PowerShell script to create symbolically linked (mklink) copies of WoW

There have been a couple of threads about creating copies of WoW using NTFS smybolic links (Vista mklink command). This approach has advantages over creating separate physical copies:

• Reduced disk activity since the OS only loads the physical files once
• Easier patching since only one physical copy of WoW needs to be patched
• Easier add-on maintenance since all clones share the parent add-on directory
• Why waste disk space if you don't have to?

I found it kind of a pain and very error-prone (at least for me) to manually type the commands for 5x copies of WoW when I was setting up, so I wrote a PowerShell script to do it automatically. It creates links for all of the WoW binaries and all of the read-only data directories. It does not link the WTF directory (video settings, saved variables, macros, etc.) to avoid collisions between settings on different accounts. I tried linking invidiaul files within this directory, but I found it to be more trouble than it was worth.

http://code.google.com/p/wow5box/sou...ts/New-Wow.ps1

The file below should be saved locally as "New-Wow.ps1". Instructions are in the script header.

If you get an error about the source directory not existing try using the -sourcePath parameter to specify your WoW directory.

If you get an error "The term 'cmd' is not recognized as a cmdlet, function, operable program or a script file..." make sure that c:\windows\system32 is in your path. (Environment variable PATH in Control Panel->System and Maintenance->System->Advanced System Settings->Environment Variables.)

One word of caution: Be careful if you *delete* a folder containing a symlinked sub-directory through Windows Explorer. On one occasion I somehow managed to delete the contents of the linked directories (all of my addons, etc.) by deleting a clone root directory. That's obviously a bug -- the links should be deleted, not the directories they point to -- and I haven't been able to reproduce it since. Still I have taken to deleting the linked directories individually (c:\wow1\Cache, c:\wow1\Data, etc.) rather than the root (c:\wow1) just to be safe.

[4/4/08 - Updated version w/ minor fixes]
[2/25/09 - Updated post w/ issues from thread below]
[2/11/10 - Link to latest version on google code site]

Nice work for those who aren't as adept at cmd line tools :).

I've got all my folders linked, not the WTF so I retain settings but once you dig into WTF I linked the account\[accountname]\SavedVariables and the [Servername} folders at that same location... this gives me the ability to have shared settings between all mods that support it.

Thanks, hopefully someone will find it helpful :)

WTF sharing didn't work for me primarily because of addons like Bongos that store their settings per-account. Changes from one WoW copy were constantly stomping on changes from another, so I gave up on it. Also there doesn't seem to be any good way to force clones to update their macros from offline changes without having to quit out of WoW.

If anyone wants to use this script with WFT sharing they just need to change the following:

Code:

---

    # Other linkable dirs -- ADD WTF HERE
@( 'Cache', 'Data', 'Interface', 'WTF' ) | foreach { New-WowLink $_ }
   
...
   
# Copy the WTF directory (settings) -- COMMENT THESE LINES OUT
#$wtf = (join-path $sourcePath WTF)
#copy-item $wtf WTF -recurse

---

For those of us on XP who want to run do the same, you can use junction.exe from here http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sys.../Junction.mspx

change line 83 from

Code:

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    cmd /c "mklink $d `"$link`" `"$target`"" > $null

---

to

Code:

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    cmd /c "junction $d `"$link`" `"$target`"" > $null

---

you must also remove line 124-126 as NTFS 5 does not seem to support reparsed files

Thanks for the script. I was just about to start running performance counters and was still working out the details of how to link it.

This is all fascinating to me because I would not think linking to the files would give you any change in performance while loading because the exact same files are being hammered unless by linking it's causing it to be cached in memory differently?

Also, the WTF are separated by accounts and I just browsed my WTF and I see no config files outside of each account folder so since you can only run 1 toon per account I would think that there should be no conflicts having all WTF in one place and bongos2, possessions should all work properly. Once I get a new system put together I'm going to link all account folders into one location but have the main Config.wtf separate since it contains resolution info and I'll have different sized windows running.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 'Xar',index.php?page=Thread&postID=41423#post41423

This is all fascinating to me because I would not think linking to the files would give you any change in performance while loading because the exact same files are being hammered unless by linking it's causing it to be cached in memory differently?.

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I assume that the OS resolves the links before deciding if it needs to reload the file or not. Empirically I can tell you that running 5x physical copies off 1 HD was much heavier disk usage than running them linked. Try it for yourself and see!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 'Xar',index.php?page=Thread&postID=41423#post41423

Also, the WTF are separated by accounts and I just browsed my WTF and I see no config files outside of each account folder so since you can only run 1 toon per account I would think that there should be no conflicts having all WTF in one place and bongos2, possessions should all work properly. Once I get a new system put together I'm going to link all account folders into one location but have the main Config.wtf separate since it contains resolution info and I'll have different sized windows running.

