Mount and Burn ISO Images in Windows 8.1

ISO files really comes to handy as they hold an exact copy of a disc. If you burn an ISO image, the resulting disc will be an exact copy of the original, either it is a bootable disc, a music cd, or video DVD.  If you mount an ISO image, then you will be to utilize all the files inside the image, without having to burn it on a physical disc.

The previous versions of Windows does not have a native support for ISO files, so the users have to install some third-party applications to mount and burn ISO images, but Windows 8.1 has changed it all. Now, you can mount and burn an ISO image, without having to install third-party applications, which saves system resources, and money, that you waste buying third party utilities.

If you open Windows Explorer, and try to find disc mounting and burning features, on Explorer Ribbon, you will find none. The new Ribbon interface, hide, shows, enable, or disable commands, according to your selection. To mount or burn an ISO image, select the image file, and you will then immediately notice, a new menu on Explorer Ribbon, called Manage, under Disk Image Tools. Click on Manage, and you will notice both the commands, Mount and Burn.

Click the Mount button, and Windows 8.1 will create a new Virtual Disc Drive, that will open your ISO files, as though you have inserted a physical disc in the drive. Depending on the disc contents, now you can watch a movie, play your favorite music, or install an application or game, right from your ISO image, without having to burn it first on a disc. If you click on Computer icon from right-side pane, you will notice a new Virtual disc drive, along with your other drives, which behaves exactly as a physical drive.

When you are done working with your files, you can unmount the image. To unmount the image, either right-click on the drive, and click Eject, or select the drive, and from Explorer Ribbon, click Manage, under Drive Tools, and then click Eject.

If you need a physical copy of your ISO image, then you can burn your ISO image on a physical disc, and it will be an exact copy of the image. Like, if your image is a bootable disc, then after burn process completion, your physical disc will also be a bootable disc. If it is an audio cd, then your physical disc will also work and play like an Audio CD.

To burn an ISO image, select the image file, and then from Explorer ribbon, click Manage under, Disc Image Tools, and then click Burn. If you have more than one disc burners installed on your system, then choose the burner from the drop down menu, and then click Burn. If you make a check mark on “Verify disc after burning” option, then after the burn process completion, windows will check, if the data is properly written on disc, and will verify the accuracy of the data. However, it will slow down the completion of the burning process. Windows 8.1, now has made easy, working with ISO files.



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