CNET Editors' review
Batch-processing programs can be a lifesaver if you need to rename or add special characters to a large number of files. Rename aims to do just that: rename multiple files in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, a poorly designed user interface and lack of results failed to impress us.
Right off the bat, we were turned off by the program's interface. A tiny window appeared with all of its commands squeezed into the left corner of the window. We thought for sure that maximizing the window would remedy the clutter, but it did not. Radio buttons next to vague renaming options such as "Add .... at (select number from drop-down menu) char from name begin" left us scratching our heads. Plus, each option ran into the other and shared a drop-down menu, making them even harder to decipher. On top of that, the program lacked any kind of flow for intuitive navigation. Not knowing where to go first, we first clicked the More Files button to add our files. Once we added our files, we tried to select a command to change our files' attributes, but none of the buttons worked for us. We clicked on each radio button, but it wouldn't take to implement the command. The program includes a Help feature, but its contents weren't available for view.
Rename is accessible right after extraction, so there's no need for installation. Because of all the problems that we encountered, we do not give this program our recommendation.
Publisher's Description
From Jose Falcao:
Rename will let you rename all your files and folders, but with a lot more options. Can batch rename files, add or remove strings to filenames; change file extensions, numerate filenames sequentially, convert to uppercase or lowercase, trim characters, and replace strings. Works with multiple directories, supports Drag and Drop and works from the command line. Also has undo function for last rename.
What's new in this version: Version 1.2.2 adds new main Menu.
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All versions:
4.3 starsout of 33 votes
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Current version:
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My rating:
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"Simple, powerful utility"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.1.5
Pros
Slick, doesn't use many resources, yet powerful; nothing extraneous
Cons
No significant ones; not sure why CNET's editor had difficulties.
Summary
Slick, efficient, powerful; represents the best of freeware.
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"Works Great!"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
Been using it for years and it does just what you ask it to.
Cons
Occasionally their are some files in a directory it won't rename and it must be shut down and restarted
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"Justo lo que buscaba para una soluci�n r�pida."
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
Tiene completas opciones para lograr soluciones.
Simple de usar.Cons
Se necesitan ciertos conocimientos para poder utilizarlo r�pidamente.
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"Works very well in expert mode but not too easy to use"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
Very flexible in sorting the file order and editing file names. Works effectively and quickly and you can undo any changes.
Cons
The interface is difficult to learn and it's important to record the way to handle a particular task once you have worked it out because you won't remember next time.
Summary
The product works well once you know how to set it up. As an example I use Nero Express to record audio & MP3 CDs and Nero usually changes the track order. Rename will handle this and it can be set up as follows :Use Expert Mode. Sort by Date and Time with Oldest First.
Open music file folder by working down from the top left.
Tick Insert, next field down $, Pos 1, fill up with 1, Start 201, step 1, Kill letters start with a minus number so you can work from the last letter. Typical track title will be 226Album Title.mp3.
I start at 201 because Nero regards 1, 11, etc as the same when sorting. -
"Very useful"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
Very Lightweight, does the job perfectly well. Saved me hours of renaming 100's of files.
Cons
A little hard to use at first.
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"Did exactly what I wanted in no time at all w/o install"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
I liked that I did not have to install this product, I was able to rename all the files I wanted within about 2 minutes.
Cons
I don't have any cons.
Summary
I needed to standardize the naming of about 175 files from 4 different sources. I was able to add words to the end of all files. I was then able to remove the same word from the end of files that now had the word twice, and from the file names that had another word that meant I didn't want the new word added at all. I was able to remove spaces and underscores; and capitalize the first letter of every word in the file names. The interface was perfect for what I needed to do. Thanks to the creator for making this free. I generally result to an Excel macro, but I trust CNET for virus-free downloads.
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"DONT DOWNLOAD THIS SOFTWARE!"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
No Pros. Cluttered unfriendly interface.
Cons
This software successfully deleted about 100 of my files.
Summary
This software successfully deleted about 100 of my files. There is an undo, the "feature" was grayed out after the operation, so no rescue there! Absolutely Horrible! All I did was say trim x amount of chars from the start of the filename and it deleted all of the files. I am still in shock...DONT DOWNLOAD IT!
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"What I was looking for !!"
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
Simple, small, free and does the job accuratelly and thoroughly. You just can't go wrong. Exactly what I needed. As far as help, I actually didn't need any. This Soft was realy easy to figure out.
Cons
None whatsoever.
Summary
Just GREAT !
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"No help for the novice."
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
It was pretty small, and looked very efficient, just you need to know how to use it, but with no help available....
Cons
I really couldn't get it to work. In Vista, be sure to run it as administrator, since it will try to write to an *.ini file, and you'll have to *KILL* it to restart it as an administrator. I couldn't exit gracefully.
Summary
Wait for the help to work too.
I tried to contact the author, who apparently still accepts donations for the freeware, but his email address was rejected. Too bad. It seems like a good starting point.
Updated on Feb 25, 2009 -
"A lightweight, functional tool."
Version: File Renamer 1.2.0.2
Pros
Incredibly lightweight. This program doesn't require an install; just put the files in a suitable folder and delete them when you're done (not that you'd ever want to).
Cons
It's a little tough to figure out how to work it the first few times you use it, but after that it's not bad. I had a few problems getting the "capitalization" function to work but other than that I'e had no problems with it.
Summary
This is a great program for someone who doesn't use it that often. It can drastically speed up the renaming of media files. However if you're using it for music you may want to find something that will edit ID3 tags as well.
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