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Yeah, you can definitely do this, and the only thing you will have shard is the video settings. I was trying to share all 4 account WTFs to a single settings directory: WTF\account1 -> [clones], WTF\account2 -> [clones], etc. That let me share macros between my clones, but it also meant that the macros and the "account-wide" settings were stomping each other.

Hi Guys -
Thanks for the script Chorizotarian ! You just saved me about 40g of disc space and probably allowed me to play 5 copies off my single 7200 rpm disc :thumbsup: One thing to add: It probably depends on your user settings etc but i got and access denied error when i tried to run it. Running powershell as an admin got it working (right click the powershell icon and select "run as administrator" for anyone who doesnt know).

Powershell is also kind of helpful in that it doesnt really tell you when its done anything :huh: If you're wondering (as i was) if it doesnt throw you a big red error, its done it ok :D

Cheers again dude :thumbup:

I'm a moron. I can't believe I didn't say to run as admin. Sorry! You need admin priviliges to create the symbolic link at least, possibly for other stuff as well.

Finally got around to needing this, amazing work. Very clean and even though I'm adept at the manual creation a great time saver!

ok...i am reading this as well...can somebody point me to the proper areas on my laptop that I need to address. This will save me tons of hair pulling. I have the powershell downloaded but I am having problems getting the script to work. ex...controlpanel/something/something/something....that kind of help would be appreciated. thx

Sun once you have downloaded and installed PowerShell you should be able to run it as follows:
1) Start Menu | All Programs | Windows PowerShell
2) Right-click on the PowerShell icon and select "Run as Administrator"

That will bring up a PowerShell console, which will look a lot like a cmd.exe console. In that window, type the following:

Code:

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Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

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That tells PowerShell that you only want to require digitial signatures for scripts not stored on your local machine.

Now go up to the post at the top of the thread and copy all of the script code. Start notepad and save it to a file called "New-Wow.ps1" located somewhere in your path.

If you don't have a directory where you put cmdline executables and scripts save it to a new dir called "c:\bin" and add that to your path using "Control Panel\System and Maintenance\System" | Advanced System Settings | Environment Variables | PATH. Then restart PowerShell as before (running as administrator).

Now type this:

Code:

---

New-Wow c:\wow1

---

You should get a new symbolically linked copy of WoW at the indicated location. Obviously change it to whatever location you prefer.

Finally, be sure to read my note about possible glitches when deleteing or renaming directories containing child symbolic links through Windows explorer. If you want to delete c:\wow1, be sure to first go in and delete the symbolically linked child folders (c:\wow1\cache, etc.) directly. If you do it that way you shouldn't have any problems.

Let me know if any of this still isn't clear.

lol....this is crazy. it seems New-Wow.ps1 is a "text" file...I dont know how to make a .ps1...which Im pretty sure you want this to be.////C:\New-Wow.ps1.txt( is the actuall path) I realize I cant have .txt in there.

With Notepad you have to change the Save As Type to "All Files". Otherwise it will save the file as New-Wow.ps1.txt. Not the friendliest behavior...

You can also change the type in Windows Explorer if you enable the show file extensions for known types option. (Control Panel | Folder Options | View -> Uncheck "Hide file extensions for known types")

Double click My Computer, go to Tools / Folder Options

Click on the View Tab

Check Show Hidden Files and Folders

Uncheck Hide Extensions for known file types

Uncheck Hide Protected operating system files

When you save the file, put in the name with the extenstion.

Just under the name, under file type, choose All Files.

That should do the trick for you and enable you to find the file later should you need.

got the .txt changed to .ps1....thx...forgot how to do that part.

still cant get the script to run. pretty sure its something to do with the way you have typed in the commands versus my names of my wow folders. But im thru for the day on this. I will try again at a later time to figure this out. I just wish I had more knowledge on programming features. My knowledge is limited back to my college days with Fortran and Basic. Everything else is new to me.

If the script won't run it's probably not in your path. You can either create a bin directory in your path like I described above or type the full path on the PowerShell command line. For example to run a hello world script hello.ps1 in the non-path directory d:\xfers:

Code:

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D:\> D:\xfers\hello.ps1
hello world

---

Note that to call a script in the current working directory you need to supply a leading ".\". In other words, PowerShell doesn't automatically add the current working directory to your path.

