Changing files names

How to have the search engines find them

[Compworld]

Ok, I want to change the 100 + .HTM files to .shtm files, and then have the .htm files redirect to the .SHTM files. Now, I have had these static files since the late 90's, so I really do not want to loose those links from the search engines, does anyone know what I should do for a painless as possible transition? Also, for my redirects, I use the following code:
<META HTTP-EQUIV=REFRESH CONTENT=2;URL=Http://>

Is this a good one to use on HTM files, or is there a better on for me to use?

Any help would be great.

Thanks,

CompWorld

[kpaul]

hmm. someone please correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't think a meta refresh will work in the long run because it's a 302 redirect.

do you have access to the http.conf file? or a way to redirect on the server side? there's a Redirect statement for .htacess that should work as well.

-kpaul

[Compworld]

Yeap. That's what I ended up doing. Took me four hours to complete. Atleast I will not have to do something like that again. Hate having to update hundreds of pages manually.

CompWorld

[jdMorgan]

Hmmm... Too late to the party it seems, but it's often much easier to tell your server to parse html files for server-side-includes (SSI) than it is to rename a whole bunch of files. :(

Jim

[Compworld]

Yep. Did the SSI, but in order to do SSI, the files have to be in .asp, .shtm, etc. So, still had to change all of the .htm files to the new extention.

CompWorld