way to skin a cat, right? :P

__________________
Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio

Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

Spyhop · August 30th, 2010, 16:55

You shouldn't be compressing files you plan to use on a regular basis. It's just stupid.

Foxfyre · August 30th, 2010, 16:59

But yet, as I've already stated, some emulators come with zip support built in, therefore allowing you to use compressed files on a regular basis.

Anyway...rather than arguing, does anyone have any actual suggestions rather than flaming me because I choose to use compression?

__________________
Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio

Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

**SCHUMI_4EVER** · August 30th, 2010, 17:33

Even if you manage to find something (and I highly doubt what you're looking for exists) it will take longer to open cuz it first needs to be returned to original size when in use so the time spent will be the same just the actions will be different...in other words it's pointless.

__________________

Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) | ASUS P5Q | 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 | ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M | Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1

The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!!

No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0

Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!!

!!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

Spyhop · August 30th, 2010, 17:37

Exactly. It's not technology that's the problem here, it's your habits.

Foxfyre · August 30th, 2010, 20:37

Proof please? There are already applications that can unzip on the fly. The only difference is the file size. Maybe with larger files what you say may be true, but I really don't think current technology is that limited.

__________________
Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio

Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

**SCHUMI_4EVER** · August 30th, 2010, 20:53

They don't unzip on the fly, they do exactly the same as you do just temporarily. They unzip to a folder in your PC's temp files (or some have their own folder) and then use it there till you close the emu (or in a game if the assets are no longer needed) and then they delete it again.

__________________

Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) | ASUS P5Q | 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 | ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M | Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1

The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!!

No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0

Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!!

!!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

Foxfyre · August 30th, 2010, 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCHUMI_4EVER

They don't unzip on the fly, they do exactly the same as you do just temporarily. They unzip to a folder in your PC's temp files (or some have their own folder) and then use it there till you close the emu (or in a game if the assets are no longer needed) and then they delete it again.

Yes, I'm well aware of that.

__________________
Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio

Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

Lasnap · August 30th, 2010, 21:13

if you use psx as your ps1 emulator it can compress bin files to .cdz files which im assumming is its built in compression system and can read those type of files.

Spyhop · August 30th, 2010, 23:36

It works for cartridge roms because they're small and you don't notice decompress times. When you're dealing with ISOs that can be up to 9GB, decompression will take much longer, and you'll have to wait it out every time you play a game.

Hence STUPID.

rui-no-onna · August 31st, 2010, 00:18

Figure out which emulators/plug-ins support loading compressed images, then compress to whatever format those emulators/plug-ins support. There's no generic way to do what you're asking (unless you go for NTFS compression) so you're gonna have to do it on a case-to-case basis.

Seriously though, it's much easier to just buy hard drives. We're still not at the stage where it would take mere seconds for your average PC to decompress large, highly compressed archives. Scratch that, it might actually be possible with a very fast CPU and SSDs. However, I think buying SSDs for compressed ISO storage is even less practical than buying a few 2TB drives for storing uncompressed ISO, don't you?

Last edited by rui-no-onna; August 31st, 2010 at 01:00..

maurocds · September 1st, 2010, 16:04

wow really 7zip has the faster decompression speed of all, it decompress psx isos really fast (like 30sec on my 2.5 c2d)

compresing is another story

but really, do you play 30 games (30 isos every day) ?

just decompress the isos you will need every week

August 30th, 2010, 16:13	#1
Foxfyre Emulation Junkie Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 827	Looking for a compressed ISO software. Ok, so I'm the type who likes to backup everything to my computer. Now, with cartridge based consoles, .zip support is usually included in the emulator. However that leaves me with disc based consoles. Right now, I have all my ISO's compressed with 7zip at the maximum compression I can get to save on disc space. However, every time I want to actually play one of these games, I have to extract the file, and even on my computer that can take 5-10 minutes due to the high level of compression I used. Is there any software out there that lets me compress the ISO's, but still leaves the files usable without decompressing? Basically, so they can still be used "on the fly"??? So far I've come across WinMount, UltraISO, and PowerISO...all of which use their own special formats, and require THAT software to be installed. Is there anything that's a bit more....universal? Something that can compress a .iso and leave it as a .iso? Are there any other options? __________________ Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

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August 30th, 2010, 16:20	#2
Dax ライチュウ\|タオ Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: USA Posts: 3,956	Perhaps use an NTFS compressed folder if you're on Windows(and don't put your ISO/CDVD images in any compressed containers)? __________________ My PC Specs\|My Consoles\|Emu SVNs\|Project OSX\|How to ask a Question

August 30th, 2010, 16:22	#3
Spyhop Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SPAAACCCCE Posts: 7,343	Stop being such a ferengi and buy a larger HD and stop compressing/decompressing ISOs. Problem solved.

