Thanks.
btw, in case anyone else runs into this obscure problem, the following freeware keystroke macro software came in handy... you can specify a keystroke sequence (ie, edit an item, add a letter, edit the item, delete that letter, so it is back to the original name) and assign it to a hotkey.
http://members.ij.net/anthonymathews/MacroMaker.htm
It runs fine on WinXP, even though it hasn't been tested. It is a very powerful little program.... could be useful for other things... eg, you can have it import a web page by setting up the old "Alt-D, Ctrl-C, Win-V" sequence in IE (insert a 500ms delay between Alt-D and Ctrl-C).