Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility
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Coyote MikeTomTom Other |
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The Macintosh Garden |
The Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility is a tool to aid mounting a CD/DVD ROM image file onto the desktop of a classic Mac OS. - The kind of image file types it can mount, may be .CDR, .DSK, .IMG (Disk Copy 6 .ISO compatible), .ISO, .TOAST, etc.
An image file once mounted by the Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility, can often be used to fool application installers and games programs that require a physical CD/DVD to be inserted, i.e.; to accept a virtual mounted image as being the expected genuine hardware copy.
It can also be used to create .ISO compatible image files labeled ".iso", from mounted media such as CD or DVD-ROM, or from CD and DVD image files mounted by other software such as Disk Copy or Toast, etc.
- Top DL: Version 1.0d0 - Mon, 09 Oct, 2000 - author unknown - includes CD/DVD ripping code by Coyote
- 2nd DL: Version 1.0d1 - Wed, 02 Oct, 2013 - update: MikeTomTom
Archived Disk Copy 6.3, disk image files, compressed with Aladdin DropStuff 5.5
MD5 checksum & filename: b4967c78c44e6e4ca9836ceafa0433f2 *virtualcd-imager-mod-img.sit
- 3rd DL: Version 1.0d3 - Fri, 14 Apr, 2017 - update: MikeTomTom
Archived Disk Copy 6.3, disk image files, compressed with Aladdin DropStuff 5.5
MD5 checksum & filename: a84a05d7f4329a25fab61a30afce10e4 *virtual-cd-dvd-ute-10d3.sit
- Notable changes in the version 1.0d3 update include:
- The Utility now creates files with an included ".iso" filename extension and saves to it's own native file "Creator Type". That is; it now creates native Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility ".iso" files which are double-clickable to mount by the utility. Whereas previously it would save disk image files with a Toast "Creator Type" and filename suffix ending in "•image".
- Note: Version 1.0d3 Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility native ".iso" files are still able to be mounted and used by Toast, if necessary.
- Update v1.0d3 - now shows application name "Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility" in title bar of the running application window.
- Updates v1.0d1 & v1.0d3: The wording at the top of the UI and buttons have been updated to give a clearer more meaningful indication of this Utilities potential.
- Changes have been made to various resources. Mainly to update the icons, and version data and to add basic Balloon Help.
- Update v1.0d1: Added is a new Finder icon, for Virtual CD/DVD images that can now be auto-loaded by (or dropped onto) the Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility. Also included is "Virtual CD AutoTyper", a dropper program to assist in the process of making image files "Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility native".
- The Utility now creates files with an included ".iso" filename extension and saves to it's own native file "Creator Type". That is; it now creates native Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility ".iso" files which are double-clickable to mount by the utility. Whereas previously it would save disk image files with a Toast "Creator Type" and filename suffix ending in "•image".
For a full list of v1.0d3 changes view the enclosed "ReadMe" docs (in SimpleText & PDF formats).
CompatibilityArchitecture: 68k
68k code only, 68020 CPU or better. Possibly could run on 68000 CPU but requires 4MB or more RAM to load. Runs flawlessly on PPC Macs.
System Requirements:
- Any Macintosh physically or theoretically capable of mounting and reading CD-ROM media etc. This includes Macintosh clones and emulators, 68k and PPC.
- Macintosh OS from System Software 7.0 to Mac OS 9.2.2
- Macintosh CD/DVD Drivers (these are usually installed as Extensions by the System). If running Mac OS's prior to 7.5 you may need to locate these drivers and install them yourself:
- Apple CD Driver (or Apple CD/DVD Driver as installed by later OS's)
- Audio CD Access
- Foreign File Access
- ISO 9660 File Access
Limitations:
- To create or use images greater than 2GB you need an HFS+ volume and Mac OS 9.x, otherwise System 7.x to Mac OS 8.x is OK
- This software cannot successfully create images from Hybrid Mac/Win media, but it can mount these created by other software. It cannot create or mount mixed data/music, bin/cue images.
- Some image files are not CD/DVD .ISO compatible and will not mount onto a desktop using the Virtual DVD-ROM/CD Utility. Such as; compressed image files, for example: Disk Copy 6.x compressed images, or Mac OS X .dmg files, etc. An error message you might get if the Utility fails to mount an image file, is: "There are insufficient system resources to mount this image".
See the included "ReadMe" doc for more information and tips for some workarounds of this issue.
