Virtual CDs Extend the Life of Disc-Based Applications

By Peter Losh, FarStone Internet and E-Commerce Manager
This article was first distributed in the FarStone Newsletter

A CD emulator brings MP3-like convenience to PC games and disc-based applications by running your CDs and DVDs as files, directly on the hard drive. Original discs remain safely in their cases, and libraries, small businesses, and families with young children keep their disc collections intact.

Put Away the Game Disc. Play a Virtual CD Instead!

MP3s are the ultimate convenience for music lovers on the go. They can be archived, searched, arranged in lists, and played on mobile devices smaller than a wallet.

A CD-DVD emulator brings MP3-like convenience to PC games and disc-based applications, creating “virtual CDs,” which run directly on a hard drive while original discs remain safely in their cases.

A CD-DVD emulator “fools” Windows into treating virtual CDs as physical discs in a CD-ROM drive. These virtual CDs show up as drive letters in Windows Explorer; to the user, they look exactly like a physical disc in a CD-ROM drive. It’s possible to create a virtual drive for every available drive letter (up to 23 total) and an unlimited number of virtual CDs.

Virtual CDs are an ideal disc management solution for families with small children, gamers on the go, small businesses with disc-based programs, and schools with disc-based educational material.

More Benefits of Virtual CDs

Besides the fact that they can’t be scratched or broken, virtual CDs offer the following advantages:

Enhanced playback
Loading is almost instantaneous, and read times are up to 200 times faster
Multiple disc play
You can run several virtual CDs simultaneously, swapping discs out via hot keys. This is great for multi-volume discs!
Reduced demand on system resources
There’s no CD-ROM drive to spin, and much less drain on laptop computer batteries
Disc customization
Custom virtual CDs can contain documentation, product manuals, etc.or several volumes of a multi-disc set can be condensed into a single custom virtual CD
Easy access
Virtual CDs can be shared over a network and transported on just about anything that holds electronic files

To make and play a virtual CD, you’ll need a CD-DVD emulator like FarStone VirtualDrive. Once you’ve made your virtual disc, all you have to do is double-click on a desktop shortcut to load your favorite game or educational title, while your original CD or DVD remains out of harm’s way!