Alcohol 120% for Windows

Product overview

Alcohol 120% is a Windows utility for burning and managing optical media. It simplifies creating backup copies of CDs and DVDs and lets you save frequently used discs as image files on your computer. Those images can be mounted instantly using any of up to 31 virtual drives, so you don’t need the physical disc to access its contents.

Core functionality

• Create backup images of CDs and DVDs and write them back to optical media.
• Mount saved disc images on virtual drives for immediate access without a physical disc.
• Burn files straight from your hard disk using the included Pre-Mastering tool, and handle high-capacity formats such as Blu-ray and HD DVD.
• Work on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows installations (originally supported through Windows 7; see updates below for newer compatibility).

Who benefits

• Business and IT teams who need duplicate copies of software or important media to preserve access if original discs become damaged.
• Libraries, schools, and archive managers seeking to protect collections from wear and tear by creating archival copies of recordable media.
• Home users who want to back up game discs and movie DVDs so household use won’t degrade the original discs.

Recent improvements and compatibility

• Now offers support for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
• Version 2 introduced a redesigned user interface with full Unicode support.
• Added improved folder management and more robust read/write engines to increase reliability and speed.
• A downloadable plugin is available for converting disc contents to MP3 format.

Free alternative

A recommended free option for simpler mounting needs is Alcohol 52% Free, which focuses on virtual drive functionality without the full burning feature set.