Disk images
86Box supports a large variety of disk image formats for the emulated storage drives.
Hard disk images
Supported formats:
Format |
File extension |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Raw image |
Many |
Extensions include: .hdd .ima .img |
Japanese FDI |
.hdi |
|
.hdx |
||
Virtual Hard Disk |
.vhd |
Fixed, Dynamic and Differencing VHDs are supported through the MiniVHD library. |
Hard disk size limits
There are limits to how big of a hard disk an emulated machine can accept. Such limits will vary depending on the machine’s BIOS. The table below lists all important limits applicable to the IDE bus:
Limit |
Disk size |
Cylinders |
Heads |
Sectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
20-bit CHS |
504 MB |
1024 |
16 |
63 |
12-bit cylinder |
2015 MB |
4095 |
16 |
63 |
ECHS translation |
4032 MB |
1024 |
128 |
63 |
Revised ECHS |
7560 MB |
1024 |
240 |
63 |
LBA translation |
8064 MB |
1024 |
256 |
63 |
16-bit cylinder |
32255 MB |
65535 |
16 |
63 |
28-bit LBA |
131071 MB |
65536 |
16 |
256 |
The maximum supported disk image size for IDE or SCSI is 131071 MB. Disk overlay software such as Ontrack Disk Manager can work around BIOS limits and allow booting of IDE hard drives within the 131071 MB limit, with the same caveats as using such software on a real machine.
Floppy disk images
Supported formats:
Format |
File extension |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Raw image |
Many |
Extensions include: .bin .dsk .flp .hdm .ima .img .vfd .xdf |
.86f |
Once loaded, any image can be converted to 86F through the status bar or Media menu. |
|
CopyQM |
.cq / .cqm |
|
DiskDupe |
.ddi |
|
EZ-DisKlone plus |
.fdf |
|
Formatted Disk Image |
.fdi |
Read only. |
HxC MFM |
.mfm |
Read only. |
ImageDisk |
.imd |
|
Japanese FDI |
.fdi |
|
PCjs JSON |
.json |
Read only. PCjs 1.0 format only; 2.0 not supported yet. |
Teledisk |
.td0 |
Read only. |
Floppy disk detection
86Box determines the physical media format (sides, tracks per side, sectors per track, bytes per sector) of a floppy disk image through the following methods:
Image file header data - not applicable for Raw and DiskDupe formats;
DOS BIOS Parameter Block data within the image;
If all else fails, a guess is made based on the image file’s size.
The BIOS Parameter Block detection method may behave incorrectly with non-DOS floppy disks. Installation floppies for UNIX and Linux are common examples of non-DOS disks. Disabling Check BPB is strongly recommended when accessing these, as an inaccurate BPB detection may result in read errors, data corruption and other issues.
Note
When using a Raw image of a non-DOS floppy with Check BPB disabled, make sure the image file is not truncated (smaller than its media size), otherwise incorrect behavior may still occur.
MO / ZIP removable disk images
Supported formats:
Format |
File extension |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Raw image |
Many |
Extensions include: .ima .img |
Japanese FDI |
.mdi / .zdi |
.mdi for MO, .zdi for ZIP. |
CD-ROM / DVD-ROM optical disc images
Supported formats:
Format |
File extension |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Cue sheet |
.cue + .bin |
|
ISO |
.iso |
CD audio
Compact Disc Digital Audio (CDDA) playback through the emulated CD-ROM drives is supported on Cue sheet images. Audio output is enabled on the first CD-ROM drive and muted on subsequent drives by default; individual drives can be muted or unmuted through the status bar or Media menu.
Note
Only raw format (.bin) tracks are supported. Compressed or otherwise encapsulated audio tracks (.wav, .mp3, .ogg, .flac and other formats) are not supported.
Cassette tape images
Supported formats:
Format |
File extension |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Raw PCM audio |
Many |
Extensions include: .pcm .raw Audio format must be unsigned 8-bit mono. |
PCE cassette |
.cas |
|
Wave audio |
.wav |
Audio format must be unsigned 8-bit mono. |
PCjr cartridge images
Supported formats:
Format |
File extension |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Raw image |
Many |
Extensions include: .a .b .bin |
JRipCart |
.jrc |