- The included "Virtual CD AutoTyper" may not recognize files dropped onto its icon initially and doesn't appear to work. If so, then you need to Rebuild the Mac's Desktop Database to fix this issue.
- For those unfamiliar with "Rebuilding The Desktop" of a classic Mac OS; instructions are here.
Comments
You won't have this problem with every image it creates, but there might some failures.
Try this as a workaround on problem images that it cannot mount, even for one's it creates itself:
Use Toast to mount the image. Make sure to lock the image before using Toast to mount the image otherwise the Finder will write to the image stuffing you chances of this working. So if the image you've already created was previously mounted unlocked with Toast, then you have to start over with an original image, either ripped from the original CD/DVD or an image you've DL'd.
When you have the original image locked & mounted with Toast, use the Virtual Utility to create an image from the Toast mounted image on your desktop.
No guarantees this will work for you, but it has worked for me in the past.
I made two images this morning with Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility and with Toast. They end up being the exact same size, which seems reasonable. The toast files made with Toast mount in both Toast and Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility. The ISO files made with Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility mount under toast, but not Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility; I get the error about not enough resources.
It mounted other images properly, just not the two it made.
Yes, I tried a similar thing some time ago on an Android tablet. No way.
I think that like with many Mac apps (not all though) files need to be on a HFS(+) file system to work properly.
Has anyone sucessfully mounted an ISO from a network volume? I get an unexpectedly quit / type 4 error when trying to do so, with a known-good image (that is, it mounts when copied to the local hard drive.)
@reukiodo: [1] No other extensions required. I can't replicate it as not working here, so I can't say why rebuilding the desktop doesn't get it to work for you.
You could try "FileTyper" to create your own AutoTyper droplet app. I think I used an earlier version of FileTyper to create the AutoTyper here but it works OK for me under Mac OS's 7.1 to 9.2.2. - If you do try FileTyper to create your own AutoTyper app; Virtual CD/DVD Utility disk images have the Creator Type: VCDM and the File Type: GImg (both types are case-sensitive).
Also; the FileTyper FAQ page has a paragraph entitled "FileTyper won't highlight when I drag something onto it! What's going on?" Which may (or may not) be helpful.
[2] 'There are insufficient resources to mount this image' is the very poor error message the utility gives to any image file it cannot mount for whatever reason. I agree, this error message is less than descriptive.
Other than re-building an image-file into a form it can mount without error, there's not much else that can be done to avoid or improve on that message. Unless the source-code becomes available and we can make some internal changes to this software's code, it will remain "as is". As yet there is no real clue as to who originally created this program, except for the ripping code which I assume was sourced from an earlier version of Coyote's DVDExtractor software...
Is there any other extension needed to use the auto typer? My macs still don't allow me to drop any files on it or an alias to it after rebuilding the Desktop...
Also, what is the real solution to the 'There are insufficient resources to mount this image' when there is 1GB of RAM available (after a reboot) ? I think this error message isn't descriptive of what the real underlying problem is...
Looking at whats built into this utility (using ResEdit), I noticed that it has an earlier version of Coyote's "DVD Extractor" built-in to it, plus a bunch of "to be enabled at some later stage" menu commands and options.
The upshot is, the Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Utility can make quite a nice rip of DVD movies (under Mac OS 9.x). Then by using the included "Virtual CD AutoTyper" to make the resulting image auto-mount by double-clicking, the Virtual CD/DVD utility mounts the image then exits & Apple DVD Player detects a mounted movie DVD, launches and begins to auto-play the movie. Nice.
Downside is, it doesn't shrink the DVD movie to single-side DVD size & modern DVD protection can cause it to fail.
Discovery of the day: This thing will mount Disk Copy 6.x, 1.4 MB & 800k images if they've been saved as floppy disk image files. - Disk Copy gives a choice when saving a floppy disk to image file, as floppy disk image or a given file size e.g. 1440KB as opposed to 1.4MB floppy disk image. The floppy disk image option is "disk compatible" and will mount using this utility.
Like unzipping on Windows, you need to unstuff .sit files on the Mac, using Stuffit Expander.
Not sure what I'm doing wrong here but every time I try to open this I get an error message that says:
The document "VirtualCD_Imager_v1.0d0.sit" could not be opened, because the application program that created it could not be found.
