Author Topic: Virtual Drive Pro (Read 18,226 times)

Curt · « **on:** April 04, 2007, 05:16 PM »

A 13% discount might not be worth mentioning, but as usual Uniblue will offer you additional 15% rebate if you abort the purchase before its too late - making it $29.74 ( instead of $34, normally $40). Besides, my problem is a little different: they explain and explain, and still I don't understand what this "Virtual Drive" really is, or what its good for!

How down to earth are you: can you make me understand what this is?
, and any pro/cons?

Quote

Farstone Virtual Drive Pro

Buy now and get a 13 % discount with Uniblue!

VirtualDrive Pro converts CDs and unprotected DVDs into MP3-like files, or “virtual CDs,” which run in place of original discs in any one of up to 23 “virtual drives” created in the software.

Archive your virtual CDs (VCDs) in a searchable library. Transport your VCDs on a laptop computer or USB device, and share them over a network. Since VCDs play directly on your hard drive, they save wear and tear on your CD-ROM drive and extend the battery life of laptop computers. VCDs also have access rates more than 200 times faster than physical CDs in a CD-ROM drive, improving the playback of PC games, photo CDs, and disc-based applications.

VirtualDrive Pro makes it a snap to create custom VCDs with favorite tracks, expansion packs, custom programs, and documentation. Pre-load your virtual drives to run several VCDs simultaneously, swapping them out via hot keys to avoid load times and spin up delays. Your virtual drives will show up as drive letters in Windows Explorer, which views them as physical drives, even though they are not!

We [Uniblue] have partnered with Farstone to recommend the excellent Virtual Drive Pro. A 13% discount is available on this product for all Uniblue customers. This is a limited time offer so act now. Click Here to take advantage of this offer.

Darwin · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2007, 05:37 PM »

Quote

Uniblue will offer you additional 15% rebate if you abort the purchase before its too late

I thought I was the only one that had noticed vendors doing this... I've taken advantage of the same tactic when purchasing from Nuance (Digital River?) and Tenebril. Nuance gave me a further $20 off and Tenebril gave me a free copy of their StickyNotes programme.

Another tactic I've noted is that some developers offer a significant discount when you uninstall a trial of their product - at one time Actual was offering a full 50% off the price of their products via a link displayed in a webpage that popped up after uninstall. It's subsequently gone down to 20%... No, I didn't take advantage of their offer (not that I don't like their products, I just don't need them!). Good to know...

Darwin · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2007, 05:39 PM »

PS I think the functionality of Virtual Drive is similar to other products that allow you to create an image of a CD or DVD locally and have your computer treat it as if it is actually media mounted in your optical drive...

Curt · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2007, 06:16 PM »

I have a game (yes; one game only) on DVD, but I think it handles too slow. Might this VD thing be what I need to make this game react a lot faster? Never thought of this before; can you even record a game?

Darwin · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2007, 06:48 PM »

Yes - I meant to mention in my previous post that these kind of apps were very popular with gamers, particularly when deaing with slow CD-ROM drives - games run much faster off the hard drive...

mwb1100 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2007, 09:16 PM »

If you're intending to use this for games (or any copy protected software), you should definitely test it with whatever trial they provide, as some are better than others at dealing with protections.

Note that Virtual Drive Pro is currently at version 11 (http://www.farstone.com/software/virtualdrive-pro.htm), while the Uniblue site is selling version 10.

Other virtual CD software you might want to look at:

- Alcohol 52%/120% (http://www.alcohol-soft.com): ; Alcohol 52% lets you make and use CD/DVD images, but does not burn physical discs. To burn physical disks you must get 120%. There's a free for personal use version of Alcohol 52% here: http://www.free-downloads.net/programs/Alcohol_52__Free_Edition

The free edition installs a browser toolbar, but my understanding is that the toolbar can be subsequently uninstalled cleanly via Add/remove Programs.

- Clone CD: http://www.slysoft.com/en/clonecd.html

Nighted · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2007, 10:27 PM »

You can get CureROM and many others for free that do the same thing. The Makers of MagicISO give away MagicDisc, and Slysoft has Virtual CloneDrive.

I personally use Virtual CloneDrive mostly to mount iso images that I have backed on DVD's, but quite often to play games too without having to load discs, or to test images before burning them.

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2007, 10:53 PM »

Quote from: mwb1100 on April 04, 2007, 09:16 PM

Virtual Drive Pro is currently at version 11, while the Uniblue site is selling version 10.

