What Do You Name Your Computer In Windows?
 

When setting up a new computer, you are prompted in Windows to give it a name.

What is the purpose of this?

Does it make any difference what name you use? Is the Window's suggestion of a name like "Joe's computer" better or worse that a number? How about something really unusual like one I saw once, something like 6X7vk159uMq-73lkV?

Is this a security or privacy issue?

Computer naming mainly relates to Windows file sharing, when sharing your files in a workgroup or domain all the computers must have unique names.

The names are there for your convenience, so you can recognize which computer you want to connect with to grab a file or print a document.

The names are visible to others on the same network, so if you name your computer "Spanky's Laptop" and go to a Starbucks you may get an odd look from a few geeks looking at which computers are on the network.

Yeah ... what will5404 said.

I've been in the IT biz for 20+ years. Old school IT types like Trekkie or astronomy names ... I would be a rich man if I get a penny for every system named "Jupiter" or "Saturn". I like seafaring names, especially ones from tugs and seaway vessels (i.e. no "slippery when wet" :).

Bottom line, be original, use any name you want, as long as it is original and doesn't embarrass you :)

I've been in the IT biz (or a developer working with the same) nearly that long, and Trekkie is only one theme among many - Star Wars is at least equally popular (back before the dot com bust, in a merger, who got to keep the server name "deathstar" for one of the large servers was a point of amused fighting between our in house guys and their east-coast counterparts.)

My present employer runs to less interesting coded names (eg "SFO-OWA-01" or "jdoe-t3500" for two close but not quite actual examples) but we used to use codes for workstations even (mountains on one model, then rivers on the next) and we've still got a half-rack of ancient servers around named after comic book villains.

As for my own systems, I've almost always used names starting with C (for "computer") but have occasionally had exceptions. My most recent run, from 2001 through a few months ago, ran through historical heads of state and generals, and having run out of interesting ones of those, my last two machines deployed have been scientists (at present: my wife's laptop: "COPERNICUS" and mine: "LAVOISIER".)

My most recent laptop, and the one it replaced were both named 'Atlantis'. My current netbook that replaced the last laptop after its sudden demise is named, rather unimaginatively, 'Atlantis-MINI'.

This may sound like a dumb question, but I got to Starbucks often and I don't see any other computers online. How do they see me? Is it when I am connected to the AT&T wifi?

My network name is Matrix. My pc is Neo ;)

Supplemental Questions
 

1. Is your computer name transmitted in emails you send?

2. Is your computer name sent to websites you use, e.g. FlyerTalk?

In that case, maybe a unique name is not the best. Maybe I should call my machine "Lenovo" or "Verizon." :)

mine is called Bob Saget... :D

No,.

No.

Nothing wrong with that. I have 6 or 7 computers on my home LAN, and I give them descriptive names, e.g. "VIDEOEDITOR," "MEDIACOMPUTER," etc.

1. Sometimes, but not often. If you're using Outlook or a mail program like it that runs on your computer, one of the email headers might have your computer name in it, something to the effect of "Received from PC-NAME by smtp.gmail.com..." but not if you send via the web. I just tried it.

2. No, the Windows networking name (aka the SMB or NetBIOS name) has no bearing on web traffic.

Name it "Homeland Security E-Mail Monitor." If anyone detects it at Starbucks, they'll be very, very careful.

It's just a way to recognize your computer on a network. If you don't have a network, don't share files, it really doesn't matter, as you will never use the computer name. But if I want a file off the computer upstairs, I need to know it's name to find it.

You are not locked into it, you can change it any time you want.

Over the years I've seen many schemes, one place did all animal names, another did all street names and the servers were neighborhoods, etc. At my first job the person who set it up was a huge Three Stooges fan, the servers were all Moe, Larry, etc.

Unless you're on Spanky's Network ;)

I'm using Outlook, 2003, 2007 and 2010 depending on the machine. Should I be concerned? (The default is, I am concerned.)

Bravo! :D

I'm still wondering how another customer at SBUX can see my computer. Could someone explain this to me?

I know AT&T can see your computer name because I have called their wifi support from SBUX. Then again, they are running the network.

Computer names are nothing to be concerned about, especially in a home network environment. They're just a way to distinguish between machines.

My own network is all based around Doctor Who (TARDIS, Dalek, Sonic Screwdriver, etc). If you're connected to someone's network, then yes they can see your computer's name. Not really something to be worried about in most cases.

In this case, you can override the default. There's nothing to be concerned about with someone knowing your computer's SMB name.

More important with Windows networking is to ensure that you don't have shared folders with no password before you go to a place like Starbucks.

I'm a bit rusty on the technology (too many years in management). I'm sure someone will correct me if I've made any errors.

Computers capable of using and creating CIFS file shares (Windows, Linux and, I believe, Macs) create broadcast network ("NETBIOS") packets that contain the computer name. On a conventional office or home network, every computer "sees" every other computer's name broadcasts since it's very common to share resources and there's no real need to hide them from each other.

If the Wifi hotspot has a feature called "wireless isolation" enabled, though, these systems shouldn't be visible to other computers on the network; this feature effectively isolates each computer from any others connected. However, software exists that allows a wifi-enabled computer to capture wireless traffic regardless of the hotspot's isolation setting and therefore glean the names of the computers from their broadcasts. Generally speaking it's only nosy geeks using that software, but it's important to remember that nosy geeks aren't as rare as they used to be. They can easily see any unencrypted traffic to and from your computer. And looking at the encrypted stuff has gotten a lot easier, at least with some encryption methods.

