Those who use a lot of CDs and DVDs surely know that swapping discs every once in a while is extremely annoying, not only because it takes a while until you replace the discs, but also because the CD drive might need several seconds until it allows you to access the data. Using a CD and DVD emulator however solves the problem, and DAEMON Tools Lite promises to do even more than that. It wants to offer users the same features as its rivals but at no cost.
Is that really possible? It really is, we'd say after we tested the program. DAEMON Tools works with the most popular formats, including ccd (CloneCD), bwt (Blindwrite), mds (Media Descriptor File), cdi (Discjuggler), nrg (Nero), pdi (Instant CD/DVD), b5t (BlindWrite 5), cue/bin, iso and isz. Furthermore, it is compatible with most Windows versions, including Vista and 7, so you should have no problem running it on your computer.
On the other hand, those of you who might want to mount image files created by Ultra ISO, Magic ISO and Power ISO won't be able to use DAEMON Tools.
Installation shouldn't take more than a few seconds, although we spent several moments to skip the steps where the installer attempted to copy some unwanted files, such as a toolbar, and to change the homepage for web browsers installed on our computers.
The interface is good, but not great. The application has an icon that sits quietly near in tray, allowing you to quickly change settings and to load image files with a single click.
We tested the freeware version of the application which could emulate up to 4 DVD-ROM drives and may be installed only for private use.
As a conclusion, DAEMON Tools is a great app, that's for sure, and the fact that it's available for free makes it better than most competitors. We've said “most” because there are still a lot of things to work on...
What's New in This Release:
What's new:
· Support of FLAC image files.
· Flexible scheme of adding DT and SCSI virtual devices (maximum 4 in total).
· Separate Autostart option.
· Drag-and-drop of folders that contain image files.
· Improvements in auto update process.
· SPTD 1.79.
Bugs fixed:
· Incompatibility with McAfee;
· GUI issues with some RTL languages (Arabic, Hebrew etc);
· Crash with Danish language;
· Command line parameter get_count returns quantity of virtual devices of specific type by default;
· Minor bugs.
Users are advised to pay attention while installing this ad-suported application:
· Offers to change the homepage for web browsers installed in the system
· Offers to change the default search engine for web browsers installed in the system
· Offers to download or install software or components (such as browser toolbars) that the program does not require to fully function