Junction Error

[Siberian]

I can't create a junction from one sub-folder to another sub-folder without an error that the system cannot find the path specified ?

For example;
Source Path:
"C:\Users\<username>\Appdata\Roaming\<folderA>\<folderB>"

Target Path:
"C:\Custom Program Settings\<folderA>\"

In other words, I want the Source path specifically the sub-folder to belive that the Target path, subfolder; exists within the Source Path Subfolder ?

[Reverend Jim]

What command are you entering?

[Siberian]

mklink /J

[Reverend Jim]

Entering that command won't do anything because you haven't specified the link name or the target name. The actual format is

mklink /j link target

Make sure that you use double quotes around link and target ig either or both contain spaces. I just created a junction and the command worked properly. I typed

D:\temp>mklink /j d:\temp\splunge d:\shared

And the result was (not a complete listing)

D:\temp>dir /p
Volume in drive D is Data
Volume Serial Number is E831-ED3D

Directory of D:\temp

2015-12-10  01:04    <DIR>          .
2015-12-10  01:04    <DIR>          ..
2015-10-02  21:18    <DIR>          bob
2015-10-01  12:13    <DIR>          BtSync
2015-09-30  20:44    <DIR>          Source
2015-12-10  01:04    <JUNCTION>     splunge [d:\shared]
2014-06-12  16:44               615 .comments.txt

[Siberian]

I typed it out correctly :-(
I now get an error that the file already exists; what exactly, or strictly does this mean ?

[Reverend Jim]

If the name you are using for the new link is already in use as a file name then mklink cannot create the junction. For example, in D:\temp I have a file named test.avi. This is what happens when I run mklink:

D:\temp>mklink /j test.avi d:\shared
Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

In typical Micosoft fashion, the error message is misleading. It should say

Cannot create link because a file with that name already exists.

[Siberian]

What if they are two different paths; shouldn't it work ?

[Siberian]

I'm trying to create symbolic a link for Sublime-text;

I want the following path, to be tricked as though the files which exists in this path
C:\Custom Program Settings\Sublime-Packages

are really in this path;
C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\Sublime Text 2\Packages

mklink /j "C:\Custom Program Settings\Sublime-Packages" "C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\Sublime Text 2\Packages"
Cannot create a file when that file already exists ?

[nullptr]

To achieve what you are wanting to do, you need to move all the files from C:\Custom Program Settings\Sublime-Packages to C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\Sublime Text 2\Packages and then Delete C:\Custom Program Settings\Sublime-Packages.

Once you've done that the mklink command will work.
i.e. All files destined for C:\Custom Program Settings\Sublime-Packages will be directed to C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\Sublime Text 2\Packages

Or is it the other way around?

mklink /j <link path> <Target>
(<link path> must not already exist)

mklink /j "C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\Sublime Text 2\Packages" "C:\Custom Program Settings\Sublime-Packages"
Where "C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\Sublime Text 2\Packages" must not already exist.

[Siberian]

I see, both directories can't exist, or files.

[nullptr]

The target directory with files can exist, but the link directory must not initially exist as an on disk directory.

[Siberian]

Yes, why one directory / file must be deleted.

[nullptr]

Yes, why one directory / file must be deleted.

If you mean the link source, it would be so that an empty directory or file can be created with the correct reparse attributes.

[Siberian]

Yes, that is what I mean't ;-)