Windows 10: Show system MKLINK active

Hello,

how I can see the "mklinks" that are active now in my OS?

Or someone should remember it in mind? *Shock

That's because if I do "MKLINK /?" I don't have something related to "show" them...

:)

 

Rename pinned items in Windows Explorer? (Quick Access)

Open the command prompt as an Admin. Navigate to your user folder.

Example cd c:\users\login

You can go one folder at a time as well if you want

cd\

cd users

cd "your name"

cd "new folder"

The quote can help when you have a multi word folder name

Once in the new folder use mklink to make a junction to the folder you want.

mklink /j "Name" "location"

So in this case lets say you want the system32 folder on quick access called system stuff

mklink /j "System Stuff" "c:\windows\system32"

You should now have a System Stuff folder that can be pinned.

This method has 2 downfalls, but they may not be an issue for you.

Using a junction does NOT work over a network /d allows for a symbolic link, but that is another story. Also note that pinning a symbolic link made to a network share will show the drive letter.

As far as windows is concerned the files will reside in the c : \ users \ name \ new folder \ system stuff folder. The shortcut arrow will show it as a junction. Programs will think the files are in your
users folder. They do not actually waste any space.

Source: Change Names in Quick Access - Windows 10 Forums

 

mklink /D - symbolic link created but file access is denied via the link

I have been struggling with the EXACT same issue with mklink for months. Now it is no longer an issue and no longer errors out. Did the permission chain for mklink changed in build 14926???

For anyone that is having this issue, turn on Insider Previews get the Fast build. It should install build 14926.

I can now mklink /D, mklink /J, mklink file1 file2 without problems.

Can a Microsoft Representative confirm that the permission chains in Group Policy were 'fixed'?

 

Check out Windows Sysinternals: Documentation, downloads and additional resources

Use Junction -s to list links under current folder

Junction

Junction is also a better tool than MKLink for creation and management

 

Then I will start to use it.

Thank you.

 

Hi,

sorry If I am back but I need your help again.

I have two mklink in my disk C:

IF I do:

Junction.exe -s C:

The process is very SLOW and I have 100 entries with many "Failed to read...".

IT's impossible to read the results, there are too many entries and I cannot find my TWO links.

I tried in two computers and with admin privileges too, the same bad results.

Could you tell me if I wrong something? Or maybe, there is a string in the REGEDIT that I can looking for the user's mklink activated?

 

There is the FindLink applet in Sysinternals which can help find links to a specific file, if that is something that will help FindLinks but is probably not usefull here as you are looking for a link to a folder, of course if you have the name of file(s) that is located in the folder you are looking for ... which is why I mention it

The issue with SymLinks in a modern OS System Drive is that they are everywhere and a lot are owned by the TrustedInstaller user which has a special rights position and is actually above a regular Administrator Group User. - Also the whole System Security methodology for windows is based around the links in some system folders, WinSXS and other folders are full of them, which causes the issues you are seeing, the only way to get around this is to start the search lower down the file tree

Another option to reduce the access errors is to run the search as the Hidden Full Administrator which should have access to everything - this would also hopefully speed things up as the failure messages take time to generate

Am not certain but as far as I know a SymLink is a self contained object without any reference in the Registry

EDIT

Just came across this windows - View a list of symbolic links on system? - Super User that has two options that may work - redirecting the output to a text file could also allow you to search the results more easily - in CMD it's adding >> c:\output.txt to the end of the command - but not sure of powershell syntax

 

NTFSLinksView - View NTFS symbolic links and junction points to show junctions etc.

Link Shell Extension to view and manage links in File Explorer

 

Thanks, I will try them all.

 

Thanks for the NirSoft pointer/reminder, Fafhrd: I'd forgotten about this handy little tool. For exploration, it beats the pants off the otherwise excellent SysInternals junction too. I've got NirLauncher pinned to the Start10 menu, simply because it's so handy to have easy access to the whole suite of tools/utilities.
--Ed--

PS: the SpecialFoldersView tool is also handy for jumping into some of the most frequently-used symlinks based Folders as well.

 

Ed, you might want to take a look at KLS SOFT - WSCC - Windows System Control Center which also gives access to Nirsoft Utilities But also to Sysinternals and Windows own *Wink

 

Thanks, Barman! I know it's a great recommendation because I used to run WSCC on an earlier iteration of my current production system. Here's a link to an article I wrote about WSCC for TechTarget in March 2013: Windows System Control Center organizes utilities for admin toolboxes. I got tired of the constant (manual) updates and reverted back to NirLauncher. Maybe I should take another look!
Thanks again,
--Ed--

 

WSCC has got it's own built in updater.

 

The updater is manual but of course it only updates when the actual tool is updated, and as it's not good practice to run an out of date tool it's my current practice to run the updater each time I use the WSCC, before any actual work. When I was using the tool many times a day I would run the update once a day at start of business.

There is also Automatically Update SysInternals Tools with SysInternals Updater which could be run on a schedule for heavy users, not aware of a similar app for Nirsoft but it may be available

 

I should have clarified that the constant need for updating WSCC just got wearing after a while. I agree that it's both necessary and justified that a huge collection of tools would need constant updating: it just started to bother me to have to keep doing so. I guess I need to get back with the program. I'm going to install it on one of my VMs and live with it for a while and see how it goes. Thanks!
--Ed--