Not re-installing programs in separate D: drive upon windows 7 install

[JohnAtanasoff]

This might be what you're looking for: Linkmaker for Windows It's not elegant, but it's used to create shortcut, symbolic links and NTFS hard links / junction points, one thing I noticed is you have to do each connection separately I saw no option for batch operation. look at the bottom of the linkmaker page for alternatives.

There may be better options on the google search page I used to find linkmaker.

Here's search variations on a theme:
Hard Links
Symlinks and Hardlinks

I am analyzing Anak. Your option would be good only for the software that i tweak the most. It's still a valid option

He he yep I guess you have a point but if you had those presets stored somewhere surely they would and could still work with the new car if you hooked up the storage device to the new car??

I am missing something I know but again if the storage worked with the original install and the new install is exactly the same as the original one only it is squeaky clean now then why can't the storage be worked with the new install??

I think I had better leave this one to you folks I am just too logical for my own good

I understand where you're coming from
Because! i wipe out the C drive when i do a reinstall and it looses the links to the registry etc. I usually do that when the OS has a major problem or has been infected by some harsh viruses.
If i reinstall but keeps programs, files and folders, maybe the programs in D will all work?...
Will try that next time!

What some users do is to use an imaging system to create a quicker re-installation "Experience"

Using something like Macrium Reflect or one of several image based backup systems, you create an image backup of all parts of the system, (in your case the contents of both the 0 and 1 disks), when it is working how you want it - If you need to re-install you simply clear the system and re-install the images

To enable this you would need access to a suitable Hard drive to take the Image files, so it would have to be at least as large as the used space on both disks ( plus a bit more for safety) It would be best if this was an external drive for convenience, and kept at another location to cover for disaster recovery, (fire or theft).

These Disks are easily available for "reasonable" amounts and the software is available for free or low cost, you would have to periodically re-create the images as software evolves, OS and other programs, but could reduce an interim re-install due to virus, or other catastrophic loss from Days or weeks to minutes or hours

Exactly I thought about the external hard drive scenario myself but did not know about macrium reflect etc.
This seems like a great way to do what i have in mind.
Thanks a lot!

I believe some programs that were installed in the different partition should work. I said "some" because some programs will work but in an unstable way or would work fine but will start like it was newly installed.

Exactly!

Thank you all for answering my request for help!
Jack

Thanks a lot Jack for hooking the guys up!