Films and software can be easily sent over the Internet in the form of an ISO file. Burning software then converts such a file into an accessible CD or DVD. Virtual CloneDrive mounts an ISO file to a virtual DVD player, after which you can access the 'disc' without burning it first.
Step 01: Recognize
An ISO file is a compressed version of a CD or DVD. For example, in newsgroups and on torrent websites you will find ISOs of films and software. The ISO standard is also used to digitally distribute legitimate (boot) disks. A file extension says something about the contents of a file. Well-known extensions are .jpg for images and .doc for documents. An iso file has the extension .iso. However, because Windows hides some extensions, iso files are difficult to recognize. Open Folder Options in your Control Panel and go to the tab Display. Uncheck Hide extensions for known file types. From now on you can see in Explorer whether you are dealing with an iso file or another type of archive file.
Adjust the folder options so that Windows Explorer shows the iso files clearly.
Step 02: Virtual CloneDrive
Go to www.slysoft.com/nl and download Virtual CloneDrive, via the eponymous description below Products. You do not need to adjust any options during the installation, because all the correct settings are already activated. For the installation of the virtual DVD player, an additional confirmation is requested, which you confirm with the button to install. At the end of the installation, Virtual CloneDrive will be visible as an icon of a CD drive, in the lower right corner of the system tray near the Windows clock. Click to adjust the number of virtual drives. By default, Virtual CloneDrive creates one virtual DVD player. Mounting a CD or DVD file to the virtual player is called "mounting". Right click on the iso file you want to mount and choose mount (followed by the name of the iso file). Apparently nothing happens, but the link is now a fact!
Right click on an ISO file and choose 'Mount' to mount the file to the virtual DVD player.
Step 03: Virtual CloneDrive
The virtual DVD player with 'in it' the contents of the ISO file can be found in Explorer, for example via Start, (This computer. You can use the virtual drive as you would a normal CD or DVD. If the ISO file contains a DVD movie, you can play it with your DVD playback software. Once you have loaded an installation CD, you can now install the software. The link to the ISO file can be easily removed after use. Right click on the virtual DVD player and choose Eject. In this case, with a physical DVD player, the tray opens so that you can remove the disc and insert a new one if necessary. With our virtual player only the link with the iso file is broken. You can simply mount a new ISO file or leave the virtual player as it is until you need its services again in the future.
The virtual DVD player appears in (My) Computer just like a real DVD player.
