diff --git a/src/actions.c b/src/actions.c
index c4104375..9a7c39a2 100644
--- a/src/actions.c
+++ b/src/actions.c
@@ -869,7 +869,6 @@ int place_symbol(int pos, const char *symbol_name, double x, double y, short rot
   }
   dbg(1, "place_symbol(): done set_inst_prop()\n");  /*  03-02-2000 */
 
-  my_strdup2(13, &xctx->inst[n].instname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[n].prop_ptr,"name",0) );
   if(!strcmp(get_tok_value(xctx->inst[n].prop_ptr,"highlight",0), "true")) xctx->inst[n].flags |= 4;
   type = xctx->sym[xctx->inst[n].ptr].type;
   cond= !type || !IS_LABEL_SH_OR_PIN(type);
diff --git a/src/editprop.c b/src/editprop.c
index 8f06f322..7daf81ed 100644
--- a/src/editprop.c
+++ b/src/editprop.c
@@ -1025,10 +1025,9 @@ void update_symbol(const char *result, int x)
       if(!pushed) { xctx->push_undo(); pushed=1;}
       if(!k) hash_all_names(*ii);
       new_prop_string(*ii, ptr, k, tclgetboolvar("disable_unique_names")); /* set new prop_ptr */
+    } else {
+      my_strdup2(367, &xctx->inst[*ii].instname, "");
     }
-    my_strdup2(90, &xctx->inst[*ii].instname, 
-               get_tok_value(xctx->inst[*ii].prop_ptr, "name",0));
-
     type=xctx->sym[xctx->inst[*ii].ptr].type;
     cond= !type || !IS_LABEL_SH_OR_PIN(type);
     if(cond) xctx->inst[*ii].flags |= 2; /* bit 1: flag for different textlayer for pin/labels */
diff --git a/src/move.c b/src/move.c
index e3ac55e6..9f1f4a12 100644
--- a/src/move.c
+++ b/src/move.c
@@ -971,7 +971,10 @@ void copy_objects(int what)
         xctx->inst[xctx->instances].name=NULL;
         my_strdup2(232, &xctx->inst[xctx->instances].name, xctx->inst[n].name);
         my_strdup(233, &xctx->inst[xctx->instances].prop_ptr, xctx->inst[n].prop_ptr);
-        my_strdup2(234, &xctx->inst[xctx->instances].instname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[n].prop_ptr, "name",0));
+        /* 
+         * my_strdup2(234, &xctx->inst[xctx->instances].instname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[n].prop_ptr, "name",0));
+         */
+        xctx->inst[xctx->instances].instname = NULL; /* will be set in new_prop_string() */
         my_strdup(312, &xctx->inst[xctx->instances].lab, xctx->inst[n].lab);
         xctx->inst[n].sel=0;
         xctx->inst[xctx->instances].flags = xctx->inst[n].flags;
@@ -987,8 +990,6 @@ void copy_objects(int what)
         if(!newpropcnt) hash_all_names(xctx->instances);
         new_prop_string(xctx->instances, xctx->inst[n].prop_ptr,newpropcnt++, 
           tclgetboolvar("disable_unique_names"));
-        my_strdup2(235, &xctx->inst[xctx->instances].instname,
-                    get_tok_value(xctx->inst[xctx->instances].prop_ptr, "name", 0));
         xctx->instances++;
       } /* if(xctx->sel_array[i].type == ELEMENT) */
     }  /* for(i = 0; i < xctx->lastsel; i++) */
diff --git a/src/paste.c b/src/paste.c
index cd14673d..58c8e58e 100644
--- a/src/paste.c
+++ b/src/paste.c
@@ -266,7 +266,6 @@ void merge_inst(int k,FILE *fd)
     new_prop_string(i, prop_ptr, k, tclgetboolvar("disable_unique_names"));
     /* the final tmp argument is zero for the 1st call and used in */
     /* new_prop_string() for cleaning some internal caches. */
-    my_strdup2(306, &xctx->inst[i].instname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr, "name", 0));
     if(!strcmp(get_tok_value(xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr,"highlight",0), "true")) xctx->inst[i].flags |= 4;
 
     my_free(871, &prop_ptr);
diff --git a/src/scheduler.c b/src/scheduler.c
index 44166b31..646a9300 100644
--- a/src/scheduler.c
+++ b/src/scheduler.c
@@ -1986,7 +1986,6 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
     {
     /* xschem replace_symbol R3 capa.sym */
       int inst, fast = 0;
-      char *newname = NULL;
       cmd_found = 1;
       if(argc == 5) {
         if(!strcmp(argv[4], "fast")) {
@@ -2031,7 +2030,6 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
         bbox(ADD, xctx->inst[inst].x1, xctx->inst[inst].y1, xctx->inst[inst].x2, xctx->inst[inst].y2);
    
