hardcopy is a simple command-line application that makes hardlinks in NTFS as easily as “copying” a file.  It has two simple parms, srcfile and destfile.  Just like copy.

If you don’t know what a hardlink is, check out my HardLinks for Windows post.

Error levels are supported.  0 means successful.  1 means there was a problem with the parms.  2 means the hardlink could not be created for whatever reason.

This works for files on the same volume.  It does not work for folders, and does not work across volumes, so don’t even try it.

Here’s an example:

hardcopy c:\junk\test.txt c:\other.txt

That makes a harcopy of c:\junk\test.txt and puts it in the root folder of drive c, calling it other.txt.  Both files are exactly the same file on the drive, just two different handles to it.

You’re allowed 1023 hardlinks in NTFS per file, so go nuts.

This one weighs in at 45 kilobytes.  No install required.

Praise for hardcopy.

OMG.  I need this. – TimC

Supported Platforms:

• Windows (as far as I know, all flavors).  Only works under NTFS.

How to install:

• Download the zip file
• unzip it
• run it from a command line
• Enjoy!

Downloads:

Changelog:

• Version 1.0 (2010-06-23)

Legal:

hardcopy is copyright (c)2009, poweredbycode.  All rights reserved.  While every effort has been made to ensure that hardcopy is error-free, this is a free application and I’m only human.  As such, it carries no warranty, suitability for a particular purpose, or guarantee of any kind.  Use it at your own risk.  If you don’t like it, delete it.  Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, who has nothing to do with hardcopy, other than exposing the API function.

HardLinkOverlay is a Windows shell extension application that shows you if a file is part of a hardlink set.

What does it do again, exactly?

You’re probably familiar with that little arrow on the bottom left of a file’s icon that indicates that it is a shortcut, right?  Well, this does the same thing for hardlinks, but instead of an arrow, it is an “H”, like this:

Things you should know.

If you already have hardlinks on your system before HardLinkOverlay is installed, they may not show up right away.  After banging my head on this problem for a bit, I realized that the icons must be cached somewhere.  I’m still working out how to refresh the cache easily, but in practice it doesn’t cause problems.

One more thing.  Obviously, in order to use HardLinkOverlay, you need HardLinkMaker, which is available elsewhere on this site.

Praise for HardLinkOverlay:

I thought hardlinks couldn’t get any better, then this comes along. – TimC

Supported Platforms:

• Windows NT 5.0 and up (as far as I know, all modern flavors, though it has not been tested on Vista or Windows 7.)

How to install HardLinkOverlay:

• Download the HardLinkOverlay zip file.
• unzip it into a safe place that won’t get deleted.
• Navigate to that place, find and run Register.bat
• Open Windows Explorer, create a hardlink (you do have HardLinkMaker, don’t you?), then view.
• If you don’t understand any of this, don’t even attempt to install it.

Downloads:

Changelog:

• HardLinkOverlay Version 1.0 (2009-09-24)

Legal:

HardLinkOverlay is copyright (c)2009, poweredbycode. All rights reserved. While every effort has been made to ensure that this utility is error-free, it is a free application and I’m only human. As such, it carries no warranty, suitability for a particular purpose, or guarantee of any kind. Use at your own risk. If you don’t like it, use UnRegister.bat, then delete it. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, who has nothing to do with this.

HardLinkMaker is a Windows shell extension application that allows you to create an NTFS hardlink for a given file.

What the heck are hardlinks?

You’re probably familiar with shortcuts, which are simply pointers to a file.  If the file gets deleted, the shortcut lives on, though it doesn’t work anymore.

A hardlink is more than that.  It is multiple pointers to the exact same file data that can exist in multiple locations on the drive.  More than one name can point to the exact same data.  Any changes to the data made through one of those filenames affects all of the others.  The data only exists ONCE on the drive.  The various hardlinks all point to it.

A hardlink is equivalent to the file itself, along with all of its attributes & properties, without impacting storage space.

