Although we might like to believe that we are the world leaders when it comes to information technology, many of us are stumped at anything more complicated than creating a PDF. When it gets down to the nitty gritty of more advanced functions, such as manipulating ISO images, we’re often left in the dark, grappling around for a helpdesk or forum that might help illuminate our unenlightened world. Fortunately, software developers out there know of our strife and have created simple, free utilities, such as ISO Workshop, to guide us through various worlds of complexity. ISO images are basically a copy of a media file which store the contents as well as the structure. This means you can use an SIO image to make back-ups of your favourite Blu-ray movies and DVDs, either storing them on a hard-drive or creating disc copies. This is advantageous if you want to keep the original discs in reasonable condition and not expose them to a world of lending, borrowing and other abuse.
ISO Workshop is a simple application that is free to download and, at just 2.4MB, will only take up a tiny amount of space on your device. Despite this, ISO Workshop is surprisingly powerful with its user-friendly interface compensating for the fact that it’s not quite as fast as some of its rivals. Similarly, there aren’t really that many advanced features available but, for those of us who embrace basic functions and have no desire to set our sights any higher, this is ideal. Once downloaded and installed, you can simply select the feature you want, choose the source and the final resting place for your result, and ISO Workshop will do the rest for you. It is useful to note that the download process includes the installation of the AVG Toolbar so ensure you uncheck the relevant box if you don’t want this added to your device. Operated entirely on one-click commands, a complete beginner can easily create, extract, back up and burn ISO files without having to navigate a series of menus or choices. Without advanced features, of course, you can’t configure the software to operate according to your personal needs, nor can you customise the outcomes but if you’re just after the basics, ISO Workshop is a pleasure to use.
