With increased Internet access and download speeds worldwide, more and more products are being delivered digitally. Major manufacturers have begun packaging their physical CDs and DVDs into disc image files, to save you a trip to the store or the shipping costs. With Virtual CloneDrive, your computer will never know the difference.
SlySoft, the developer of Virtual CloneDrive, built a name for themselves early on with controversial (but ethically sound) products CloneCD and AnyDVD (and now Game Jackal) which allow you to back up copy-protected media to disc images. Of course manufacturers still employ any method possible to prevent copying, but SlySoft has luckily stayed ahead of the curve.
Virtual CloneDrive allows you to mount any common disc image to a virtual drive (or drives), and use it normally as if it were a CD. (Obviously this only works within Windows, and doesn't apply to bootable media unless you're using virtual machines.) The program is not only free, but has no nags or ads (which commercial developers are usually tempted to do), and has simple context-menu access, so once you install and set up the program according to your needs (such as number of drives) you'll never need to see the program, or even a tray icon, again.
NOTE: If you're faced with a disc image format that Virtual CloneDrive can't mount, check out "The competition" tab below. These are good, free alternatives that may support more formats (although currently they are not as solid and user-friendly as Virtual CloneDrive).
Download latest version:
Virtual CloneDrive v5.4.4.0
| Homepage: | http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html |
| Supported OS: |  |
| Portable version: |  |
| 64-bit version: |  (64-bit driver included) |
| Active project: | |
| No strings attached **: | |
** No spyware, ads, nags, registration reminders, etc.
Other Disk Health freeware to keep an eye on:
- Daemon Tools Lite - once a great program, now ad-ware filled
- Furious ISO Mount - Linux only
- Gizmo Drive - supports burning images and mounting VHDs
- MagicDisc - supports the widest vareity of formats
- TotalMounter
