Virtual Drive (TM)

Emulates multiple CD drives and CDROMs on a hard drive

Runs applications without any CDROM and at the super100X speed

Introduction

Features and benefits

System requirements

Installation and un-installation

Create VCD file

Setup number of Virtual Drives

Delete/Add VCD file

Edit/View

Network

For the frequently asked questions, please refer to the Readme.txt file.

(Double click on the Readme icon of the Virtual Drive group.)


Introduction:

Virtual Drive is a CD-ROM emulation application. It creates CD-ROM images on a hard drive(or network file server) with professional compression, and adds a new virtual CD icon onto the Virtual Drive Manager program. There is no need to search for CD-ROMs, no need to load CD-ROMs into a drive, and there is no need to wait for a CD-ROM drive to start up. One no longer has to change CD-ROMs in order to run other CD applications. Just click on the CD-ROM icon and watch it run instantly.


Features and benefits:

1. 100X:  Runs CD-ROMs directly on the hard drive with incredible 100X speed.

2. Runs without any physical CD-ROM:  Emulates CD-ROM execution on the hard drive, therefore, there is no need to insert the CD-ROM into the CD drive.

3. Great for Notebooks: Virtual Drive can solve all of those problems faced by  Notebooks. You no longer have to carry CD drives on the road.  No need to waste precious batteries on CD drives.  Just load your virtual drives and you're of!  No hassles!

4. Runs multiple CD-ROM applications at the same time: Virtual Drive can emulate multiple CD drives. No need to be limited to just one CD-ROM application.  You can have everything running simultaneously.

5. Compression: Virtual Drive incorporates  a patented professional compression engine.

6. At your fingertips: Virtual CD images are created on your hard disk so your favorite CD-ROMs are always ready to run on your computer.

7. Easy management: Virtual Drive doesn't copy hundreds of thousands of files from the CD-ROM.  Rather, it actually creates an exact CD-ROM image file on the hard drive. Only this image file needs to be created or removed.

8. 100% compatible: Virtual Drive is completely compatible with all types of CD-ROM applications.

9. 10 CDROMs: Based on statistics, the size of most CDROMs are around 20-50 MB each. With compression, Virtual Drive takes less than 100MB to create anywhere from 2 to 10 virtual CDROMs on your hard drive.

10. Easy to install or un-install: Install or un-install Virtual Drive in minutes.

11. International support: Virtual Drive is available in various international versions, and is easily localized.

12. Network Capability: Create virtual CD icons on a file server, allowing CD resources to be shared across a network.  Also, permits instant management of CDROMs.


System requirements:

PC running with Windows 95

2 MB free hard drive

A CD-ROM drive


Install Virtual Drive

Step 1: Insert Virtual Drive CD-ROM into CD drive(example D:)

Step 2: Click "Start" button, select "Run" command and then key in "d:\setup" into the "Open" field

Step 3: Click "OK", follow the instructions on your screen to complete the installation of Virtual Drive.

Remove Vitual Drive

Step 1: "Uninstall Virtual Drive" in "Virtual Drive" program group.

Step 2: Follow the instructions on the un-installation program to completely remove Vitual Drive.

Note: You must reboot to completely remove Virtual Drives from your system.


Create VCD file

After you have successfully installed Virtual Drive program, double click on the "Virtual Drive" icon to run Virtual Drive Manager. Click the "Create" button on the Virtual Drive Manager Windows toolbar; the build VCD window will be displayed:

Comments on VCD window:

Source:  CD-ROM drive that you put in the original CD-ROM. (For example, D:)

Hard drive:  the hard disk used to save Virtual CD image file

File:   The name of Virtual CD image file

Description:  Description of this virtual CD, it will be displayed under the virtual CD icon on the Virtual Drive Manger window.

Default drive: When you double click on this virtual CD icon, Virtual Drive Manager will insert it into this drive.

Compression: Compress CD-ROM data or not, and specify the compression method.

After creating a virtual CD, Virtual Drive Manager will add a new icon to its virtual CDs window. Double click on the icon. Virtual Drive will insert it into the default virtual CD drive, and then you can access this CD, as if it was the original physical CD.

Click on right button, you will get the properties window. It displays the properties of this virtual CD disk.


Setup the number of Virtual CD drives

Click on "Setup number of CD drives" from the "File" menu. Key in the number of Virtual Drives to create, and then click on "OK" button.

Note: you need to reboot to activate the number of CD drives.


Delete VCD file:

Click on "Delete VCD file" from "File" menu. You will get the following message:

Press "Yes" to remove both the VCD icon and its corresponding image file from Virtual Drive Manager. Press "No" to remove just the VCD icon from Virtual Drive Manager.

Press "Cancel" to cancel this operation.

Add a VCD file

If you already have a VCD file created on your hard drive, or if you want to use a VCD file transfered from another computer, or if you wish to use the VCD file stored on the network file server, you can use "Add VCD file" to add an icon into Virtual Drive Manager.

Select "Add VCD file" from the "File" menu, click on the appropriate VCD file from the file selection dialog box, click on "Ok". Virtual Drive Manger will add a new icon for this VCD image file.


Edit(Insert/Eject)

Click on the VCD icon first, click on the Virtual drive and then select "insert" from the "File" menu. Virtual Drive Manager will insert the selected VCD into the virtual CD-ROM drive.

Note: If the inserted CD-ROM incorporates an autoplay feature, it will play immediately.

To Eject a VCD from a virtual drive:

Click on the virtual drive, select "Eject" from the "File" menu.

View:

You can change the display mode, show toolbars or not, or select the size of a VCD icon by selecting from functions provided in the "View" menu.


Network

Replaces CD Array devices: Virtual Drive works with any kind of Network file server systerm. For example, Novell, Microsoft NT, Unix or even Windows 95 pier to pier networking system. Virtual Drive can completely replace expensive CD Array devices, while providing users with the following added benefits:

(1) Supports unlimited numbers of CDROMs on you server. Breaks the limitation of physical drives.

(2) Unbeatable 100X speed: Virtual Drive response is incredibly faster than physical CD devices.