Code:

---

D:\> cd d:\xfers

xfers> .\hello.ps1
hello world

---

What's a good simple text editor that shows line numbers? I used to use one at a previous job, but can't remember the name of the dang thing. Something freeware if possible.

Johnny

you say....If the script is not in your path:.....then.....

please give me an example of what the script in path should look like. would it be like this....C:\users\myfolders\games\New-Wow.pst\WOW1....????

I have a directory c:\bin where I put scripts and executables that I want to automatically run from the command line. To add that directory to your path use "Control Panel\System and Maintenance\System" | Advanced System Settings | Environment Variables | PATH. Then restart PowerShell as before (running as administrator).

Ok, I seem to be having issues with this and I cannot figure out the problem. I have the script running in powershell, but every time I run it I get an error at line 61, It says the source directory does not exist. I am using XP 64bit, and wow is under program files (x86) will that have an effect on this script running properly?

Also would I be correct in assuming that you changed the script to include the ability to run with XP, because when I went to change the line for junction it existed as an "else" line right afterwards?

Yes, I did add an attempt at XP support, although I haven't tested it. Let me know if it works.

Quote:

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I am using XP 64bit, and wow is under program files (x86) will that have an effect on this script running properly?

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Yeah, in that case you just need to specify the source path explicitly:

Code:

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new-wow c:\wow1 -sourcePath "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\World of Warcraft"

---

for a simple setup you could use the junction / mlink command manually - it sounds like it might save you some effort ;)

I got a PM in my email but strangely not on this forum...weird... anyway the question was about NTFS junctions.

The NTFS node table is a logical structure that holds pointers to areas of the disk containing files and folders (ok the node table will actually contain the file if it is less than the cluster size). It is capable of having multiple pointers to the same logical disk structure. Mlink on Vista and Junction.exe on 2K/2K3 & XP allow you to create reparse points, additional pointers to the same directory or file (mlink only for file). Basically think of it as a shortcut but a low level one that applications treat as a real directory.

There is some better information on how to use them in the wiki Wiki - junction, Forum - NTFS Junction and Forum - mlink

hope this helps

Thanks, good script.

Nice approach, certainly would save a heapof time when patching. Has anyone done any performance tests of sharing the same wow data vs separate directories? I'm thinking of situations like getting off of a boat. I currently have 5 dirs on the same disk and notice that there's a fair amount of disk thrashing at these times.

No issues with boats / zoning for me. It seems to be just as fast as single boxing.

Ok let me see if i've done this right. I created D:\bin\new-wow.ps1 I have Wow in D:\bin\World Of Warcraft, I add D:\bin to Environment Variables | Path.

Is that right or am i missing something.

You installed WoW to "d:\bin\World of Warcraft" or you want to create a new copy there? Either way, that's not what I would reccomend. The script should find your normal WoW install location from the envirnmoent variables. (It could be smarter about this.) If it fails for some reason you can specify it manually via the -sourcePath param:

Code:

---

new-wow d:\wow1 -sourcePath "c:\program files\world of warcraft"

---

Also, there's no reason to put new copies of WoW under d:\bin. If you want to I guess you can, but it's not a requirement.

This thread should be sticked.

NOTE: using Vista 32.

You guys do know that this can be done thru a .bat file and run thru START->PROGRAMS->ACCESSORIES->Command Prompt (Run as Administrator).

Here is an example of the batch file I use:

Code:

---

mklink /d Data "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Data"
mklink /d Cache "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Cache"

md Errors

mklink /d Interface "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Interface"

md Logs
md WTF

mklink "BackgroundDownloader.exe" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\BackgroundDownloader.exe"
mklink "Burning Crusade Install Log.html" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Burning Crusade Install Log.html"
mklink "dbghelp.dll" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\dbghelp.dll"
mklink "DivxDecoder.dll" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\DivxDecoder.dll"
mklink "ijl15.dll" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\ijl15.dll"

copy "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Launcher.exe" Launcher.exe

mklink "Patch.html" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Patch.html"
mklink "Patch.txt" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Patch.txt"
mklink "realmlist.wtf" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\realmlist.wtf"
mklink "Repair.exe" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Repair.exe"
mklink "Scan.dll" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Scan.dll"
mklink "unicows.dll" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\unicows.dll"
mklink "World of Warcraft Install Log.html" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\World of Warcraft Install Log.html"
mklink "Wow.exe" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\Wow.exe"
mklink "WowError.exe" "c:\program files\world of warcraft\WowError.exe"

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Im very new to this, but it seems to work for me. Reduced my HDD load very nicely.

