Apologies that this explanation is so long. My Windows 10 laptop has a small (SSD) C: Drive and 1 TB additional D: drive. iTunes uses an obscene amount of space and necessitates installing only the program itself into C: drive and everything else into D: drive, using a symbolic link to trick iTunes into placing all of my assorted Apple devices backup files in D: drive. I had this working perfectly for 2 years or so, since I was forced to migrate to a laptop with 2 drives and Windows 10 and had to figure out how to manage it all. A week ago today (Mon.) I backed up my iPhone XS Max to iTunes as I've done before and then used the encrypted iTunes backup to set up my new iPhone 12 Pro Max and everything went well, as it has with every new iPhone set up using the same method since 2010. The next day (Tues) I opened iTunes to make a backup of my new iPhone because I'd made a few changes in the past 24 hours. The backup process went on for more than an hour before I killed the process. Opening iTunes to look at the listings of saved backups (I had done this the nite before also), all of the saved backups were gone! That field was completely blank. Monday overnite there was a Windows 10 Update. I'm thinking that it broke my symbolic link. This brings me to my question. I used the line below in a Command Window to create the original link. I thought perhaps I could do it again and fix the problem but I get an error message that it already exists, even though it's not operative. I found the second command to remove the link but I'm unsure of the exact way to write it. Would I use the original wording except instead of MkLink use rmdir and the rest of the path? I'm not educated in this stuff. Will that even accomplish what I need or am I going to have to buy a new laptop? ORIGINAL WORKING SYMBOLIC LINK MkLink /J "%AppData%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\MobileSync\Backup" SUGGESTED ENTRY IN COMMAND WINDOW TO REMOVE LINK IN ORDER TO RECREATE AFTER RESTARTING PC "rmdir <link to directory name>" I need some help, please. Will someone do my homework for me so I can return to proper working order? This is upsetting.
Say what now? Sorry, this is over my head. I really wish I could help. Can I offer you a warm beverage? Sent from my moto g stylus using Tapatalk
*smiles ruefully* I was hoping that given the - ahem - seniority of most of us here, someone might have some working DOS skills that could maybe warn me if I was heading into the abyss. At this point, I don't think a warm bevvie's going to do it. Maybe something a little higher octane. But thanks for the offer. I may end up using this as an excuse to ditch this wretched laptop that I've never loved and get a newer, better one and start fresh. Throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Over my head too. I would suggest you delete the backup folder on the D drive and then recreate it before making the symlink with MkLink. See if this search turned up anything helpful. I've never used Windows Symlinks, sorry. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffnt&q=Symlink+iTunes+Windows+10&atb=v118-1&ia=web
Thanks, Hook. I had thought that I would be able to enter the original command and write over whatever was broken but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. As long as there is a command line record of the created link, I get an error line telling me that it can't be created because it already exists. I had deleted the destination file and the origination file, too, and it didn't change a thing. It's like I still have the half mile of (invisible) string but the tin cans at both ends are gone.
My work on this last night was rudely interrupted by the Sleep Fairy (or Mr Sandman, not sure), but this looked promising, to my ignorant eye: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-take-advantage-of-symbolic-links-in-window-10/ Good luck!
Thanks, RA. I find that there are many fine articles instructing how to create the link process but it's a lot harder to find anything instructive RE: remove or remove/recreate one. This line from the link that you so kindly provided: I'm filled with joy that the author breezes thru this but I wish he'd TELL ME EXACTLY HOW TO DO THAT FOR MYSELF! HOW DID HE DO IT? After 3 years, I doubt that the author is still reachable via the links at the bottom of the piece, but I'm just about desperate enough to give that a shot.
I've never used symbolic links in all my years. So... now you're piquing my interest. From what little I've seen so far, your creation command looks right. However, your deletion command looks wrong. A symbolic link acts like a file, not a directory. Supposedly, you use the del <symbolic link> command. So... I'm gonna have to go figure this out now... Referencing this: https://www.computerhope.com/mklink.htm
I misread that. You are correct. rmdir <system link> I just created a system link, and deleted one on the root of my C: that pointed to a folder on my G: drive. I opened the symlink and dropped in a file, and then checked the G: folder and it was there. Deleting the syslink via rmdir <syslink> removed the link and left the folder intact.
Thanks, hc. I have that same page open on a tab, along with about half-dozen others. I suspect that you're correct in that there are some specific details that need to be clarified so that I don't do something unforgivable. I appreciate any and all eyeballs on this ridiculously personal-to-me issue. I gave up hope last week of figuring out how it happened and would be gloriously grateful if I could remedy the present situation and recreate another link to return to previous success.
