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Using Junction Points with Windows 2016 LTSB 

Feb 01, 2017 01:38 PM

So quite a few of us will have older packages from the XP days still lying about in use, or ones where the software's been updated but the tweaks around shortcuts etc. have just been kept the same. Things like this:

Copy "C:\Program Files\myprogram\desktop.lnk" "C:\Users\All Users\Desktop\." /y

But the 2016 (1607) Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) Edition of Windows 10 doesn't have all these Junction Points; previously there would be a Junction Point in "C:\Users\All Users" called "Desktop" that was linked to c:\Users\Public\Desktop, now it's gone (the symbolic link for All Users is still there, use dir /al to see it).

So to recreate the missing points you need these scripts, firstly a simple Windows Command (DOS) script:

REM Create Junction points in C:\Users\All Users

cd \ProgramData
mklink /J "Application Data" C:\ProgramData
mklink /J Desktop C:\Users\Public\Desktop
mklink /J Documents C:\Users\Public\Documents
mklink /J "Start Menu" "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"
mklink /J Templates C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Templates

Then a Powershell script, as I couldn't get the Windows Command (DOS) "Attrib" command to work as well:

#powershell

get-item "C:\ProgramData\Application Data" -force|foreach {$_.Attributes = 'Hidden, System'}
get-item "C:\ProgramData\Desktop" -force|foreach {$_.Attributes = 'Hidden, System'}
get-item "C:\ProgramData\Documents" -force|foreach {$_.Attributes = 'Hidden, System'}
get-item "C:\ProgramData\Start Menu" -force|foreach {$_.Attributes = 'Hidden, System'}
get-item "C:\ProgramData\Templates" -force|foreach {$_.Attributes = 'Hidden, System'}

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Apr 11, 2017 07:26 AM

OK, I've just done an install of Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB with no updates and it has no junction points under c:\users\all users. FYI my own Windows 10 Pro 2016 (build 14393.593) does have and so does the eval Windows 10 Enterprise 1703 build I'm testing.

Apr 10, 2017 06:24 PM

That's interesting, I'll try and do an install of 2016 LTSB tomorrow with no updates and see if the junction points are there.

Apr 10, 2017 06:18 AM

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reply. We are having some issues where machines which are running our application suddenly stop working after certain W10 updates have been applied. I haven't worked out a pattern yet but the symptoms are that Junction Points have been removed. By manually restoring these junction points, everything springs to life again.

Ivan

Apr 10, 2017 05:40 AM

I'm afraid not, I think it's only the Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) they've been removed from. I added a question to this blog post a while ago but it's still "awaiting moderation":

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/windowsitpro/2016/08/02/whats-new-for-it-pros-in-the-windows-10-anniversary-update/

Apr 07, 2017 10:31 AM

Hi Andy,

Do you have a reference to a Microsoft document announcing the removal of Junction points in Win10 1607 please?

Thanks

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