Running out of SSD space for Addons, but have totally empty 1Tb HDD.

[Garfield]

You and me both. Will do fingers crossed

[orsova]

Hi

Is the use of Junction Link Magic (JLM) any easier? I have tried mklink without any luck, Access Denied etc as I don't think I am getting the pathname correct. The more I read on moving from SSD to HDD which I want to do for the scenery folder, the more confused I get with differing information. Found a tutorial on UTube re JLM but two SSD's were involved and both seemed to have FSX folders, so again the path was mot clear.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[il88pp]

The thing is to first move all your files to a new location. Where you have the storage space.

This is called the Target Path.

 

Then to delete the original folder.

 

Then to create a symlink, with the name of the original folder, in that original location. The symlink redirects to the new location.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Syntax at Prompt:

mklink /prefix "link_path" "Target_file/folder_path"

So:

mklink

/prefix

"link_path"

"target_File_Path or Target_Folder_path"

 

-There are several types of links you can create with mklink, depending on the prefix used. (mklink /D -- or /J -- and others).

In this case we use mklink /J

 

There are two types of symbolic links: hard and soft.

*Soft symbolic links work essentially the same as a standard shortcut. When you open a soft link, you will be redirected to the folder where the files are stored.

A hard link makes it appear as though the file or folder actually exists at the location of the symbolic link, and your applications won’t know any different.

 

 

First, choose the correct prefix. Mklink can create several types of links, including the following:

•/D – creates a soft symbolic link, which is similar to a standard folder or file shortcut in Windows. This is the default option, and mklink will use it if you do not enter a prefix.

•/H – creates a hard link to a file

•/J – creates a hard link to a directory or folder

 

 

----I wanted my screenshots away from my SSD C:\ drive. They were in "My Pictures".----

I created a folder on my D:\ drive to put the screenshots in: "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics".

 

I then moved all my screenshots from "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files" to folder "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics"

 

I then deleted the empty folder "Flight Simulator X Files" from "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\" .

 

I made a hard link. I opened a command prompt and typed:

mklink /J "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files" "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics"

and pressed .

What does that do:

**Any file I drop in "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files" ends up "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics

 

**Same for programs. When I take a screenshot by pressing in FSX, it still gets sent to "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files" but is redirected from there by the symlink and ends up in "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics" instead.

 

**Same for programs that look for files.

For example, Autothumbnail.exe (program) takes a screenshot, then looks in "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files" to get the last screenshot and make it into a thumbnail.

The screenshots are actually in "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics" now.

But, no problem, Autothumbnail finds the last screenshot without error. Thanks to the hard link, to the program it appears as if the files are simply in "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files".

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----If you want to move the Contents of your Simobjects folder to a different location, while FSX is none the wiser: -----

Let's say you now have:

C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects

and you want everything that is in there to be in:

F:\My FSX Storage\Simobjects

 

-create folder F:\My FSX Storage

-move everything that is in "C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects"

to "F:\My FSX Storage\Simobjects"

-delete the empty "Simobjects" folder from "C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\".

 

open a command prompt.

type:

mklink /J "C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects" "F:\My FSX Storage\Simobjects"

read carefully to check for spelling errors.

press

You will now see in "C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects" a icon appears with name Simobjects. This is your Symlink.

(It looks like a shortcut on my PC, but if I select it by clicking it once, in the lower left of the explorer window it says "File Folder" in properties).

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional info:

Why the quotes ????

Well, that's because in the folder path there are spaces. By putting spaces around it you make clear that it is all one path.

If there are no spaces, you would not need to use quotes.

for example:

mklink /J C:\SomeImages F:\MyPics

Does not need quotes.

But putting them there doesn't hurt.

mklink /J "C:\SomeImages" "F:\MyPics"

works also.

I think it's a good idea to always put quotes. Because when there are spaces the quotes are required.

That way you never forget to put them in.

 

Also:

After typing it in, but before you press , re-read the whole thing and look for typo's carefully.

:) You can use the arrow keys to walk through what you typed. so you can make corrections.

:) No need to wipe it all out and start again.

 

 

Also, if it didn't work, and you think you typed somthing wrong:

:) As long as you have not typed something new yet, :) pressing spacebar (tapping) makes the previous line appear again!!

So you can just make what you typed appear again, then read the whole thing back, and once you find the typo you correct it and try again.

 

Easy peasy:)

 

Where I got my info:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

[il88pp]

I just realised something.

It can probably get hard to rember all your symlinks and where they lead.

Good idea to start a text file, that documents them all. Ordered in order in which you created them.

 

let's say: "My_Symlinks_Documented.txt"

 

Containing info on the links you made. Also what prefix was used.

for examle simply like this:

 

1

mklink /J "C:\Users\owner\Pictures\Flight Simulator X Files" "D:\Beautiful Pictures\FSX V-Pics"

2

mklink /J "C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects" "F:\My FSX Storage\Simobjects"

3

mklink /J "C:\SomeImages" "F:\MyPics"

4

etc.....

5

etc....

etc....

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually I could have already made that file easily.

 

Each time I made a symlink, I typed the line I want to enter in the command prompt, into Notepad first.

And then kept Notepad open.

By keeping Notepad open, you can see the line while you are typing it into the command prompt. Somehow that makes it much easyer to spot any typing mistakes.

