BuildIso Overview BuildIso is a lightweight ISO builder specifically designed for OS developers. It is a single, portable executable that allows you to create fully bootable ISOs directly from your project folder without relying on any additional tools or dependencies. There is no need for VSIX packages, workloads, or installers—simply drop the .exe into your project folder and build your ISO with a single click. The tool integrates seamlessly with Visual Studio as an External Tool, making it easy to include in your development workflow. It is compatible with any OS development project structure and is intended to simplify the ISO creation process while remaining flexible and portable. Features BuildIso offers a variety of features to make ISO building simple and efficient: Portable – Just one executable with no dependencies or installation required. You can carry it in your project folder or on a USB drive. Bootable ISO generation – Supports El Torito no-emulation bootable ISO format, making your OS project immediately bootable. Automatic project name detection – The tool detects your .csproj file and automatically names the ISO based on your project. Flexible project support – Works with any OSDev project layout, so you don’t need to reorganize your files. Visual Studio integration – Easily added as an External Tool, allowing one-click ISO builds from within the IDE. Zero configuration required – BuildIso works out of the box; no setup or complex options are needed. Project Structure To use BuildIso effectively, your OS project should follow a standard structure. A typical project setup looks like this: MyOS/ ├── BuildIso.exe ├── boot/ │ └── boot.bin ├── iso_root/ │ └── KERNEL.BIN └── MyOS.csproj boot/boot.bin → This is your 512-byte bootloader file. It is loaded as the El Torito boot image for the ISO. iso_root/ → This folder contains all files you want to include in the ISO, such as the kernel, configuration files, or additional resources. BuildIso.exe → The BuildIso executable itself, which performs the ISO generation. MyOS.csproj → Your project file, automatically detected by BuildIso to extract the project name for the ISO file. Following this structure ensures that BuildIso can locate all required files and generate a bootable ISO without issues. Visual Studio Integration BuildIso can be integrated into Visual Studio as an External Tool, providing a seamless one-click build experience. To add it: Open Tools → External Tools… Click Add Configure the fields as follows: Title: Build ISO Command: $(ProjectDir)\BuildIso.exe Arguments: $(ProjectDir) Initial Directory: $(ProjectDir) Click OK Once configured, you will see Build ISO in the Tools menu. For even faster access, you can add it to the toolbar for one-click ISO builds directly from Visual Studio. This setup allows you to generate your bootable ISO without leaving your IDE. How It Works BuildIso follows a simple, automated process to create your bootable ISO: Reads the project directory provided by Visual Studio. Detects the .csproj file within the project folder. Extracts the project name to use as the ISO file name. Recursively adds all files from the iso_root/ directory to the ISO. Loads the boot/boot.bin file as the El Torito boot image. Generates a bootable ISO named .iso in the project root. This process requires no manual configuration and ensures that your ISO is ready to boot immediately after generation. Requirements Before using BuildIso, make sure you have the following: .NET runtime – Any version from 6 to 10. A valid bootloader – boot.bin must be exactly 512 bytes or 2048 bytes. A populated iso_root/ – Include all necessary files for your OS. BuildIso does not require any other tools or libraries. License BuildIso is distributed under the MIT License, which allows you to freely modify, fork, and improve the project. You are encouraged to contribute enhancements or adapt it for your own OSDev workflow. Credits BuildIso was created by Src, with guidance and support from Copilot. The tool was designed to be simple, portable, and OSDev-friendly, focusing on speed, ease of use, and minimal configuration. Support If you find BuildIso useful and want to support its development, donations are welcome at: https://srcfrcg.itch.io/buildiso Next Update The next planned update is scheduled for DATE COMING SOON, with additional improvements and enhancements to the ISO building process. Contact Email: [email protected] Website: https://buildiso.com This site is currently in beta. Suggestions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome via email or the website discussions.