Can't remame photo files on my camera phone

[Lapwing]

I wanted to download some photos I took this morning onto my pc from my
camera phone. I usually put the phonecard into the slot in my pc, choose what
pics i want, rename them and either move or, if I want to keep them on the
phone, copy them onto my computer. When I just tried to do it, I got an error
message saying if I change a file extention name it may not work properly.
I copied one and tried renaming it just to see what happens and I instead of
it showing as a jpeg icon that will open with Windows fax and picture viewer,
I get a funny icon that just says "file" when I look at properties. I can
open it but I have to manually select the prog. to open it with ( picture
viewer) and there is no way I can find of setting the programme I want it to
open with as default.

What I can't udnerstand is why I'm suddenly getting a message about file
extentions, why it won't let me remane as normal and what on earth I can do
about it to get back to being able to rename as usual and save photos with a
new name on both card and pc. I'm left with a situation where I can save and
copy my pictures as usual from the phonecard but I can't rename them without
them becomming converted into something else that involves manually selecting
the programme to open it with for each individual photo.
Can someone help?
Thanks.

 

[Lapwing]

Have checked files already stored on my pc and the same happens if I try and
rename anything eg Word docs so it's not specific to photos I now realise.
Any ideas?

 

[Nightowl]

Hello Lapwing

The file extension (part after the dot, like .jpg, or .doc for Word
files) is associated with a program in Windows -- this is how Windows
knows which program to use to open that type of file. If you're deleting
the extension when you rename the file, Windows won't know what sort of
file it is and will ask you what program you want to use to open it.

I'm guessing that you usually don't see the file extensions at all (so
don't get this problem and what's probably happened is that you've
accidentally changed a setting that causes them to be visible.

In Explorer or any folder window, click on Tools | Folder Options, then
the View tab, and put a check in the box next to "Hide extensions for
known file types", then OK your way out.

Hope this helps, let us know how you get on

Nightowl

 

[Richard in AZ]

If you have folder options set to "show file extensions" then when renaming
a file, you must be careful to not change, or forget to re-add, the file
extension. If you have folder options set to "not show common file
extensions" then the problem does not appear.
You may have recently changed the "Folder Options" under the View tab.