Copyright: Copyright © 2000 by H+H ZfRk - GmbH
Citation: Copyright © 2000 by H+H ZfRk - GmbH


  Overview

The Virtual CD 3 Image Wizard prompts you, one step at a time, for the information required to create a virtual CD, or "image".  The pages opened by the Image Wizard depends on the type of tracks on the source CD.

In addition to the function for creating an exact replica of a source CD, some pages in the Image Wizard are also opened when using the Virtual CD 3 Editor, for example to store audio tracks temporarily when creating customized CD images.

When you close the Image Wizard, the Image Writer starts automatically and creates the CD image according to the data you entered.

The Virtual CD 3 Image Wizard has the following pages:

Welcome

Select source CD

Select destination

Settings and Track Type

Data track settings

Audio track settings (1 of 2)

Audio track settings (2 of 2)

Image settings


  Welcome

The "Welcome" page gives you an overview of the steps involved in creating a virtual CD image. If you select the option at the bottom of this page, Do not show this page in the future, this page is skipped the next time you start the Image Wizard. Once you select this option, the "Welcome" page is not opened again.


  Select Source CD

On this page, you define the CD drive where the source CD for your image is located. The list box shows all CDs found  on your computer from which CD images  can be created. This can include both physical and virtual CDs. If the CD you want to use is not in the list, insert the desired CD and click on Refresh. If the CD is still not included in the list, it may not be recognized by Windows. This may be the case if the CD is scratched or dirty.

The option to Use binary search to determine CD size should be selected if the Image Wizard cannot determine the amount of data on the CD correctly, or if the process to create an image was not successfully concluded. With this option active, the Virtual CD program uses alternative methods to determine CD size.

	On some computers, activating the option to Use binary search to determine CD size may lead to errors.
	You cannot use a virtual CD as a source for creating a new virtual CD!


  Select Destination

On this page you define the file name and desired target directory on your hard disk for the virtual CD image.

Usually you only need to enter a file name. The Image Wizard automatically stores files in the default path defined in the Virtual CD 3 Management program and adds the .FCD extension. For example, if you enter 'Test' as the file name, the Image Wizard automatically adds path and extension, and the full file name is '<defaultpath>\Test.fcd'. If you wish to store the image in another location, simply click on the 'folder' icon to browse for the desired directory.

If you select the option to Automatically create a directory for the new image, the Virtual CD program creates a folder for the new image with the same name as the file.

Example:

The full name of the image file is c:\Images\test.fcd.

With the "create a directory" option selected, this becomes c:\Images\test\test.fcd.

	The Automatically create a directory for the new image option should always be selected for source CDs that contain audio tracks, because each track on an audio CD is a separate file in the virtual CD image. Keeping these together in a separate directory helps keep your files organized and ensures that they are not overwritten. You can configure settings in the Virtual CD 3 Management program so that this option is automatically selected for audio CDs.

In the field called Space on hard disk, the space available on the selected hard disk is shown. If there is not enough memory available for the new image, the space is indicated in red.

	If the available space shown here is not sufficient, you may still be able to create the virtual CD image, because the steps for selecting the data compression method are still to follow.


  Settings and Track Type

On this page, you define the type of tracks (data or audio) on the source CD. If only one type can be selected here, then the source CD contains only tracks of this type.

	If the format of the source CD is CD-Extra, only an exact replica can be created. In this case, the track type cannot be selected.

This page also displays information on the CD format and the number of tracks. The table below lists the CD formats recognized and supported by Virtual CD.

CD Format	Description
Single Data Track	Normal data CD
Audio CD (CDDA)	Music CD
Mixed Mode CD (Data/Audio)	CD with data track and audio tracks
CDI Bridge	Interactive CD (such as video)
CD-Extra	Music CD with an interactive PC program


  Data Track Settings

On this page, you can choose from options for the data tracks on the source CD.

