virtual DVD/CD burner software ?

[Edoardo]

Hi

does anyone know of software emulation for a DVD/CD burner?
I mean a virtual burner that could be seen by all applications that can write a CD/DVD, so that instead of a physical burned disc, I end up with an image of it.

All emulators I know (Alcohol, nero, daemon-tools) appear to offer emulated read-only drives.

thanks,
Edo

[gooki]

Well you can use image tools classic to buld a disc image.

[Edoardo]

Ho gooki,

I would like *any* sw that can write to CD/DVD (*) to use a virtual burner device, so that i get an image out of the burning process.

(*) for example, Pinnacle Studio offers to burn a DVD but not a DVD image.

Edo

[Kedirekin]

I have to admit, I don't understand the purpose of a virtual burner. I can't think of a circumstance where it wouldn't be easier to just use imaging software rather than a burner.

I doubt it matters in any case. As far as I am aware, there is nothing like the virtual burner device you describe. You'd have to convince someone (like the authors of daemon tools) to make one.

In the mean time, you could burn to an RW and then make an image of that.

[Edoardo]

Originally posted by Kedirekin
I don't understand the purpose of a virtual burner. I can't think of a circumstance where it wouldn't be easier to just use imaging software rather than a burner.


what do you mean?
if the authors of the software only allow you to burn to a physical device, rather than giving you the option of creating an image - what are you supposed to do.

BTW, here is how i came to the idea of a virtual burner:

I have a floppyless laptop.
I can boot from Cd but some boot-time tools (eg norton ghost, partition magic) only allow you to create special (rescue) *floppies*.
I needed instead an IMAGE of such a floppy, to create a bootable CD.
Using the subst command was of no help.
I solved the problem when I found a Virtual floppy device - the apps were (happy to be) fooled into thinking they were writing to a floppy, while I got the floppy image that I used in creating a bootable CD.

Edo

[stargazer]

Originally posted by Kedirekin
I have to admit, I don't understand the purpose of a virtual burner. I can't think of a circumstance where it wouldn't be easier to just use imaging software rather than a burner.
I _can_ think of one: ;)

I wanted to try DVD encoding and authoring capabilities of Nero VE before I purchased DVD-RW drive, but VE was only offering me to author VCD, SVCD and mini-DVD (all CD formats), due to lack of DVD-RW. If there was a software that could emulate a burner, I would be able to evaluate it, but...

Just my 2 cents.