

Microsoft on mounting ISOs - Resolved - Won't Fix - lukeschlather
http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServerFeedback/feedback/details/351231/mount-iso-files

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xpaulbettsx
Just to clarify, this is WontFix on _Server 2008_. This is in no way a
statement that MS will not do this in upcoming operating systems (nor is _this
message_ a confirmation).

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jrbran
Thank you.

Headlines like this always cause me to read the comments first just because it
looks too much like bait.

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Osiris
What I don't understand is that Microsoft provides their software in ISO form,
but then doesn't provide a way to access the ISO. It always necessities
installing a third-party program to either extract files from the ISO or
create a virtual CD-ROM to mount the image.

Linux and MacOS both support mounting images out of the box.

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alttab
Linux and Mac also have a perceived software deficit. If not to consumers,
definitely to businesses. The more software is on Windows, the more people go
to Windows, ... etc.

One could _choose_ to view that forcing MS users to use 3rd party software to
a common problem is actually 'supporting the ecosystem'. Someone in Microsoft
could be saying that they aren't forcing users, but giving them the choice.

So what happens? The implement ISO mounting for the most part but either have
compatibility bugs or they extend the functionality to benefit its own
ecosystem better. People complain about that too. Think carriage returns
(\n\r) and Internet Explorer. People hate Microsoft for these reasons.

So really, they piss someone off either way. So doing what costs the least
amount of money (nothing) is often best.

That said, asking "How does server administration on Server 2008 and related
products compare to other platforms?" answers a larger and more important
question than "how do I mount ISOs on Windows?"

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kenjackson
From some recently leaked images of Win8, it appears that it will support
mounting ISOs out of the box.

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mbreese
I usually just put the isos on a Linux box, share them, and then mount the
share as a drive in Windows. Isn't that the easiest way? :)

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marshray
Doesn't Microsoft still distribute large fixes, service packs, MSDN, TechNet,
and the like as downloadable .iso images? Do they seriously expect people to
waste hours burning piles of physical DVDs for that sort of thing?

Sneakernet is apparently still an essential part of their network stack. Good
luck if your server is mounted in some data center you don't have easy access
to. Remember this next time you hear them say they're "betting the company" on
cloud computing. They just don't get it.

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Yaggo
Seems to be their filosophy that one can do almost nothing with out-of-the-box
Windows. No basic tools integrated, eg. ssh client or pdf-viewer (when I last
checked).

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jodrellblank
For anyone curious, on Windows:

\- 7-zip is free and will open ISO files as archives and let you extract the
contents.

\- Virtual CloneDrive is a free utility which appears as a drive letter and
mounts ISOs.

\- Folder2ISO is a simple GUI-on-top-of-mkisofs which takes a folder and
produces an ISO from it.

\- DeepBurner is a freeware CD/DVD burner which can burn ISOs.

I think that covers most of what I do with ISOs on Windows using freeware
which I use often, works well and hasn't bitten me.

