(First distributed in October, 2006, Title III Tabloid)

Have you ever copied a series of pictures to your hard drive, only to forget what they were? Or maybe you have created a series of quizzes for a class and would like them named sequentially. Windows XP has the functionality to rename a group of files with the stem that you specify and the sequential numbering you want. Here's how.

In general terms, the process requires that you locate and select the files you wish to rename in My Computer. Once selected, a right click on the first file selected lets you choose the rename command, where you specify the stem of the new name. XP does the rest.

In the example that follows, I renamed some pictures that I took of my dogs at the beach. The specific steps are:

1. Run My Computer
2. Locate the folder in which the files to be renamed are stored.
3. Select the files to be renamed
   1. If the files to be renamed are in order:
      1. Left-click on the first file to be renamed
      2. Hold down the Shift key
      3. Left-click on the last file to be renamed. (This selects all files between the first click and the last click. See figure 1)
   2. If the files to be renamed are not in order:
      1. Left-click on the first file to be renamed
      2. Hold down the Ctrl key
      3. Left-click on each of the other files to be renamed (This selects each file clicked on while Ctrl key is held down. In my example, only the second, third and fifth files are selected. See figure 2)
4. Right click on the first file in the selection (this displays the shortcut menu)
5. Choose the Rename command (this edits the file name of the first file selected)
6. Type the stem of the file name. In the example in figure 3, In my example I chose the stem of beach dogs.
7. Click off. Windows XP will rename each selected file with the stem and add a sequential number in parentheses. (see figure 4).