Copy file with quote symbol (") in name 3

[MrStohler]

I'd like to know if there is any way to copy a file that has the quote symbol: " in it's file name.
EXAMPLE: 02 "Progress is our mission…".mp3

My wife gave me a MP3 CD book but portable CD player does not support MP3 format...

No problem I thought. I'll just transfer the file to my MP3 player [have both Zen Nano & Zune....Zune will get sent back, stick w/ iPod or Creative]

I have tried Zune software, Windows Media Player (does not recognize the Zune .. way to go Bill), WinAmp, Windows Explorer and I have tried to copy the CD to CD-RW so I could rename the files to get rid of the character: "

No Luck so far.

Any suggestions?

This is not a request to help me pirate the book, I can provide proof of purchase, I'm just trying to use my portable player to listen to the book.

Thanks

 

[wolluf]

So you can't copy the mp3 files to hard drive and then rename them? There's not copy protection on the CDs?

 

[linney]

Probably not relevant but posted just for information.

Can No Longer Burn Playable CDs - Help!!!

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...n+portable+player+xp&rnum=10#e500e026f524fb5f

portable MP3

http://groups.google.com/group/uk.r...on+portable+player+xp&rnum=9#5801358785265d5a

"Creating your own CDs" is an article in the Help and Support Center program.

How to copy music to and from an audio CD in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297015/en-us?FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

WMP: "Windows Media Player Cannot Play This File" Error Message Appears When You Try To Play an Audio CD

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326680/en-us?FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

 

[Freestone]

Perhaps a command prompt could help? Start, Run, CMD

copy d:\02??Progress?is?our?mission…?.mp3 "c:\Progress is our mission.mp3"

Where d: is the source drive containing the mp3 file and question marks are used in place of the quote and space characters.

 

[gbaughma]

Freestone has the right idea.

The ? is the wildcard, which will allow you to rename a file with "strange" characters (such as a quote).



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[MrStohler]

Thanks for the help but Freestone's suggestion did not work

I get this result after entering the copy command:

[blue][tt]
d:\02 "Progress is our mission.".mp3
The system cannot find the file specified.
0 file<s> copied

[/tt][/blue]

Please note that I tried several variations of the ? substitution for the " mark and for the ... (3 periods)
I also made the name of the copy an 8.3 format to simplify things (thinkg I could rename it later)

Any more thoughts?
I'm stuck and would apprciate any help you could provide.

Thanks

 

[Freestone]

Is d: the drive letter of the file you are trying to copy? And what typweof media are you trying to read from, a CD? And use the question mark not only for the " mark and ..., but also for the space character.

 

[MrStohler]

Freestone:

1) Yes, d: is the drive I am trying to copy from.
2) The media is a CD (already opened so it cannot be returned to store)
3) I tried several variations of what you suggest (replacing the " and ... with ?), no success

Before the end quote the ... is one symbol (ellipsis) rather than 3, does this change anything? I have tried using either 1 or 3 ? to replace the ellipsis

Thanks

 

[Freestone]

I have one last suggestion. Instead of using the ? wildcard character, try using the * wildcard:

copy "d:\*Progress is our mission*.mp3" c:

Be sure to include the quote marks. These are needed due to the space characters in the filename.

 

[MrStohler]

Freestone:

Thanks for your help but I get the sane error using the * method above.

Thank you for your effort.

 

[gbaughma]

Can you drag the file to your hard drive or desktop, then use the F2 rename? (This was a repost of Wolluf's original idea - so if it solves the problem, give Wolluf the star, not me)



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[ArizonaGeek]

Grrr... after all these people replied no one got it.

You can't have a quote in a file name in Windows. It just wont let you have one. It may have been copied to CD from a Mac (not sure if it will do a quote in a file name) but the reason you cant copy it to your XP machine is because Windows wont allow a quote in a file name. If you are sure this was originally copied from a PC than try coping from the command prompt but with two single quotes (which are allowed) and that might do it but I suspect that it would still copy from the CD. Get on a Mac or Linux machine and copy the file to a USB key then remove the quotes you should be golden.

Cheers
Rob

 

[gbaughma]

Grrr... after all these people replied no one got it.

You can't have a quote in a file name in Windows. It just wont let you have one.

Ummm... just slightly offended by that statement.
Obviously, he *can* have a quote in a filename, because he does. However, a wildcard rename should have handled the situation. Agreed, using a filesystem that supports the quotes directly would be easier, but the fact that his *doze box is reading the CD **WITH THE QUOTES** indicates to me that it's a DOS-compatible file format, and therefore copying and renaming the files shouldn't be an issue.

