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Manual
Network Edition
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2 Foreword Thank you for choosing Virtual CD network edition. We have incorporated some new features in this third version of our award-winning program, and are sure it will live up to the expectations of our users. Many of the new fun- ctions we have integrated were inspired by suggestions that users have made - we'd like to thank you all for your input! This manual provides you with an introduction to Virtual CD, but does not contain a full description of the software. For detailed informatio
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3 Contents Foreword...........................................................................................................................................2 You don't read manuals?...................................................................................................................4 What is Virtual CD? ...........................................................................................................................4 New Features in Version 3..............................
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4 You don't read manuals? Are you one of those people whom never bother reading the operating instructions? No problem! Experienced PC users will find no surprises in the installation procedure that sets up Virtual CD. Not only that - the Help program starts automatically the first time you run the new installation. Just for you impatient types, we have developed the following 3-part 'Instant User's Guide': 1. Install the software and restart your computer. 2. Insert a CD from which you wish to
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5 New Features in Version 3 The new version is a completely reworked software suite, with an improved user interface and many new features and functions: • Compatible with Windows 95/98/2000 and NT 4 • Lets you customise your virtual CDs using the Virtual CD Editor • Improved compression for data CDs • Easier to use thanks to the improved user interface, including new Wizards • Expanded CD-reading operations using special digital mastering technology • Direct access to CDDB server for music CD i
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6 Installation If you have an earlier version of Virtual CD, you need to uninstall it and restart your computer befo- re installing VIRTUAL CD. You can still use the virtual CDs created with the older program. Insert the Virtual CD program CD in the CD drive and wait a moment for Windows to detect the CD. If the autostart function is active, installation should start automatically. If this is not the case, double-click on "My Computer" in your Explorer and then on the symbol for the drive where
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7 First Steps To work with the Virtual CD program, you need to begin by creating a virtual CD. Then you will insert this new virtual CD into a virtual CD drive. "All roads lead to Rome..." There are a number of ways to start Virtual CD, which means you can customise your use according to your personal preferences. When you want to create or insert a virtual CD, you can begin by run- ning either the Start Wizard or the Management program, by clicking on the quick-start icon in the system tray, or
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8 Select the source drive from the list box. In this example, we chose the physical drive E: In some cases, Virtual CD cannot correctly determine the amount of data on the source CD. Unfortunately, you will not notice the mistake until after the virtual CD has been created. A Virtual CD may also become stuck in a loop trying to find the end of a CD. In such cases, it may help to (start over and) select the option to Use binary search to determine CD size. Click on Next to continue: Virtual CD
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The option to Automatically create a directory for the new image helps you keep your virtual CD 9 data organised. This is particularly useful for music CDs, because these have separate files for each song (track). If you collect a lot of virtual music CDs, it can be difficult to keep track of which file belongs to which CD. This is why we recommend leaving this option selected at all times. You can even configure your default Virtual CD settings so that this option is automatically selected for
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with the Standard copy method used by Virtual CD. This is why we have introduced 2 new options, 10 called Correction 1 and Correction 2. In most cases, one of these copy methods will be able to create your virtual CD. Unfortunately, there is no way to know ahead of time which method you need to use; only trial and error will tell you. Theoretically, "Correction 2" is the most advanced method, but it also has its disadvantages. Overview of copy methods: Method Advantages Disadvantages • Fastest m
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This window shows all the songs, or audio tracks, that are on the source CD. If you click on Next 11 now, all tracks are included on the virtual CD. You can exclude certain titles by selecting them from the list and clicking on the button. If you change your mind and want to include a title you have excluded, simply select it and click on . You can also use the arrow buttons to change the order of the audio tracks. Click on Next to continue: This window, too, only opens i
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Click on Next; the following is the second-to-last page of the Image Wizard: 12 The description you enter here is the name that will be used internally for the CD. If the CD contains a telephone directory, for example, we'd recommend calling the virtual CD "Telephone Directory" for the sake of clarity. If you select the option to Load the image automatically into drive, the virtual CD is automatically loaded in the drive you define here as soon as the CD has been created. In our example here, we
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Click on Exit to close this window—the virtual CD is now finished. Once this point has been rea- 13 ched, the virtual CD is now ready to be inserted into a virtual drive… Inserting a virtual CD Double click on the "My Computer" symbol in your Windows Explorer. Right- click on the virtual CD drive in which you want to insert the virtual CD. This opens a context-sensitive menu, to which Virtual CD has added the command Load a virtual CD: When you select this com- mand, a list of all your vir- tual
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This starts the main program: 14 The main window has 3 sections. The pane on the left shows the virtual drives; the upper right- hand window pane shows the virtual CDs registered in the Management program, and in the lower right pane are the contents of the selected virtual CD. Deleting Virtual CDs Virtual CDs are stored on the hard disk in what we call image files, which of course take up some amount of disk space. If you have a virtual CD that you no longer need, you can delete it using the Vi
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Adding Existing Virtual CDs to the Management Program 15 You might have image files on your hard disk or other data media that are not currently registered in your Virtual CD Management program; for example, after you re-install VCD or install a new VCD version. These must be added to, or 'registered' in, your Management program before you can use them. If you know exactly where the image files are stored, you can tell the Management program where to look. Otherwise, you can run a search for exi
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The Virtual CD Editor is actually a separate program. Its main window looks like this: 16 Start by clicking on Add, and then choose the type of element (file, directory or audio track) you want to add to your custom CD. Each option opens a dialog box for selecting specific element(s). In the example below, an audio track is added: When you select a physical drive that contains a music CD, the CD contents are shown here. Select the desired track(s). The option to Store audio tracks in buffer is v
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Once you have entered all the contents for your custom CD, click on Create to 17 start the "Image Writer". This module completes the process for generating the new virtual CD. Global Virtual CD Settings To configure your VCD program, select View -> Virtual CD settings... in the Management program: The Default image folder defines which directory on your disk is automatically used for image files. When you enter only a file name in the Image Wizard, without a path, the new image file is stored he
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18 Customer Support If you have any problems with Virtual CD 3, we'd like to ask that you check the manual (yes, the manual!), the on-line Help and the continuously updated read me file (under Start -> Programs -> Virtual CD 3 -> read me) for assistance. Up-to-date information about the program is posted our Web site, at www.virtualcd-online.com, where you can also download any Service Packs we offer to update the software. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. See