Consider this pretty illustration & slightly modified description from Wikipedia:

In the figure above, two hard links, named “LINK A.TXT” and “LINK B.TXT”, point to the same physical data.

If the filename “LINK A.TXT” is opened in an editor, modified and saved, then those changes will be visible when the filename “LINK B.TXT” is opened for viewing since both filenames point to the same data.  The same is true if the file were opened as “LINK B.TXT” – or any other name associated with the data.

In Windows, up to 1023 hard links to the physical data may be created. To access the data, a user only needs to specify the name of any existing link; the operating system will resolve the location of the actual data.

If one of the files is removed, the data is still accessible through any other link that remains. If all of the links are removed and no process has the file open, then the space occupied by the data is freed, allowing it to be reused in the future. This semantic allows for deleting open files without affecting the process that uses them.

Why would I need hardlinks?

Good question.  One way I use them is to organize my music collection.  Now I can have folders organized by anything you can imagine and have what appears to be the real MP3′s in each.  I really only have one copy of each of those MP3′s on my drive.  If I want to copy all of my “classic rock” and only that to another of my computers, I can go to one folder to do it.

How do I use HardLinkMaker?

Simple.  Just right-click on a file and there’s a new option that shows up called “Create Hardlink”.  Click that and you’ve just created another file.  Now you can move that anywhere else on the drive.  Change either file and it is reflected in all hardlinked copies.

Things you should know.

Deleting a hardlinked file does not affect any of the other hardlinks to that file, or the original.
Renaming a hardlink or the original file does not break the links.
Hardlinks exist even when a file is in the recycle bin (until you empty it).
If you like HardLinkMaker, you need HardLinkOverlay too!

Praise for HardLinkMaker:

You have to be kidding me, this is GREAT stuff. – TimC

Supported Platforms:

• Windows NT 5.0 and up (as far as I know, all modern flavors, though it has not been tested on Vista or Windows 7.)

How to install HardLinkMaker:

• Download the HardLinkMaker zip file.
• unzip it into a safe place that won’t get deleted.
• Navigate to that place, find and run Register.bat
• Open Windows Explorer, right click on a file, Enjoy!
• If you don’t understand any of this, don’t even attempt to install it.

Downloads:

Changelog:

• HardLinkMaker Version 1.0 (2009-09-11)

Legal:

HardLinkMaker is copyright (c)2009, poweredbycode.  All rights reserved.  While every effort has been made to ensure that this utility is error-free, it is a free application and I’m only human.  As such, it carries no warranty, suitability for a particular purpose, or guarantee of any kind.  Use at your own risk.  If you don’t like it,  use UnRegister.bat, then delete it.  Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, who has nothing to do with this.

shutdown is a simple command-line application that does what it says it does.  Modeled after Linux shutdown, it has two possible parameters, -h and -r.  It is useful in batch files or I guess you could provide a shortcut to it too.  I wrote it years ago and it may not even be useful to anyone.

-h means halt.  Windows will perform an orderly shutdown and then if your computer supports it, it will power off.
-r means restart.  Windows will perform an orderly shutdown and then restart.

For example:

shutdown -r

restarts the computer.

shutdown -h

halts the computer and may even power it off.

Weighing in at 42.5 kilobytes, this is a simple tool to keep in your bag o’ tricks.  No install required.

Praise for shutdown:

Crazy, but so very useful to me. – TimC

Supported Platforms:

• Windows (as far as I know, all flavors)

How to install:

• Download the shutdown zip file
• unzip it
• run it from a command line
• Enjoy!

Downloads:

Changelog:

• Version 1.0 (2007-06-04)

Legal:

shutdown is copyright (c)2009, poweredbycode.  All rights reserved.  While every effort has been made to ensure that shutdown is error-free, this is a free application and I’m only human.  As such, it carries no warranty, suitability for a particular purpose, or guarantee of any kind.  Use it at your own risk.  If you don’t like it, delete it.  Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, who has nothing to do with shutdown.  Linux is cool.  Carry on.

getunc is a simple command-line application that returns the real network path for a given drive letter.

