John Drago wrote:
I'm desperately trying to get this to work so that I can upgrade to iOS 7. (My SSD is nearly full, thanks to Steam Games.)
I'm using the mklink command and get the error "Cannot create a file when that file already exists". But it does not exist - I'm creating a new directory on a HDD with little else on it.
I'm using: mklink /j "C:\Users,etc\Backup" "E:\Newbackup"
Sivampeta Prajwal wrote:
I am unable to access the command mlink.Am using winxp sp 2.
jgeekw wrote:
I keep getting a "syntax of the command is incorrect" error. I am copying your text and just modifying the target directory (mine is E:). Any ideas would be helpful.
jgeekw wrote:
ok I got mine to work. Here's what I did: instead of using the shortcut directory (%APPDATA%....), I typed out the entire directory path and it worked. Hope this helps.
WeedWhackerDood wrote:
This is a great process! I have been backing up Crapple iTunez data and it has eaten up tons of HDD space. Speaking with Crapple Lack of Customer No Support, where they informed me that the default backup path could not be changed. Finding this process has enabled me to clear space off of my SSD and dump this data to another locally attached HDD.
NOTE: I tried to create the link to place the data onto my NAS, however, that would not work and I had to point it to a local HDD. I REALLY want my data on my NAS as it is protected via RAID and I can always rely on that storage location vs. loss of my secondary HDD.
Thanks for the process, it has saved me and I have sent the article to Crapple with a HUGE SMILE on my face.
Jaffar Shariff wrote:
Hi Guys I use Windows XP and I'm stuck at the stage when you say to hold the shift key and right click at window pane... I dont get the option "open cmd prompt here" option at all what do I do?
Nick wrote:
I am doing everything right, or so I think, and as you can see on the image I get a DOS syntax error. I also tried different combinations after using DOS help but had no lack. I am on Windows 7 64 bit.
Vincent Tan wrote:
Hi
I have tried the symbolic link but all new backup will still take up space in the OS drive (c:)!
Does this mean that i have to keep changing name whenever the local drive is full again?
John wrote:
I was also getting a "The syntax of the command is incorrect." error, and the issue was that I had copied and pasted the command from the article and then edited the destination path. The problem with doing that turned out to be (for me at least) that the curly quotes are copied over but displayed like straight quotes, so it's not obvious that the "underlying" character is not a normal straight quote. I fixed the problem by leaving everything intact from the pasted command in the article except that I deleted each of the four quotes from the pasted version and typed those characters in the command shell.
[[Or, rather, you could see this in the attached screenshot except that apparently new users are not allowed to upload images.] You can see this from the attached screenshot - the first of the three attempts is the pasted version, while the third is the same but with the quotes deleted and typed - but both versions look identical! (The second shown was an attempt to do it without the full path, since I was in the right directory, but had the same problem due to the "hidden" curly quotes in the destination.)]
Note to author: updating the article to use straight quotes would prevent this problem from happening for future users. That said, thank you so much for this solution - great tidbit learned! (Just as I'm considering switching over to OSX. Sigh.)
-- John
Mark Owen wrote:
One of the problems of having iTunes backups is storage space. It’s a huge problem if you run a Windows machine with a lot of software / data in the C: Drive. This is because iTunes, by default, puts all the backup data into the C: drive and there’s no way to move this location from within iTunes’s preferences. (You can only move the media folder).
So what do you do when you find yourself in a fix where iTunes backups are eating up a lot of space and you absolutely need to move them out of the C: drive? Here’s what you can do:
Before we begin, you should read this primer on iTunes backups and what we’re trying to do.
1. iTunes backups are stored in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup where <username> is your Windows uersname. This is the default location and we can’t change this. iTunes is configured to put all the backup data into this folder. 2. What we’re going to do is this: create a new Backup folder in D:\ (or E:\) drive (wherever you prefer). And then link the original Backup folder (in the C: drive) to the new Backup folder created in another drive. Once we’ve linked them, every time iTunes tries to save a backup to the Backup folder, the files get saved into the new Backup drive. This keeps your C: drive free.How to Change iTunes Backup Location in Windows:
Step 1: Create a new Backup folder.
Open D: or E: (your preference) Create a new folder and name it BackupStep 2: Create a symbolic link to the new backup folder.
(For this step, make sure you are logged in as the administrator)Open the command prompt (Start → Run → type “cmd” and hit enter) Type the following code into the terminal window:• Make sure that you type the correct folder location for new backup folder. If you have it created in the E: drive, you should type E:\Backup in place of D:\Backup.
