Discussion on:

Manually creating junction points in Windows XP

A reparse point is an actual NTFS entry on the filesystem that points to another entry on a file system (residing within the same physical machine). This is completely invisable to whatever application tries to read the contents of the "alias" folder (except those looking explicitly for the reparse signature).

The instructions you've described, on the other hand, are for creating Explorer-based folder aliases. From a user standpoint, the difference is that these aliases only work when browsing the folder structure using an explorer-based browsing mechanism. Programs that instead read the folder contents using a filesystem API will instead simply find a directory with a desktop.ini and target.lnk file in it.

The differences are described in more detail at WinbolicLink's site: http://www.pearlmagik.com/winbolic/

very nice one

This isn't documented for a reason. This creates a pseudo-junction that only works in Explorer and the Shell. It does not work internally for either high or low level I/O. When you follow one of these pseudo-junctions, you actually get switched to the target location. You can create true Junction Points, which are actually retained in the file or folder address and which work for any I/O, by using the junction.exe program from the SysInternals group at Microsoft.

I use a true junction point on two computers to map the same address to two different places in the file system. I do this so I can use the same configuration files on both computers so I can synchronize edits (I do development on both computers). On one computer, the junction point C:\L maps to C:\ and on the other computer, C:\L maps to D:\. Neither pseudo-junctions, described here, nor the subst command (which maps drive letters) meet this kind of need, but true junctions work perfectly.

David Spector
Springtime Software

Hello there, this is no a junction point is a link embebed in a folder, a junction point is a special object in the NTFS structure, there is the next type of objects in a NTFS Structure. Files, Folders AND junction points.

Thanks, whatever you call that trick, junction or alias, it's pretty easy and useful!

Can you describe how this is different (in the way that you indicate you are using it) from using a regular "Shortcut.lnk" link?

Of course, Junction/Reparse-Points are much different from "Shortcut.lnk" links.

For example, suppose that you create a Junction Point at "C:\CurrentWork", pointing to "D:\Freelance\TechRepublic\June 03\Reparse Points". Then, from Windows Explorer, if you navigate to "C:\CurrentWork", you will see the files and folders located at "D:\Freelance\TechRepublic\June 03\Reparse Points". The same will be the case if you navigate to "C:\CurrentWork" from any "Open - "Save" - "Save-As" dialog. Also, from a Command-Prompt window, if you change to drive "C:\", then you could do CD "CurrentWork" and again, you would see the files and folders located at "D:\Freelance\TechRepublic\June 03\Reparse Points".

Alternately, you could create a "Shortcut.lnk", named for example: "C:\CurrentWork(.lnk)" pointing to "D:\Freelance\TechRepublic\June 03\Reparse Points". Then, from Windows Explorer, if you navigate to "C:\CurrentWork(.lnk)", you will see the files and folders located at "D:\Freelance\TechRepublic\June 03\Reparse Points". Again, the same will be the case if you navigate to "C:\CurrentWork" from any "Open - "Save" - "Save-As" dialog. The difference here is that you cannot "CD" to the target of a "Shortcut.lnk" from a Command-Prompt window.

It seems to me, that either way you do it, Junction Points, or "Shortcut.lnk", will serve as a quick (one click) way to navigate to a folder located deep within the directory structure of a drive.

So, what do you see as the advantage of using Junction/Reparse Points (or your "desktop.ini" trick), compared to the simpler to create/manage/edit Shortcut.lnk ?

Thanks,
Kevin