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Create a symbolic link on Windows 10

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Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member -  
Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member -

Hello experts, I need your help!

I’m trying to perform an operation on my PC (LENOVO ideapad 310-15IKB) and I'm stuck at this stage: I want to move files from a large folder on my main hard drive C:\, which is almost out of space, to my external hard drive D:\, which is already integrated into the PC.

While searching a bit on the internet, I came across the method to create a symbolic link, and I successfully created the source path, but I can't seem to redirect it to the destination on my external hard drive. When I'm in the command prompt and I enter the path I've chosen, it tells me "'/D' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

I also followed a tutorial to modify the system environment variables and add the path I wanted, but I'm still getting the same message. Maybe I didn't enter the right command, but I've already tried several and I don't know what else to do.

Thanks in advance!

2 answers

  1.
    jee pee Posted messages 9458 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   10 013
     

    Hello,

    You should provide us with the commands you are running and the link to the manipulation you are performing.

    For example, I want to create a new symbolic directory on C, which will give me access to the images currently on D:

    mklink /D "C:\Photos" "D:\Photos"
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    1. Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member 2
       

      So for the starting link on C:\ no problem, it is well recognized, I typed the command:

      cd "C:\Users\etc...."

      and for the destination command on D:\ that's where I have a doubt. I tried mklink /D + the path on my external hard drive, with quotes, without quotes, with or without spaces, in short, quite a few combinations, none of which worked

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      1. jee pee Posted messages 9458 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   10 013 > Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member
         

        The command consists of 2 names, the symbolic link that will be created on C, it must not exist beforehand, and the existing physical directory on D: as in my command, C:\Photos, the future symbolic link does not exist, D:\Photos exists

        mklink /D "C:\Photos" "D:\Photos"
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      2. Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member 2 > jee pee Posted messages 9458 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention  
         

        Thank you for your response, but I need clarification because I'm not sure I understood correctly. In what order should we create the symbolic link? I thought we had to create the folder where we were going to move the files first, but the problem I have now is that if I leave the folder in D:\ (the final destination) and delete the folder in C:\, it shows me the message "Cannot create a file that already exists," and conversely, if I leave the folder in C:\ and try to do the operation, it tells me "The specified path was not found." I admit I'm lost here lol

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  2. jee pee Posted messages 9458 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   10 013
     

    If you have photos in C:\Photos, you need to move them to d:\photos.

    When C:\Photos is empty (make sure to check), you need to delete the folder and then create the link

     mklink /D "C:\Photos" "D:\Photos"

    But which folder is actually concerned? Because certain specific Windows folders can be moved without using this method.

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    1. Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member 2
       

      So to explain exactly what I'm trying to do: I want to move a folder containing several subfolders that is located in C:\ where there are files that allow me to play a video game. This folder is very large (17 GB) and my C:\ drive is almost full. So I want to move it to D:\, but for the game to work, it must "think" that the folder is still in C:\ and someone suggested creating a symbolic link.

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      1. jee pee Posted messages 9458 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   10 013 > Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member
         

        So if C:\game creates a D:\game

        move all files from c:\game to D:\game

        delete c:\game (if it is empty)

         mklink /D "C:\game" "D:\game"
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      2. Meguitou Posted messages 19 Status Member 2 > jee pee Posted messages 9458 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention  
         

        That's exactly what I typed as the command, but it says "the specified path is not found." I copied the folder from C:\ to D:\ and then removed the folder in C:\ which was permanently deleted because it was too large to remain in the recycle bin, and since then I'm stuck.

        My command was as follows:

         mklink /D “C:\Users\My name\Documents\Game” “D:\Game”
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