The other day I posted an article about Symbolic Links in Windows 7. I just want to write an update on how amazing these things actually are, especially for working on multiple projects, across multiple locations. Currently I'm running a 10k VelociRaptor Drive, mainly due to the fact I am inpatient and want my system to startup as soon as possible, without splashing out for a SSD.
Back to my point, I only have 150GB, and I have my local Apache Server running from the OS drive. Now, loading files from a remote drive over a network, or even just an external hard drive can really make Apache angry, so all my files are on my OS drive for my projects too. Great, right? Wrong. This east up valuable space, which I could be using for more programs and games, which could really benefit from the speed boost. This is where the Symbolic links come in handy. I can now place all of my project files on an external hard drive, which can then be monitored and backed up easily, and even picked up and carried arround without having to copy files first. Now all I do is set up symbolic links in the Apache projects file, rather than the actual files and there you have it; Apache sees the file locally, and you have your files on removable media for easy transportation and backup, without eating into your computers hard drive space. Hope this helps someone, it's made my life so much easier.