Arsenal Image Mounter vs gBurner Virtual Drive

Arsenal Image Mounter mounts disk image contents as complete disks in Windows, making disk-specific features accessible. Free Mode includes temporary write support, command-line executables, PowerShell modules, and tools to identify, unlock, decrypt, disable, or suspend BitLocker-protected volumes. Professional Mode can start virtual machines from disk images, physical disks, or remotely connected disks. It adds Recon Reports for triage and can expose NTFS metadata, slack, and unallocated space through file system driver bypass mode. Listed formats include raw and DMG; support for AFF4, E01, limited Ex01, and S01 depends on available libraries, alongside several virtual machine disk formats. Professional Mode connects to remote disks over a network using AIM Remote Agent. Arsenal recommends Windows 10 version 1703 or later, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016/2019 x64 with.NET 10 on bare metal for full functionality. Linux support is described for a CLI and offline license activation. Free Mode costs nothing; paid plans start at $907 a year.

gBurner Virtual Drive is a free Windows utility for creating virtual CD/DVD drives and accessing disc images without burning them to physical discs. It can create up to 16 virtual drives and supports formats including ISO, GBI/GBP, DAA, NRG, MDF/MDS, BIN/CUE, UIF, ISZ, DMG, IMG, and VCD. To mount an image, users open the virtual-drive tray menu, choose the mount command, select an image, and confirm. The same menu provides an unmount command. The download page lists Windows support from version 98 through Windows 11, including 32-bit and 64-bit editions. The free utility is listed at free and is described as free for personal and business use. However, the download comparison identifies mounting an image file to a virtual drive as a gBurner Pro feature rather than a gBurner Free feature. Pro costs $39.95, paid once. The maker says game and program images can run at over 200 times the speed of a conventional CD/DVD-ROM.