If you use Mac OS X, I’m sure you have used Disk Utility. It lets you create disk images with options including compressed, read-only and read/write. The thing is that Apple’s Disk Utility doesn’t work properly. It often gives you an error in creating a disk image. Popular backup application Roxio Toast is more reliable in creating disk images. And you can use it to create both .dmg and .toast disk images.

What if I want to create disk images that both Mac and Windows users can both open? If that’s what I want, then I can’t use Apple’s Disk Utility because Windows users can’t read .dmg disk images. One format choice is ISO. But you can’t use Disk Utility (at least not with Disk Utility 10.5.6 or lower) to create .ISO images.

Fortunately, there are several Mac utility applications that support the ISO disk image format. One of such Mac titles is FireStarter FX from Project:Omega. Another one, which we talk about today, is DMGConverter from Japanese software developer called Sunskysoft. It’s freeware.

Using DMGConverter is quite easy. And you shouldn’t have trouble using it to create disk images that both Mac and Windows users can read.

The first thing that you want to do is to set the destination of disk images. So go to Preferences and click on ‘Destination.’ (See Screenshot 01.)

Then you want to go back to application’s main window and click on ‘New Image from folder to set the image format.’ Choose ‘Cross-platform Hybrid Images (.iso)’ if you want to create disk images that Mac and Windows users can both read. (See Screenshot 02.) Also, you may want to go to ‘Convert’ and choose ‘Read-only.’ (See Screenshot 03.) Of course, you can choose Read/Write to create a disk image first. By so doing, you can lay a background picture inside the image disk.

Screenshot 01

Screenshot 02

Screenshot 03

Just like Apple’s Disk Utility, DMGConverter supports encryption. So if you want to password-protect your disk images, go to Preferences and click on the Encrypt tab. (See Screenshot 04.)

Screenshot 04

Screenshot 05

Finally, if you are ready to create a disk image, simply drag and drop an entire folder containing files on the application window.

DMGConverter is very easy to use in creating disk images that both Mac and Windows users can use. It’s nice to have Mac freeware titles like this one. In the meantime, why is it free?

MacHouse recommendation: DMGConverter is freeware. When you use a freeware title, whatever it is, you should wonder why it’s free? It’s no offense to this software developer, though.






DMGConverter is a product of Sunskysoft.

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