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Virtual CD-ROM drive images won't mount

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by jmstitt 2 views

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I am using virtual disk imaging software called Phantom CD. It creates virtual cd-rom drives on win9x computers. It fools the computer into thinking there is more than one physical cd-rom drive. Then you can create a disk image of a CD which is saved to the hard drive or network drive. The virtual cd-rom drives are initialized during boot, just like the actual physical cd-drive. Currently, I have the disk images stored on a central server running Win98se. I am using the win98 machine because it requires no authentication to use it. When a client station initializes the virtual cd-roms during the boot process, it automatically links back using the server's UNC to the disk images therefore mounting the virtual cds in each drive automatically. This works great on the win98 machine because it requires no authentication to use the disk images. Windows 2000 server however requires authentication. So when the client machines boot and initialize the virtual cd-roms, the images won'tautomatically mount because the machines haven't logged in yet. After login, the user has to manually mount each disk image into each virtual drive which is unacceptable. The Win98 server crashes constantly (can't handle the load). I want to moveto W2K for the stability. I need W2K to allow unfettered access to the disk images to any machine using UNC at any time, that way the images will be found and mounted automatically. I have all ready granted everyone full access and added everyone to the security preferences. That hasn't helped.

10 replies

by ipjunkie

If your users are authenticating with the Domain, then I think there's no way your going to get the Win2K machine to allow access like that.

You could write a logon script that would map the drives after the user authenticated against the Domain. That way your users woulod not have to map the drives manually. Do a search on TechRepublic for "Options Through Logon Scripts." There is an article that will get you started.

by jmstitt

Thanks for the information. I will look. I am starting to agree with you that this kind of access is not possible. Thanks kindly again for your response

by gregory w. smith

I'm not familiar with PhantonCD, but you can achieve a similar end by copying each CD to a directory on your W2K box and then sharing the directory with "read only" permission.

If you store the directories on an NTFS partition, you can even compress them :)

by jmstitt

Well, you could share the data on the CD that way, but, it would not fool the client workstation in to believing the CD is actually in a CD-ROM drive attached to the client's workstation

by jimjennings

If you go with W2K pro instead of server you could set up the service remote access admin and create the user accounts needed (and start remote access admin). This should allow a peer to peer network configuration (like you had with 98SE) and allow a one time log in (remember id and password). The Client/server configuration will require authentication, but as peer to peer you should be able to avoid it. W2K Pro supports multiple CPUs and has greater crash protection than 98SE, though not as good as Server, should still serve your needs.

by jmstitt

Thanks for your help, but this solution still does not allow the disk images to mount automatically. I have tried another program written specifically for W2K

by culizard

You say you've granted everyone full access -- is that both through the share and in your NTFS permissions? Either one could cause the connection to fail.

OTOH, if you can't get it to work, you could probably write a script or batch file to mount the drives after the 9x machines boot.

by jmstitt

Yes, I have granted full access to "everyone", both in the share and security permissions. I wish Phantom would work by using a script

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