         my_strdup(370, &name, xctx->inst[inst].instname);
-        my_strdup2(510, &newname, name);
         if(name && name[0] )
         {
           /* 20110325 only modify prefix if prefix not NUL */
@@ -2040,9 +2038,6 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
           my_strdup(371, &ptr,subst_token(xctx->inst[inst].prop_ptr, "name", name) );
           hash_all_names(inst);
           new_prop_string(inst, ptr,0, tclgetboolvar("disable_unique_names")); /* set new prop_ptr */
-          my_strdup2(517, &newname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[inst].prop_ptr, "name",0));
-          my_strdup2(372, &xctx->inst[inst].instname, newname);
-   
           type=xctx->sym[xctx->inst[inst].ptr].type;
           cond= !type || !IS_LABEL_SH_OR_PIN(type);
           if(cond) xctx->inst[inst].flags|=2;
@@ -2060,8 +2055,7 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
         bbox(SET,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0);
         draw();
         bbox(END,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0);
-        Tcl_SetResult(interp, newname , TCL_VOLATILE);
-        my_free(528, &newname);
+        Tcl_SetResult(interp, xctx->inst[inst].instname , TCL_VOLATILE);
       }
     }
    
@@ -2406,8 +2400,6 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
           new_prop_string(inst, subst_token(xctx->inst[inst].prop_ptr, argv[3], NULL),fast, 
             tclgetboolvar("disable_unique_names"));
         }
-        my_strdup2(367, &xctx->inst[inst].instname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[inst].prop_ptr, "name",0));
-
         type=xctx->sym[xctx->inst[inst].ptr].type;
         cond= !type || !IS_LABEL_SH_OR_PIN(type);
         if(cond) xctx->inst[inst].flags|=2;
diff --git a/src/token.c b/src/token.c
index 8f968091..c2de4402 100644
--- a/src/token.c
+++ b/src/token.c
@@ -164,15 +164,15 @@ void clear_instance_hash()
   inst_hash_free();
 }
 
