Converter does not traverse NTFS Junctions, Help!

[FailBoat]

I have my XP SP2 system setup with OS/Program Files on C: and my "Documents And Settings" directory on a 2nd partition (D:\) using NTFS junction points. (C:\Documents and Settings\* is a NTFS junction pointing to D:\Documents and Settings\*). This was intended to make backups and restores of the system painless and easy and it has!

When running my backup/imaging software, such as TrueImage...the backup engine actually follows/traverses the NTFS junction and copies the date from D:\Documents and Settings and maps it to C:\Documents and Settings...

However,

VMware converter does NOT traverse the junction point. When I load the resulting VirtualMachine in VMServer and go into safe mode (can't load otherwise due to no Documents and Settings for users, can't load desktop/etc) and go into Explorer and click on C:\Documents and Settings, it says the data that junction point refers to is unavailable (Of course. Since it didn't copy that data by following the junction).

There is no way on this system to merge the D:\Documents and Settings back over to C:\ just for the conversion capture.

Is there a way to force the converter engine to respect the junction by traversing it (like any program should) instead of actually copying the junction point itself? The whole point of NTFS junctions is so that user space programs can't actually see that it's a junction. That's what makes them so useful. This default behaviour is irritating and unnecessary!

Thanks!

[continuum]

Why don't you inject the "Documents and Settings" directory manually - after running Converter and before the first start of the VM ?

[theanykey]

That might work. It wouldnt hurt to run converter's "import machine" wizard on that modified VM afterwards to spruce up any reconfigurations.

[FaiIBoat]

How do you manually inject directories into a VMMachine...Sorry if this is a basic question. This functionality would be useful for manyt things!

Thanks!

[continuum]

Run vmware-mount.exe + robocopy

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[theanykey]

Or the longer method,

use a helper windows VM, power it off, edit settings and add a new "existing .vmdk" virtual disk being the .vmdk file representing the disk you wish to mount. now your C:\ drive for which you want to access comes up as the D:\ drive in your helper VM.