How do I fix truncated files that have the tilde (~) in them?

Question

I transfered some Autocad files to my machine. When I open up Explorer, the file names have been truncated (ie 10042-105A became 10042~10) Why did the file get truncated with a "~"? Is there a setting in Win98 I can change to fix this?

Answer

This question was answered on July 28, 1999. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

The Windows 95/98/NT operating systems support what is called "long filenames". DOS can only recognize 8 characters in the filename and 3 characters in the extension. Example: "filename.ext" If you drop to a DOS prompt on a Windows 95/98 system and copy long filenames, anything longer than 8 characters will be truncated with the tilde (~). For example, the folder Program Files is truncated to Progra~1 because of the 8 character limit. The easiest way to return the file to its original name is to right-click on it, then on the Rename option. This allows you to rename the file, but don't forget the extension.

Author

Posted by Ken of Data Doctors on July 28, 1999