Question on Sysprep.inf

[dtakias]

When comes to the entry for the ComputerName is there a way to set it to start counting by itself?

For example If I need to name the computers as CLASS00,CLASS01,CLASS02,CLASS03....

 

Can i keep the first part and let it name the second part or something similar to that ?

[Gatt]

Are you using it with imaging? (RIS, WDS, Ghost, etc)

 

In RIS you can set it up to auto-number or use the MAC address, etc as the following KB article shows..

 

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/reskit/distrib/dsed_dpl_rutr.mspx?mfr=true

 

Not sure about WDS.. or Ghost..

 

If i'm using a generic sysprep (for any PC) I usually use # or * as the name (or part of a name) which then forces Sysprep to prompt you for a valid name..

[srochford]

Pretty sure you can't do it without something like RIS - you need something external to the machine to tell it what name to have. (You could imagine something that connects to AD and says "what's the highest number you have in the CLASSnn sequence" A PC gets that number and starts using it. Unless you're running some special code on the PC which can talk to the DC and create an account at that point then the next PC to boot will ask the same question, get the same answer and try to use the same name).

 

If you don't have a way of dealing with it and end up with random names then you can just rename them all fairly quickly - I've put a script here which will rename 1 computer; what I do for a batch is put old names in column A of a spreadsheet; new names in column B and a formula in column C to generate a set of rename commands - it's then fairly quick to use.

[torledo]

When comes to the entry for the ComputerName is there a way to set it to start counting by itself?

For example If I need to name the computers as CLASS00,CLASS01,CLASS02,CLASS03....

 

Can i keep the first part and let it name the second part or something similar to that ?

 

I recall someone at my last place of work developed a way to modify computer name in a sysprepped install before it was ghosted by using change.exe and one or two other utilities to accept computer name variables entered by the operator during the ghost bootdisk stage.

 

Sorry, not sure on the specifics but this problem was a tough nut to crack from what i recall. Chagning computer names post install seems to be the way most people manage it nowadays, or to use other deployment techniques other than sysprep/ghost. But i've always preferred the idea of setting computer names before installation so that the correct compnames are set.

 

any clues to help me and the ts out on this one ?

[dtakias]

I will be using Ghost with sysprep. I think for now I will just rename them manualy and will consider using that script srochford posted.

 

I wonder if I use something like CLASS* or CLASS# will it keep the first part and then ask me to enter manually the second part?