File name extension changer does not work

by cootermo Feb 11, 2010 9:14PM PST

I have down loaded your batch file extension changer:

http://download.cnet.com/Extension-C...-10394272.html

It does not work. After installation I get a window with a box to enter 'file name/file type' and a box to enter 'change to'. The file name/file type box is dead....I can't select it or click it. I can't enter anything in that box. The 'change to' box works fine. I can enter the extension that I want the files to be changed to but since nothing is in the 'file name/file type' box nothing can happen.

My PC is a HP Pavilion Special Addition with a Vista Operating System.

I have installed and uninstalled and then reinstalled the program twice with the same results.

Any ideas?

Discussion is locked

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Just so you know.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Feb 11, 2010 9:42PM PST

This is the Vista discussion forum and loosely related to the download.com site and there are no paid moderators and the author may never show up here.

I suggest you try another title.
Bob

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Re: changing file extension

by Kees Bakker Feb 11, 2010 9:49PM PST

I just did it with Windows XP command prompt (CMD).

The command (on a per folder basis) is
rename *.abc *.xyz
to rename all files with extension abc to having an extension xyz.

For such basic operations I wouldn't use a utility.
For more complex renames try http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Download.php

Kees

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Does not work with Vista

by cootermo Feb 12, 2010 8:06PM PST

I am not surprised. Vista turns everything upside down or eliminates things that used to make sense altogeather.

I found that you can go to [Control Panel], click on [Folder Options], uncheck the [Hide File Extension] and then right click on the 'individual' filename and then select [rename} and then change the extension from .mov to .wmv. BUT apparently the change is in name only because Windows Media Player does not recognize that particular file as really being a .wmv file.

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Re: renaming

by Kees Bakker Feb 13, 2010 3:00AM PST

Indeed, if you RENAME a .mov file to .wmv, nothing changes except the name of the file. That's what rename does: give another name. It doesn't change a bit to the contents of the file.

Did you mean you want to CONVERT a .mov file to .wmv? That's quite something else.

So please tell in more detail what you want to do.

Kees

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converting file extensions

by cootermo Feb 13, 2010 7:26AM PST

Hi Kees:
I can't find anything abour 'converting' file extensions in my Vista for Dummies manual. Basically what I want to do is change the file name extensions of all the .MOV files on my computer to .wmv. These files were somehow batch changed from .wmv to .MOV which makes them impossible to view, i.e. Windows Media Player won't work.

So I guess I need to know just how to batch convert the .MOV files to .wmv.

Your help is appreciated, thanks

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Re: .mov files

by Kees Bakker Feb 13, 2010 7:49PM PST

The .mov extension is used by Apple's Quicktime. As that's a free download, my suggestion is to leave the files as they are (converting takes a lot of time and lessens more than improves the quality) and use that player.

If you insist on viewing this video's with WMP, use google to find a converter. The magic search term to find a program to convert x to y is CONVERT X Y. So in your case it's http://www.google.com/search?q=convert+mov+wmv

Kees

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The box you can't type into

by peacox Feb 12, 2010 8:19AM PST

is for drag n' drop.
Read the readme file in the directory holding the application

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Drag and drop

by cootermo Feb 12, 2010 7:53PM PST

Nothing can be dragged and dropped. As I undestand it this software was supposed to be able to 'batch' change the files in a folder and it was not necessary to enter the individual file names and extensions and try and change thousands of extensions one by one...There is something I don't understand.

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It works fine in batch mode

by peacox Feb 13, 2010 12:37PM PST

just drag the folder name containing the files to be changed into the box, answer yes or no to the question "include subfolders?", fill in the extension you want ALL of the files in the folder to have and it will change them ALL. Just make sure that the only files in the folder are ones you want to change.

File name extension changer does not work

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