Arsenal Image Mounter

Overview

Arsenal Image Mounter (AIM) mounts disk image contents as complete disks in Windows, allowing access to disk-specific features. It supports virtual disk files and optical images, with temporary write support available in Free Mode. Arsenal describes AIM as particularly useful to digital forensics and incident response practitioners.

AIM has a free tier and paid Professional Mode. The free offering includes mounting, BitLocker tools, command-line executables and PowerShell modules. Professional Mode adds virtual machine launching, forensic triage reports, deeper NTFS visibility and network connections to remote disks. Arsenal Recon lists Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States as its location.

Key features

• Disk image support: AIM mounts image contents as complete disks. Its FAQ lists raw and DMG formats, plus several virtual machine disk formats. AFF4 support requires libaff4; E01, limited Ex01 and S01 support require libewf.
• BitLocker tools: Free Mode can identify, unlock and decrypt BitLocker-protected volumes, and disable or suspend BitLocker.
• Virtual machines: Professional Mode can launch virtual machines from disk images, physical disks and remotely connected disks.
• Forensic visibility: Professional Mode includes Recon Reports for triage. Its file system driver bypass mode can expose NTFS metadata, slack and unallocated space.
• Remote access: Professional Mode connects to disks over a network through AIM Remote Agent.
• Command line: Free Mode includes command-line executables and PowerShell modules. Arsenal's changelog also describes an AIM Linux CLI.

Pricing

AIM offers a free plan and three paid annual plans. The listed paid starting price is $907; the one-year plan is priced at $907 a year.

Platforms

AIM is primarily Windows-focused. Arsenal recommends Windows 10 version 1703 or later, Windows 11, or 64-bit Windows Server 2016 or 2019 with .NET 10. Bare-metal use is recommended for full functionality. Linux support is referenced for offline license activation and a command-line interface, but the available information does not describe Linux as equivalent to the Windows product.

Arsenal does not recommend or support other environments, including hypervisors, even though some functionality may work in them. Offline activation is available: transfer a license file from an internet-connected workstation, then return the activation file to the offline machine.

Arsenal notes that antivirus software may flag its tools because they use obfuscation. It may be necessary to add exclusions or temporarily disable antivirus protection. The company says it no longer requests manual false-positive reviews.

Who it's for

AIM is aimed especially at digital forensics and incident response work, where mounting images as complete disks and examining NTFS metadata or unallocated space can matter. Free Mode also offers disk-image access, BitLocker operations and command-line tools for users who need those capabilities without Professional Mode's virtual-machine, reporting and remote-disk functions.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free Mode includes image mounting, temporary write support, BitLocker tools, CLI and PowerShell. Professional Mode adds virtual machines, Recon Reports, deeper NTFS access and network-connected disks.
• Cons: Full functionality is tied to specified Windows systems running on bare metal. Linux support is described through a CLI and license activation rather than as a full equivalent. Antivirus exclusions or temporary disabling may be needed.

Alternatives

For more options in this category, see Virtual Drive Software. Other tools to consider include ExpanDrive, libguestfs, Alcohol 52%, DAEMON Tools Lite, VHD Attach, WinCDEmu, ImDisk and OSFClone.

Verdict

Arsenal Image Mounter stands out for mounting images as complete disks and combining that with BitLocker operations, forensic visibility and virtual-machine workflows. The free tier covers core mounting and command-line needs, while Professional Mode is the relevant option for triage reports, remote disks and broader forensic access. Its Windows requirements, limited Linux details and antivirus caveat are important considerations before choosing it.