Install ISO file without burning - how it works
Related Videos: How to use a .iso file without burning it to a cd (May 2024).
You can install ISO files, such as software, without burning them beforehand. We'll tell you how this works.
Install ISO file in virtual drive: Virtual Clone Drive
If you want to access the ISO file without first having to burn it to a DVD, you can install a virtual DVD drive. A popular tool is, for example, the free Virtual Clone Drive.
- Download Virtual Clone Drive and start the setup.
- Select the file formats with which the software should be linked. The shortcuts later make it easier for you to integrate ISO files into the virtual drive.
- During the installation you will be asked if you want to install the displayed device software. Confirm this with the "Install" button. If you get a message about a missing driver signature, ignore it.
- After starting the software, Virtual Clone Drive appears as a new drive in your system.
- Right-click the virtual drive in Windows Explorer. Then move the mouse pointer over the menu item "Virtual CloneDrive" and select "Load image file ...".
- Select the ISO file you want to install later. This is now integrated into the virtual drive.
- If you want to remove the ISO file from the virtual drive, first click the drive with the right mouse button in Windows Explorer. Then move the mouse pointer over the menu item "VCD" and then select "Remove image file".
Windows 8 and newer: Integrate ISO file directly
Since Windows 8, you no longer need to install additional software to mount an ISO file as a virtual drive.
- Right-click the ISO file.
- Select the menu item "Deploy". Alternatively, you can double-click the ISO file to integrate it into your system as a virtual drive.
- A new virtual drive appears in which the selected ISO file is already integrated.
- If you want to remove the virtual drive, right-click on it in Windows Explorer and then select the "Eject" menu item.
- Note: If you want to install a second operating system, you should not start the installation from a virtual DVD drive. Instead, burn a real CD / DVD or set up a USB stick for installation.
Alternatively: unpack the ISO file
You do not necessarily have to mount the ISO file in a virtual drive ("mount"), but you can simply unzip the file.
- Depending on the file size, this may take a few minutes, and additional space is required to unzip it.
- You can easily unzip the files with freeware tools such as 7-Zip or WinRAR.
