[Gametes]

I borrowed 2 cds full of mp3s from my friend, who owns a ps.
Well, when I copied them to my mac they come up with messed up names like WYN_0078.mp3 and _ERIC~3.mp3.
Even more interestingly, when I used iTunes to play them, half the mp3s had full name and band info, but the other half were just gobbledygook. I think that some of them had id3 info or something, based on what I know about id3.

Anyway, if anyone could help me to rename the files in the finder, and more importantly to find out what they are called (auto id3 lookup?), I would appreciate it.
There is no way I can sit there and guess as to what they are called so I need some way to have the computer do it.

[Demonhood]

If the files don't have ID3 tags, you won't be able to know what they are without listening to them. Your friend burned the CD as an ISO disc, therefore truncating all the filenames to 8.3 on the mac side.
If he/she had burned it as a Joliet disc or a hybrid, you wouldn't be having this problem.
I burn all my discs as Hybrids so that both mac and pc users get the full filenames. Sorry.

[Gametes]

ya, but it looks like there is some data in those strange names.
Isn't there way to extract it?

[Demonhood]

If there is, I haven't found it. I just took a look at an ISO disc I burned of movie trailers (this was before I knew how to make a hybrid disc) and I couldn't find any hint of their full file names.

You could try loading the disc up on a PC and then looking at the full names on the windows side. Kind of a lame solution, but I can't think of anything else to try.

[noliv]

if you have mac os x pb, it can read long file names on pc cd...

does anyone know a tool that reads the id3 tags and automatically renames the files with the info it finds on the tags?

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noliv... email | website | profile

Actually, I would say odds are the CDs are burned using the Joliet file system (a Microsoft-specific variation of ISO 9660), which does maintain long names when the CDs are viewed on a PC. Mac OS 9 (and earlier) see these discs by default with 8.3 names.

There is a great, simple, freeware extension available at http://www.tempel.org/joliet/ which will allow Mac OS 9 and earlier to read the full names on Joliet disks, as long as the names are 32 characters or less.

I also have PC-burned, non-hybrid MP3 CDs, and this extension comes in VERY handy. I strongly recommend it.

MP3 Rage does a great job of renaming your files in the Finder according to their ID3 tags. You can find it at Version Tracker.