Skip to main content
dumpsxiso extracts PlayStation CD images to files and generates mkpsxiso-compatible XML documentation that preserves the exact disc structure.

​
What is dumpsxiso?

dumpsxiso is the companion tool to mkpsxiso that:
  • Extracts all files from PlayStation ISO images
  • Generates XML documentation of the disc structure
  • Preserves timestamps, XA attributes, and file ordering
  • Extracts license data for reuse
  • Supports CDDA audio track extraction in multiple formats
  • Can rebuild images 1:1 with the original

​
Basic Dumping Workflow

1

Prepare Your ISO

Ensure you have a PlayStation ISO image in .bin format. dumpsxiso works with:
  • Standard .bin/.cue disc images
  • .iso files
  • Both single-track and multi-track images
2

Extract the ISO

Run dumpsxiso with the extraction flag:
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin
This command:
  • Creates a folder named myimage with all extracted files
  • Generates myimage.xml documenting the structure
  • Extracts licensea.dat if present
  • Preserves directory hierarchy and timestamps
If no output directory is specified, files are extracted into a folder with the same name as the input file.
3

Specify Output Location

Extract to a custom directory:
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin -d /path/to/output
This extracts files to the specified directory instead of the default location.
4

Review Generated XML

Open the generated .xml file to see the complete disc structure:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<iso_project image_name="myimage.bin" cue_sheet="myimage.cue">
  <track type="data">
    <identifiers
      system="PLAYSTATION"
      application="PLAYSTATION"
      volume="GAMEDISC"
      <!-- ... -->
    />
    <license file="licensea.dat"/>
    <directory_tree>
      <!-- Complete file listing with LBA order preserved -->
    </directory_tree>
  </track>
</iso_project>
This XML can be used directly with mkpsxiso to rebuild the image.
5

Verify Extraction

Check the console output for:
  • Number of files extracted
  • Directory structure created
  • Any warnings about unusual disc structures
  • CDDA track information (if present)

​
Extraction Options

​
Generate XML Without Extracting Files

Create documentation only, without extracting files: 
dumpsxiso myimage.bin
This generates myimage.xml but doesn’t extract any files.

​
Custom XML Output Name

Specify the XML output filename: 
dumpsxiso myimage.bin -s custom_structure.xml

​
Prevent XML Generation

Extract files without creating XML or license files: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin --noxml

​
Extract in Raw Format

Dump all files in raw 2352-byte sector format: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin --raw
Raw format extraction includes sector headers and error correction data. This is useful for low-level analysis but not for normal file access.

​
Quiet Mode

Suppress all output except warnings and errors: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin --quiet

​
CDDA Audio Extraction

​
Extract Audio Tracks as WAV

Extract CD audio tracks to WAV format: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin -da wav

​
Extract Audio Tracks as FLAC

Extract with lossless FLAC compression: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin -da flac
FLAC format preserves audio quality while reducing file size by approximately 50%. This is ideal for archival purposes.

​
Extract Audio Tracks as PCM

Extract as raw PCM data: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin -da pcm

​
Advanced Features

​
Path Table Dumping

Extract files using the path table instead of directory records: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin --path-table
This is useful for:
  • Discs with obfuscated file systems
  • Images with corrupted directory records
  • Games that hide files from normal directory browsing
Some games intentionally obfuscate their directory structures. The path table dump can recover files that aren’t visible through standard directory traversal.

​
Force Extraction for Obfuscated Images

Handle heavily obfuscated games (Chrono Cross, Xenogears, etc.): 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin --force
This enables aggressive extraction that works around non-standard disc structures.

​
XML Formatting Options

​
Directory-Sorted XML

Generate XML sorted by directory for easier reading: 
dumpsxiso myimage.bin -s output.xml --sort
Instead of strict LBA order, files are grouped by directory.

​
Strict LBA Order

Default behavior preserves exact LBA ordering: 
dumpsxiso myimage.bin
This ensures 1:1 rebuild capability.

​
Rebuilding from Extracted Files

Once you’ve extracted an ISO:
1

Verify Extraction

Check that all files and the XML were created successfully.
2

Rebuild the ISO

Use mkpsxiso with the generated XML:
mkpsxiso myimage.xml
3

Compare Original and Rebuild

For most images, the rebuild will be identical to the original:
cmp original.bin rebuilt.bin
If they match, you’ve achieved a 1:1 rebuild.
Almost all PlayStation images can now be rebuilt 1:1. The generated XML preserves timestamps, XA attributes, directory record order, and all other disc metadata.

​
Extracted File Structure

After extraction, you’ll find: 
myimage/
├── myimage.xml          # mkpsxiso project file
├── licensea.dat         # License data (if present)
├── system.cnf           # Boot configuration
├── myexec.exe           # Main executable
├── data/                # Game data directories
│   ├── stage1.dat
│   └── stage2.dat
└── audio/               # Audio files
    ├── music.xa
    └── voices.xa

​
Special File Types

​
Mixed-Mode Files

dumpsxiso automatically detects and properly extracts:
  • XA Audio Files: CD-XA ADPCM compressed audio
  • STR Video Files: MDEC video with interleaved audio
  • Mixed Form Files: Files with both Mode 2 Form 1 and Form 2 sectors
These files are extracted with their 2336-byte sector data and marked as type="mixed" in the XML.

​
DA Files

DA (Direct Audio) files are links to CDDA audio tracks: 
<file name="track02.da" trackid="02" type="da"/>
These reference specific audio tracks rather than containing audio data themselves.

​
Known Issues and Workarounds

​
Filesystem Timestamp Limitations

On ext4 and xfs filesystems, timestamps before 1901/12/13 cannot be preserved. Games like Crash Bash, Spyro 3, and Vagrant Story use older dates.
Work on filesystems with better date support: f2fs, ntfs, or btrfs for perfect timestamp preservation.

​
Corrupted Directory Records

If dumpsxiso crashes on corrupted images, try: 
dumpsxiso -x myimage.bin --force --path-table

​
Little-Endian Attribute Detection

dumpsxiso includes detection for problematic ISOs with attributes in little-endian format (non-standard).

​
Validation and Analysis

​
ISO Descriptor Check

dumpsxiso automatically validates:
  • ISO 9660 descriptor structure
  • PlayStation-specific identifiers
  • Volume size and sector counts
  • Path table integrity

​
Subheader and RIFF Validation

For XA and STR files, dumpsxiso checks:
  • RIFF headers for proper encoding
  • XA subheader format
  • Sector submode values
  • EDC/ECC integrity

​
Next Steps

After extracting an ISO:
  • Modify the XML to add custom files
  • Replace game assets with modifications
  • Study the disc structure for ROM hacking
  • Create reproducible builds with Building ISOs

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us