Your test didn't test the same thing. You had 5 character filenames before
and after the rename, i.e., the lenght of the filename didn't change. In
the case described in help, they renamed 6 character filenames to 7
character filenames. It should have worked as they described, but it
didn't. Try the test again, renaming SMITH?.DOC to SMYTHE?.doc. It used to
work fine; now it doesn't.

"Rick Rogers" <rick@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:OrGIFSIuIHA.548@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
>
> Works fine for me here. Looking at your DIR results, it appears the
> wildcard character, "a", wasn't carried on the first one. I just
> replicated your test and here are the results:
>
> Directory of C:\TestREN
>
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM <DIR> .
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM <DIR> ..
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,863 Test1.docx
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,887 Test2.docx
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,895 Test3.docx
> 3 File(s) 29,645 bytes
> 2 Dir(s) 77,118,971,904 bytes free
>
> C:\TestREN>ren test*.docx work*.docx
>
> C:\TestREN>dir
> Volume in drive C has no label.
> Volume Serial Number is 2176-638D
>
> Directory of C:\TestREN
>
> 05/17/2008 09:12 PM <DIR> .
> 05/17/2008 09:12 PM <DIR> ..
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,863 work1.docx
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,887 work2.docx
> 05/17/2008 09:11 PM 9,895 work3.docx
> 3 File(s) 29,645 bytes
> 2 Dir(s) 77,118,185,472 bytes free
>
> --
> Best of Luck,
>
> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
>
> "SixSigmaGuy" <Rick@RYTEway.com> wrote in message
> news:C1B5E01F-D343-4B9B-9032-11D174212563@microsoft.com...
> I'm having trouble with the REN command with wild cards as used from the
> command prompt.
>
> For example, in the REN command help, it says:
>
> "For example, if you had files that are named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and
> smithc.doc, you could use the ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc command. All file
> names automatically show the new spelling, and are renamed smythea.doc,
> smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc."
>
> If I try the example, exactly as described, I don't end up with
> smythea.doc, smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc.
>
> Instead, when I create three files named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and
> smithc.doc and then execute the command:
>
> ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc
>
> I get:
>
> C:\TestREN>ren smith*.doc smythe*.doc
> A duplicate file name exists, or the file
> cannot be found.
> A duplicate file name exists, or the file
> cannot be found.
>
> C:\TestREN>dir
> Volume in drive C is OS
> Volume Serial Number is 0A07-21F5
>
> Directory of C:\TestREN
>
> 05/17/2008 04:04 PM <DIR> .
> 05/17/2008 04:04 PM <DIR> ..
> 05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 Smithb.doc
> 05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 Smithc.doc
> 05/17/2008 04:03 PM 0 smythe.doc
> 0 File(s) 0 bytes
> 2 Dir(s) 48,010,428,416 bytes free
>
> C:\TestREN>
>
> This isn't how I recall REN working in previous versions of Windows.
> Anyone know if the REN command has changed or been broken?