If you’re a Windows Vista user, you may be familiar with the Symlinks feature. Symlinks are special folders that store files and folders in the same location as other files and folders. When you click on a link in one of these folders, the file or folder inside theSymlinks is automatically loaded into your computer. This feature is great for linking files and folders together so that you can access them from anywhere in your computer. However, it can also be used to share files and folders between your computers. If you want to share a file or folder between two computers, you need to use a Symlinks-based sharing solution. There are severalSymlinks-based sharing solutions available for Windows Vista. The most popular of these solutions is Microsoft’s OneDrive. OneDrive allows users to store their files and folders in different locations on different computers, so they can access them from any device they want. However, OneDrive is not limited to Symlinks-based sharing; it can also use other file types such as FTP and SFTP. If you’re looking for a more comprehensiveSymlinks-based sharing solution, then consider using Google Drive or Apple’s iCloud service. These services allow users to store their files and folders in different locations on different devices, so they can access them from any device they want. However, iCloud is not limited to Symlinks-based sharing; it can also use other file types such as FTP and SFTP.
Using the mklink Command
The command that you need to use is mklink, which you’ll use from the command line. Just type it on the command line to see the options:
For instance, if you wanted to make the folder C:\Users\Geek\TestFolder available from C:\TestFolder as well, you could use the following command.
Now if you look in C:\TestFolder directory, you’ll see whatever files were in the other directory.
Understanding the Options.
MKLINK link target
Using the command without any extra options creates a soft link to a file.
/D creates a symbolic link, or a soft link.
This essentially acts like a shortcut to a folder in prior versions of Windows, except you don’t have to use an actual shortcut.
/H creates a hard link, which points directly to the file.
This option can’t be used for folders directly for some reason, you’ll have to use the next option.
/J creates a “Directory Junction”
A Directory Junction is actually just a hard link to a directory. This is a feature that existed prior to Vista as well. If you are trying to symlink to a directory using a hard link, then you should use this option.
Understanding Hard vs Soft Links
Hard Link
A hard link directly points to the file, and acts to the operating system as if it is the file itself. You’ll want to use this option the majority of the time if you are trying to fake an application’s directory.
Soft Link
A soft link is essentially a shortcut to a file or folder – if you are using Windows explorer, you’ll be redirected to the directory if you double-click on a shortcut, it won’t pretend its part of the filesystem. You can still directly reference or open a file with the symlinked path, and it mostly works.
Using Symlinks from a Network Share
One of the things that’s been extensively discussed is that you cannot use the Vista symlinks from another operating system (not surprising), but you cannot use them from a network share either. This is troublesome if you expect to use this feature on a web server or a file server.
Deleting Symlinks
To delete a symlink, you can just delete the link. Just make sure you don’t delete the original file.
