A D81 file is a disk image format primarily associated with the Commodore 1581 disk drive. The Commodore 1581 was a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home computers. D81 files are essentially exact copies of the data stored on these floppy disks, saved as a single file on a modern computer. These images are used for archiving, emulation, and transferring software and data between original Commodore hardware and modern systems. They contain the complete file system structure, including directory information, file names, and the actual data of the files stored on the disk. Emulators like VICE (Versatile Commodore Emulator) can directly load and use D81 files, allowing users to run old Commodore software on modern computers. The format is a sector-by-sector representation of the original disk, making it a faithful reproduction of the original data. Creating and using D81 files requires specialized software designed to handle Commodore disk images.