Saturday, May 31, 2008

Microsoft Junction v1.05

While I was getting Groove training, they mentioned that the Groove client puts all of the files on the C:\ drive by default. What the Hommes et Process guess recommended was an old SysInternals application that Microsoft maintains called Junction. The software allows you create a virtual folder or mount point that points the C:\...\Groove directory to another drive. Since Groove can’t let you change it, you can have the OS point all requests for the default directory into a different location. Windows Vista has this as a native option but you need the additional software for XP.

To use this on Groove, you need to:

  • Logon to Groove and configure it for the current user
  • Exit from all Groove applications, including the systems tray icon
  • Move the %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Groove folder to a different location
  • Download Junction
  • Create a virtual folder called Groove at the Office level that points to the new locations
  • The command will look like this: junction "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Groove" "D:\Groove"
  • Junction does not currently support UNC paths
  • Restart Groove
I think this trick would work for other programs that have hard-coded file paths. It is a pity that Groove doesn’t let you move all the data. The Groove workspaces could get pretty big over time.

No comments: