Just Made Orbx Scenery Faster & Smoother;-)

[BMG50 9]

I use "Junction Link Magic"...Works great,easy to use and FREE!!

[scott967 63]

I use "Junction Link Magic"...Works great,easy to use and FREE!!

Same here, used for many years.  Also shows all your existing links, created by Windows itself or by you.

 

This is how a program written for XP and expecting "application data" gets redirected to "appdata\roaming" in Win7 for example.

 

scott s.

.

[Noel 4,580]

No, that's the whole point.  My FSX install is too big for that.  I have it on a VelociRaptor.  So, the links are in the FSX folder, pointing to the SSD

OK, then this doesn't really address the question I have which was what effect would having OS on one SSD and FSX on a different SSD.  

[TheDanger 182]

OK, then this doesn't really address the question I have which was what effect would having OS on one SSD and FSX on a different SSD.  

 

There won't be any difference that you would notice. I have everything on one 256gig SSD and there wouldn't be any benefit having FSX on a second SSD apart from saving disk space.

[Andydigital 93]

Symbolic links How to.

 

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

[Guest]

And for those who don't like to install programs or shell extensions for this (like me ), here is the basic and very simple way of doing it yourself manually. 

 

DISCLAIMER: Try this at your own risk. The situation can be undone easily be copying everything back and removing one file (more about that later).

Imagine you want to move the Orbx folder entirely to another drive, so also out of the FSX folder, which is impossible under normal circumstances.

Let's say the current path to the Orbx-folder is this:

C:\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\ORBX

Now move (not just copy) the entire Orbx folder out of the FSX folder to a new folder on another drive, for instance here:

D:\Programs\ORBX

After doing that, open the command prompt (cmd.exe) and go to the folder where the Orbx folder originally was (and where it isn't anymore), in this example C:\Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Use the good old DOS-commands to get you there*. When you are there type this (I am using this example's folder names and path but obviously you have to change everything to your folder names and path, but do use the " where they are noted!):

mklink /J "ORBX" "D:\Programs\ORBX"

and hit Enter.

So that is mklink /J "name-of-the-folder-you-moved" "the-complete-path-to-the-new-location"

From now on the computer will think the folder is still where it was while it actually resides on another disk. Since the computer still thinks the folder is where it was, you will be able to install and uninstall new sceneries without any problems: you simply tricked the computer into thinking the folder is where it should be (in the FSX folder) but everything will be installed in the new location.

To undo all this, remove the file that's created by mklink (it creates a file where the folder originally was) and copy back the entire folder to its original spot.

 

* DOS commands
- to get to the root directory of the current drive type cd\ and hit Enter
- to get to another drive using the command prompt, type the letter of the drive followed by a : and hit Enter
- to get to another folder using the command prompt, type cd followed by a space and the path to the folder and hit Enter.

[jandjfrench 3]

Hi Jeroen,

I've installed Gold on an SSD and am trying to reserve space on the drive for scenery. I'd like to move my SimObjects folder to my HD. Your procedure sounds simple enough so I'm going to try it. Here's my understanding of what's required:

 

SimObjects now in "F:\FS\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects

New location "C:\FS\FSX

 

1) MOVE SimObjects to C:\FS\FSX

 

2) CMD:

cd F:\FS\Microsoft Flight Simulator X "Enter"

mklink /J SimObjects C:FS\FSX\SimObjects "Enter"

 

Sounds simple enough but is it right?

 

Jim F.

[jandjfrench 3]

Hi,

A couple of small corrections to my last:

 

1) MOVE SimObjects to C:\FS\FSX

 

2) CMD:

cd /d F:\FS\Microsoft Flight Simulator X "Enter"

mklink /J SimObjects C:\FS\FSX\SimObjects "Enter"

 

All seems to be working well now.

 

Jim F.

[Guest]

Glad to hear it worked! It's quite simple, really, if you know how it works.

 

I see you didn't use the " around the paths when you applied mklink...? So you typed 

 

mklink /J SimObjects C:\FS\FSX\SimObjects

 

and not 

 

mklink /J "SimObjects" "C:\FS\FSX\SimObjects"

 

Or did you forget to add the " in this post? I thought those " were mandatory but apparently not. Makes things even more easier.

[Noel 4,580]

For anyone interested. I've just moved my ORBX scenery files to a separate SSD drive, outside of FSX and created 'symbolic links' to the files.

 

Loading is faster and flight is smoother. Well pleased;-)

Hi Again,

 

I'm intrigued by the concept definitely, but since all my files are already on a fast SSD, I'd like to know if this could work w/ a RAM drive.  About the only thing that causes the slightest perceptible hesitation is loading of bigger .wav files.  For example, I use my own .wav files for music in FSPassengersX which I use every time up.  I have copious unused ram sitting there waiting for something to do and this could be it.  I could do this w/ ORBX scenery but for my first test flight in AUX BLUE scenery I had the most buttery smooth flight I could imagine last night and so doubtful there is much to gain there.  But as I say the .wav file load caused a slight hesitation of a few files.  Maybe might try this for ATC files as well.  Do you think the same approach could be used w/ ATC files?

[jandjfrench 3]

Hi again Jeroen,

I mis-read your post regarding quotes and I thought it said NOT to use them. Seems as though they're optional. I did have to add the "/d" after "cd" as the folder was on a different drive. In my proposed change I forgot the slash after "C:" in the mklink statement. Fortunately, I forgot in the post but not when I typed the command.

Thanks.

Jim F.

[DickB 6]

I believe quotes are only required in DOS commands if you have blanks in any component of the file/path you are referencing. So for example

 

CD \MyFiles

 

or

 

CD\"MyFiles"

 

or

 

CD \"My Files"

 

will all work, whereas

 

CD \My Files

 

won't.

 

[Guest]

Ah, good to know, Dick! In that case I will keep on advicing to use the quotes, just to be sure.

[DickB 6]

Sometimes there are advantages to being an old codger with a  long memory. At one time you weren't allowed to have blanks at all : :rolleyes:

[jandjfrench 3]

Hi,

 

cd /d F:\FS\Microsoft Flight Simulator X

 

worked just fine.

 

Jim F.