Microsoft provides a virtual CD control tool for Windows XP and supposedly Vista and Windows 7 to allow the use of ISO image files through a virtual drive. This utility comes in a self-extracting zip file winxpvirtualcdcontrolpanel_21.exe that contains 3 files: VCdControlTool.exe, VCdRom.sys, and readme.txt.
Unfortunately contrary to what is written on the download webpage, the utility seems unreliable or simply incompatible with Windows 7. For one thing it can only work on 32-bit systems not 64-bit systems. Installation is also fraught with pitfalls and the instructions contained in the readme.txt file do not cover most of them. Because of this it is recommended to use a third party virtual cd-rom utility like Slysoft's Virtual CloneDrive.
If one still wishes to persist, however, here are some installation tips:
Changing to compatibility mode for Windows XP reportedly helps in some cases.
"The handle is invalid" and "Cannot Open SCM: Access is denied." errors can probably be avoided by right clicking on VCdControlTool.exe and then choosing to Run as administrator. Turning off User Account Control is another option but doing so will leave the system less secure and is not recommended.
If in the frustrating event the Virtual CDRom Control Panel claims unable to find VCdRom.sys despite following the instructions and copying it into the Windows System32 drives folder and even clicking on it directly, try using a copy of VCdRom.sys from the install directory (default is the local temp directory) or copying VCdRom.sys into the root Windows directory and try activating that.
After adding a drive letter, one may still not see the virtual drive loaded in Windows Explorer. The solution is to open Windows Explorer or a command prompt run as an administrator.
Remember to mount an ISO image by selecting a .iso file.
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