VirtualDrive Utility & Burning Suite
I went to my local computer software retailer recently and discovered an entire section dedicated to CD and DVD burning solutions. Lots of snazzy packaging and each one boasting features that most people probably wouldn’t understand. While most people would probably be satisfied with a completed disc burn without spending a fortune, FarStone Technology has created a low cost, dual-purpose disc burning solution.
What sets this program apart from others is that VirtualDrive can emulate a computer’s CD/ DVD drive so you could play your favorite programs, games and even movies on your computer without the disc in the drive which would save you from having to lug your CDs around and risk damaging or even losing them. By using VirtualDrive on your notebook computer, you can cut down on your system’s battery life but not having your applications constantly reading back from the CD drive.
What is it?
VirtualDrive Utility & Burning Suite is a number of applications rolled into one. It has the capability to create and burn CDs and data DVDs , create a virtual disc drive where you can run your favorite applications and games without the CD being present. You can also duplicate your CDs and unprotected DVDs . The program also offers users the ability to share your disc images across a local area network. You should be aware that other users who use the shared image must also have their own copy of VirtualDrive installed on their computer.
How’s the burn?
While burning an audio CD is a very common feature in many applications, VirtualDrive handles this function with ease. Although VirtualDrive does not contain any audio editing tools, it does handle straight audio ripping and burning very nicely. You’ll be able to put together CDs of your favorite music from your collection either in MP3 or WAV format. VirtualDrive also sports a familiar drag and drop interface when building your disc. VirtualDrive supports many standard disc formats such as CD-R, DVD -R, DVD +R, CD-RW, DVD -RW, DVD +RW and DVD -RAM. This version of VirtualDrive does not support dual layer DVD , but FarStone says that support for dual layer DVD media should be available in the next version of the program.
Playing without the discs
Now this was the feature that I was really looking forward to testing. I have one CD-RW drive in my home computer and I really enjoy playing games on my PC. The problem was that every game I wanted to play always required the game CD in the drive. This would be frustrating since I would always have to look for the CD every time I wanted to play a different game. According to FarStone, VirtualDrive has the ability to emulate a CD being in the drive which would allow me to play without having to look for the disc.
Those who use a laptop would find this to be extremely useful. I used two popular PC video games (Maxis’ “Sims 2” and LucasArts’ “Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy”) to see if I could play without the discs using VirtualDrive. After creating the Sims 2 VCD, I ran VirtualDrive and inserted the VCD into my virtual F: drive. I then proceeded to click on the Sims 2 application on my hard drive and the game launched with no problems. I was able to play the game flawlessly. After playing, you can simply eject the disc image from the virtual drive.
I then tried LucasArts’ Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. After creating the VCD and using VirtualDrive to insert the disc image into my virtual F: drive again, this time the game didn’t launch and it continued to ask for the CD. While this one attempt was a minor setback, you should be aware that you may also run into some incompatibility issues.
The Final Word
While FarStone says that most PC games and applications will run using VirtualDrive, there’s still a chance you’ll find an incompatible program like I did when I tried to make VirtualDrive create a virtual version of LucasArts’ Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. For a single user price of $59.99 or $249.99 for a 5 user home edition, that’s a very good price for a program that can eliminate the risk of damaging or losing your discs while traveling. While the program is useful for a variety of reasons, I believe that the dedicated laptop computer user would benefit the most from this program.
While VirtualDrive Utility & Burning Suite can rip and burn audio tracks from your favorite CDs, the software does not offer any audio editing capabilities. But that’s not the main purpose of VirtualDrive. If you’re tired of carrying your CDs around with you when you want to use your notebook computer then VirtualDrive is the answer. You will not only save time and effort by not having to lug around your CDs, you will also conserve on your notebook ’s power by not having to use your CD drive.
FarStone provides a great step by step manual with screenshots to help guide you through the program. Even for a first time user like myself (or for those of you who bypass manuals), VirtualDrive’s intuitive interface should have you up and running in a matter of minutes. While I found the program extremely useful on my home computer, laptop users will benefit the most. Just create disc images of your essential programs on your laptop and leave those pesky CDs at home.