I feel embarrassed - I wouldn't have mentioned the add had I noticed this.

[attachimg=#]

- and much worse: the price for upgrading from 10 to 11 is staggering $30!!!

Curt · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2007, 11:03 PM »

But the image in the e-mail add is saying version 11, so ... ??

f0dder · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2007, 11:18 PM »

This basically sounds like a payware version of http://www.daemon-tools.cc ...

Curt · « **Reply #10 on:** April 05, 2007, 02:16 AM »

Quote from: f0dder on April 04, 2007, 11:18 PM

... payware version of http://www.daemon-tools.cc ...

I've tried them both and saw no similarity, but then again, I never figured out how to use daemon. I removed both, and have kept Alcohol 52% - its a lot easier to use. I didn't have to study any manual to get started; clicked a few buttons, and the job was done.

mwb1100 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2007, 04:01 AM »

As mentioned above, there are several free products that will provide a virtual CD/DVD drive, including:

Microsoft Virtual CD Control Panel: http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/b/6/7b6abd84-7841-4978-96f5-bd58df02efa2/winxpvirtualcdcontrolpanel_21.exe
Daemon Tools: http://www.daemon-tools.cc
Slysoft Virtual CloneDrive: http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html
MagicISO's MagicDisk: http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm

However, one thing that none of the above free products do is actually create an image of a CD/DVD.

For non-copy protected disks, most CD/DVD authoring programs (such as Nero, CDBurnerXP or whatever) will create images, no problem. Nero also includes ImageDrive for mounting disc images.

So if you're dealing with non-protected discs, you should not need to pay anything. But to create images of copy protected discs, the only free program I'm aware of is the Alcohol 52% Free Edition.

Curt · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05, 2007, 09:18 AM »

Quote from: mwb1100 on April 04, 2007, 09:16 PM

... version of Alcohol 52% here: http://www.free-downloads.net/programs/Alcohol_52__Free_Edition

The free edition installs a browser toolbar,

I should mention that this Alcohol toolbar not yet has been updated for the newest Firefox (2.0.0.3), and so should be removed from FF. It is though working in IE 7, but as far as I can see its nothing but a link to the Alcohol site, merged with a search bar.

f0dder · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2007, 03:38 PM »

You really shouldn't install those toolbars and whatnot that comes "optional" with a lot of applications these days... adware, bloatware, useless, etc.

Curt · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2007, 04:51 PM »

Quote from: f0dder on April 05, 2007, 03:38 PM

You really shouldn't install those toolbars and whatnot that comes "optional" with a lot of applications these days... adware, bloatware, useless, etc.

The user has no other choice if he wants to install the free Alcohol.
Anyway; I removed it right after having inspected it.

NigelH · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2007, 05:41 PM »

40% off offer

$17-99 for VirtualDrive 11
http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539800

$24-99 for VirtualDrive Pro 11
http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539700

Curt · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2007, 07:33 PM »

Quote from: NigelH on April 05, 2007, 05:41 PM

$17-99 for VirtualDrive 11
http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539800
$24-99 for VirtualDrive Pro 11
http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539700

Seems both links are to the Pro version, giving two prices?

mwb1100 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 05, 2007, 07:41 PM »

Quote from: Curt on April 05, 2007, 07:33 PM

Seems both links are to the Pro version, giving two prices?

Looks to me like the links are mislabeled. The one that ends with "700" is for the non-pro version, and the one that ends in "800" is the pro version.

Also, the difference that the Pro version adds is "Virtual Hard Drive" capability - essentially a RAM disk for Windows. I wouldn't think that a RAM disk would have a great deal of use in Windows (maybe on a laptop if it has a *lot* of RAM), so I'd definitely test that out before spending the extra $7 - $10.

Curt · « **Reply #18 on:** April 05, 2007, 07:59 PM »

Anyway; I mailed this picture to Uniblue and told them what I am thinking about their offer:

[attachimg=#]

Curt · « **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2007, 08:17 PM »

How to recieve the $19.59 price offer for the PRO 11 version:

Follow the link- http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539800 - empty the basket - close the window/tab - follow the link again, and the discount should be subtracted, making it a little less than half the normal price, and a much better deal than the one from Uniblue!

NigelH · « **Reply #20 on:** April 06, 2007, 02:00 AM »

Apologies for messing up the links folks. Here's the correction

$24-99 for VirtualDrive Pro 11
http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539800

$17-99 for VirtualDrive 11
http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.2539700