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The UIF Format

The UIF file extension stands for Universal Image Format. An UIF file contains a compressed disk image – basically it is an exact copy of a CD or a DVD. Just like the more common ISO filetype, the UIF format is typically used to create CD/DVD backups. The UIF file format also offers several advanced features that ISO doesn’t have, like the data compression I mentioned previously. The UIF image can also be encrypted and password protected, and it can be used to backup multi-session disks in a single file.

How To Open An UIF File

UIF is a proprietary file format used by the MagicISO software. At the moment it is the only tool that can open or extract UIF files. The full version of MagicISO costs money, but you can download a free trial that will be able top open UIF files just fine. You can get the trial from MagicISO.com. Once you’ve installed it, you can just double-click the UIF file to open it.

How To Convert UIF to ISO

Sometimes it’s very useful to convert the UIF image to the more popular ISO file type which is supported by most, if not all, CD/DVD tools. Luckily this can be done with the free trial of MagicISO (see above), but only for files that are under 300MB.

Update : Use my UIF to ISO converter GUI (freeware) to convert UIF files of any size.

Here are step-by-step instructions for converting UIF to ISO :

1. Open the UIF file.
2. Choose File -> Save as… from MagicISO menu. A “Save As…” dialog will appear.
3. Choose “Standard ISO Image (*.ISO)” from the Format dropdown and enter the name for the new ISO file in the File Name textbox.
4. Click Save and that’s it! Now just sit back & wait while the UIF is being converted.

Note : the above instructions apply to MagicISO 5.4, which is the newest version at the time of writing.

How To Burn UIF Files

When you need to burn UIF files to a CD/DVD you have several options :

• You can use MagicISO to do it. Click Tools -> Burn CD/DVD With ISO…, choose the UIF image file, set the desired options and click Burn it!. There’s also a short tutorial on MagicISO site on how to do this.
• You can convert the UIF file(s) to ISO (as described above) and use your favorite CD/DVD burning software to burn the disc. For example, ImgBurn is a popular freeware CD/DVD burning tool, though I personally prefer Nero.

How To Mount UIF Files

It is also possible to mount .uif files to a virtual CD/DVD drive. You will then be able to access the virtual disc as if it was a real CD/DVD. To do this you will need to install MagicDisc (freeware). Once you’ve done that, you can mount the UIF file by following these steps :

1. Right-click the “MagicISO Virtual CD/DVD Manager” icon in the system tray.
2. Select “Virtual CD/DVD-ROM”.
3. Select a virtual drive. The drive names vary depending on your computer’s configuration. Generally it looks something like “J: No Media”.
4. Choose “Mount…” from the submenu.
5. In the new window select the .uif file you wish to mount and click “OK”.

You could also convert the UIF files to ISO and use a different CD/DVD emulator (e.g. DaemonTools) to mount them.

So, this is everything you need to know to get started using UIF files 🙂