Ever have a computer name that you did not like or decided down the road you want to change it's computer name on your Windows XP or Vista system?
If so, you can easily change it to a more friendly name. Doing so can have many benefits, especially on a home network.
Instead of connecting to a system with an ugly name such as D2347TB998, you can change it to JOEPC or DUDE if you want and easily identify whose PC you are connecting to without guessing.
Changing the computer name is performed the same way no matter what system you are running - Vista, XP or Windows 7.
NOTE: Before starting, make sure any programs or applications that you have open are closed.
Now, just click on Start \ Run and enter sysdm.cpl in the run box and click OK.
When the Systems Properties window opens, click on the Computer Name tab…
…then click on the Change button next to "To rename this computer…."
You will see your current Windows computer name in the Computer name: field as well as the full name if your computer is a member of a Windows Domain (which many home users are not members of a Domain).
To change the name, just type a new name in the Computer name: field and click OK.
You will then see a dialog box informing you that you must restart the computer for the changes to take place.
Click OK again to close the Systems Properties window, then reboot your computer.
After rebooting, your computer name will be change to it's new name. If you want, you can verify it did change by checking the System Properties (sysdm.cpl) Computer Name tab.
Changing Your Computer Name From The Command Prompt
For those of you who prefer to use the command prompt to change the name, you can do so by using the Netdom command.
If you are running XP, Netdom is available in the Support Tools installation, which can be found on the Windows XP CD in the tools directory, or as a download from Microsoft web site.
If you are running Vista or Windows 7, Netdom is not included on the CD and you cannot install the XP support tools on a Vista or Windows 7 system. Instead, you will need to copy the executable from a XP computer. If that's not possible, you won't be able to use the command prompt for changing the computer name.
Once you have the Netdom executable on your hard drive, open a command prompt by clicking on Start \ Run and enter cmd, then follow these instructions for changing the computer name.
N ow that you have a more friendlier computer name, it will make connecting computers together on your home network much easier to identify.
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