The new option for selecting a copy method lets you define how tracks are read from the source CD. Each method uses different technologies, which have been developed using unconventional digital mastering techniques:

Copy method	Description
Normal	Standard technique
Correction 1	Error tolerant method 1
Correction 2	Error tolerant method 2
	The Correction 2 method is subject to the following restrictions: • It is currently available only for Windows 95/98. • Data cannot be compressed when this method is used. • This method cannot be used with all CD drives.
	If you use the Correction 2 copy method when creating a virtual data CD, and this virtual CD is displayed in your system as an audio CD, then you know your CD-ROM drive does not support the Correction 2 method and you cannot use this method with that drive.

In general, the Correction 1 and Correction 2 methods can be used with almost any CD. There are so many different types of CD on the market today,  that it is almost impossible to say in advance which method will work best with a given source CD. Always try the Normal method first. If the VCD program stops before the virtual CD has been created, or if you manage to create a virtual CD but are prompted to insert the original CD whenever you try to use it, then try the Correction 1 copy method. If you are still experiencing problems, try Correction 2.

	The Correction 1 and Correction 2 copy methods take a lot longer than the Normal method—it can even take hours! This is why we recommend trying these methods only if the Normal method doesn't work.

Data compression method indicates the type of compression used on the data. The following options are available:

Compression	Description
None	No compression; fastest CD access
Normal	Standard compression; somewhat slower access
Maximum	Maximum compression; slow CD access

Using data compression reduces the amount of disk space taken up by image files. Because data must be decompressed, or expanded, again before it can be accessed, access is slower.

When deciding whether to use data compression, consider the following factors:

•	Not all data can be compressed. For example, if the data on the source CD is already compressed, as is the case with .ZIP, .CAB, .LZH, .MPG and other file types, activating a data compression option when creating an image can result in an image that contains more bytes than the source CD. If the source data is not compressed, however, as is the case with .DOC, .BMP, .DBF and other file types, using one of the Image Wizard compression options can save a considerable amount of space on your hard disk.

•	The slower your PC is, the more time you will lose in accessing compressed data.

Again, due to the wide variety of CD track types on the market,  there is no general rule for determining the efficiency of data compression. The only way to find out what works best in a given situation is to try the different options yourself.

The Hard disk space for the data track(s) field indicates the space required for uncompressed data and an estimation of the space required if the selected level of compression is used. If you change the compression method selected in the field above, the estimated value is recalculated.

	The value indicating the disk space required for compressed data is an estimation only. This is calculated by compressing a few samples of the source CD data. The result is then extrapolated to include all data in the source data track(s). Thus the virtual CD image created may turn out to be somewhat larger or even somewhat smaller than the value estimated here. The volume of data after compression can be estimated only if the track contains more than 5 MB of data. You can use data compression on smaller amounts of data, but the volume cannot be estimated.

Select the Ignore defective sectors option to skip CD sectors that have faulty data content. If an error occurs in creating an image, start the procedure again and select this option. If you are using one of the Correction copy methods, this option is automatically deactivated.

	If the Image Wizard was started from the Virtual CD Editor, the Ignore defective sectors option is not available. Furthermore, the copy method is Normal and cannot be changed. Neither is it possible to estimate the volume of compressed data. The estimated volume is given as n.a. (for "not available").


  Audio Track Settings (1 of 2)

This page lists all audio tracks on the source CD with Title, Time and No. You can define which tracks are included and the order in which they appear on the virtual CD image. The appearance of this page depends on whether the CDDB server is used to obtain the CD data (artist, album, track titles).

With active CDDB access

Without active CDDB access

If you cannot retrieve the CD information from CDDB², click on Edit or double-click on a track title to edit the name of the track.

Audio track files are stored in external files (one file per track). This means you can access these tracks without inserting the image in a virtual drive. The file names correspond to the track titles.

	If the format of the source CD is CD-Extra, only an exact replica can be created. This is why the track titles cannot be edited.


