WinMount 3.5.1018

Overview

WinMount is a utility that, at first glance, looks rather mundane, as there are many tools on the market that provide the same features. However, after a closer look, you will discover that WinMount is much more than just a simple image mounting tool. Have I got your attention?

Frequent usage of optical media leads to its deterioration over time and the best way to prevent this situation is to copy some of your favorite movies and TV shows to your hard disk. In order to maintain the full functionality of a DVD, you have to create its image so that you can later mount it onto a virtual drive. WinMount allows you to accomplish this feat, but the real beauty of it is that all sorts of compressed files can be mounted as well. It supports a lot of formats and packs a nice set of features. So, does WinMount rise to the occasion? Let’s analyze it in this quick article and find out!

Installation

In order to install it onto your computer, first you will need to download the small setup kit of WinMount. At just 4 MB in size, you will be able to download it in just a few seconds. The installation process is fast and smooth as you will only be required to follow the steps provided by the setup wizard. The software doesn’t come with adware/spyware or other programs, and after the installation process is over you can associate certain file extensions to it, as well as what action WinMount should take when you double-click on the files (“browse”, “mount”, etc).  

It is important to note that there aren’t any differences between the trial and registered version except a notification window that pops up whenever files are mounted with the trial version of WinMount. On the other hand, although there isn’t any functional limitations found in the trial version, registering has many advantages, such as free updates and the free and worldwide technical support that you will be able to receive via e-mail.

Interface

The interface is one big plus for WinMount, as it is clear, intuitive and has a good design. Three different built-in skins are provided and they all look very good, making WinMount a visually appealing tool. Mount view, browser view and compress view are the three views offered by WinMount. They all have a unique feel and look together with their own unique set of buttons.

Archives such as ZIP, RAR, or image files such as, ISO, BIN, NRG, CUE, CCD can be mounted by using the “File” and “Mount” menus, whilst the toolbar allows quick access to these operations through the “Mount to”, “Mount file”, “Mount blank”, "Unmount list" and “Switch View“ quick buttons. Easy navigation and an intuitive design makes WinMount a perfect tool for novice users. 

Pros

A unique feature of WinMount is the presence of MOU file format. Copyright by WinMount, it is a new file format that you can convert your files to when you mount them. It is not as popular as other file formats but its main advantage is that a new compression standard is defined by it. MOU files can be mounted very quickly to a local folder or a virtual disk. And the size doesn’t matter – you can have a 1 GB file or more! A high compress rate is also boasted by MOU.

The main features WinMount provides are: compression and decompression of many popular formats (ZIP/7Z/ISO/MOU), mounting archives to virtual disks as well as to current folders, mounting CD, DVD images and HDD images. Being a file management tool, WinMount can also be used for the installing of large software, such as your favorite games or the Windows 7 operating system.

Cons

The free trial period of WinMount is only 15 days.

Alternatives

As stated at the beginning of this article, you will find a lot of similar software to WinMount on the market. The alternatives to WinMount include the following tools: DAEMON Tools Lite, Virtual Clonedrive, PowerISO, MagicDisc and many more.

Conclusion

All in all, WinMount is one of the best ways to save disk space and one of the best image mounting/creating software on the market.