How to rename a file with far less effort<\/h2>\n
1. Get a copy of FSTool our filelist<\/a> program. It is free for 30 days so just download it and use it. <\/p>\n 2. Run FSTool. Click […]. Choose a directory. Click [Search]. You’ll see a list like this: 3. Click File \/ Options and change the Text Format box to something like this: The ‘ren’ is a command to rename a file which goes back as far as MS-DOS (1981). It works on every version of Windows since then (every version of Windows).<\/p>\n The first bit after ‘ren’ is the existing file name. We’re using “%1” which means whatever is in the first column of our list – the current “filename”.<\/p>\n The second bit is the new name for the file. We’re using “%Myyyy%%Mmm%%Mdd% – %1”. This will put the date the file was last updated at the start of the filename, like in the second example above.<\/p>\n There are lots of choices for what you can use in FSTool to rename a file. They are all listed in the FSTool help<\/a> file.<\/p>\n When you are done, click [OK] to finish.<\/p>\n 4. Now click File \/ Output to Text. Notepad will open and you’ll see something like this: Nothing has been changed (renamed) yet. What you are seeing is a “to do” list for the computer.<\/p>\n Check through the list. Each line will rename a file. Delete any of the lines that you don’t want. Change any of the lines as you wish.<\/p>\n 5. When you are happy that these are the changes you want made, in Notepad, click File \/ Save As. You’ll see something like this: 6. A new file (filelist.bat) will appear in the directory \/ folder. It looks like this in Windows Explorer: 7. Double-click filelist.bat and the files will be renamed: 8. At this point you can delete ‘filelist.bat’ (it has done its job) and close FSTool.<\/p>\n I have been using computers for over 30 years now. They were supposed to make things easier; not to chew up our valuable time serving them. Get your time back. Free yourself from the effort needed to rename a file, a thousand times over.<\/p>\n
\n![\"rename-a-file-1-list\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rename-file-1-list.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"rename-a-file-2-text-format\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rename-file-2-text-format.png\")
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\nNote: it starts with ‘ren’ and there are two bits after that.<\/p>\n
\n![\"rename-a-file-3-notepad\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rename-file-3-notepad.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"rename-a-file-4-batch-file\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rename-file-4-batch-file.png\")
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\nSet the “Save in” directory to the one which has the files that you want to rename.
\nChange the ‘File name:’ value to “filelist.bat” (including the quotation marks) and then click [Save].<\/p>\n
\n![\"rename-a-file-5-saved-with-the-files\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rename-file-5-saved-with-the-files.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"rename-a-file-6-after-rename\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rename-file-6-after-rename.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhy this approach?<\/h2>\n
![\"download\"](\"http:\/\/www.gssezisoft.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/download.png\")
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