1 ) All I did was put the code into a file called COPY.BAT

2 ) Started Command Prompt in Admin mode.

3 ) Made the new directory with explorer where I wanted it: C:\WoW1

4 ) Copied the .bat file there with explorer into c:\wow1: copy COPY.BAT


5 ) Changed directory in Command Prompt: cd\WoW1

6 ) Ran the .bat program: copy.bat

7 ) Ran a dir lookup to make sure it worked: dir

8 ) Start back at step 3 and make C:\WoW2 and continue until all done.

As I said, Im new, so you probably dont need some files linked like the backgrounddownloader and such, but it was just as easy to leave them in.

There are faster ways to do it so that you can make all 5 directories from one batch file, but I like to controll the process so I did it this way.

top tip...

.bat uses command.com to run execute the code
.cmd uses cmd.exe with a lot of extra features... not really necessary for you but you lose nothing for using it an it means you can use all the dos extensions

Poor guy.

He adds the best tip I have ever seen on these forums and gets banned. I think I will keep all my own thoughts on making WoW better to myself then.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 'Gambler1971',index.php?page=Thread&postID=58319#p ost58319

4 ) Copied the .bat file there with explorer into c:\wow1: copy COPY.BAT

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You might want to name it copywow.bat or something to avoid the obvious conflict with the cmd.exe copy command.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 'HeyArseHole',index.php?page=Thread&postID=59183#p ost59183

Poor guy.

He adds the best tip I have ever seen on these forums and gets banned. I think I will keep all my own thoughts on making WoW better to myself then.

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Sorry that Gambler was banned, but a quick search of his posts shows that he was suggesting a private server, which is strictly (and appropriately) against the community rules. I don't know what warning he received. Perhaps if you think he was treated unfairly you could create another thread to discuss so we don't hijack this one.

So I ran the script and created 4 copies of WoW, and it works properly when I use the Launcher.exe from c:\Wow2. However, when I try and use wow.exe from c:\Wow2, I get this error....

Code:

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C:Wow2\wow.exe
The specified path does not exist
Check the path and try again

---

Any ideas?

Edit - It does this from all of my newly created folders, I was just using Wow2 as an example. Thanks for the script BTW, I was doing this manually when I two boxed but now I'm switching to 5 boxing and this will save me a heap of time.

I'm not sure why that happens. Windows Explorer glitch? You can work around it by running wow.exe from the PowerShell or cmd.exe command line (or in a script):

(PowerShell)

Code:

---

cd c:\wow1
.\wow.exe

---

You can also copy wow.exe rather than linking it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 'Chorizotarian',index.php?page=Thread&postID=59624 #post59624

I'm not sure why that happens. Windows Explorer glitch? You can work around it by running wow.exe from the PowerShell or cmd.exe command line (or in a script):

(PowerShell)

Code:

---

cd c:\wow1
.\wow.exe

---

You can also copy wow.exe rather than linking it.

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I just copied the wow.exe from my main folder into all 4 of my other wow folders, and renamed the sym link that was created by the script. What is the downside of going about it that way?

I did it this way because I'm using the keyclone maximizer and I needed to set it up with wow.exe from each serparate folder.

Thank you Chorizotarian for your work on this script! I am running Windows Vista 32 Ultimate Edition currently and I was able to get the script running by doing the following:

1. Made a directory called c:\bin
2. Added c:\bin to Control Panel->System and Maintenance->System->Advanced System Settings->Environment Variables->PATH.
3. Renamed New-WoW.text to New-WoW.ps1 and saved it in the c:\bin directory
4. Downloaded Windows PowerShell V2 and installed it. I received a corrupt data error when I tried to run version 1 for Vista.
5. Launched PowerShell V2 in command line mode and ran Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted. I received an error with the RemoteSigned option, I belive it is a problem with this version of the software.
6. Ran New-Wow c:\wow1

The script created the directory flawlessly! I think my next challenge will be to work with Octopus with a 2 account setup.

I think that the main downside of copying wow.exe is that you will have to update them individually on every patch. The exe is only 8 MB, so the increase in disk access should be insignificant.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 'Chorizotarian',index.php?page=Thread&postID=59701 #post59701

I think that the main downside of copying wow.exe is that you will have to update them individually on every patch. The exe is only 8 MB, so the increase in disk access should be insignificant.

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Cool, that works. Thanks again for the script! :thumbup: