Many faced this situation: having found many classic games on the Internet, it turns out that it is impossible to download them, since they are a set of files with the BIN or CUE extension. However, this problem is not serious. To solve it, you can use simple software to read these files without even having to overwrite them on disks. First of all, when deciding how to open a CUE or BIN, a simple application like Daemon Tools comes to mind. However, first you need to figure out what these files are.
What are .BIN and .CUE files?
The BIN extension is assigned to binary files, which can contain a wide variety of data. The most common form of such files is a CD or DVD image . The file is created by copying the contents of the CD in a single file, which can be written to disk or output to a virtual drive. In order to mount or burn a .BIN image, you must have a .CUE file that has exactly the same name. Its purpose is that it tells the programs for recording or editing where the BIN file is located.
To create a new CUE file, simply right-click on the folder in which the BIN file is located. Create a new test document (in Notepad) and enter the following lines into it:
FILE "filename.bin" binary
Track 01 MODE1 / 2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00
In the File menu, select "Save As ...", write the name of the BIN file and change the extension from .TXT to .CUE. Click the “Save” button. Talking about how to open CUE, you can use a regular notepad. Such a discovery is necessary if you want to check whether its content is correct.
In addition, the Daemon Tools program was understood above. The lite version of this application is free for home users and works great with images. You can find it in the public domain and thereby solve the problem for yourself, than open the CUE file.
So, install Daemon Tools and open the downloaded file. Click the “Run” or “OK” button in the window that opens with a security warning. Select the desired language and click Next. Read and accept the license agreement to continue. Choose a free license because the paid one is for organizations. Select components and file associations. If you have different programs that you use for different disk images, you can leave the default file association value.
When choosing a custom installation, clear the "Install SweetPacks" check box. If you leave this setting, Daemon Tools will install a new toolbar in your browser and also change your home page. After that, click “Cancel” in the window that appears during the download. Click the Skip button in the next window to bypass another additional installation program. Finally, click "Do not allow MountSpace to use my statistics." Select the installation location for Daemon Tools. As a rule, the default setting is enough. After installation is complete, the question of how to open CUE will be resolved for you.
To mount a disk image, open the CUE file in Daemon Tools. There are several ways to do this. You can drag the CUE file onto the virtual disk icon in the bottom Daemon Tools window if the program is open. The image will be connected automatically, and the computer will act immediately if the disk has just been inserted.
In addition, talking about how to open CUE, you can open this file using the context menu by selecting Daemon Tools as the program to open. Then select the virtual devices, that is, the disk that was created. Click on the image and then on the CUE file. How to open it, now you know!