 

I will create my own "My_Symlinks_Documented.txt" -file right now!:)

il88pp

[il88pp]

+---->> I made some important edits to post 28.

 

If you save it to your Computer for future reference, best delete the old version and save the new one.

[Garfield]

Got the symbolic link to work from my SSD (C:\) to my HDD (E:\)... my question is say I download an aircraft/scenery addon do I drop it in the new (E:\) folder which I'm assuming is what "links" it to the actual game content?

[il88pp]

The simlink is on C.

When the system looks for a file on C:\ it is directed to the folder where it is really stored.

That is on E:\

 

I assume you are talking about having the \Airplanes folder in E:\

And the symlink on C:\

 

In that case, if you add an addon from a .zip file, by hand. You place it in the folder on E:\

And when FSX tries to load the airplane, it looks in C:\ ---> gets directed to E:\ ---> and fins the file there so you see it in FSX.

 

 

Why is that so dificult to see? (don't answer that...)

 

 

Sometimes you will have a payware aircaft with an installer. That needs to be directed to the folder on C:\

The installer will need to think the aircraft is installed in C:\

((the registry entry for fsx poins to C:\\, and the installer will check if the location for fsx matches, that is why.))

 

You direct the installer for the aircraft to C:\

But, the files that it installs..... ---> get redirected by the symlink ---> and end end up in E:\\

 

And all correct, because when FSX wants to load the files----> it looks in C:\ ----> gets redirected to E:\\ where it finds the files....

 

 

hope it is clear now?

[FlexibleFlier]

I've done all this quite successfully but still have one unresolved issue: any link created other than using the default symlink command, or left blank, creates a link folder on the original drive that mimics the contents of the true folder on the drive where the data is stored. In your example, the C:\ drive has the link folder and the E:\ drive has the actual data. The problem is that Windows Explorer reports the size of the link folder on the C:\ drive has having the same amount of data as that on the E:\ drive, even though we know the link folder is empty. So, does Windows believe that there is still data on the C:\ drive? If so, you haven't really saved any space. Well, you saved space but Windows doesn't think so and therefore you might not be able to use it.

 

Internet research verifies that this is what happens, and that it is a problem within WinExplorer, but I have yet to find an answer as to whether or not you can have access to that "saved" space.

[jandjfrench]

Hi Flex,

The space is available for use. I have verified this. I originally had a 64GB SSD and moved approx. 30GB to an HD and the room was available.

And to address Garfield's concern, the only difference I've noticed between operating on the link or the folder is if I select Delete only the link is deleted not the folder.

Jim F.

[il88pp]

Correct. Just look at the free space on c:\

 

The symlinks shows you how much data is stored "behind" it. The symlink shows 21Gb of data. And that data is on E:\

 

That is a feature, for your conveinience. Not an error in file explorer.

 

If the system checks "is file X in C\symlink" the answer will be yes. Even though the file is stored on E:\

 

If the system asks "how many files are in C:\symlink? theanswer will be 34.023 or something.

 

As far as programs, the system, everything are concerned, the files are in C:\symlink. Where they should according to those programs be.

So the programs will run fine and won't complain.

 

But the storage space that gets taken up is on E:\\ -where you have it.

 

Check free space of c:

move a folder from c to E:\

Now there's extra space on C:\

then create the symlink

You still have the same extra free space on c:\ -the space is not suddenly filled again.

[il88pp]

Or look at it this way.

 

Check free space on C:\, lets say its 140 Gb Free.

Find a large folder on E:\, let's say it contains 50Gb.

 

Now create a symlink, on C:\ that links to that folder on E:\.

The Free space on C:\ will still be 140 Gb Free.

 

Creating the symlink happens in one second. And you dont hear any drive access. No reading, no writing is taking place.

That indicates that no data is being transferred.

[Garfield]

that case, if you add an addon from a .zip file, by hand. You place it in the folder on E:\

And when FSX tries to load the airplane, it looks in C:\ ---> gets directed to E:\ ---> and fins the file there so you see it in FSX.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking and thanks for the reassurance!

 

Appreciate the help.

[evm]

I've done all this quite successfully but still have one unresolved issue: any link created other than using the default symlink command, or left blank, creates a link folder on the original drive that mimics the contents of the true folder on the drive where the data is stored. In your example, the C:\ drive has the link folder and the E:\ drive has the actual data. The problem is that Windows Explorer reports the size of the link folder on the C:\ drive has having the same amount of data as that on the E:\ drive, even though we know the link folder is empty. So, does Windows believe that there is still data on the C:\ drive? If so, you haven't really saved any space. Well, you saved space but Windows doesn't think so and therefore you might not be able to use it.

 

Internet research verifies that this is what happens, and that it is a problem within WinExplorer, but I have yet to find an answer as to whether or not you can have access to that "saved" space.

 

The link is no folder, even if it sports the same icon. It is the road sign, pointing to a city (= the actual data). And if you do what Windows explorer does, and that is googeling the city's name off the road sign, Wikipedia will tell you it has 1.000.000 inhabitants. In RW you know that it is not the sign that has that many people sitting on it - and neither does the link have any contents.

 

But it will operate as if it has. Example: Copying a symlink will actually duplicate the folder it points to, not just the reference point. That is why explorer needs to tell you the size.