WHDLoad is a software package that allows Amiga games and demos originally designed for floppy disks to be installed and run from a hard drive, eliminating loading times and preserving original hardware. It works by creating disk images that are loaded into memory and patched in real-time to redirect disk access calls, while also fixing compatibility issues for newer Amiga models and providing features like quit-to-Workbench functionality. Developed by Bert Jahn and released in 1996, WHDLoad requires a small amount of memory for its resident module and has become the standard method for preserving and playing classic Amiga software on modern hard drive-equipped systems.