mklink not installed on Windows 7?

mklink is not a standalone tool – it is a built-in command in the Cmd.exe interpreter. The only way to run it externally is through cmd /c (similar to sh -c on Linux):

cmd /c mklink arguments

However, PowerShell itself supports creating various link types using the New-Item cmdlet, although it is not a full replacement (as it does not support creating relative symlinks).

New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink|Junction|HardLink -Name Foo -Target Bar

The solution is that mklink is a builtin on cmd.exe. Powershell therefore cannot directly access it.

Negative kudos to whoever thought that one up.

PowerShell is not a complete replacement for CMD. Many CMD functions do not work in PS. Switch to CMD to run mklink