Your only mistake here is assuming that Windows software, in particular software put out by Microsoft, would exhibit any reasonable degree of transparency. If this were being done under Unix, the file system would most certainly be mounted just like any other file system. Instead, you are stuck having to deal with a bunch of needlessly arcane nonsense. We're talking about a file system here. Why on earth isn't it treated as an ordinary file system? This is the kind of Windows nonsense that really grates on me. There is no common denominator that facillitates the creation of useful third party applications. It's Microsoft's way or the highway. If this kind of thing were easy to do, it would undermine Microsoft's advantageous position of putting out PDA management software.