Perhaps if he used the 8.3 naming convention instead, it would work.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[ArizonaGeek]

Obviously, he *can* have a quote in a filename, because he does. However, a wildcard rename should have handled the situation. Agreed, using a filesystem that supports the quotes directly would be easier, but the fact that his *doze box is reading the CD **WITH THE QUOTES** indicates to me that it's a DOS-compatible file format, and therefore copying and renaming the files shouldn't be an issue.

Not necessarily. CD ... read only. Means on a Mac or Linux machine I can copy a CD and it'll read in XP but wont copy over to an XP machine. It has been a while since I've owned a Mac but I have run into this exact problem before. If he has tried everything else, why would something so logical as XP doesn't like quotes offend you? The worst thing about this site (as much as I appreciate the help and enjoy learning all the new stuff and interacting with people as smart or smarter than me) is quite a few people, including myself at times, over think the answers. Usually the most simple answer is it. He's tried all the hard stuff. No one else suggested the obvious.

Perhaps if he used the 8.3 naming convention instead, it would work

Perhaps but "coulda, shoulda, woulda." since it is a CD rom not a whole lot he can do now with it. My suggestion of a Mac or Linux machine still would take care of it if he can copy it over remove the quotes and then copy back to a CD or a USB key.

Just to test my theory I moved an MP3 over to one of my Linux servers and renamed it to the exact file name above and it worked just fine although I don't have speakers on my server it "said" it was playing. When I tried to copy the file to one of my 2003 machines it wouldn't let me. Access denied (even though I can copy a regular test.txt file.) So I went up to my server room and burned a CD of the file. Honestly I didn't even know I had a burner on that server till I went up there. It burned just fine and my Windows XP machine actually sees the file with its quoted name but will not play nor will it copy the file. I get the error message, Cannot copy 02 "Progress is our mission...": The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. when I try to copy it. If you want screen shots say the word I'll post 'em.

I'd say that unless MrStohler is getting some other error message he just won't be able to access the file from a Windows machine. Of course I could be wrong and way off base but the first thing I said after reading his original post was "It won't copy over because of the quotes, Windows hates quotes in the file name"

Of course there are always around Microsoft's quirks like possibly installing an OS X emulator or some third party software might allow it be copied like a linux/unix machine (cp "filename".mp3 filename.mp3) but he'd have to google that himself. In fact, now that I think about it he could probably download Knoppix or Ubuntu use the bootable OS on CD version, mount the hard drive and copy the file to his drive without quotes and he'd be good.

Just defending my post )

I am all about simplicity. Please, don't take offense at anything I say. I didn't mean any of my posts to put anyone down.

Cheers
Rob

 

[gbaughma]

I concede.

I gave you a star for your very thorough response, and for going so far as to actually test it.

I would have thought that if Dos/Windows could parse the directory and display the file, even with quotes in it, there must be a way to copy/rename it.

I evidently stand corrected. I apologize.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[Freestone]

Rob - I read your post as if you assumed no one but you understood the qoutes were the problem. I knew this was the case, but like Greg, thought that since Windows could see the quotes perhaps it could be "tricked" into copying them over using wildcard characters. This was a learning experience for me too as I never have run across a quote in a filename. I have, though, see other "strange" characters in filenames that DOS wildcards could handle, but it's been a LONG time (I'm talking real DOS, you know the stuff before Windows anything )

At any rate, great job taking the initiative a doing all that testing. Worthy of another star.

Dell

 

[MrStohler]

Thanks to ArizonaGeek

The Linux solution was exactly what was needed. With help from the IT staff, a Linux OS was used to copy the files to another drive and rename them. They are now on my MP3 player.

The IT staff informed me that Mac software was used to create the filenames that used the character: " (not sure how they could tell, but I'm glad the problem is solved)

Thanks for all the suggestions offered to this post.

 

[strongm]

>must be a way to copy/rename it.

In theory if we are using NTFS there is, from the commandline since there is a syntax that allows for bypassing the check for legitimate characters in a filename

So we should be able to do:

copy \\?\d:\<illegalfilename> c:\<whateverwewanttocallit>

or (XP prefers):

copy \\.\d:\<illegalfilename> c:\<whatever>

It is worth saying that NTFS is POSIX.1 compliant, which means that it supports a greater number of characters (and can even differentiate between uper and lower case) in filenames than Windows generally lets on. SInce NT4, however, you have to download the Services for Unix software to gain access to the POSIX stuff - whose native commands do allow access to filenames considered illegal by Windows