• Also, on some computers, the Apple Computer folder might have a slightly different location. You just have to check the location-bar to figure it out and make the necessary changes.
The mklink /J command creates a symbolic link to the new folder from the old one. It’s like creating a shortcut of D:\Backup from the original MobileSync\Backup folder. You can test the effect by double-clicking on the Backup folder in MobileSync. It will take you to the new Backup folder.
Step 3: Test
Next up is testing via iTunes. Delete (or cut-paste) all existing backups in the MobileSync folder. Then, connect your iPhone and allow it to backup. You’ll notice that the new backups are created in D:\Backup (or wherever you created the new backup folder).
@lbeck wrote:
Everything works until creation of the junction. I paste the command:
mklink /J "%APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "E:\iTunes Backup"
at C:\Users\Lee\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync>
and get the return The syntax of the command is incorrect.
I also have created the folder E:\iTunes Backup thinking that it must be found by the mklink command, and have tried removing quotes, spaces, and just about every change that I can think of.
I'm running win 7 pro 64 bit.
What am I doing that invokes the syntax error?
@BirchRW wrote:
I was so pleased to find this article. I followed all the instructions... Everything went as suggested.... I even managed to backup an old iPhone (with little data) as a "test run" & it all worked perfectly..... UNTIL.....
1/ I tried to backup my current iPhone (which has a lot of photo, videos etc).... It went for about an hour... & then failed citing "lack of space"....
2/ I tried to move a previous backup to the new folder on G..... It went for about an hour.... & then stopped.... Saying there was a reason this action could not be completed.... It didn't tell me the reason....
3/ During my many MANY re-attempts I noticed that my "C" disk remaining available space dropped at the same rate as the "G" remaining space....
I spent 24 continuous hours trying this method now to no avail.... & lost a whole days work. I really would appreciate it if someone could comment..... I am beyond distraught....
Thanks
@Tomas_Guillen wrote:
Hi! I had no problem with the changing my backup location. I think a possible area that you might have made an error was typing in the command consol. Make sure you literally copy everything, even the quotations and space. The only thing you want to change is the drive.
My drive is name E: so in the command the second phrase for me was "E:\Backup". After hitting enter it should say "Junction created for C:\Users\etc." It's really crucial that to command and the folder have the same name. If you want to make the folder a little more hidden (which is what I did) then you could use "E:\Program Files\iTunes\Backup" which is where I saved mine...
Lastly if you successfully ensure that the junction was created preform the test where you place a text document and see if it was pushed to the secondary drive. I believe you were getting those error messages because iTunes was still backing up to your smaller drive.
Reply if you have any other problems!
@Tomas_Guillen wrote:
You're problem may lie in that "iTunes Backup" isn't what you named the folder on your secondary drive. Make sure that whatever the name was you chose for your secondary drive name is the same name you enter in the command line.
Hope that helps!
@smaointe wrote:
Hello, I'm having issues performing the tutorial mentioned above. Well, let me back up. I had success creating a new back up location to begin with. I moved the back from my C drive to my external HD (F drive). However, ever since I've done that I notice that the backups sometimes freeze and I've had random glitches with my new phone. So now I want to move the back up folder to my other internal HD D drive. However, after performing the steps above it continuously creates a backup folder in my C drive under the original file directory (appdata>apple computer>mobile sync etc). When I click on that folder I get an error message, which I am copying word for word below:
C:\Users\Gabriel\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup refers to a location that is unavailable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer, or on a network. Check to make sure that the disk is properly inserted, or that you are connected to the Internet or your network, and then try again. If it still cannot be located, the information might have been moved to a different location.
I'm totally lost as to what to do here. On my F drive I only have the one folder labeled iTunes Backup. There is no AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer etc info attached to this folder, which is why I think there is a problem. Kinda desperate to move this backup back onto my internal HD. Please help!
@dpb wrote:
I am not sure which OS you have...I am on Windows 7 (Command Prompt might be different on yours).
Once I copied the link in the post for the command prompt with CTRL+C, I'll right-click within the title bar of command prompt and choose
EDIT and PASTE followed by pressing ENTER.
@YanWo wrote:
I can also paste to the command window by right clicking the prompt and clicking paste.
@jkitc wrote:
Here's a neat trick,while still in the command prompt in the MobileSync folder, type in dir and ENTER and it will show this: JUNCTION Backup B:\iTunes Backup
This is another verification that the symbolic link was created.
@roelw wrote:
Not quite clear on one point: I want to move all my iTunes files to another disk, not just the backup. If I follow these instructions, can I delete my files on C:? If not, what's the best way to transfer my iTunes library tom another drive?
Roel
