i need help to rename the following filename with non-standard timestamp to yyyymmdd: xxxx ddmmm.ext -> xxxx yyyymmdd.ext xxxx dmmm.ext -> xxxx yyyymmdd.ext xxxx mmmdd.ext -> xxxx yyyymmdd.ext xxxx mmmd.ext -> xxxx yyyymmdd.ext notes: file name with different naming convention than above should be ignored. sample file list (Old_Name -> NEW_NAME) : "INDEX XX NOV.xls" -> ignore "price 10-14nov.xls" -> ignore "PRICE NOV.xls" -> ignore "today 10nov.xls" -> today 20081110.xls "today des3.xls" -> today 20081203.xls "orders 7nov.pdf" -> orders 20081107.pdf here is my incomplete code: (still cant figure out reading current timestamp and convert it to yyyymmdd in :renamefile function) @echo off setLocal EnableDelayedExpansion call :renamemonth nov 11 ::call :renamemonth des 12 goto :exit :renamemonth echo Processing Month:%1 for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%f in ('dir /b *%1*.*') do ( call :renamefile %1 %2 "%%f" ) :renamefile set fileonly=%~n3 set extonly=%~x3 for /f "tokens=1* delims= " %%a in ("%fileonly%") do ( ::here is where i stuck echo %%b|findstr " [0-9][0-9]%1" > null if Not ErrorLevel 1 ( set timestamp=2008%2dd echo ren %3 "%%a !timestamp!%extonly%" ) else ( echo ..not match=%3 ) ) :exit

reno, If you can afford to use a free cmd.exe replacement called tcc/le by jpsoft, this is a cakewalk: 22:54:12 C:\...\t>for %a in (*.txt) do echo %@filedate[%a,w,4] --- %a 2008-12-12 --- doctype.txt 2008-12-09 --- moneyfile.txt 2008-12-09 --- runningtotal.txt 2008-12-03 --- workids.txt 2008-12-12 --- y.txt 23:00:18 C:\...\t>for %a in (*.txt) do echo %@replace[-,,%@filedate[%a,w,4]]-%@replace[:,,%@filetime [%a]] --- %a 20081212-1220 --- doctype.txt 20081209-1151 --- moneyfile.txt 20081209-1151 --- runningtotal.txt 20081203-1808 --- workids.txt 20081212-1245 --- y.txt 23:00:27 C:\...\t> Otherwise, all the best :-). -- Holla.