trouble importing files with slashes in name

[dakotajoe]

Someone gave me a DVD (data DVD) containing various mp3 files, which I want to copy onto my hard drive, but some of the names have slashes "/" in them and Windows won't import them. And I can't rename them on the DVD-R. How can I import these files? Thanks.

[-pops-]

The slash is one of a number of symbols reserved by Windows to have a specific meaning and thus is not available for use in the text used for file names.

There is no way I am aware of that you can get Windows to ignore these slashes and likewise, there is no way you can removed them from an already written DVD.

What I am curious about is how were these titles available to be used? Obviously the files were written by a means other than Windows.

Two possibilities I can see:

1. Get back to whoever provided your files and get them re-written without a slash in the title.

2. (Longwinded and not ideal), convert to analogue, re-record and convert back.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Windows file names cannot contain a slash (or backslash, colon, asterisk, question mark, apostrophe, vertical bar, less-than or greater-than sign), so whoever created these files did not make them for Windows use.

If I needed to import such a file, I would try to make an image copy to a hard disk partition, then rename the file(s) - if Windows will allow that.

[dakotajoe]

wow. bummer. I am surprised that such a simple thing can stymie Windows. I had imagined that there was some sort of utility software that could do a "copy and save as" from a DVD/CD and rename the file. I guess I am still not convinced that there isn't some sort of software that can do this. Especially in a computer world where things are flowing more and more easily between PC and MAC.

[-pops-]

I doubt that you would be able to even load a file with a restricted symbol in the title, never mind change it.

To indicate the restrict, try to save a file, any file, with a reserved symbol into a Windows folder.