dumpsxiso - mkpsxiso

dumpsxiso extracts the contents of PlayStation ISO images and generates an XML project file that can be used with mkpsxiso to rebuild the disc.

Usage

dumpsxiso [options] <isofile>

Arguments

isofile

string

required

File name of the BIN or CUE file to extract. Supports any 2352 byte/sector CD-ROM images in MODE2 format.

Using a CUE file allows dumpsxiso to properly handle multi-bin images and audio tracks.

Options

-h

flag

Shows help text and exits.Alias: --help

-q

flag

Quiet mode. Suppresses all output except warnings and errors.Alias: --quiet

-w

flag

Suppress all warnings. Can be used along with -q to show only errors.Alias: --warns

-x

string

Optional destination directory for extracted files.Default: Working directory / {isofile stem}

dumpsxiso -x extracted_files game.bin

-s

string

Optional XML name/destination for the MKPSXISO rebuild script.Default: {isofile stem}.xml

dumpsxiso -s rebuild.xml game.bin

-pt

flag

Go through every known directory in order using the path table. Helps with soft obfuscated games where directories are not listed in directory records.Alias: --path-tableExample games: Digimon World 3 (DMW3)

dumpsxiso -pt game.bin

-f

flag

Scans all unknown sectors for files. Helps with heavily obfuscated games that hide files outside the standard directory structure.Alias: --forceExample games: Chrono Cross, Xenogears

This option significantly increases scan time as it examines every sector.

dumpsxiso -f game.bin

-e

string

Codec to encode CDDA/DA audio files.Alias: --encodeSupported codecs:

wave - RIFF WAVE format (default)
flac - FLAC compressed audio (if compiled with libFLAC)
pcm - Raw PCM audio data

Default: wave

# Extract audio as FLAC
dumpsxiso -e flac game.bin

# Extract audio as raw PCM
dumpsxiso -e pcm game.bin

-l

flag

Writes all LBA (Logical Block Address) offsets in the XML to force them at build time.Alias: --lba

This ensures an exact 1:1 rebuild by preserving original file positions.

dumpsxiso -l game.bin

-n

flag

Do not generate an XML file and license file. Only extract files.Alias: --noxml

dumpsxiso -n game.bin

-r

flag

Dumps all files in raw 2352-byte sector format. Automatically forces --noxml option.Alias: --raw

dumpsxiso -r game.bin

-S

flag

Outputs a “pretty” XML script where entries are grouped in directories instead of strictly following their original order on the disc.Alias: --sort-by-dir

This makes the XML more human-readable but may not preserve exact build order.

dumpsxiso -S game.bin

Examples

Basic Extraction

Extract an ISO with default settings:

dumpsxiso game.bin

This creates:

game/ directory with extracted files
game.xml rebuild script
game/license_data.dat license file

Extract with Custom Output Directory

Extract to a specific directory:

dumpsxiso -x /tmp/game_files game.bin

Extract from CUE Sheet

Extract a multi-bin disc using a CUE file:

dumpsxiso game.cue

Always use the CUE file when available for proper handling of audio tracks and multi-bin images.

Extract with FLAC Audio

Extract with audio tracks compressed as FLAC:

dumpsxiso -e flac game.cue

Obfuscated Game Extraction

Extract an obfuscated game using path table and force scan:

dumpsxiso -pt -f game.bin

Exact Rebuild Extraction

Extract with LBA offsets for exact 1:1 rebuild:

dumpsxiso -l game.bin

Files Only (No XML)

Extract only files without generating rebuild script:

dumpsxiso -n -x game_files game.bin

Raw Sector Dump

Dump all files in raw 2352-byte sector format:

dumpsxiso -r game.bin

Silent Extraction

Extract silently without warnings:

dumpsxiso -q -w game.bin

Output Files

Directory Structure

dumpsxiso recreates the original disc directory structure:

game/
├── license_data.dat
├── SYSTEM.CNF
├── PSX.EXE
├── DATA/
│   ├── STAGE01.DAT
│   └── STAGE02.DAT
└── AUDIO/
    └── BGM.STR

XML Project File

The generated XML file contains:

ISO identifiers (System ID, Volume ID, etc.)
Creation and modification dates
License file reference
Directory tree structure
File entries with attributes (XA permissions, timestamps, etc.)
Audio track definitions with pregap information
Default attributes for file system entries

License Data File

The license_data.dat file contains the PlayStation license data from the first 16 sectors of the disc. This data is required for the disc to boot on actual hardware.

Audio Files

Audio tracks are extracted with the specified codec:

WAVE format: Standard RIFF WAVE files with 44.1kHz stereo PCM
FLAC format: Compressed lossless audio
PCM format: Raw 16-bit stereo PCM data at 44.1kHz

File Types

dumpsxiso recognizes and handles different file types:

Data Files (EntryFile)

Standard files stored in MODE2/Form1 sectors (2048 bytes user data per sector).

XA/Mixed Files (EntryXA)

CD-XA files stored in MODE2/Form2 sectors (2336 bytes per sector). These typically contain interleaved audio/video data (STR files).

# XA files are extracted with full 2336-byte sector data

DA Audio Files (EntryDA)

CD Digital Audio tracks that can be played on standard CD players. These are extracted as audio files in the specified format.