August 30th, 2010, 16:52	#6
Foxfyre Emulation Junkie Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 827	Hence why I'm looking for a way to do both. Compress, but yet save time. There's more than one way to skin a cat, right? :P __________________ Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

August 30th, 2010, 16:55	#7
Spyhop Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SPAAACCCCE Posts: 7,343	You shouldn't be compressing files you plan to use on a regular basis. It's just stupid.

August 30th, 2010, 16:59	#8
Foxfyre Emulation Junkie Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 827	But yet, as I've already stated, some emulators come with zip support built in, therefore allowing you to use compressed files on a regular basis. Anyway...rather than arguing, does anyone have any actual suggestions rather than flaming me because I choose to use compression? __________________ Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

August 30th, 2010, 17:33	#9
SCHUMI_4EVER Hackin 'n Slashin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Most-expensive-Internet-on-the-Planet Land : South Africa Posts: 26,658	Even if you manage to find something (and I highly doubt what you're looking for exists) it will take longer to open cuz it first needs to be returned to original size when in use so the time spent will be the same just the actions will be different...in other words it's pointless. __________________ Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) \| ASUS P5Q \| 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 \| ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M \| Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!! No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0 Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!! !!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

August 30th, 2010, 17:37	#10
Spyhop Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SPAAACCCCE Posts: 7,343	Exactly. It's not technology that's the problem here, it's your habits.

August 30th, 2010, 20:37	#11
Foxfyre Emulation Junkie Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 827	Proof please? There are already applications that can unzip on the fly. The only difference is the file size. Maybe with larger files what you say may be true, but I really don't think current technology is that limited. __________________ Main Rig: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (4.0ghz at 445FSB)/ GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Mobo/ 4 GB G Skill PC2 8500 Ram / SAMSUNG 22X SATA DVD Burner / 500 Gig Seagate HD / 250 Gig Maxtor HD / 1TB Western Digital HD / ATI Radeon HD5750 / Realtek HD Audio Media Center PC: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester/ 2 GB Corsair PC3200 Ram / Sony Optiarc DVD-RW / 200 Gig Samsung HD / ATI Radeon HD 4650

August 30th, 2010, 20:53	#12
SCHUMI_4EVER Hackin 'n Slashin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Most-expensive-Internet-on-the-Planet Land : South Africa Posts: 26,658	They don't unzip on the fly, they do exactly the same as you do just temporarily. They unzip to a folder in your PC's temp files (or some have their own folder) and then use it there till you close the emu (or in a game if the assets are no longer needed) and then they delete it again. __________________ Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) \| ASUS P5Q \| 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 \| ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M \| Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!! No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0 Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!! !!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

August 30th, 2010, 21:13	#14
Lasnap Elven-Dragon Mage Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,914	if you use psx as your ps1 emulator it can compress bin files to .cdz files which im assumming is its built in compression system and can read those type of files.

August 30th, 2010, 23:36	#15
Spyhop Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SPAAACCCCE Posts: 7,343	It works for cartridge roms because they're small and you don't notice decompress times. When you're dealing with ISOs that can be up to 9GB, decompression will take much longer, and you'll have to wait it out every time you play a game. Hence STUPID.

August 31st, 2010, 00:18	#16
rui-no-onna Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: US Posts: 680	Figure out which emulators/plug-ins support loading compressed images, then compress to whatever format those emulators/plug-ins support. There's no generic way to do what you're asking (unless you go for NTFS compression) so you're gonna have to do it on a case-to-case basis. Seriously though, it's much easier to just buy hard drives. We're still not at the stage where it would take mere seconds for your average PC to decompress large, highly compressed archives. Scratch that, it might actually be possible with a very fast CPU and SSDs. However, I think buying SSDs for compressed ISO storage is even less practical than buying a few 2TB drives for storing uncompressed ISO, don't you? Last edited by rui-no-onna; August 31st, 2010 at 01:00..

September 1st, 2010, 16:04	#17
maurocds Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: venezuela Posts: 521	wow really 7zip has the faster decompression speed of all, it decompress psx isos really fast (like 30sec on my 2.5 c2d) compresing is another story but really, do you play 30 games (30 isos every day) ? just decompress the isos you will need every week