mdf and mds files?

[Mala]

A guy passing through gave me a DVD with an mdf and an mds file on it (each is a file with the same name, but one has the suffix mdf, the other the suffix mds. It's a movie he made.

I can't watch the dratted thing. A PC-using friend said to use something called ISObuster to convert it to an ISO file (I think) - is there a Mac equivalent?

What should I do with these files in order to be able to watch them, please?

 

[motulist]

A guy passing through gave me a DVD with an mdf and an mds file on it (each is a file with the same name, but one has the suffix mdf, the other the suffix mds. It's a movie he made.

I can't watch the dratted thing. A PC-using friend said to use something called ISObuster to convert it to an ISO file (I think) - is there a Mac equivalent?

What should I do with these files in order to be able to watch them, please?

In many cases if you simply rename the big file to have the extension ".iso" then you should be able to use it without a problem. Since it's on a dvd you'll have to copy the file to your hard disk before you can rename the file.

 

[Mala]

Hmm. Did this and the file still won't play, and gives the error:

main: decoder is leaking pictures, resetting the heap
main: picture 0x21c1a58 refcount is -1
main: picture to date 0x21c1b64 has invalid status 6
main: picture to display 0x21c1b64 has invalid status 6
main: picture 0x21c1b64 refcount is -1

which is clear as mud. Maybe it's just corrupt? I was trying to play it using VLC.

 

[dubbz]

If you have some knowledge about how to compile apps for OS X, you could try to get the source for mdf2iso and compile it.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any other non-Windows tools. Alchohol 120% CD images (MDF/MDS) aren't terribly common in the Windows world either (with some exceptions).

 

[AudiGuy]

yea i had to combine and convert these files into and iso. use split&concat it works!!!! youre gonna have to rename some of the files though

 

[Mala]

Found an easy workaround. Here it is:

1) rename the .mdf file as an .iso file, and also with CAPITALSandnospaces for the title

2) Double-click on it so it shows as a disk image

3) Copy the files inside onto a DVD, and look at it on the DVD player on your TV, or on the computer. (I made an empty VIDEO_TS folder and an empty AUDIO_TS folder, and put that into Toast, and then copied the files from the disk image into the VIDEO_TS folder.

 

[yenko]

A guy passing through gave me a DVD with an mdf and an mds file on it (each is a file with the same name, but one has the suffix mdf, the other the suffix mds. It's a movie he made.

I can't watch the dratted thing. A PC-using friend said to use something called ISObuster to convert it to an ISO file (I think) - is there a Mac equivalent?

What should I do with these files in order to be able to watch them, please?

Try
this!

 

[meathed]

I tried dubbz suggestion and it worked. Download the source, unpack it, then compile it. You will need to have the developer tools installed.

To compile run the typical compile commands:

./configure

make

sudo make install

This will install it into /usr/local/bin just copy mdf2iso to /usr/bin and you can run it from any directory.

 

[coconn06]

I tried dubbz suggestion and it worked. Download the source, unpack it, then compile it. You will need to have the developer tools installed.

To compile run the typical compile commands:

./configure

make

sudo make install

This will install it into /usr/local/bin just copy mdf2iso to /usr/bin and you can run it from any directory.

I hate to resurrect this thread (better than starting a new one on the same topic I suppose)...but I have a few .mdf/.mds files that I need to either burn to a CD or mount.

I've been searching around about how to do this and it looks like I can't just change the file extension to .iso, it won't mount and although Disk Utility will burn it to a CD, Mac OS X says there are no volumes readable by the OS on the CD.

Anyway, I tried downloading this source code and installing it, however it does not install. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me. I'm not on my Mac right now, but basically it failed on the "make" step.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PatrickF]

.mds / .mdf files are Alcohol 120% image files. You use that to mount them on Windows. One advantage of this is that Alcohol will emulate stuff like SafeDisc so people can rip their games DVDs to images and play games without the discs or having to resort to using no-cd cracks.

Anyway, not sure how to read these on OS X so this probably doesn't help you at all.

 

[coconn06]

.mds / .mdf files are Alcohol 120% image files. You use that to mount them on Windows. One advantage of this is that Alcohol will emulate stuff like SafeDisc so people can rip their games DVDs to images and play games without the discs or having to resort to using no-cd cracks.

Anyway, not sure how to read these on OS X so this probably doesn't help you at all.

Np, thanks for the response. Do you know if Alcohol 120% is freeware? I do have access to a PC and I could copy the mdf files onto my external hardrive, bring them over to my Windows box, and use Alcohol to hopefully convert them to .iso or something Mac OS X can mount.

Edit: Google ftw...according to http://www.alcohol-soft.com/ there's a 30-day free trial version of the software. I'll check that out.

The annoying part is that the PC I have access to is not at my apartment...so I'd rather just work this out on my Mac if possible

 

[live4ever]

When you try to compile through terminal what are error messages you get - copy and paste them here for more help.

 

[coconn06]

I ran ./configure with no trouble, but when I try to run make I get the following:

make  all-recursive
Making all in src
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `all'.

Any ideas?

Also, here is the output from "sudo make install" (although I'm sure this is irrelevent since "make" didn't work...but it might give some more insight):

Making install in src
test -z "/usr/local/bin" || mkdir -p -- "/usr/local/bin"
  /usr/bin/install -c 'mdf2iso' '/usr/local/bin/mdf2iso'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.

 

[quigleybc]

i've converted files like those with alchohol on virtual pc, works fine...

 

[coconn06]

i've converted files like those with alchohol on virtual pc, works fine...

That's good to know, though unfortunately I don't have Virtual PC.

 

[macgeek417]

easily compile mdf2iso!

Simple:

1. Get the source code
2. Navigate to /<Path to source code folder>/src
3. Get into Terminal
4. Type "cc " DONT FORGET THE SPACE!!!
5. simply drag "mdf2iso.c" onto the terminal window and press enter.
6. navigate to your user folder, and move a.out to an easily accessable location.
7. drag it to terminal to run it

Now you can use all those .mdf files!!

 

[gwatts88]

To install mdf2iso simpler...

If you don't like delving into the terminal, you can get an app called Porticus. Open the program then click on "All Ports" on the left hand side, then do a search in the box in the top right for mdf2iso. Right click the mdf2iso result, then click "install...". Tick the box if you need a universal binary, then click through and enter any admin passwords you need to and the program will compile it all for you with all the required dependencies.

Then just use the mdf2iso program as already has been explained on this thread.

Just thought I'd add my tuppence, as a thank you for recommending the program and helping me put two and two together to see if it had been added to MacPorts .