Windows 10: KB4512508 deletes user made junctions and symbolic links

My system was normal today when I booted it up. but after KB4512508 installed it self, before even rebooting the system, all my symbolic links and junctions got deleted. the did not get broken, they got deleted. the endpoint for the junction no longer exist. and the desktop icons that referred to stuff in the directoried made via junctions are showing as broken. on top of that, Steam opened up when I booted up my system for the day. but after the update installed it self, all of a sudden all my games were saying that the executable was missing. this is what alerted me that something had gone wrong. I am now having to go back and re-create all of my junctions and symbolic links - *SARCASM* THANKS FOR THAT M$! if you were gonna pull this type of stunt with an update the least you could have done is give you userbase a warning. BTW.... all the M$ created junctions and symbolic links are just fine. so it is definitely the update, not anything else. other wise I would have broken junctions and the like. thanks for yet another big FU to your loyal customers.

:)

 

Symbolic link (Junction/s), how-to mklink? Please help with Junction?


Hi all, having been a member at Seven then Ten forums for a fair while I'm hoping to find a straight answer here..? Apologies in advance if this is too verbose.
Windows 10 system booting from (UEFI) NVME with 2xSSDs + 2 MHDDs for storage...

An application (Xperia Companion) which will not let me select or personalise the location for saving backups of my cellular phone data...

Think I found a fair definition of the differences at the Computer hope site which would suggest it's a Junction I need:

I want Xperia companion to save backups to F:\Sony Backups NOT the default C:\Users\GD\Documents\Sony. Would the Junction (link) allow me to to fulfill my wants and could someone please demonstrate the mklink commands needed?

with thanks and regards,
Dave

 

SYmbolic Links and Junctions

rd /s <name>

All versions of Win10 have mklink that can make both dir symbolic links and junctions. Create a dir junction for your use case using
mklink /j.

Define "better". I'm sure there are apps that do the same thing, either independently by calling the Win32 API functions or by acting as mere frontends to mklink itself. IMO if you can use mklink properly why should you need anything else?

 

SYmbolic Links and Junctions

In Windows 10 Pro , I am attempting to move the User Data directory C:\Users\m\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data to D:\Chrome Cache and Profile\User Data. In connection with that I added the following command in the Command Prompt window (run as administrator)
to make a junction.

mklink /J "C:\Users\m\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data" "D:\Chrome Cache and Profile\User Data"

I was following the procedure outlined here

Change Cache Location In Google Chrome

However the link is not working perhaps because I did not get the User Data directory moved correctly to D:\Chrome Cache and Profile\. I have the following questions

1. How do I delete the Junction link I made so I can start over? I prefer to use the Command Prompt window rather than find it in Explorer and delete it there because t when I go looking for it in Explorer I can't find it.

2. Does Windows 10 Pro allow Junctions to be made or should I use a Symbolic Link to D:\Chrome Cache and Profile\User Data? Which would be best if both can be used?

3. Is mklink via the command prompt the best way to do this? Or is there a better way?

I used a number of symbolic links on another computer a few years ago moving some directories from a small solid state drive to a larger hard drive and had no problem.

Thanks for any help you can give me.