Dummy Sectors

Empty padding sectors are represented as <dummy> elements in the XML to maintain proper spacing.

Obfuscation Detection

dumpsxiso automatically detects and handles several obfuscation techniques:

Hidden Directories

Detects directories not listed in parent directory records but present in the path table. These are marked with the hidden flag in the XML.

<dir name="HIDDEN" hidden_flag="34" />

Hidden Files

Files not referenced in directory records are discovered with -f and named UNKNXXXX.DAT or UNKNXXXX.STR.

Multiple Disc Types

dumpsxiso detects disc mastering versions:

Old type: Pre-2003 games with name-sorted files
New type: Post-2003 games with LBA-sorted files
PS2 discs: PlayStation 2 format with different descriptor flags

CD-DA Track Handling

Referenced DA Files

DA files referenced in the file system are extracted with their directory names:

game/AUDIO/TRACK01.WAV

Unreferenced DA Files

Audio tracks not in the file system are extracted as:

TRACK-02.WAV
TRACK-03.WAV

When using a CUE file, dumpsxiso can properly handle pregap detection and multi-bin audio tracks.

Pregap Detection

The tool automatically detects audio track pregaps:

Default pregap: 150 sectors (2 seconds)
Custom pregaps: Detected from CUE file or calculated from gaps
Zero pregaps: Some discs have non-standard pregap sizes

<track type="audio" id="02" source="AUDIO/BGM.WAV">
  <pregap duration="00:02:00" />
</track>

Error Detection

XA EDC (Error Detection Code)

dumpsxiso checks if the disc has proper Form2 EDC data:

<track type="data" xa_edc="true" new_type="true">

Some games built with buggy mastering tools lack EDC data. This is preserved in the XML for accurate rebuilds.

Warnings

Missing Audio Tracks

WARNING: The CDDA file "TRACK-02.WAV" is out of the iso file bounds.
         This usually means that the game has audio tracks, and they are on separate files.
         Try using a .cue file, instead of an ISO image, to be able to access those files.

Gap Detection

WARNING: There is still a gap of 200 sectors at the end of file system.
         This could mean that there are missing files or tracks.
         Try using the -pt or/and -f command, helps with obfuscated file systems.

Tips

Use -pt first before resorting to -f. Path table scanning is much faster and handles most obfuscation cases.

Extract with -l option if you need an exact 1:1 rebuild. This preserves all original LBA positions.

For multi-disc games or games with audio tracks, always use the CUE file instead of a raw BIN file.

The -S option creates more readable XML files but may not preserve exact build order. Use -l if build order matters.

FLAC encoding (-e flac) significantly reduces the size of extracted audio tracks while maintaining lossless quality.

Default Values

Output directory

string

default:"{isofile stem}/"

Created in working directory if -x not specified

XML file

string

default:"{isofile stem}.xml"

Created in working directory if -s not specified

Audio codec

string

default:"wave"

RIFF WAVE format for maximum compatibility

Audio pregap

integer

default:"150"

Standard 2-second pregap (150 sectors)

Postgap

integer

default:"150"

Data track postgap before first audio track

Compatibility

dumpsxiso supports:

PlayStation 1 CD-ROM XA discs
PlayStation 2 discs (detected automatically)
Multi-disc games (each disc must be extracted separately)
Multi-bin images via CUE files
Mixed mode discs (data + audio tracks)
Obfuscated file systems (with -pt and -f)

Getting Started

Commands

XML Configuration

Guides

Reference

​Usage

​Arguments

​Options

​Examples

​Basic Extraction

​Extract with Custom Output Directory

​Extract from CUE Sheet

​Extract with FLAC Audio

​Obfuscated Game Extraction

​Exact Rebuild Extraction

​Files Only (No XML)

​Raw Sector Dump

​Silent Extraction

​Output Files

​Directory Structure

​XML Project File

​License Data File

​Audio Files

​File Types

​Data Files (EntryFile)

​XA/Mixed Files (EntryXA)

​DA Audio Files (EntryDA)

​Dummy Sectors

​Obfuscation Detection

​Hidden Directories

​Hidden Files

​Multiple Disc Types

​CD-DA Track Handling

​Referenced DA Files

​Unreferenced DA Files

​Pregap Detection

​Error Detection

​XA EDC (Error Detection Code)

​Warnings

​Missing Audio Tracks

​Gap Detection

​Tips

​Default Values

​Compatibility

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Usage

Arguments

Options

Examples

Basic Extraction

Extract with Custom Output Directory

Extract from CUE Sheet

Extract with FLAC Audio

Obfuscated Game Extraction

Exact Rebuild Extraction

Files Only (No XML)

Raw Sector Dump

Silent Extraction

Output Files

Directory Structure

XML Project File

License Data File

Audio Files

File Types

Data Files (EntryFile)

XA/Mixed Files (EntryXA)

DA Audio Files (EntryDA)

Dummy Sectors

Obfuscation Detection

Hidden Directories

Hidden Files

Multiple Disc Types

CD-DA Track Handling

Referenced DA Files

Unreferenced DA Files

Pregap Detection

Error Detection

XA EDC (Error Detection Code)

Warnings

Missing Audio Tracks

Gap Detection

Tips

Default Values

Compatibility