non-ascii characters in filenames

[bernhard]

Hello,

since several month, I am trying to find an answer to the following question. Perhaps you could give me a hint, as I still do not know the answer. My problems are non-ascii-charracters in filenames (such as Umlauts, accented characters and so on).

Before working with Apple, I was on Linux. There, I burned a couple of DVDs filled with Musik, Photos and so on. As I am German, Umlauts in the filenames are quite normal. But now, using the Finder, I am not able to open these files, or to copy them to my computer. The only way to do this is using the terminal and using the cp command like this "cp old\ filen\351me.mp3 /Users/myname/newfilename.mp3". This is okay for one single file, but not for the bunch of files I have.

Btw, the same problem shows up when transferring files from a windows system via samba. I had to rename a file on the windows station first in order to transfer it.

So my question is:
How can I properly copy all these files I backuped on DVD?

Yours,

Bernhard Krämer

 

[MisterMe]

I don't know why you are having your problem, but ümlaüts and other ácçents seem perfectly acceptable on my US English system. Perhaps, it has more to do with the filesystem of your DVDs than the Finder. Which application and filesystem used to burn your DVDs?

 

[fryke]

Generally, I've learned a long time ago that since systems _do_ use various different conventions, it's best to simply _not_ trust compatibility in filenames. Hence I try not to use umlauts, spaces or anything funky. It's not really necessary either, I found. While it's certainly looking nice when I call my InDesign file of my book "Mein|Eid 2003, Version 2003-03-12, © by fryke.indd", "meineid_20030312.indd" works just as well and is even easier to find in a list with several files. I know this doesn't solve your actual problem right now.