I no longer have the installer.

 

Finally!! It works.
1) I copied Arturia to D:\Arturia - not D:\ProgramData\Arturia
2) I deleted the Arturia folder from C:\ProgramData
3) I did Pick Link Source on the D:\Arturia
4. In the C:\ProgramData folder I right clicked an empty space and did "Drop As ..." Junction

 

Just saw you got it working. Great.
I usually use Symlinks as opposed to junctions.
I can't recall the different though.
I remember once i HAD to use a "HARD link" to make some link for a single file work.
I think it was a Vst2 .dll or something.
But usually Symlinks work fine.

I looked it up:
"Symlinks are more versatile, supporting files, folders, relative paths, and network paths, but require admin rights.
Junctions are limited to local folders, use absolute paths, and don't require admin rights."

Anyway it is great to be able to do this for large libraries, etc.

 

Last edited: Mar 26, 2026

Yes, well I use cut and paste (not copy and past), so it was already gone after the move.

 

Always safer to copy/paste and then delete.

 

I read that Junction links are more robust - whatever that means.

 

Things to keep in mind when using symlinks:

Windows issues:
1) COPYING:
When copying a folder that contains symlinks, Windows (in my experience) will not copy the symlink properly and will instead create a new empty folder of that name.

For that reason, I tend to use FreeFileSync for copying folders that contain multiple symlinks.
And I also use NTFSLinksView, which FINDS symlinks.
Having a shortcut to NTFSLinksView in a context menu (or at least in the "Send To" folder) is a real help when doing major renovations.
Unfortunately I do not know how to make it actually look at the intended folder using %1 etc., but pasting the path works.

2) SEARCHING:
Windows searching will not show results THROUGH the link.
You must be in the actual folder for it to find items.
(These first two I consider pathetic failures on the part of Microsoft, as Windows should know what symlinks are)
==================================
Other programs handle symlinks in different ways, so try to check the programs' options before doing stuff that might involve copying, archiving, etc, directories that include symlinks.

For example:
- FreeFileSync will either copy as a symlink, or copy the target folder when syncing.
In most cases it seems best to just copy the Symlink as a Symlink, to exactly mirror the folder.
BUT it is set by default to copy the target, so I change that.

- Winrar can store symbolic links as links & store hard links as links, but to extract the links, you must be running Winrar as admin and can't simply extract using the context menu, because one needs to select the "Advanced" tab and choose "Extract full paths" and that setting does not seem to get saved.
So you must choose "Open with WinRAR" then choose "Advanced" tab, etc.
(The other required option is on the same "Advanced" tab: "Allow absolute paths in symbolic links", but that option for some reason seems to get saved.)
So, WinRAR ends up sucking for routine use with symlinks, and 7-Zip is worse as it compresses the target of the link into the archive (unless that is what you actually WANT).

There may be better file managers when it comes to symlinks
Total Commander? (I guess not - It copies the target to the new location instead of the link as a link. Can't find any options for it)

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2026

Don't you repack them?

 

I repack most in my own way.
Unfortunately I never figured out how R2R pack them so well.
They have magic for everything

 

I'm too lazy to check, but I think the 7-Zip ZS fork might let you pick larger dictionaries / word size than the official branch?

 

Thanks for taking the time to post these symlink tips. Could come in handy.

 

I was able to find my original install folder for GForce M-Tron Pro. I reinstalled and put the data on D drive. That saved a bunch of space on C drive.