Aren't you glad you asked?

On Windows 7 (or Vista) this is one of the reasons for the "is this network Home/Work/Public" when you connect to a new network. The first two enable firewall settings that allow those to go out and come back; the "public" setting blocks them. When in doubt, always pick "public." For those still on XP, while the Service Pack 3 firewall improvements help, it's probably still best to run a 3rd-party firewall program that blocks all of that stuff.

Linux CIFS file sharing will depend on your configuration, but most people running desktop/laptop Linux installations are likely to have the "incoming shares" service (Samba - actually in two parts, one for name management [nmbd] and one for actual file sharing [smbd]) turned off, and only the client part enabled. This will mostly be invisible on the network until you actually try to connect to someone else' system (although some other helper programs within the Gnome or KDE desktop environment may do lookups.)

No idea on Macs, but I assume it must have something equivalent to "public network" firewall settings.

The other issue with all three OSes is that machine names (etc) and personal names are now used for other broadcasty protocols to find each other's machines (see, for example, how different copies of iTunes or Windows Media Player find "____'s music library" and most OSes can now find network printers nearby) ... there is an alphabet soup of related but not fully identical or compatible protocols involved (UPnP, DLNA, Bonjour, SLP, mDNS, etc)... all of which will, in general, be blocked by "public" firewall settings under

Unique names for each PC are necessary. But easily recognizable names are important for daily operations, so that each user can determine which PC they are accessing over the network. Even if there are only 2 PCs on a home network, it's important to be able to easily tell which PC is which so that shared files or resources can be accessed.

I enjoy hearing these various imaginative naming schemes. Makes me feel less weird that I've put some thought into my own PC names over the years.

My desktop PC is called The Beast, because it's a home built monster. It used to have a custom case that I built for it out of a printer table, but these days it's in a store bought Smilodon case, so the name is still fitting.

Owing to my screen name, my laptops have all had names that play off of "WillCAD."

My first laptop was an IBM ThinkPad. I called it WillPAD.

My next laptop was a Compaq Presario. I called it WillPAQ.

My current laptop is a Gateway Tablet PC. I call it WillTAB.

My home network is called WillNET.

This page

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

from Gibson Research (the people behind spin write for those who remember it)

will check your system and tell you what it's saying about you (including if you are broadcasting your netbios name or not)

Unless you used your social security number as your computer name, I really don't think there's much risk in people knowing you call your computer red notebook or whatever though.

The user name for my Lenovo X201 is call MacBook

My alma mater used the following:

- fruits (for the arts & sciences servers) [lime, papaya, mango, cherry, etc.]
- hotel chains (for the engineering servers) [I remember ritz, hilton, and motel6.]

I can't remember the other departments.

I use Norse gods: My laptop is Huginn (thought), my external backup is Muninn (memory). I've also got Idunn and Fenrir for other devices.

Alternatively, I've had a couple incarnations of "Shodan".

Every laptop I've ever owned (Windows and, more recently, Linux) has been called "albatross", because of the assonance with my first name (Alistair), and because they wander the globe.

Here at work, one of my projects uses names from the Potterverse (hufflepuff, etc). Another uses TV robot names (twiki, rosy, bender). A third uses imaginary animals (phoenix, griffin).

At home right now we use metals (aluminum, titanium, magnesium). I wouldn't give a new computer the same name as its predecessor because I've got a full backup of every computer I've had on my RAID, and I want to be able to tell them apart.

Here at home my personal computers have been named more by whimsy than following any specific mythology, TV/book/film series or celestial theme. I've gone through the following:

Bobo
Stinky
Stanky
Skanky
Spanky
Leviathan

I'm most proud of the name I gave the firewall at a previous employer, back in the 90s:

Sphincter

I love those robot names. You can also use Data, Ruk, Robby, Norman, and of course, Mechagodzilla.

It never ceases to amaze me about how much useful help can be derived from these forums.

I'm currently using six of the seven deadly sins as computer names and was dwelling over what to name #8 when it becomes necessary to expand... Thanks to Flyertalkers they'll be: Avarice, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Wrath and....spanky

I have a computer I should name Sloth. :)

Oooh, Ruk!

The robot names were fun. That project was launched and is already decommissioned, though <sigh>.

That was my naming convention, and apparently I was showing my age, because bender was just about the only name most of my teammates recognized.

We use names of computers and characters from the 1970s BBC series Blake's 7.

Our oldest netbook (a 2002 model, from before the netbook concept existed) is Orac. :+>

Audrey

Sloth love Chunk...

You mean you actually RECOGNIZE the name Ruk?! Wow, you must be almost as old as I am.

I must be, because I did, right away! :-)

Okay, how about "Rem"? That's the most obscure one I could think of, and I couldn't even remember the name, just the character, so I had to look up the name on IMDB.

The main PC is HAL 9000.

The others have more mundane names such as Family PC, laptop, netbook.

Or, you could continue with sins that didn't make the Top 7 list - like OvertimeParking, Jaywalking, and CursingInPublic.

Thanks. It seems to be just putting out the ISP which I don't understand since you see all these sites that seem to know which version of Windows you are using.

Your browser gives every website this information.

To see what yours is broadcasting, go to: http://whatsmyuseragent.com.

Your user agent string can be disabled/modified with many FireFox extensions. This can be handy if you're on a transcontinental flight, and want to a session of GoGo WiFi on your laptop at the cheaper iPhone/BBerry/Mobile rate, for example. ;)

You can't do that, Dave!