+/* Missing: 
+ * if one instance is named R1[3:0] and another is named R1[2] 
+ * the name collision is not detected nor corrected
+ */
 void check_unique_names(int rename)
 {
-  int i, j, first = 1;
-  char *tmp = NULL;
+  int i, first = 1;
   int newpropcnt = 0;
-  int multip;
-  char *start;
-  char *comma_pos;
-  char *expanded_instname = NULL;
+  char *tmp = NULL;
   struct inst_hashentry *entry;
   int big =  xctx->wires> 2000 || xctx->instances > 2000;
   /* int save_draw; */
@@ -195,44 +195,30 @@ void check_unique_names(int rename)
   first = 1;
   for(i=0;i<xctx->instances;i++) {
     if(xctx->inst[i].instname && xctx->inst[i].instname[0]) {
-      my_strdup(118, &expanded_instname, expandlabel(xctx->inst[i].instname, &multip));
-      comma_pos = 0;
-      for(j =0; j< multip; j++) {
-        if(j == 0) start = expanded_instname;
-        else start = comma_pos;
-        comma_pos = strchr(start, ',');
-        if(comma_pos) *comma_pos = '\0';
-        dbg(1, "check_unique_names(): checking %s\n", start);
-        if( (entry = inst_hash_lookup(start, i, XINSERT_NOREPLACE, strlen(start)) ) && entry->value != i) {
-          xctx->inst[i].color = -PINLAYER;
-          xctx->hilight_nets=1;
-          if(rename == 1) {
-            if(first) {
-              bbox(START,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0);
-              set_modify(1); xctx->push_undo();
-              xctx->prep_hash_inst=0;
-              xctx->prep_net_structs=0;
-              xctx->prep_hi_structs=0;
-              first = 0;
-            }
-            bbox(ADD, xctx->inst[i].x1, xctx->inst[i].y1, xctx->inst[i].x2, xctx->inst[i].y2);
+      if( (entry = inst_hash_lookup(xctx->inst[i].instname, i, XINSERT_NOREPLACE, 
+         strlen(xctx->inst[i].instname)) ) && entry->value != i) {
+        xctx->inst[i].color = -PINLAYER;
+        xctx->hilight_nets=1;
+        if(rename == 1) {
+          if(first) {
+            bbox(START,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0);
+            set_modify(1); xctx->push_undo();
+            xctx->prep_hash_inst=0;
+            xctx->prep_net_structs=0;
+            xctx->prep_hi_structs=0;
+            first = 0;
           }
+          bbox(ADD, xctx->inst[i].x1, xctx->inst[i].y1, xctx->inst[i].x2, xctx->inst[i].y2);
         }
-        if(comma_pos) {
-          *comma_pos=',';
-          comma_pos++;
-        }
-      } /* for(j...) */
+      }
       if( (xctx->inst[i].color != -10000) && rename) {
         my_strdup(511, &tmp, xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr);
-        new_prop_string(i, tmp, newpropcnt++, !rename);
-        my_strdup2(512, &xctx->inst[i].instname, get_tok_value(xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr, "name", 0));
+        new_prop_string(i, tmp, newpropcnt++, 0);
         inst_hash_lookup(xctx->inst[i].instname, i, XINSERT, strlen(xctx->inst[i].instname));
         symbol_bbox(i, &xctx->inst[i].x1, &xctx->inst[i].y1, &xctx->inst[i].x2, &xctx->inst[i].y2);
         bbox(ADD, xctx->inst[i].x1, xctx->inst[i].y1, xctx->inst[i].x2, xctx->inst[i].y2);
         my_free(972, &tmp);
       }
-      my_free(973, &expanded_instname);
     }
   } /* for(i...) */
   if(rename == 1 && xctx->hilight_nets) {
@@ -673,6 +659,7 @@ void new_prop_string(int i, const char *old_prop, int fast, int dis_uniq_names)
  if(old_prop==NULL)
  {
   my_free(984, &xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr);
+  my_strdup2(306, &xctx->inst[i].instname, "");
   return;
  }
  old_name_len = my_strdup(444, &old_name,get_tok_value(old_prop,"name",0) ); /* added old_name_len */
@@ -680,6 +667,7 @@ void new_prop_string(int i, const char *old_prop, int fast, int dis_uniq_names)
  if(old_name==NULL)
  {
   my_strdup(446, &xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr, old_prop);  /* changed to copy old props if no name */
+  my_strdup2(13, &xctx->inst[i].instname, "");
   return;
  }
  xctx->prefix=old_name[0];
@@ -687,8 +675,9 @@ void new_prop_string(int i, const char *old_prop, int fast, int dis_uniq_names)
  if(dis_uniq_names || (entry = inst_hash_lookup(old_name, i, XLOOKUP, old_name_len))==NULL ||
      entry->value == i)
  {
-  inst_hash_lookup(old_name, i, XINSERT, old_name_len);
   my_strdup(447, &xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr, old_prop);
+  my_strdup2(90, &xctx->inst[i].instname, old_name);
+  inst_hash_lookup(old_name, i, XINSERT, old_name_len);
   my_free(985, &old_name);
   return;
  }
@@ -701,8 +690,8 @@ void new_prop_string(int i, const char *old_prop, int fast, int dis_uniq_names)
  {
    if(n >= 1 ) {
      new_name_len = my_snprintf(new_name, old_name_len + 40, "%s%d%s", old_name_base, q, tmp);
-   } else {
-     new_name_len = my_snprintf(new_name, old_name_len + 40, "%c%d%s", xctx->prefix,q, tmp); /* added new_name_len */
+   } else { /* goes here if weird name set for example to name=[3:0] or name=12 */
+     new_name_len = my_snprintf(new_name, old_name_len + 40, "%c%d%s", xctx->prefix,q, tmp);
    }
    if((entry = inst_hash_lookup(new_name, i, XLOOKUP, new_name_len)) == NULL || entry->value == i)
    {
@@ -714,8 +703,9 @@ void new_prop_string(int i, const char *old_prop, int fast, int dis_uniq_names)
  tmp2 = subst_token(old_prop, "name", new_name);
  if(strcmp(tmp2, old_prop) ) {
    my_strdup(449, &xctx->inst[i].prop_ptr, tmp2);
+   my_strdup2(235, &xctx->inst[i].instname, new_name);
+   inst_hash_lookup(new_name, i, XINSERT, new_name_len); /* reinsert in hash */
  }
- inst_hash_lookup(new_name, i, XINSERT, new_name_len); /* reinsert in hash */
  my_free(987, &old_name);
  my_free(988, &new_name);
 }