folder link bug

spd · Post by *spd » 2011-12-18, 16:20 UTC

Hello,

I've run across a strange bug. I usually do this procedure when I want to install the system on a new (or newly formatted, but other) hard disk:
- plug out the old hard disk, plug in the new one (so the win installer won't create boot menu to reach the old windows installation, and so one)
- install the system onto the new disk (in this case, this has a 64GB (C: ) and a bigger partition (D: ))
- when ready, plug back the old disk (E: ), copy the user profile files, program files and so one to the new partition, so many programs not recognize the win reinstall (mail folders, IM things, browser history, and so on).

This thing still works in Win7 without any problem *if i kill the UAC*. If not, TC won't copy some files which it can't access (sometimes without a word, so you can't spot it just from the directory sizes). If you switch off the UAC, this problem not coming up.

And now the real bug I've run into:
I've found many links in the folder E:\Users (in my old profile folder) which points smewhere into C:\, eg.: "e:\Users\spd\Local Settings" -> "c:\Users\spd\AppData\Local" -- this thing is an annoying windows feature, but acceptable and works nice in TC.

But the when I step into the "e:\Users\All Users" I get into the "e:\Users\All Users\", which is on the C:... the TC shows the capacity of C: (64GB), but the path still shows E:... If I delete something from here, that file will dropped from the C:

Is this a windows bug, or the TC has some problem with some kind of folder links?

Does some app or TC plugin exist which can recognize and delete the non-boot links (in the old user profile directories)?

(I have an image, but google translate says something about linking on the forum... maybe next day)

I've forgot one important thing: it was in the v7.56a, but I've tried the 8.0 beta 13 x64, which doing the same...

PS: I moved the picture link from my signature to here:

See the attached image to identify this strange stuff:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/39/27472536.jpg/
(E: old HD with one 1.5TB partiton, C: 64GB new system partition)

spd · Post by *spd » 2011-12-18, 16:47 UTC

Hm. I've found two different types of folder link:
1.) if you press a space staying on this kind of link nothing happens, the size row still shows <LNK> If you enter into it, you get the real location where the link points.
This has a properties sheet with these tabs:
general | sharing | security | previous versions | customize

2.) the buggy one: by pressing a space TC calculates its size, entering into it shows the confused thing mentioned above. If you ask its properties (alt+enter), a different kind of properties sheet shows up:
previous versions | customize
general | shortcut | sharing | security

MVV · Post by *MVV » 2011-12-18, 17:46 UTC

There are two generic types of links used in Windows - junctions and symbolic links. It is Windows itself returns C: as root for folder which is physically on drive C: (and it is logical since it shows e.g. how many files you can copy into that folder). Windows shows tab 'Shortcut' for symbolic links. You may use my NTLinks plugin to detect link type (junction or symlink).

However such links are not for copying between volumes since TC and Explorer kill links (so you get just regular folders with copy of data instead).

BTW if you need to copy/move user-protected data you may simply start TC in elevated mode (with admin rights) instead of disabling UAC.

spd · Post by *spd » 2011-12-18, 18:10 UTC

Hence I cannot post links into the reply, i'm trying it into my signature. TC shows a path beginning with E: 1.5TB partition, but that directory is on the C: 64GB one. I bet this is a bug

MVV · Post by *MVV » 2011-12-19, 06:50 UTC

spd, I repeat, it is not a bug. TC asks Windows which volume folder belongs to. And Windows answers that this folder belongs to volume C:, so TC shows free space details for that drive. And I think it is more correct than to show free space of volume E:. Files in that folder are physically kept on volume C: (if you delete them or copy new files, it will affect on C: volume only, not on E: which just holds link to folder).

Same happens when you open e.g. network folder - TC will show you free and total space of volume that holds shared folder (even if that folder is on remote machine).

spd · Post by *spd » 2011-12-19, 16:12 UTC

My problem is: the path shows e:, while TC displays the space on C:, and the files are on c:, too.

The top pair is the strange to me, the bottom pair is okay:

Image: http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4091/tc2yt.png

When you attach a network drive letter, eg. q: to a remote system (for example to a file server), and when you switch to that from c:, then you can see the space for q: and the path beginning with q:, and not the local volume path beginning with c: and the network free space.

MVV · Post by *MVV » 2011-12-19, 16:48 UTC

spd wrote:My problem is: the path shows e:, while TC displays the space on C:, and the files are on c:, too.

As I said, it is by design. All Users is a symbolic link that points to C:\ProgramData folder on C: drive, that's why TC shows C: free space when you inside of that link.

spd · Post by *spd » 2011-12-19, 17:54 UTC

Ok, if I want to know what is the real location of a file I can only find it out from the displayed volume size and free capacity...* I'm still trying to accept it... btw, it will be one more point to hate the new windows system

I've tried your plugin that can find all the links in a directory, it will help a lot, thank you for the plugin and for your help!

* if I delete this, the c:\programdata\... file will be deleted. How the heck will I know, where are these files?...
Image: http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/1863/tc3o.jpg

MVV · Post by *MVV » 2011-12-19, 17:58 UTC

My plugin provides special field that shows REAL path of file or folder. You may add it e.g. into file tooltip as I did and it will show you physical path - as if you resolve all reparse points.

Configuration - Display - 'User-defiled' - Add - e.g. *.* - Real path: [=ntlinks.Obj_RealPath]\n...

BTW theese symlinks under Users are not for user, they are for old programs that try to find user data using old paths.

spd · Post by *spd » 2011-12-19, 18:50 UTC

It works

Image: http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2848/tc4v.jpg

Thank you very much!

BTW theese symlinks under Users are not for user, they are for old programs that try to find user data using old paths.

Okay, I know what are these links for, but I didn't understand their behavior. I just wanted to delete the old windows installation from the other hard drive, which led starting to grow the free space on the volume that holds the actual one... by now, it's clear

MVV · Post by *MVV » 2011-12-19, 19:48 UTC

If you have Windows installed on E: (%SystemDrive% is E:), you may edit symlink targets (via Attributes dialog and NTLinks plugin - but start elevated TC copy because it is required to edit symlinks) and change C: to E: in their paths. Don't forget that some programs may require files that are already created on a wrong drive via symlinks.

In case of symlinks you may replace absolute paths with relative (leave just \ProgramData), but it won't work with junctions. You may know reparse point type using [=ntlinks.Obj_Type] field. Also, symlinks have additional property page as you noticed already.