Is there an API or straight forward way to simulate any data as a windows explorer drive/file-hierarchy? I don't want to create actual files I want to have a view on my data as though it were.
E.g. if my real data was in a database but I want it to look like a drive/folder/files?
You can create shell namespace extension or a virtual file system.
Shell namespace extension has many shortcomings but if you need files to be only exposed and copied, it can work.
Virtual file system or disk can be created only with help of third-party solutions such as our Callback File System or CallbackDisk. This approach fully emulates the local disk and the filesystem up to possibility to manipulate individual sectors (but this depends on the way used, i.e. whether you emulate the disk or the filesystem).