For example:

getunc m:

returns:

\\BigServerInTheSky\RaidX\

Weighing in at 42.5 kilobytes, this is a simple tool to keep in your bag o’ tricks.  No install required.

Praise for getunc:

You’ve done it again, I can’t do without it. – TimC

Supported Platforms:

• Windows (as far as I know, all flavors)

How to install:

• Download the getunc zip file
• unzip it
• run it from a command line
• Enjoy!

Downloads:

Changelog:

• Version 1.0 (2008-12-22)

Legal:

getunc is copyright (c)2009, poweredbycode.  All rights reserved.  While every effort has been made to ensure that getunc is error-free, this is a free application and I’m only human.  As such, it carries no warranty, suitability for a particular purpose, or guarantee of any kind.  Use it at your own risk.  If you don’t like it, delete it.  Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, who has nothing to do with getunc.

TweetieSpy

I’d also like to extend my apologies to xperimental, who has been a perfect gentleman in my naming screw-up.

Coming soon

• Update Status
• Reply
• Support for multiple Twitter accounts
• Color / Location of popup dependent on keywords or account

… and a new name – TweetieSpy!

Also, what do you like about TweetieSpy?  What do you hate about TweetieSpy?  What would knock your socks off?  Let me hear your comments!

TweetieSpy is a must-have application for the serious Twitter user.  It sits quietly in your tray and pops new Twitter messages in near real-time.

TweetieSpy is beautiful in design, not only for what it does do, but for what it doesn’t do.  It is small & streamlined, super-easy to use, and stays out of your way entirely until it alerts you to an incoming Tweet.

Receive Twitter messages without interrupting your work.  Whether you’re in a meeting, typing a paper, or browsing the web, TweetieSpy keeps you in touch.  That’s smart.  If there happens to be a link in that message, just click on the message and TweetieSpy will take you there.

Perhaps the best part is that it is free.  Well, I do drink a lot of iced tea and sure wouldn’t turn down a glass if you bought one for me.  It keeps me fueled and cranking out more great software.

Features:

• Small memory footprint
• Easy interface
• Small tray icon takes up virtually no space
• Doesn’t interrupt your work, even when a message comes in
• @me mode only shows you the Tweets that are directed specifically at you

Praise for TweetieSpy:

I love it Brotha, Thanks again! – Badrock
Great app Code! Thanks for sharing. – Bayou
This is great. – Jason Petros
TweetieSpy kicks major ass! – Dave Ryder
Love the app Code… It’s a lot better than hitting refresh every few min to try to keep up with them. – BeerBear

Supported Platforms:

• Windows XP (all flavors)
• Windows Vista

How to install:

• Download the TweetieSpy setup file
• If you have Vista, you must install in Administrator mode
• Run it
• Start TweetieSpy
• Enter your Twitter username & password
• Enjoy!

Downloads:

FAQ:

Q.   I have Vista and I can’t get my new TweetieSpy update to install, it just keeps saying there’s a new one.
A.   You must be in Administrator mode to install TweetieSpy or update it to a new version with Vista.

Changelog:

• Version 1.0.0.7 (2009-03-30)
  • Feature: New menu icons
  • now has “no popup” feature for no interruptions during presentations, etc.

• Version 1.0.0.6 (2009-03-27)
  • Fixed: @me didn’t work with mixed case

• Version 1.0.0.5 (2009-03-26)
  • Added: “Show last tweet”

• Version 1.0.0.4 (2009-03-25)
  • TweetieSpy released

Legal:

TweetieSpy is copyright (c)2009, poweredbycode.  All rights reserved.  While every effort has been made to ensure that TweetieSpy is error-free, this is a free application and I’m only human.  As such, it carries no warranty, suitability for a particular purpose, or guarantee of any kind.  Use it at your own risk.  If you don’t like it, uninstall it.  Twitter, Vista, XP are registered trademarks of their respective companies.