Reference number: CH000827

How do I determine my computer's name?

Question:

How do I determine my computer's name?

Answer:

Below is additional information about how to determine a computer's name through Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS, and Linux.

Determining the name of your computer through Windows
Determining the name of your computer through MS-DOS
Determining the name of your computer through Linux

Determining the name of your computer through Windows

Windows XP users

1. Right-click My Computer.
2. Click Properties.
3. In the Properties window, click the Computer Name tab. Within this tab you'll be able to see the full computer name, workgroup and also a description. If you wish to change the name or workgroup, click the Change button.

Windows 2000 users

1. Right-click My Computer.
2. Click Properties.
3. In the Properties window, click the Network Identification tab. Within this tab you'll be able to see the full computer name as well as the workgroup you're using. If you need to change the computer's name, click the Properties button.

Windows 98 and older users

1. Right-click the Network Neighborhood icon.
2. Click Properties.
3. In the Network Properties window, click the Identification tab. Within this tab you'll be able to view the computer name, workgroup, and description, as well as change any of this information.

Determining the name of your computer through a MS-DOS prompt

Using the ipconfig command a user can quickly and easily identify not only the name of the computer but also any other network information. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the below command to display all important network information.

ipconfig /all

Running the above command would give an output similar to the below information. As can be seen from the below output, the Host Name is the name of your computer. In the below example, our computer's name is "hope". Because a lot of information is usually output when running this command, you may also need to scroll up to see this information.

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : hope
Primary DNS Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.ut.comcast.net.

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.ut.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 3Com EtherLink XL 10/100 PCI For Com
plete PC Management NIC (3C905C-TX)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 11-22-33-44-55-66
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 111.222.333.444
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.123.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.123.254
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 111.222.333.444
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, June 09, 2006 6:17:20 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, July 21, 2006 10:17:20 AM

See our ipconfig command page for additional information about this command, and see document CHDOS for additional information about how to get into an MS-DOS prompt.

Alternatively you can use the net command to determine the computers name and workgroup. Below is an example of the command you'd use to determine this information.

net config workstation

Determining the name of your computer through Linux

If you have super-user rights, you can change the computer's name by using the hostname command.

Additional information:

• Additional information about determining the workgroup of a computer can be found on document CH000941.
• See our computer name definition for additional information about this term and related terms.