The people who write programs like Windirstat ignore the fact that the same data can have multiple links (up to 1024). I use a red arrow like the one on shortcuts.

Its worth having one of them for that feature alone. There are free gadgets that display an overlay icon on files with multiple links, Link Shell Extension is one, NTFS Link is another. The x2plorer program does have it as a column, but it may only be available in the payware version. The count for the javascript file was 2ĭeleting the link from the winsxs subfolder will free up some space within the MFT (which is of a FIXED size anyway), but it wont free up the space used by the picturePuzzle javascript code, because it is still referenced in the Gadgets subfolder !!ĪFAIK Windows Explorer doesn’t have Reference Count as an available column. In there you’ll see a reference count – and under that there will list of the links.

If you look at the Properties of a file that has multiple links you’ll see an additional sheet – Link Properties It’s not a copy, or a mirrored replicant, it is the same bytes on the same sectors of the same disk 😉 Many of the files in WinSxS have multiple links – eg this javascript fileĬ:Windowswinsxsx86_31bf3856ad364e35_.16385_en-us_a6285ac2a45ae884picturePuzzle.jsĬ:Program Files (x86)Windows

Large winsxs folder