  Audio Track Settings (2 of 2)

To create an image of audio tracks from a source CD, you must define whether the source data is read using a digital or an analog technique.

Method	Description
Digital	The digital method gives optimal results when reading audio tracks, and is usually faster than analog methods. Unfortunately, not all CD-ROM drives support digital methods. When you select this option, Virtual CD tests the drive to check whether the data can be read digitally. If not, then the option for the analog technique is automatically selected. In some cases it may be possible to read data digitally but not without audible interference. If this happens, select the analog option.
Analog	With the analog method, the music CD is played by Virtual CD and recorded by your computer's sound card. This method is generally supported by all CD-ROM drives.  If your computer is not particularly fast, you should select the option to Store in buffer if you are using a complex compression method such as MP3. Otherwise, the compression process may take an unduly long time and some audio signals may be missed, resulting in faulty recordings. With the Store in buffer option active, the entire track is read and stored in buffer memory before the data compression process begins.

Click on Change audio format to use a different form of compression. The options available for compression formats depend on the audio CODECs installed on the system.

The following audio formats are usually available on all computers:

•	PCM (optimal quality, no loss of signal, large disk space requirements)

•	IMA ADPCM

•	Microsoft ADPCM

In addition to these standard formats, a given computer may have other options available, such as MPEG Layer 3 for creating MP3 audio files, for example.

To ensure that audio tracks are created correctly, we recommend running an analog or digital test recording after selecting the recording method.

The Hard disk space for the audio track(s) field indicates the space required for uncompressed data and an estimation of the space required if the selected audio format is used. If you change the audio format selected in the field above, the number here is recalculated.

	If the Image Wizard was started from the Virtual CD Editor to store audio tracks in buffer memory, click on Finish to start the Image Writer and write the selected tracks.


  Image Settings

Here you can configure additional settings for your new virtual CD.

•	Description: You can enter the text you wish to have displayed for this image in the Virtual CD Management program. In most cases this should be meaningful text that will make it easy to identify the CD; for example, the title of the source CD. In some cases, the description must be the same as the original title, for instance if the application used to run the CD prompts you for the CD name.

•	Load the image automatically in drive: Select this option and a drive letter to have the virtual CD image inserted automatically as soon as it has been created.

•	Start program: You can enter a program here to be opened automatically any time the CD is inserted. For example, this may be a graphics program if the image contains pictures.

•	Change hotkey: Click here to assign a key combination for automatic insertion of the virtual CD image in the default virtual drive. If no default drive has been configured for a given image, it is inserted in the first available virtual drive found.

Once you have configured the desired settings, click on Finish to run the process for creating the image.


  Edit Track Title

You can enter any text for the title of an audio track. Click on Edit... on the first Audio track settings page of the Image Wizard to edit the name of the selected track.

The Track number indicates the original position of the track on the source CD. You can use this number for orientation. The Track title can be edited in the field and is also the name of the audio file stored for this image.


  Test Recording (Analog)

You can use this option to test the recording function before creating the virtual CD image. Select a Title and click on Record to begin the test recording. Once the recording is completed, click on Play to check the quality of the recording. If the result is not satisfactory, click on Change audio format... and make a new test recording with a different format.

The slide controls let you regulate the volume for recording and playback.

	The CD audio level is shown only if it is supported by your sound card's mixer.


  Test Recording (Digital)

You can use this option to test the recording function before creating the virtual CD image. Select a Title and click on Record to begin the test recording. Once the recording is completed, click on Play to check the quality of the recording. If the result is not satisfactory, click on Change audio format... and make a new test recording with a different format. If there is audible interference in the recording, we recommend trying the analog recording methods as well.


  Change Hotkey

Use your keyboard to enter the desired Hotkey for loading the image automatically. The combination you enter is displayed in the input field. To delete a key combination, position your cursor in the input field and press the 'backspace' key.


  About

Select this item to view information about the program.