Command Line Ren (Rename) command broken?

[SixSigmaGuy]

I'm having trouble with the REN command with wild cards as used from the command prompt.

For example, in the REN command help, it says:

"For example, if you had files that are named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and smithc.doc, you could use the ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc command. All file names automatically show the new spelling, and are renamed smythea.doc, smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc."

If I try the example, exactly as described, I don't end up with smythea.doc, smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc.

Instead, when I create three files named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and smithc.doc and then execute the command:

ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc

I get:

C:\TestREN>ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc
A duplicate file name exists, or the file
cannot be found.
A duplicate file name exists, or the file
cannot be found.

C:\TestREN>dir
Volume in drive C is OS
Volume Serial Number is 0A07-21F5

Directory of C:\TestREN

05/17/2008 04:04 PM <DIR> .
05/17/2008 04:04 PM <DIR> ..
05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 Smithb.doc
05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 Smithc.doc
05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 smythe.doc
0 File(s) 0 bytes
2 Dir(s) 48,010,428,416 bytes free

C:\TestREN>

This isn't how I recall REN working in previous versions of Windows. Anyone know if the REN command has changed or been broken?

[Rick Rogers]

Hi,

Works fine for me here. Looking at your DIR results, it appears the wildcard
character, "a", wasn't carried on the first one. I just replicated your test
and here are the results:

Directory of C:\TestREN

05/17/2008 09:11 PM <DIR> .
05/17/2008 09:11 PM <DIR> ..
05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,863 Test1.docx
05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,887 Test2.docx
05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,895 Test3.docx
3 File(s) 29,645 bytes
2 Dir(s) 77,118,971,904 bytes free

C:\TestREN>ren test*.docx work*.docx

C:\TestREN>dir
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 2176-638D

Directory of C:\TestREN

05/17/2008 09:12 PM <DIR> .
05/17/2008 09:12 PM <DIR> ..
05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,863 work1.docx
05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,887 work2.docx
05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,895 work3.docx
3 File(s) 29,645 bytes
2 Dir(s) 77,118,185,472 bytes free

I'm having trouble with the REN command with wild cards as used from the
command prompt.

For example, in the REN command help, it says:

"For example, if you had files that are named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and
smithc.doc, you could use the ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc command. All file
names automatically show the new spelling, and are renamed smythea.doc,
smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc."

If I try the example, exactly as described, I don't end up with smythea.doc,
smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc.

Instead, when I create three files named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and
smithc.doc and then execute the command:

ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc

I get:

C:\TestREN>ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc
A duplicate file name exists, or the file
cannot be found.
A duplicate file name exists, or the file
cannot be found.

C:\TestREN>dir
Volume in drive C is OS
Volume Serial Number is 0A07-21F5

Directory of C:\TestREN

05/17/2008 04:04 PM <DIR> .
05/17/2008 04:04 PM <DIR> ..
05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 Smithb.doc
05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 Smithc.doc
05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 smythe.doc
0 File(s) 0 bytes
2 Dir(s) 48,010,428,416 bytes free

C:\TestREN>

This isn't how I recall REN working in previous versions of Windows. Anyone
know if the REN command has changed or been broken?

[SixSigmaGuy]

Your test didn't test the same thing. You had 5 character filenames before
and after the rename, i.e., the lenght of the filename didn't change. In
the case described in help, they renamed 6 character filenames to 7
character filenames. It should have worked as they described, but it
didn't. Try the test again, renaming SMITH?.DOC to SMYTHE?.doc. It used to
work fine; now it doesn't.