Any help here would be greatly appreciated. I don't have much experience with Mac OS Classic so I'm sorry if this is just something stupid I'm doing wrong. =\
BTW: Ignore the implied (.ati message) and click the top button labeled "Mount Toast .ati file as Virtual DVD ROM" then use its dialog to locate your CD or DVD, .ISO, .Toast, .CDR etc, media image file to mount it onto your desktop. As long as the image file is an image of some CD/DVD type in good working order (can be burned to CD/DVD OK) it will mount.
This utility works for me in Mac SSW 7.1.1 or later (I haven't tried it in earlier Mac OS's). Some version of QuickTime may need to be installed also?
Thanks, I think this happened to me, and I couldn't figure it out.
"tried creating disk images using the utility for one of my games" I'd be careful about using this to make images; I don't think it is as thorough and compatible in that respect as Toast is. It is awesome at mounting them, though.
Just found a workaround: using IE's File Handling area, I noticed that this application handles files which have "VCDM" as their file creator. So I opened up good old resedit, and needless to say both disk images recently created with the program listed "CDr3" as their creator. So, I changed the creator information, saved my changes, and both images mounted without a hitch.
Basically, I'm in Mac OS 9.2.2 on my iBook G3, and tried creating disk images using the utility for one of my games (Starcraft). While they mount fine using drag-and-drop, I'd like to set up an extension binding so that I can write a script in Applescript to automatically mount the images and start the game.
Internet Explorer Prefs ?
Had a nice feature for handling downloaded files based on MIME type. Sure I've mentioned all this before. It basically updated the core "Internet Preferences" and set a file type and more importantly creator for each file type downloaded. Even though the preference was set in IE, it was reflected in all downloaded files. IE made it easy by letting you choose the app that the file should be opened in.
You'd just have to scroll through the long list of file types, or add a new one based on filename extension.
If you're in OSX (but you said File Exchange CP) then it's a different matter. Even OSX gets it wrong some time, I have .toast files appearing as Disk Utiility documents, only when I perform a Get Info does it correct the icon and launched app.
I've been running into some trouble myself getting the file exchange control panel to map .toast and .ati files to this program. Any suggestions?
Best way with this program (or any when dealing with files downloaded recently) is to open the application and use the file menu to select what you want to open, or in the case of this program, hit the big "Mount toast file..." button. Often files that you just downloaded have lost their filetype and creator information in transit, or the application you want to use them with isn't already mapped to their filetype.
Also, I keep an alias for frequently used programs like StuffIt Expander and DiskCopy or Toast on my desktop to make it easy for drag-and-drop.
To be certain; use drag-and-drop! Simply drag your image overthe icon of the application and drop it ontop of the icon. If the application recognizes it, it will open it, or at least try to.
I´ve only run Virtual DVD-ROM/CD Utility under emulation so far, but the application works up to 9.0.4 and also in my emulated 8.6.
So If I download this app on my old iMac OS 8.6, and double-click the .toast file, it should open the game?
Discovery of the day: This thing will mount DiskDup+ images!
Ah, I see. I was under the misapprehension that you had the original disc.
And that´s the culprit here; what I got and uploaded is an image. Originally from the great HL-era but nevertheless a copy! So that´s my ranting about the uncertainity of content, file- and disk names etc as I don´t have a original disk. But if this still is interesting to work with, I´ll up any of the two versions I produced.
I think the best bet would be a Toast image made directly from the disc. In fact, if there's some sort of sector-by-sector copy option it would be worth trying that.
It doesn´t make any sense ImHO, as the the image I have originally is a .IMG in HFS+ and that can be copied in OSX (my work and every-day system). However I´ve made a Toast image in HFS where I copied everything onto from my original IMG but this wasn´t recognized as CD-ROM by the game either. Any of these two images can upped if it´s of any use or for further investigation. Please state which one!
I should clarify: I'm specifically asking SwedeBear to make a disc image, as the one that's in the archive is (as I understand it) not adequate for actually playing Icebreaker. You can make an install from it, but it cannot be used to burn a disc that is validated by the copy protection.
Don't see why not.
Can you use it to make an image for Icebreaker?
And it seems to 'fool' the OS more efficiently than Disk Copy or ShrinkWrap when mounting images!
This is really a handy little program; can't believe I didn't hear about it before!
Well, me also. But it works like a charm even with images from Toast 9 mounting in OS 8!
Edit: eh, just struck me; ATI: Adaptec Toast Image…
Me, too.
I've always throught the extension for Toast files was .toast