This is the right spot to ask that question.

It sounds like somehow you don't have permission to rename the original file. These are the steps that exiftool takes when writing an image:

1) Write modified image to "FILE_exiftool_tmp".
2) Rename original image to "FILE_original".
3) Rename temporary file to "FILE".

This is failing at step number 2. Check the permissions on the image. I'm not familiar with the how to do this in Windows, but hopefully you know how or maybe someone else can help here.

- Phil

Ah well if i do it myself on the commandline it works rename test.jpg test.jpg_original so the permissions should be oke unless the program is run as a different user.. but then cacls says BUILTIN\Administrators:F NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:F WULFTOP\hennie:F BUILTIN\Users:R i myself am logged in as hennie. i tried it with changing BUILTIN\Users:F but it did not help.

Oke little bit more info out of testing.... use option -overwrite_original gives errors........ errors are 0 image files update 1 files werent updated due to errors and the exif_tool_tmp file exists..... user option -overwrite_origina_in_place WORKS.... but allso here the exif_tool_tmp file exists still and is not gone BUT the original is now written.

I just tried exiftool now so have the current version, never tried it before.\n I am using windows XP Home edition.\n It works in windows safe mode.\n I have trie first the windows executable. \n today i have install active perl and got the perl distribution. \n This gives the same result. \n a standard simple perl rename script wich i wrote and tested on the same jpg file gives no problems. \n Hmm how do i get a linefeed in this forum working?\n

Oke first your test
C:\test exiftool -author=me test.mie
1 image files created

C:\test exiftool -author=you test.mie
Error renaming test.mie

Then i found your the piece in the exiftool code that does the renaming and copied it into a simple test
This WORKS....... its is indeed very strange...
I tried to copy it into this forum but it doesnt want to except it

(to post a block of code to the forum, enclose it in <code> ... </code> )

If I could duplicate this problem I could iterate between the script that works and the full exiftool script that doesn't. At some point there must be a single reason that one works. Do you think there could be a problem with the long extensionn (ie. "image.jpg_original"), or can your rename a file to a name like this?

- Phil

Ah well like i said i copied your rename code from the exiftool.pl
and put it in a simple script.
keeping the names like they are
and that works oke. so it mut be something that happens before that makes the file cannot be renamed.
i would think.....
I never used perl so have difficultys reading all, otherwise i could try to debug myself, wich i am trying anyway ....
my guesses . some program in my latop like a firewall virusscan windows defender is still holding the file
i tried to put a delay 10 before the rename i did not help
other idea the file is opened and locked by the prog itself
i tried to make a file handle did open fhandel filename
and then close fhandel filename
did allso did not give a soluytion
i allso tried to lock and unlock it before did not help eather
but as said this is the first time i look into perl so....

I appreciate the work you are doing to track this down, because all I can do from my end is come up with ideas.

Here's one: Put the following line in exiftool just before it dies on the rename error (this will print the actual error message):

- Phil

OK, thanks. This confirms my initial suspicions. I think maybe the thing to try now is to disable all of your virus protection to see if it is causing the problem. Unfortunately I'm not an expert in Windows permissions, so hopefully you or someone else reading this forum will have some more ideas here.

- Phil

Excellent.

Please post your solution here if you figure out how to configure Norton (Norman?) Antivirus to solve this conflict.

- Phil