IT Tips & Tricks
Link Rot, Solved: The IT Manager’s FAQ for Easier Server & Cloud Migrations
Published 29 January 2026
In the IT world, “link rot” is the dirty secret of data migration. We spend months planning storage architecture, obsessing over security permissions and optimizing transfer speeds — yet we often forget that data isn’t just a pile of isolated files. It’s a spiderweb. Move the web and the threads snap.
Data isn’t just a pile of isolated files. It’s a spiderweb. Move the web and the threads snap.
If you’re planning a migration, such as to SharePoint Online or a new file server, you have two choices:
- You can wait for the links to break and deal with the panic later.
- You can protect your links before they ever leave the drive.
(Spoiler alert: The second option requires way less ibuprofen.)
The smart money is always on protection. To help your team navigate this critical planning stage — and to answer the questions your boss, your compliance officer and your own sleep-deprived brain may be asking — we’ve compiled this FAQ for avoiding link problems during major moves.
We’ve broken down the most important questions into three categories:
- Planning (pre-migration concerns)
- Disaster Recovery (post-migration fixes)
- Technical Tips (security and compatibility)
Planning: Pre-Migration & Prevention FAQs
Q: I saw “inoculation” mentioned on your website. What is it and how does it protect links during a data migration?
A: Inoculation is a process unique to LinkFixer Advanced that embeds a unique ID within the files before they are moved. This ID acts like a digital fingerprint. You could say it’s like putting an AirTag on your bicycle or your wallet, except LinkFixer Advanced is much more reliable.
Run the Inoculate process on all the applicable files before you do your migration or file-system restructuring. Then, after you migrate your data to its new location (whether a different server or the cloud), run the Cure feature. LinkFixer Advanced uses that ID during the Cure process to find the correct child files in their new locations and to automatically update the links, repairing them in bulk after the move.
This is the cornerstone of proactive link management. The LinkFixer Advanced Inoculate/Cure tandem is the modern way to handle links.
Note: If you didn’t find out about LinkFixer Advanced until after you had already migrated or restructured your file system, LinkFixer Advanced can fix the broken links in batch and very fast. For this, you will need to use the Modify Links feature (covered below).
Q: Can LinkFixer Advanced fix Excel links if the data is moved to another drive or location?
A: Yes, LinkFixer Advanced can fix links in Excel files when data is moved to another drive or location. It uses intelligent link analysis to understand the old and new file structure, allowing it to accurately update thousands of embedded links within Excel, in bulk. It also offers the same protection and repair capabilities for many other supported file types such as Word, PowerPoint, Access, CAD and PDF files.
Q: Does LinkFixer Advanced support migration to cloud platforms such as SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Box, OpenText or Egnyte?
A: Absolutely, support for cloud migration is one of LinkFixer Advanced’s primary strengths. LinkFixer Advanced can handle the complex path changes and link updates required when migrating data from on‑premises folder structures to cloud environments or vice-versa. It systematically translates old, local Windows paths (like C:\Users\...\) into the necessary HTTP/S URLs that cloud services require, ensuring all file links remain functional post-migration.
Q: Can LinkFixer Advanced fix embedded links inside Excel files (such as links between worksheets or to external workbooks)?
A: Yes, LinkFixer Advanced can fix all types of links embedded within Excel files, not just basic hyperlinks. This includes complex links between internal worksheets, links to external workbooks, data connections and OLE/DDE links. LinkFixer Advanced specializes in managing these internal data dependencies, which are often the most fragile elements during a migration and the hardest to fix manually. The ability to batch-update these embedded dependencies is essential for finance, engineering, legal departments and more.
Q: Does Robocopy preserve file links, or will I need a supplemental tool?
A: Robocopy moves files but does not update the internal links inside those files. If you are moving a directory containing complex documents (like an Excel sheet linked to other internal Excel sheets or a Word document referencing a PDF), Robocopy will move the data, but the relative or absolute paths embedded in the documents will break. You need a tool like LinkFixer Advanced to update those internal paths for the new location, ensuring data integrity across the entire move.
Disaster Recovery: Post-Migration Recovery FAQs
Q: What is the fastest way to fix thousands of broken links after a data migration?
A: Use LinkFixer Advanced’s Modify Links feature. This function rapidly scans the affected directories to identify broken file links and, based on the file names and structure, systematically updates the internal paths.
This process eliminates the need to manually open and resave files, restores data integrity and gets end-users back to work in a fraction of the time it would take to write a custom script or handle the service tickets individually.
Q: We need to rename a large directory structure. Will LinkFixer Advanced be able to fix any broken file links inside the documents?
A: Yes. LinkFixer Advanced excels at managing mass renaming events. Its Move & Rename functionality performs the move and rename while keeping links in sync. It efficiently locates and updates all embedded links within the documents (Word, Excel, CAD, and so on) to reflect the new file path hierarchy, saving the files quickly and safely. Alternatively, Modify Links can repair broken links after the fact.
Q: Can LinkFixer Advanced software fix links even if the old server location is no longer accessible?
A: Yes, provided you have a method for defining the relationship between the old and new locations. If the files were previously Inoculated, running the Cure feature can fix them automatically. If not, the Modify Links feature allows you to define a search and replace pattern (such as replacing the old server name \\OldServer\ with \\NewServer\), enabling you to repair links without needing the old source server to be online.
Technical Tips: Security & Compliance FAQs
Q: Is it safe for LinkFixer Advanced to run on servers containing sensitive government or regulated data?
A: Yes. LinkFixer Advanced is intentionally a desktop solution and your files are processed by computers you control. LinkTek has no access to your files unless you send them to us for analysis. An important reason government agencies and organizations of all types use LinkFixer Advanced is that its entire architecture is designed for local processing.
Q: Since LinkFixer Advanced processes links in batch, before I click "run", how can I be sure that it will do only exactly what I want it to do?
A: LinkFixer Advanced provides comprehensive reporting and a built-in ‘Preview’ mode for every job. Preview mode lets you see exactly which links will be changed before you commit any job, so you can verify the planned edits. After the job, LinkFixer Advanced generates detailed logs showing each file and link that was modified.
Q: What file types does LinkFixer Advanced support besides Microsoft Office documents?
A: LinkFixer Advanced supports a broad spectrum of common business and engineering files. LinkFixer Advanced supports links embedded in over 70 major file types.
Conclusion: The Shift from Firefighter to Architect
We understand that IT staff are constantly expected to do more with less — and that often involves cleaning up messes that should never have happened. Whether you’re recovering from a surprise file path change or planning the largest server migration your company has ever seen, relying on manual fixes or custom scripts introduces unwanted risk and endless service tickets.
The true value of an enterprise tool like LinkFixer Advanced isn’t just in fixing the problem. It’s in giving you back the most valuable resource you have: Time.
By the time you chugged your first cup of coffee, your perimeter had been breached, your credentials harvested and your lateral defenses dismantled at a speed no human could ever match.
By utilizing the power of automated protection and repair, you can confidently execute major projects and significantly reduce post-migration helpdesk load, while you get to spend your time on strategic initiatives rather than basic link management.
Stop guessing and start validating. Download the full-featured free trial of LinkFixer Advanced (no credit card required) and run an immediate Link Status Report on your most complex file directory to see your true link integrity risk.
Got questions? Chat with us online or call a LinkTek consultant at 727-442-1822 for help with your specific situation.
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