How to shorten REALLY long file names

[DanWest]

I have MP3 file names I cannot change. They are too long.
I can't delete them either.
I would prefer to shorten then rather than delete them.
How can I do this in XP?

 

[zag]

Have you tried rebooting (into safe mode if necessary) and
do your deleting/renaming BEFORE you start any other apps?
z --------------------------------------------------------

 

[Gene Hughes]

If the filenames are long because the folder is buried
several layers deep in a long path then do this:
1. On one of your drives at the root folder create a new
folder called mp3 or something else short.
2. Go to the original folder where all the long filenames
are and do a CTR A to select all the files
3. Do a copy (ctr C).
4. go to the new folder and do a ctr V to paste the files
into this folder.
5. Now rename them. You may have files that don't need to
be renamed also.
6. If this all works then delete the files (if you can't
ctr A to select them and then delete them then delete the
whole folder).
7. copy the newly renamed files back. (recreate the
folder is necessary).
8. if everything works then delete the folder you used to
rename the files.

 

[DanWest]

If the filenames are long because the folder is buried
several layers deep in a long path then do this:

The path is short. I can move the file to a root directory.
It's the filename that I can't change.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have MP3 file names I cannot change. They are too long.
I can't delete them either.
I would prefer to shorten then rather than delete them.
How can I do this in XP?

I would suggest using a DOS command. Start - run cmd.exe. In it
navigate to the folder containing the files using the CD command

There use DIr /P /X to list them a page at a time, with the short names
before the long ones, and use the REN command to change names to shorter
ones *using the short equivalents* - eg
if there is
File with a very long name indeed that I just invented for the demo.mp3
change it with
REN FILEWI~1.MP3 "Rather shorter.mp3"

If the desired name has a space you will need it in quotes as shown

 

[DanWest]

I would suggest using a DOS command. Start - run cmd.exe. In it
navigate to the folder containing the files using the CD command

I wanted to do this but couldn't remember how.

I just want to thank everyone for their responses.

I had to open a directory on C with a single letter name in order to shorten the
second file name. It was really looonnng.
What is odd is that it wouldn't work on the partition where the songs resided.

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

Rename them in command window, using special syntax:

ren "\\?\C:\path\really long name.MP3" "\\?\C:\path\shortername.mp3"

Or use MOVE command to move the file to a folder with shorter name, using
the same special file name specification.