Create a Bootable ISO from an Cisco Upgrade ISO

        Cisco does not provide bootable ISO files for any UC Software by download from its website. This is extremely problematic when install discs are lost or when you need to restore from backup and the current version is an upgraded from the original install.

        Luckily, Cisco's upgrade ISO files that are not bootable contain all of the information for an upgrade AND an install. The only file missing is a BOOT file (.bif - Bootable Info File). If you have a bootable disc from Cisco, you can extract this BOOT.bif file and combine it with upgrade ISOs to make a bootable install disc of any version that is available for download from Cisco.com!

        This process is not supported by Cisco and we may run into a time when Cisco modifies their upgrade files so that simply adding a boot file will not make it bootable. But that time is not today.

        Use your favorite disc/image tool (I use UltraISO) and place a bootable Cisco install disc into your PC. Open up that disc with UltraISO and select from the menu bar "Bootable > Extract Boot File from CD/DVD...". This will extract the .bif file and prompt you to save it in a certain location. You can rename this file to something like "Boot.bif". 

        Next, download the UC upgrade file from Cisco.com and verify the MD5 hash. Open this ISO file with UltraISO. Note that in the upper left-hand corner that the type is of "Data CD/DVD". From the menu bar, select "Bootable > Generate Bootinfotable". Once that is check-marked, select "Bootable > Load Boot File..." and choose the Boot.bif you had extracted earlier.

       The image type in the upper left corner of UltraISO should now be "Bootable CD/DVD". Go to "File > Save As" and save the ISO as "Bootable_<ISO file name>". Feel free to burn this bootable image to a CD/DVD and install away!!

.