International Organization for Standardization (ISO) file is a disc image composed of the data contents of the written sector of an optical disc. ISO image includes all the files contained on the archived CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disc. While, VHD files are virtual hard disk files used to store applications or an entire operating system.
These important storage formats (ISO and VHD) makes it relatively easy to store the ever increasing amount of data without the fear running out of capacity. While, the general usage is mostly in media, they are also useful as files within a file system. The facilities are especially handy for portability of system settings or to play back snapshot of a system.
The next version of Microsoft's OS, Windows 8, will allow users to read the contents by automatically creating a virtual disk drive of the file. It works as follows: Simply select 'mount' from the enhanced Explorer ribbon or double click on the file, a new drive is created, indicating that the contents are now readily accessible. And contents can be installed directly by clicking on the drive in Windows Explorer.
The ISO 'mount' feature definitely comes in handy for mobile device users, as data storage remains a critical requirement for tablets and other mobile devices.
