Mount-DiskImage

What Mount-DiskImage is

Mount-DiskImage is a free Windows PowerShell cmdlet for making an existing VHD or ISO available as a disk. To use it, provide the image file’s full path. The StorageType parameter can identify an ISO, VHD, VHDX, or VHDSet; if you omit the type or choose Unknown, the cmdlet determines it from the file extension.

VHDs can be mounted for read-only or read-write access, but ISO images are read-only regardless of the selected parameter. Mounting a VHD requires administrator privileges. ISO privilege requirements differ by Windows version: Windows 8 does not require administrator privileges for ISO mounting, while Windows Server 2012 permits only administrators to mount or eject an ISO. NoDriveLetter lets you mount an image without assigning a drive letter.

By default, the command runs in the local computer session. CimSession can direct it to a remote computer, and AsJob can run long operations in the background. The cmdlet produces no output unless you use PassThru, which returns an object representing the mounted image. For VHD work on Hyper-V, the available guidance points to New-VHD and Mount-VHD or Disk Management. In failover clusters, Storage cmdlets operate across the cluster’s servers.

Who it suits

Mount-DiskImage suits Windows users who need to make existing VHD or ISO files available as disks, including administrators working with remote sessions or failover clusters. It is also relevant when a command needs to run in the background or avoid assigning a drive letter.

Limits

ISO images are read-only, and mounting a VHD requires administrator privileges. ISO mounting does not require administrator privileges on Windows 8, but Windows Server 2012 allows only administrators to mount or eject an ISO.

Getting started

1. Open the Windows PowerShell environment.
2. Provide the full path to the VHD or ISO file.
3. Optionally specify ISO, VHD, VHDX, or VHDSet as the storage type.
4. Choose read-only or read-write access for a VHD; ISO files remain read-only.
5. Optionally use NoDriveLetter, CimSession, AsJob, or PassThru as needed.

Verdict

Choose Mount-DiskImage if you need a free Windows command-line option for mounting an existing VHD or ISO, with control over access mode and drive-letter assignment. For creating or mounting VHDs on Hyper-V, the guidance points to New-VHD and Mount-VHD or Disk Management instead.