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Maintain duplicate files with same/ different names on a Windows NTFS drive? Use junctions, symbolic or hard links?

I've read junctions, symbolic links and hard links, but its unclear how the relationships work when the duplicate files are same/ different names and how to eliminate the double space being taken on disk.

How to move/ or delete:

  • the second copy {the duplicate being eliminated from disk space}
  • the first copy {the duplicate holding the file data on disk space for both files}
Alex S
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  • Look at the table in http://ss64.com/nt/mklink.html. It tells you how to delete the various kinds of link. – DavidPostill Nov 15 '15 at 10:07
  • So looking at that chart: If I have file Abc.pdf and Xyz.pdf both duplicates of each other in different folders of the same drive.. Q1: To save space, How should I make a relations between them while retaining different names, yet maintain integrity. Q2: What to do when I want to unjoin them and have again 2 files? Wont the deletion of link cause one file to disappear? – Alex S Nov 15 '15 at 10:22
  • "Hard Links are implemented with multiple file table entries that point to the same inode – the same as Unix hard links. If the original filename is deleted, the hard link will still work - it points directly to the data on disk." – DavidPostill Nov 15 '15 at 10:24
  • You can test the different kinds of links (with data you don't mind losing if you make a mistake) and see which works best for your situation. – DavidPostill Nov 15 '15 at 10:25

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