Today, I ended up using a most roundabout way to extract some files.
The files were in an ISO disc image on a flash drive. Unfortunately, the Windows 7 laptop I was using had no software on it that could extract files from an ISO and I did not feel like downloading and installing some. What the laptop did have available was a copy of XPMode (a Windows XP virtual machine).
My solution was to mount the ISO in the VM, then to share the VM’s CD drive. Then I opened the shared CD in the Windows 7 network location and copied the files.
I ended up creating an “intranet” on a single computer to extract files in a bizarrely circuitous manner. Not surprisingly, the network connections dialog of both the XP and 7 systems indicated up/downloading a pile of data even though no actual network activity took place.
It was an odd, yet interesting experience, but also a fun challenge in resourcefulness and problem-solving.