In the previous post I described the use of reparse points to create junctions. Reparse points can also be used to map a volume to a directory within an existing file structure. A reparse point that points to a volume is called a volume mount point.

Volume mount points can be used to break Window’s 26 drive letter limit by allowing different partitions, e.g. D:, E:, F:, to appear as one logical volume or to consolodate access to devices with removable storage media.

To create a volume mount point, open the Disk Management console, start > Run… > Open: diskmgmt.msc, select Action > All Tasks > Change Drive Letter and Paths…, select Add, and specify an empty NTFS folder.

After a new path has been created the original drive letter can be removed. Note that removing the drive letter of a removable storage device will delete its icon from the Devices with Removable Storage list and prevent the Autorun dialog from opening when it is inserted.

If several several drives were mounted onto a single volume they could then be accessed and administered, e.g. folder sharing, from a common location.

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