Categories: Tech Tutorials

How to Create a Virtual Drive in Windows XP

A virtual drive is a form of drive on your PC that maps to a virtual folder. This is a special folder that acts as if it’s a separate drive in itself. With a virtual drive, users can create virtual CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives. CDs and DVDs can be mounted as a disk image, which is usually in ISO, CUE, or BIN format.

Virtual drives will generally save time because users do not have to locate CDs or DVDs if they have the image stored on the computer. In addition to that, virtual drives can be generally read faster than CDs and DVDs because they are already on the hard drive.

The easiest way to create a virtual drive would be to download an application that will automatically create the drive for you. Alcohol 120% is one of the most powerful retail virtual drive programs in the market. For approximately $40, you can have a very powerful virtual DVD and CD player on your computer.

If you are looking for something free, I would suggest Magic Disk. With Magic Disk, you can create multiple drives. A virtual drive application like this one is relatively easy to use as all you have to do is mount a CD or DVD image and it will load as if a CD was actually loaded.

You can also manually create a virtual drive with Windows XP. This tutorial will walk you step-by-step through the process.
Here’s how:

How to Manually Create a Virtual Drive in Windows XP
*Click Start and then Run. Now type cmd on the text field. The command prompt will appear. On the command prompt, type subst x: “C:windows”.

*The letter “x” represents the drive letter of the virtual drive you wish to create. You can choose any letter as long as it doesn’t already exist on your computer. However, do not use the letters A, C, E, F, or Q because they are common drive letters and your computer may already be using these letters.

*C:windows represents the directory that you want to place your virtual drive. You choose any directory or file on your computer.

After you have input this information in the command prompt, you can view the new drive by going to My Computer.

Although you have created a new drive, it will automatically be deleted when the computer powers down. We need to make the new virtual drive permanent.
Here’s how:

*First, open Notepad: Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> Notepad.

*Type subst x: “C:Windows”. Now save the Notepad document as c:autoexec.bat.

*Hit Ctrl+R (or click Start >> Run) on your keyboard and type regedit then click OK.

*On the left pane of the Registry Editor, Click My Computer >>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> Software >> Microsoft >> Windows >>
CurrentVersion >> Run.

*Now on the right click on the right pane and click New.

*Select String Value. Type in “Autoexec” and press Enter.

*Right click Autoexec and click Modify.

*Type in c:autoexec.bat.

*Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.

Your virtual drive is now permanent. And you are done!